THE DEVELOPMENT OF PHOTOVOLTAIC (PV) TOOLS FOR INTRODUCTION TO DESIGN STUDIOS : A CRITICAL STUDY OF THE PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT BASED ON STUDENT DEMANDS & REQUIREMENTS

Abstract

Photovoltaic (PV) installations are becoming commonplace accessories in buildings due to the increased interest in green design. As such there is a need to provide designers with a simple PV analysis tool to complement their design process without having to constantly rely on PV specialists. This dissertation addresses the issue of PV integration by developing two PV analysis tools for introduction to design students in the studio context. One of the tools is a plug-in for a commercial Computer Assisted Drawing (CAD) or Building Information Modeling (BIM) software, while the other is an Excel Spreadsheet programmed with the relevant formulae. These two tools were developed based on requirements derived from the analysis of past student projects. The two tools developed will provide a range of results, with a focus on qualitative outputs for the BIM tool and quantitative outputs for the Excel Sheet. The tools generate output values such as “overall power”, obtained from inputs such as “length”, “breadth” and “opacity” of PV panels. Both tools were then introduced to fourth year architecture students and their responses to the tools were gathered via survey. Approximately 93% of students surveyed believed that quantitative results are important, while approximately 87% believe the same of qualitative results. Furthermore, approximately 87% of students surveyed indicated that the tools were informative to their design process, with unanimous agreement that the BIM tool should be further developed. These results indicate that the major demands of the students have been met, although there is room for further improvement to the tools. This work serves to establish a basis upon which future developments of PV analysis and simulation tools for design studios can be built.