Shading the glass façade: textile membrane strategies for early-stage design for office building energy-efficiency in hot–humid climates

Abstract

In India's hot and humid climate, the prevalence of fully glazed multi-story (FGM) office structures results in higher energy use, primarily due to solar heat ingress through their extensive glass surfaces. While external shading is a well-known solution, designers often lack clarity on which shading type and, specifically, which material performs best during the critical early design stages. This study employs a simulation-based comparative framework to evaluate the integration of sustainable textile membranes across three distinct shading configurations: fixed solar screen, fixed diagrid, and dynamic shading. Using a representative, fully glazed, multi-storied office building model located in Chennai, the research employed Autodesk Revit for modeling, E-Quest for energy analysis, and Dynamo for parametric setup to conduct a multi-objective analysis. The procedures involved quantifying annual cooling loads to assess thermal performance, measuring Useful Daylight Illuminance (UDI) to evaluate visual comfort, and performing an Initial investment cost of the integrated shading devices to determine the economic payback period for each system compared to a non-shaded base case. Comparative analysis demonstrates the potential for considerable energy savings across all options. However, findings revealed pronounced disparities and contradictory trends between thermal and visual performance. Notably, the fixed solar screen emerged as the most effective solution, balancing energy reduction with economic viability. The study concludes that material-driven simulations are essential in the early design phase to enable well-informed choices that align sustainability with building performance.