Environmental performance-driven urban design: Parametric design method for the integration of daylight and urban comfort analysis in cold climates

Shape of built environment and image of cities are significantly influenced by environmental factors such as access to natural light, air temperature and wind. Adequate quantity of daylight in building interiors is important for occupant wellbeing and energy saving. In Estonia minimum quantity of daylight is required by building standards. Wind speed increased by urban environment at northern latitudes can significantly reduce pedestrian perceived temperature during winter inducing strong cold stress. This paper presents a method for the integration of parametric modeling and environmental simulations to analyze interiors and exteriors comfort of tower building cluster variations in different urban areas in Tallinn. Optimal pattern characteristics such as buildings distance and alignment favoring improvement of interiors daylight and decrease of pedestrian cold stress are presented and discussed.