Does LEED require, in any analysis, that other surrounding buildings be created to simulate the sunlight reflections they can add?
e.g. occupant visual discomfort like glare can increase if no interior or exterior blinds are installed and surrounding buildings have 100% glazed facades.
Elliot Glassman
Senior Associate + Senior Technical Principal; National Leader of Computational Design for Building SystemsWSP Built Ecology
2 thumbs up
July 16, 2021 - 12:41 pm
The context should always be modelled for accuracy; although its not only a matter of light reflection but also light access (a building in a dense urban context will have less daylight than the same building in an open field). In fact, the LEED metrics are less likely to pick up reflection glare potential since ASE is measured with direct light light only (part of the reason ASE is only a proxy for glare and not a glare metric per se).
So while LEED daylight criteria may be blind to these effects, they can be simulated to understand the effect and magnitude of the reflection concern as part of a responsible design (also your building's effects on others!)
Greenlab
Green Lab6 thumbs up
July 16, 2021 - 1:48 pm
Regarding our analysis we usually include other buildings to account for their shading effect. We were in fact curious if LEED required any detail regarding their facades' visible light reflectivity characteristics. We now understand that it doesn't. Thanks.