Long-term and spatial evaluation of the integrated performance of a window-shade system in an open space office located in Rome

The building façades, as a boundary between external and internal environments, play a central role in energy reduction and suitable comfort conditions maintenance. Their evaluation requires an integrated assessment approach, focused on occupants’ thermal and visual comfort, in time and space, as well as on maximizing daylight and achieving energy saving goals. In this paper, dynamic simulation is used to evaluate the integrated performance of different fenestration systems in an open space office located in Rome. The illuminating analysis has been performed using DIVA, and the results, processed by means of a Matlab code, have been used as an input for Energy Plus thermal and energy analysis. Then, the Energy Plus outputs have been post processed to calculate the solar radiation influence on occupants thermal comfort. Some new metrics have been introduced in such a way that it is possible to assess the comfort performance with comprehensive indicators.