CRD
Imagine an old building currently standing within the city centre slated for demolition to make room for additional housing. However, you face constraints imposed by local solar regulations. Uncertainty looms regarding the permissible height limits across various sections of your site while adhering to these regulations.
2024, Self-commissioned
In scenarios involving urban massing, we employ detailed solar hours exposure analysis to address local constraints. Our customized solar envelope and modular-stacking workflows enable optimized housing solutions that align with urban goals.
Legend explaining the conceptual starting point.
For each option we export the data, analyze & conclude steps towards our targets. In this case, we see the sorted results of the 12 alternative massings. Massing [A] is the best target-match, striking a compromisse between a large volume and best solar hours for neighbouring apartments. Considering ca.65 m2 BFA per apartment, we can fit 111 units with ca. 5900 m2 of facade, ca. 1900 m2 of roof area & ca. 6400 m2 NFA.
Legend explaining the data categories in the bar-chart.
Applied early-on, such approaches systematically decrease risks & maximize new massing potentials. In addition these can support collaborations, as iterated visual results can be show-cased in presentations or co-creative meetings with locals, authorities & experts. In this way decisions can be made more transparent, objective & efficient.
We analyze the amount of solar hour exposure daily available on the most relevant days of the year. We consider your specific geographical location & the surrounding context. According to the local urban climate & architectural language, it is essential to find a balance between appropriate distances & heights. In this case, in the Netherlands the TNO ruling considers a min. of 2 solar hours.
Legend explaining solar analysis results. Red tones are more hours & blue tones less hours.
After maximizing the solar massing, we slice it up into floor-levels for a better indication of program potentials. In further steps, we can then continue to constrain this volume to accommodate everything from large-scale circulation and car parking to smaller-scale paths and green spaces. Our tailored workflows offer various methods for stakeholder negotiation.