Design tools for architects: The meaning of solar and daylight access information in design

During the conceptual design phase of urban areas, the designer deals with different geometrical characteristics related to the buildings' orientation, height and width, in relation to open spaces and pedestrian sidewalks. New buildings may create a different microclimate, like changing the wind regime, daylight access and shading of existing neighborhoods. Protecting solar and daylight rights is a complex task, strongly influenced by early decision made by the designer. It is imperative that design tools could support architects from the beginning of the design process. However, existing design tools are still rudimentary with many limitations for use by designers in early design stages of any architectural project. They generally are aimed to external consultants and require exact data in a stage when designers consider conceptual ideas from a range of options rather than precise details and numbers. Design tools that suggest solutions based on ideas are rare. The paper presents several approaches for design tools for architects to support the entire design process. Moreover this work will demonstrate how existing modeling tools, widely used by architects for modeling purposes only, can be easily enhanced presenting information with a new meaning most valuable for design generation, giving architects new ways to make informed design decision towards high-performance architectural and urban design.