Determination of the Optimal Orientation in the Cold Climate Administrative Buildings; Case Study: Kermanshah

The per capita energy consumption in Iran is higher than that of many of the countries. In between, the government’s policies have become aligned with getting the energy cost closer to the reality and this has increasingly drawn the attentions to the efficient energy solutions in the building sector. One of the effective solutions in reducing the energy consumption is the climate-based designing of the buildings in general and the determination of the optimal orientation of the building in specific. This way, the first and the most important duty of an architect is aligning the building to a direction that receives the highest and the lowest amounts of sunlight during winter and summer, respectively. Besides influencing the reduction in the thermal need of the building, the enjoyment of the sunlight optimizes the quality of the interior environment thereby causing more healthiness and productivity of the residents and the resultant creation of abundant economic interests for the country. Considering the intensity of the sun’s irradiation on the orthogonal surfaces in various geographical directions as well as the various hours and seasons, Olgyay obtained the most appropriate directions for four climatic regions in the US and it can be also applied for the other regions with the identical conditions and latitudes, including Iran. The present study aimed at the investigation of the authenticity and accuracy of the optimal orientation defined for the buildings in the cold climate of Iran (Kermanshah). Since the simulation knowledge enables the study of the complex behavior of the building according to climate and assists the designers in adopting proper climate-based method, Design Builder was the software chosen in the present study for the determination of the building’s optimal orientation. To do so, a type of administrative building repeatedly constructed in this city was simulated in the aforesaid software with features close to reality and the initial energy required by the building was subsequently computed in various directions. The results obtained from the present study indicated that western-eastern stretch was the best orientation for the administrative buildings in Kermanshah considering the energy consumption rate.