PRC ANALYSIS. AUTOMATing the Shadow Analysis

JACEK MARKUSIEWICZ

The problem of calculating insolation time for rooms to be used by humans is known to practicing architects as well as students and theoreticians. Polish building regulations concerning the minimal time of insolation are very restrictive and at the same time difficult to observe due to the lack of effective methods of estimating whether a given room meets the required standards.

A widely used method in this respect is the shadow analysis, which is not flexible enough to facilitate a dynamic approach to design, as it requires a time-consuming calculation to be repeated after each change in the designed shape of the building. The author argues it is necessary to create computer tools to automate the process and give architects full control over the issue of insolation.

Keywords: calculating insolation time, automating the shadow analysis