Environmental Impact and Daylight Performance of Automated Shading System

Abstract

As buildings become more energy-efficient in their operation, the environmental costs of building components, such as carbon emissions during manufacturing, transportation, and end-of-life, are becoming increasingly significant. Automated façade shading systems have been widely proposed for their ability to reduce operational energy use and improve daylight performance. However, their life-cycle environmental impacts are rarely studied alongside their operational benefits. This study addresses this gap.

This thesis evaluates the daylighting performance, energy use, thermal comfort, and life-cycle environmental impacts of manual and automated façade shading systems in a reference office space in Lund, Sweden. Three shading types were evaluated: External Venetian Blinds (EVB), External Roller Blinds (ERB), and Interior Roller Blinds (IRB), each combined with three types of glass and two control strategies (manual and automated), resulting in 55 scenarios including a baseline scenario with no shading in the simulation.

Climate-based daylight simulations were used to assess daylight availability using Spatial Daylighting Autonomy (sDA) to assess how well-lit the room is by daylight and Useful Daylight Illumination (UDI) as an indicator leading to glare risk. Energy performance was evaluated using dynamic building simulations to estimate energy use for heating, cooling, lighting, and electrical equipment, and by calculating overheating hours as an indicator of thermal comfort. A Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) was then conducted following ISO 14040 and EN 15978, focusing on Global Warming Potential (GWP) expressed in kgCO₂eq/m²floor/year, covering life cycle stages A1–A5, B2, B6, and C2–C4.

The results indicated that automated shading generally improved daylight distribution and decreased cooling needs compared to manual control methods. However, some of the shading configurations, such as fully covered blinds, tend to increase lighting energy consumption and overall energy use. Among the shading types evaluated, automated External Venetian blinds (EVB) set at a 45° angle combined with coated float glass achieved the best overall energy performance. From a life-cycle perspective, most scenarios involving automated external shading systems show a lower total Global Warming Potential (GWP) than manual systems, with a difference of 0.04-1.88 kgCO2eq/m2floor/year, despite the additional embodied carbon from components such as motors, gateways, and sensors. These results underline the importance of evaluating daylight performance, energy use, and life cycle Assessment (LCA) calculations when designing facade systems for energy-efficient offices.

Popular Abstract

As buildings become more energy-efficient, the environmental impact of building materials and technologies is becoming increasingly important. One example is façade shading systems, such as blinds, which is often used to reduce energy consumption and improve thermal comfort. Although automated shading systems can reduce energy use, people often overlook the environmental impacts from manufacturing, installation, maintenance, and disposal of these systems.

This study investigated whether automated shading systems are a more sustainable option than manual ones in a typical office building in Lund, Sweden. The research compared different types of blinds, window glazing, and control strategies to understand how they affect daylight, energy use, thermal comfort, and carbon emissions throughout their life cycle.

The results showed that automated shading systems generally distributed daylight more evenly and reduced the need for cooling during warm periods. However, some shading configurations blocked too much daylight, which led to increased use of electric lighting and higher total energy use. Among the solutions studied, automated external venetian blinds with coated float glass gave the best overall energy performance.

When considering the environmental impacts throughout the life cycle of the systems, most automated external shading systems produced lower total carbon emissions than the manual ones, even though they require additional components such as motors, sensors, and control devices. The energy savings during operation were often sufficient to make up for the additional emissions from these components.

These results show that it is important to think about more than just energy savings when designing sustainable buildings. By considering daylight, comfort, energy use, and environmental impacts, designers can make better decisions about shading systems and contribute to more energy-efficient office buildings.

• author: Mahdiyyah, Hanifah and Samosir, Novie Stella
• supervisor: Niko Gentile
• organization: Division of Energy and Building Design
• course: AEBM01 20261
• year: 2026
• type: H2 - Master's Degree (Two Years)
• subject: Technology and Engineering
• keywords: automated façade shading, daylight performance, fenestration system, Energy Use Intensity (EUI), Global Warming Potential (GWP)
• language: English
• id: 9230751
• date added to LUP: 2026-06-03 14:54:06
• date last changed: 2026-06-03 14:54:06