Workshop: test of an early-stage decision-support prototype for neigh
© 2016 EPFL
Professionals in the field of architecture and urban design participated in the test of a prototype decision-support tool during workshops help at the EPFL on October 19, 22 and 23, 2015.
Conducted in the context of the doctoral thesis of Emilie Nault (LIPID), these workshops allowed testing the potential of a prototype tool developed to enable the evaluation of the passive and active solar potential of different early-stage neighborhood design variants. Named UrbanSOLve (Urban SOLar Visual Explorer), the program is integrated into an existing 3D modeling tool (Rhinoceros) and has its own graphical interface for collecting user inputs.
Qualitative and quantitative results from the workshops highlight the potential of this prototype as a support for making decisions on the urban form with respect to its solar performance. The data collected allow identifying the strengths and weaknesses of the prototype and guide the future development process.