Improve Attached Residential Buildings Daylight Access Through Atrium Optimization in Hot Climate

The construction industry tries to optimize energy consumption and reduce environmental damage. Lighting is an important parameter which is effective in energy consumption of buildings. The amount of light which is received on different floors of high-rise residential buildings is not the same. Therefore, it is necessary to determine the best optimal physical parameters of the atrium that can provide sufficient lighting to all building floors. This study analyses this issue in the humid subtropical climate of the Dezful city. A model was simulated by Grasshopper, then Honeybee and Ladybug plugins were used to evaluate each space lighting. Daylight autonomy and Useful daylight illuminance indices were considered to compare the proposed models. This research aimed to achieve the best position and elongation of the atrium and to optimize the dimensions as well as the setbacks of the atrium on the floors to receive the minimum light is required for residential spaces. Based on the results, the position of atriums can be selected according to occupancy hours, and east-west elongation illustrated the best performance. Using the obtained patterns can lead to introducing models that can increase the DLA value of the first floor in multi-story buildings by 3% to 8%.