Research Article

Optimization-Based Facade Design for New Buildings in Historical Environments: Sunlight Exposure

Number: Advanced Online Publication Early Pub Date: April 25, 2026
TR EN

Optimization-Based Facade Design for New Buildings in Historical Environments: Sunlight Exposure

Abstract

The process of constructing new buildings in a historical environment requires a special design approach in terms of facade continuity and preserving the city's silhouette. It is essential to accurately interpret the full-void relationship of the facade with the dimensions, proportions, window-to-door ratios, and design codes of existing historical structures. However, window design, which is addressed in facade design, is a crucial design parameter that significantly impacts daylight performance and, consequently, thermal comfort. For this reason, while the primary goal is to produce a new building design that is appropriate for the fabric, designing by evaluating the performance of daylight in the interior can enhance the design's power. However, decoding traditional design codes, ensuring facade continuity, and evaluating facade performance criteria are processes that are too difficult to accomplish simultaneously. For this reason, an optimization-based model has been developed in this study that can evaluate all criteria simultaneously and generate hundreds of new structural design alternatives at once. The model consists of three stages: parametric modeling, simulation-based evaluation of sunlight exposure, and optimization. The NSGA-II algorithm was used in the optimization processes. The model was tested in Afyonkarahisar Yukarı Pazar Street, a preserved traditional environment. At the end of the optimization process, tens of design alternatives suitable for the fabric and providing solar exposure performance could be produced simultaneously. The study is significant in that it demonstrates that new structures can be produced not only to suit the fabric but also that contemporary comfort conditions can be incorporated into the design process.

Keywords

References

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Details

Primary Language

English

Subjects

Architectural Heritage and Conservation , Information Technologies in Architecture and Design

Journal Section

Research Article

Early Pub Date

April 25, 2026

Publication Date

-

Submission Date

January 6, 2026

Acceptance Date

March 13, 2026

Published in Issue

Year 2026 Number: Advanced Online Publication

APA
Erdurmuş, S., & Özen Yavuz, A. (2026). Optimization-Based Facade Design for New Buildings in Historical Environments: Sunlight Exposure. PLANARCH - Design and Planning Research, Advanced Online Publication. https://doi.org/10.54864/planarch.1857852

Content of this journal is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial 4.0 International License

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