Site planning, architectural detailing, and thermal performance: an experimental study

This paper describes an exercise in which a well-documented computer model was used by a building manager to predict the thermal performance of projected extensions to a large international headquarters building. A range of planning options were analysed, the effect of different architectural details were examined, and the degree in which the building complex could modify insolation gains by self-shading were evaluated. The experiment demonstrates that significant reductions may be achieved in heating and cooling loads at both the broad strategic level of site planning and the tactical level of architectural detailing.