Interactive Selection of Optimal Fenestration Materials for Architectural Design

Advanced fenestration materials, such as prismatic and laser cut panels, are emerg-ing as attractive options in architectural design thanks to their high potential to assist in energy and comfort issues. These systems can be used to redirect intense illumination from the sun but have complex transmissive properties that in turn de-pend on continuously changing illumination conditions due to the dynamic nature of natural light. The resulting non-intuitive interactions with the built environment make it necessary to develop tools that adequately represent these systems ’ behav-ior to the architect. The method presented in this paper enables simulation of the direct and indirect illumination from the sun and sky throughout each day for dif-ferent months of the year. The user can interactively explore the high-dimensional Preprint submitted to Automation in Construction 14 June 2007 configuration space to select optimal materials early in the design process, using both quantitative and qualitative design criteria to make adjustments