Impact of shading structure on energy demand and on risk of summer overheating ina low energy building

AbstractDesigning a low-energy building becomes a challenge for the designer who wishes to achieve solar gains from sunlight in the spring and winter months and reduce the risk of overheating in the summer months. This article is focused on creating an effective shading structure for a given low energy house in order to provide the maximum amount of solar energy in winter and spring months and eliminate overheating in the summer. The solution involved two approaches which were chosen to complement each other. The first is a model of a shading design and optimization model using visualization tools. The second is a graphic which processes the sun's path and subsequent shade proposal for the structure. The result is an optimized shading structure for the particular low energy building according to predefined requirements, taking into account local conditions, building orientation, the purpose of building, investment and construction specifications. The achievement provides a general view into how to design such structures and effectively exploit the potential of solar energy simultaneously. Its use is limited to site specific proposals for each building