La gestione delle schermature solari mediante sistemi di Building Automation = Solar shading management strategies: the role of Building Automation systems

The aim of the research is to identify how the use of Building Automation (B.A.) systems could represent an innovative and energy efficiency tool for the management of building components, with particularly reference to window shadings. In the field of investigations applied to strategies for the passive cooling of buildings, shadings constitute an interesting field of research: this is due to the need of define design and management solutions able to combine the environmental characteristics awareness with the technical and performance aspects of the building product. This approach, in fact, could lead to the reduction of energy needs for cooling, preserving high indoors comfort levels. The definition of specific operating logics that allow the achievement of such goals becomes the interface among several and multidisciplinary skills and could improve the efficiency of bioclimatic projects, in order to promote the development of smart and adaptive buildings. For this purpose, energetic simulations have been developed, with reference to the summer period, on a residential building room provided with a vertical sunscreen system on the existing window. Different contributions on energy savings and indoor comfort levels have been compared in relation to the use of fixed slats or automatic ones. Results have supported the elaboration of operation algorithms for the automatic management of solar blind slats, as integrated with the B.A. system, which may be more efficient in balancing the improvement of energy saving goals, as related to illumination and cooling needs, often in conflict with each other; this has been analyzed in relation to the specific features of the building use and the variation of users’ need and occupation profiles. These results will support additional investigations in order to assess the variability of achievable performances, in relation to different destination uses, seasonal periods of simulation, latitudes and technological features of buildings.