Energy modeling has become commonplace, with designers
seeking to obtain high performance design solutions for
their projects. Although project teams sometimes interact
closely with their engineering counterparts, the process is
mainly a linear one, with very little iterative simulation. The
questions asked of the engineering team are most often ones
of size and efficiency. The most pertinent question that very
rarely gets asked is “How far can this building go without
needing a mechanical HVAC system?”.
Chhaya 2.0© is an Excel based design tool that helps
designers optimize glazing size and orientation, shading and
natural ventilation to extend the period that the building can
run passively. It used TMY2 weather data and a series of
interactive matrices to help the user come up with optimal
design solutions. The use of slider bars to allow the user to
increase window sizes as well as shades in each direction
and ventilation rates allows the architect to enter the world
of the engineer with instantaneous interactive feedback to
building shell decisions.
