Residential thermal behavior

an adaptive comfort perspective

Abstract

The performance simulation is a valuable tool to assist architects in making design decisions to improve energy performance of buildings, as the way buildings behave affect their final energy consumption. The aim of this study is to demonstrate the current performance analysis process in DesignBuilder software considering the adaptive approach to environmental comfort. For this purpose, a model of an existing social housing project located in the city of Ibitinga, which is part of the Casa Paulista program of the state government in the state of São Paulo, was created in the software. Data related to the building's location, materiality, and occupation were then inserted into the model for analysis. It is important to highlight that daylight and solar orientation are essential factors for thermal and visual comfort in buildings, especially in social housing projects, where thermal conditions impact the quality of life of many users. The study starts from the current situation in Ibitinga and then explores an alternative scenario to verify the impact of a theoretically directed change in solar orientation in the project. As result of the tests, there were changes in the number of hours of user comfort, a parameter chosen for verification, indicating an improvement in the thermal comfort of the observed project in some contexts.