Optimisation of outdoor shading devices with thermal comfort criteria: The case of the Venetian Port of Chania

Abstract While the optimisation of building shading devices is a frequently researched topic, few studies focus on optimising the form and location of devices that shade outdoor spaces. Consequently, there is no agreed consensus on the workflow that should govern the design of outdoor shading installations with respect to microclimate and human thermal comfort. The present study addresses this research gap by developing a flexible workflow that informs the architectural design process with parametric thermal comfort simulations. The proposed workflow acknowledges that although an environmentally optimal design may exist, the designer is often forced to select a sub-optimal solution that can satisfy non-comparable design objectives including practical on-site constraints and political pressure from stakeholders with often conflicting interests. Considering that outdoor shading devices are often found at the fringe of public and private spaces, the influence of the aforementioned non-environmental objectives on the design process becomes significant. For these reasons, the proposed workflow utilises state- of-the-art techniques such as ComfortCover in order to map the ‘usefulness’ of shade over a specified area and to explore alternative forms of shading devices. Thus, shading optimisation becomes a matter of weighting alternatives and choosing appropriate solutions from the examined parametric space, rather than a fully automated process. This ‘designer-first’ approach evolved through extensive pilot-testing at the Old Venetian Port of Chania, Greece as part of a series of urban regeneration interventions coordinated by the Municipal Port Fund of Chania. This design process resulted in a typology of shading devices that offer optimal annual thermal comfort conditions while satisfying the rest of the design objectives as well.