THE EFFECT OF METAL CLADDING FACADE REFLECTIVITY ON BUILDING OCCUPANTS AND ROAD USERS' GLARE

Abstract

As concerns over energy issue have rapidly increased, high reflective materials (e.g. glass and metal cladding panels) are increasingly applied in high-rise buildings for their excellent thermal performance and aesthetic values. However, the solar ray reflection from these materials could cause elevating temperatures and glare to the adjacent buildings and road users. Currently, the building regulations on the facade materials reflectivity are available in some countries. It is irrational to employ the regulations equally on different types of building facade materials, especially metal cladding panels.

Glare issues have been extensively studied and have been established to be a result of several factors that increase the solar light reflection from buildings in urban thermal environment. Such factors include the geometric locations of sun positions, the geographical location of the site, the buildings’ orientation and the treatment of its surfaces. However, most of these research are on glazing facades. Little research has been conducted on metal cladding facades. Thus, the increased demand for metal cladding facades in the industry justifies the need for this study.

In this study, a series of qualitative and quantitative approaches will be employed in order to observe the impacts of glare from metal cladding facades on the road users and the occupants of adjacent buildings, in relation to the reflectivity of metal cladding. The relationship between these impacts and surface temperatures will then be examined. The results obtained from this study may have strong implications for future use of specular/ high reflective materials in mitigating the urban heat island effect and contribute towards a sustainable architecture in tropical garden city, Singapore.