Multi-objective optimization of a novel dynamic concentrated skin system considering daylight, building skin capacity, and visual space

Transmissive concentrator technology can solve the problems of expression of building skin form, maximized use of solar energy, and natural lighting inside the building that arise from integrating traditional photovoltaic technology. However, the advantages mentioned above interact and cannot be maximized to solve multiple problems simultaneously. Therefore, it becomes crucial to address the relationship between them optimally and improve the quality of the building and the environment. This study used grasshopper, ladybug, and multi-objective optimization tools to develop and analyze a transmission concentrator module integrated into an office building skin. An optimization framework for dynamic concentrating skins is constructed by modifying important design variables, resolving conflicting relationships between energy output, daylight quality, and visual space, and computing optimal solutions to multiple problems. The results show that the concentrated skin scheme, compared with the common skin and no skin scheme, can reduce the likelihood of glare by an average of 59.35% and 88.40%, respectively, and improve the useful daylight illuminance by an average of 2.40% and 16.25%, respectively, while providing the user with a visual field rate of about 80.54%, in the presence of higher energy output. In addition, thanks to the variation of the concentrating skin variables, using the recommended value of optimal interval and the most significant variables can better resolve the relationship between environment and energy and obtain optimal overall performance and solutions. This study provides data and methods for the integrating design of concentrating skin and optimizing indoor daylighting, which is expected to reduce carbon emissions.