Measuring Optimal Window-to-Wall Ratio in Hospitals Located in Mashhad City to Increase the Energy Efficiency of the Building

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 Ph.D. Candidate of Architecture, Architecture Department, Science and Research Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran.

2 Assistant Professor of Urban Planning Department, Faculty of Architecture and Urban Planning, Iran University of Science & Technology, Tehran, Iran (Corresponding Author).

3 Professor of Urban Planning Faculty, Fine Arts Campus, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran.

10.22034/aaud.2023.350077.2685

Abstract

Many studies have shown that increased access to daylight through larger windows would improve the interior quality of hospital spaces; in terms of higher energy efficiency of the building, heat transmission through glasses is added when the size of windows becomes larger, which leads to less energy function of the building and more need for cooling load in summer. The smaller size of windows not only increases energy consumption in another way but also reduces the environmental quality of the hospital. In a climatic condition like Mashhad with a considerable temperature difference between interior and exterior spaces, windows' design is highly significant for increasing the energy efficiency of the building. This study aims to find those physical features of hospitals' windows in Mashhad that can create thermal comfort and increase energy efficiency in the building through optimal solar energy absorption. For this purpose, the conventional construction techniques for the design of hospitals, the methods resulting from the instructions of the 19th Topic of National Construction Regulations of Iran, and the proposed methods of this study for insulation increase were compared. The study is conducted using algorithmic simulation of building conditions within energy and light plugins (honeybee and ladybug) through Grasshopper software and data are described and analyzed through comparative method. As a result, the spaces shaped based on the instructions of Topic 19 provide more energy saving than the existing building; moreover, the methods proposed by this study can highly reduce energy consumption. The role of some considerations such as insulation is determining but limited in decreasing energy loss. Although the windows with 32-40% would bring useful light in all modes, it is necessary to consider the lower limit of this range to increase the energy efficiency of the building. The results of this study apply to the design of hospitals located in similar climates and this technique can be used in design of the spaces with similar time functions.

