Effects of louvers shading devices on visual comfort and energy demand of an office building. A case of study

Daylight contributes to indoor visual comfort, enhances user satisfaction and productivity, and explains partially that, in office buildings, the use of glass in the facades has increased in the last few years, even in places where solar gains through windows contribute largely to glare, thermal discomfort and, consequently, excessive energy consumption. This paper evaluates the energy demand and visual comfort of a real case office building placed in a Mediterranean city, with a high window wall ratio (WWR). South oriented facades receive such a high solar gain that cooling demand cannot be handled by the current HVAC system. As an environmental friendly solution, a shading control strategy based on vertical and horizontal louvers is proposed.