The impact of the inclination angle of perforated screen facade on daylight performance in the tropics

Abstract

Daylighting is one of the fundamental aspects of green building principles. Utilizing daylighting in a building offers numerous benefits, including energy efficiency, enhanced comfort, improved workplace productivity, better health, and increased economic value. However, buildings with glazed facades can experience excessive illuminance, uneven daylight distribution, and glare without proper shading devices. Perforated screen facade (PSF) is one of the shading devices widely used in buildings with glass facades. PSF minimizes direct solar radiation and enhances daylighting performance while preserving outdoor views. This study focused on one design variable of PSF, the inclination angle, which had not been widely explored in previous research within the context of a tropical climate. The research aimed to evaluate the impact of the PSF inclination angle on daylight performance. The research method was experimental, using radiance-based simulation as a tool. The daylight availability and visual comfort of office buildings with vertical PSF were compared with inclined PSF. The daylight performance metrics analyzed included mean illuminance, useful daylight illuminance, and spatial disturbing glare. The results indicated that implementing an inclined PSF resulted in mean illuminance ranging from 1065 to 1105 lx, useful daylight illuminance between 95.08% and 95.55%, and spatial disturbing glare between 5.1% and 6.5%. Increasing the PSF inclination angle raises the mean illuminance and spatial disturbing glare and reduces the useful daylight illuminance. PSF can be applied with an inclination angle to buildings in the tropics, providing broader possibilities for facade design exploration.