Energy simulations for glazed office buildings in Sweden

Highly glazed buildings are designed by architects to be airy, light and transparent with more access to daylight. Their energy efficiency, however, has become questioned. Therefore, energy simulations of single skin office buildings in Sweden were carried out, using a dynamic energy simulation tool. In order to study the impact of glass on the energy use during the occupation stage, office building alternatives with 30, 60 and 100% window to external wall area were studied. Other varied parameters were the buildingʹs orientation, the plan type (open and cell plan offices), the control set points and the façade elements (type and size of windows, type and position of shading devices, etc.). The main conclusion is that careful design is needed to ensure low energy use and good thermal comfort, especially for highly glazed office buildings. Careful design of glazed office buildings has to be based on detailed thermal simulations. Especially in fully glazed buildings (in which the façade is more “sensitive” to climatic conditions), proper combination of control set points, glazing and solar shading are crucial for the energy performance.