The Amount of Received Solar Energy
Given the obtained results on energy consumption, thermal comfort and
wall transparency, Sample B with the dimensions of a square was found to
be the best option for a building plan. As previously pointed out,
lighting in a residential building with dimensions similar to the
examined samples accounts for 11% of energy consumption. There are
minimums and maximums defined for energy consumption in residential
buildings by a number of credible institutions for evaluating energy
consumption in buildings such as LEED (Leadership in Energy and
Environmental Design) and BREEAM (Building Research Establishment). In
the present study, the amounts of received natural light by the samples
were evaluated in a range of 0-100 (Table 4); this parameter depends on
items such as the ratio between edges, orientation, and the total areas
of openings. Gaining awareness on the amount of received sun light
through each opening can be of significant importance in achieving an
optimal building pattern.
Table 4.: The lowest value of received solar energy considering
the transparency levels of the eight samples (based on IUX).