@misc{9230751,
  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.}},
  author       = {{Mahdiyyah, Hanifah and Samosir, Novie Stella}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  note         = {{Student Paper}},
  title        = {{Environmental Impact and Daylight Performance of Automated Shading System}},
  year         = {{2026}},
}