The effect of aerogel glazing on daylight and heat gain in school buildings in hot and dry climate

Abstract

AbstractNanomaterial technology involves the fabrication and manipulation of materials at the nanoscale, which can result in novel properties and applications. Aerogel is a nanomaterial that has remarkable properties such as high thermal resistance and optical clarity. These features make it a suitable material for glazing windows in school buildings located in hot and arid regions, where daylighting and thermal performance are important design criteria. This study aims to evaluate the performance of aerogel-glazed windows in classrooms with different orientations and compare them with conventional windows. The study uses Design-Builder software to simulate the daylighting and thermal performance of the classrooms with aerogel-glazed windows in different orientations. The findings show that aerogel glazing on the northern and southern façades reduces heat gain from windows by 7.46 and 26.88%, respectively. East and west orientations should be avoided due to extreme solar heat gain through exterior windows. Investigated glazing systems meet the LEED V4 spatial daytime autonomy (sDA) standards for regularly occupied floor areas, with an acceptable sDA of  ≥ 55% for all building orientations. The northern façade exhibited the most favorable results, preserving nearly 69.52% of spatial daylight autonomy and an average daylight factor of 2.65%. The northern orientation also had the highest useful daylight illuminance of 89.6%. Aerogel glazing is an effective building insulation technology that balances classroom window-specific heat gain with daylight in hot dry locations.