Shading effects due to nearby buildings and energy implications

This paper investigates the shading effects due to neighbouring buildings i n seven main business districts in Hong Kong. A total of 120 commercial bui ldings have been selected in the survey. It has been found that the degree of shading at the local peak design condition (i.e. 15:00 July) ranges from 25 to 31%. The older and more established districts tend to have slightly higher degrees of shading. Computer simulation techniques using the DOE-2.1 E building energy program and a generic office building have been employed to analyse the amounts of heating, Ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) plant oversizing (as a result of solar heat overestimation) and to assess t he likely energy penalty. It has been found that the total building cooling load is overestimated by about 2%. The corresponding plant oversizing seem s to be marginal, and the impacts on the total building energy budget are n ot significant. Implications for energy efficiency in the design of commerc ial buildings are discussed and further research and development work is su ggested. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.