Balancing the Parameters of Perforated Solar Screens to Optimize Daylight and Glare Performance in Office Buildings

Perforated solar screens (PSSs) have been widely used as an outer skin for the fully glazed façades of office buildings for their environmental and aesthetic benefits. However, PSS have several parameters that can affect their efficiency, including perforation percentage, thickness, material properties, and others. Controlling and balancing the influence of these parameters is critical for optimizing the quality of the indoor environment while meeting the required demands and needs. This paper investigates the impact of balancing the effect of four design parameters—matrix, perforation percentage, thickness, and separation distance—on promoting the daylighting and glare performance of south façades in office buildings in a hot, dry climate. The analyses were performed with Honeybee and Ladybug plugins through Grasshopper interface in Rhinoceros 3D software on a base case (without PSS), four independently optimized solutions for each parameter, and a balanced solution at three times per four days around the year. Genetic algorithms and the Python component in Grasshopper were utilized to identify the optimal balanced solutions. The results showed a noticeable reduction in the overlit areas in the balanced solutions by 21-61% compared to the base case, outperforming independent parameter optimizations by up to 36%. Additionally, the balanced solutions effectively eliminated glare across all analyzed periods and provided more effective solutions in terms of visual access and material sustainability. These findings suggest that balancing the influence of multiple design parameters is more effective than optimizing individual parameters, providing better control over daylight efficiency and glare reduction.