EFEITO DE ORIENTAÇÃO DE JANELA NO AMBIENTE TÉRMICO E NA PERCEPÇÃO DO USUÁRIO

Abstract

In bioclimatic design, strategies such as the use of solar envelope emphasize the importance of equatorial façades in order to promote thermal gains, use of daylight and energy generation, and recommending unobstructed solar access for such façades. In Curitiba, the real estate market uses the north façade orientation for differentiating property value or, at least, as a sales argument; such strategy is usually applied in other cities in southern Brazil. In this context, the present article analyzes the effect of solar orientation in terms of thermal performance and occupant perception in two thermally equivalent environments, but with opposite solar orientations of the window façade. For this, techniques of Post-Occupancy Evaluation (POE) and performance measurements were employed in test environments with same scale and proportion, exposed to winter climatic conditions in Curitiba, PR. Results of the objective measurements were corroborated by the perception of the users, proving the thermal benefit of north-facing window façades in winter in Curitiba. Opposite solar orientations of the window showed changes in air and internal surface temperatures, with effects in the vertical profile of temperature and in thermal performance levels, even for window configurations with closed shutters, thus without direct gains in the environment. POE results indicated more pronounced heat discomfort for the northern façade, corroborating objective data outcomes.