Daylighting Performance and Visual Appeal Correlation of Buildings
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Abstract
The window-to-wall ratio is often used for daylighting and façade aesthetics in buildings and building spaces. The optimization of the window-to-wall ratio (WWR) for efficient daylighting, on the other hand, might conflict with that of visual appeal enhancement. Design principles such as "Form follow function," "Beauty in usability," and "Attractive things perform easier" imply that there is a beneficial relationship between a building's façade design and its functions. This research aimed to determine the impact of the window-to-wall ratio on daylight and aesthetics in building façades, and to examine any connection between the two. The study included 400 respondents divided into three classes: students, lecturers, and others. Five simulated elevations of a base model lecture theatre, derived from a previous research study, were listed in order of architectural pleasantness, with varying window-to-wall ratios. Static daylighting performance was evaluated using an integrated environmental solution- visual environment (IES-VE) software for all the test cases. The daylighting performance percentage was computed based on experimentally measured WWR. Spearman's Rank-Order Correlation Coefficients were used to determine the relationship between the aesthetic ranks of the elevations and their corresponding daylighting performance. It was discovered that WWR influences both architectural rankings and daylighting performance in building rooms. Three of the four ranking groups had correlation coefficients of 0.74, while the other ranking group had a coefficient of 0.88. According to the report, the relationship between aesthetics and daylighting by WWR is at least appreciable and optimistic. It was suggested that WWR geometric proportions were oriented toward "the golden ratio.
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