RELATIVE RELATIONSHIPS
BUILDING SHAPE, ORIENTATION, ENERGY CONSUMPTION, AND DAYLIGHTING
212
o
o
ROTATION
90
15
0
o
o
RECTANGLE
SQUARE
Z-SHAPE
BUILDING SHAPE
over-lit well-lit under-lit
heating other
This diagram shows the connections between the shape of a building, its orientation, daylighting, and energy usage. Using SketchUp and an energy analysis plugin called Sefaira, I studied the changes in energy consumption and solar lighting while keeping the square footage the same from building to building. The overall size of the icons indicate the relative amount of energy consumed by the building in kbtu/ft2/year. The outer ring indicates daylighting for the building; the inner circle shows how much energy is being used for heating in proportion to other draws of energy. Additionally, the inner circles rotate to aid in understanding the orientation of the building. I assumed that the buildings were set in Billings, Montana, and that the daylighting analysis was during a Spring or Autumn Equinox.
JACKSON ST CLAIR - MONTANA STATE UNIVERSITY - 22 FEB. 2016