Completed PhD Thesis at LIPID

The global construction industry contributes 37% of energy-related carbon emissions and it is mandated to achieve a 50% reduction in carbon emissions by 2030 to help achieve the net-zero targets set by the mid-century. As we strive for low-carbon buildings that align with these targets, it is imperative to ensure buildings are comfortable for their inhabitants. Daylight serves as a crucial component, not only providing illumination and enhancing well-being but also influencing the carbon equation. The existing standards as minimum daylight levels encourage larger glazed areas, which often results in larger solar gains in the summer and heat losses in the winter, and therefore in larger shading systems, thicker frames and multiple panes of glass. These directly influence the EI of the building as a result of the façade’s material and components choices. While the operational energy use associated with daylight-driven decisions has received a great level of attention, only a few recent studies have started to explore the interactions between daylight strategies and embodied energy (or carbon) impacts.

This research aims to uncover the interactions between daylight performance and whole life carbon (WLC) analyses and proposes a novel methodology to support daylight-driven decisions under carbon budget constraints in early design stages: this is indeed the stage at which the overall daylighting strategy is usually defined. The method integrates explorative life cycle assessment, daylight simulations, target cascading, and a sensitivity analysis approach, and aims to facilitate decision-making in early-stages by using ad hoc data visualization techniques. Through an application of the method to different residential building archetypes, the decision-making potential of the proposed method is demonstrated, emphasizing its capacity to provide feedback on the WLC consequences of daylighting strategies early on – when the design space to explore is still broad – and promoting solutions that would account for the delicate equilibrium between the two.

Nazanin Rezaei Oghazi has passed her thesis exam under the co-supervision of Prof. Thomas Jusselme (HEIA-FR/HES-SO) and Prof. Marilyne Andersen (EPFL). Completed under joint affiliation with the University of Applied Sciences of Western Switzerland (HES-SO).

Accepted without reservation, the thesis will be presented to the public on July 9th, 2024 at 17h30 at the Smart Living Lab, room HBL 0 21A on the blueFactory site in Fribourg.