Keywords

References

Alwetaishi, Mamdooh, and Omrane Benjeddou. 2021. “Impact of Window to Wall Ratio on Energy Loads in Hot Regions: A Study of Building Energy Performance”. Energies 14(4): 1080. https://doi.org/10.3390/en14041080 
Bawaneh, Khaled, Farnaz Ghazi Nezami, M. D. Rasheduzzaman, and Brad Deken. 2019. “Energy Consumption Analysis and Characterization of Healthcare Facilities in the United States”. Energies 12(19): 3775. https://doi.org/10.3390/en12193775 
Cesari, Silvia, Paolo Valdiserri , Maddalena Coccagna, and Sante Mazzacane. 2020. “The energy saving potential of wide windows in hospital patient rooms, optimizing the type of glazing and lighting control strategy under different climatic conditions”. Energies 13(8): 2116. https://doi.org/10.3390/en13082116
Choi, Joon- Ho, Liliana O. Beltran, and Hway-Suh Kim. 2012. “Impacts of indoor daylight environments on patient average length of stay (ALOS) in a healthcare facility.” Build Environment 50: 65-75. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.buildenv.2011.10.010
Chung, Mo, and Hwa-Choon Park. 2015. “Comparison of building energy demand for hotels, hospitals, and offices in Korea”. Energy 92: 383-393. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.energy.2015.04.016
Commercial Buildings Energy Consumption Survey (CBECS). 2019. U.S. Energy Information Administration, 2019. https://www.eia.gov/consumption/commercial/
García-Sanz-Calcedo, Justo. 2014. “Analysis on energy efficiency in healthcare buildings”. J. Healthc Eng 5(3): 361-73. doi: 10.1260/2040-2295.5.3.361. 
Gatea, Anwer, Mohd Faizal Mohideen Batcha, and Juntakan Taweekun. 2020. “Energy Efficiency and Thermal Comfort in Hospital Buildings: A Review”. International Journal of Integrated Engineering 12(3): 33-41. https://publisher.uthm.edu.my/ojs/index.php/ijie/article/view/2763
González González, Alfonso, Justo García-Sanz-Calcedo, and David Rodríguez Salgado. 2018. “Evaluation of Energy Consumption in German Hospitals: Benchmarking in the Public Sector”. Energies 11(9): 2279. https://doi.org/10.3390/en11092279
Iran’s national building regulations, the 19th topic of saving energy. 2019. http://emaoi.ir/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/new-edit.pdf [in Persian] 
Keighley, E. C. 1973. “Visual requirements and reduced fenestration in offices—A study of multiple apertures and window area”. Building Science 8: 321-331. https://doi.org/10.1016/0007-3628(73)90017-0
Lee, Ju- Yoon, and Kyoo Dong Song. 2007. “The Daylighting Effects in Hospital for Healing Patients. International Conference on Sustainable Building Asia, Seoul, Korea, 27 Jun 2007 - 29 Jun 2007. http://www.irbnet.de/daten/iconda/CIB8201.pdf
Morgenstern, Paula, Maria Li, Rokia Raslan, Paul Ruyssevelt, and Andrew Wright. 2016. “Benchmarking acute hospitals: Composite electricity targets based on departmental consumption intensities?” Energy and Buildings 118: 277-290. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enbuild.2016.02.052
Thinate, Nattanee, Wongkot Wongsapai, and Det Damrongsak. 2017. “Energy performance study in Thailand hospital building”. Energy Procedia (141): 255-259. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.egypro.2017.11.102
Stephen Nimlyat, Pontip, Mohd Zin Kandar, and Eka Sediadi. 2015. “Empirical investigation of indoor environmental quality (ieq) performance in hospital buildings in nigeria”. Jurnal Teknologi 77 (14). https://doi.org/10.11113/jt.v77.6445
Saidur, R., M. Hasanuzzaman, S. Yogeswaran, H. A. Mohammed, and M. S. Hossain. 2010. “An end-use energy analysis in a Malaysian public hospital”. Energy 35(12): 4780-4785. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.energy.2010.09.012
Sherif, Ahmed, Sabry, Hanan, Arafa, Rasha, and Wagdy, Ayman. 2014. “Energy Efficient Hospital Patient Room Design: Effect of Room Shape on Windowto-Wall Ratio in a Desert Climate”. 30th International PLEA Conference: Sustainable Habitat for Developing Societies: Choosing the Way Forward - Proceedings, pp. 352-360. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/204270/
Singer, Brett C. 2009. Hospital Energy Benchmarking Guidance. Version 10 ed. Berkeley, CA, USA.: Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/974318
Shikder, Shariful , Monjur Mourshed, A. D. F. Price. 2010. “Optimisation of a daylight-window: hospital patient room as a test case”. The International Conference on Computing in Civil and Building Engineering. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/225071502_Optimisation_of_a_daylight-window_hospital_patient_room_as_a_test_case 
Standard book of safe hospital planning and design. Volume 10 – Standards and general requirements of hospitals. https://dmr.semums.ac.ir/ [in Persian]
Yuan, Feng, Runming Yao, Sasan Sadrizadeh, Baiyi Li, Guangyu Cao, Shaoxing Zhang, Shan Zhou, Hong Liu, Anna Bogdan, Cristiana Croitoru, Arsen Melikov, C. Alan Short, and Baizhan Li. 2022. “Thermal comfort in hospital buildings – A literature review”. Journal of Building Engineering 45: 103463. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jobe.2021.103463
Armanshahr Architecture & Urban Development
Volume 16, Issue 43 - Serial Number 43
September 2023
Pages 213-226

Files

History

  • Receive Date: 02 July 2022
  • Revise Date: 07 January 2023
  • Accept Date: 22 January 2023

Share

How to cite

Statistics