Overview
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ABSTRACT
The sun is at the origin of numerous phenomena on Earth: day and night alternance, atmospheric temperature, photosynthesis, transformation of plants and animals into fossil energy. The access to these fossil energetic resources being increasingly problematic, the development of renewable energies requires the mastery of solar radiations. This article describes the concept of sunshine duration in architecture and also highlights the importance of sun exposure on buildings for lighting and well-being. It furthermore explains the geometric principles of the sun: radiation, course, drop shadows, etc. This article finally details the issues related to energy, be it direct (periods of sunlight) or diffuse (time of day).
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Read the articleAUTHORS
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Francis MIGUET: Professor of architecture - Doctor of Engineering Sciences
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Bernard PAULE: Managing Partner, Estra SA, Lausanne - Doctor of Science, lecturer at the École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne – Architect DPLG - This edition is an update of François BOUVIER's article "Soleil et architecture", published in 1981.
INTRODUCTION
At a time when access to energy resources is a serious concern for most of the world's leaders, the use of renewable energies as a replacement for fossil fuels is a key issue in the debate on how to harness the sun's rays.
The sun's energy supply is essential. It is the direct cause not only of most of the natural phenomena we perceive (diurnal alternation, atmospheric temperature, cloud cover and wind), but also of our sustenance through plant growth and animal husbandry. Finally, through the age-old transformations of certain plants and animals, then petrified, solar energy is the primary cause of the fossil fuels that have enabled the development and maintenance of our industries and cities.
Irrespective of the effects of delay, accumulation and concentration, due to the food chain and fossil fuel stocks, the sun's energy contribution is considerable in relation to the consumption of our societies. As Professor Jacques Neyrinck pointed out in 2000, human activity induces an average consumption equivalent to around 1% of the solar energy flux available on the planet as a whole. But the paradox lies in the fact that 95% of this consumption is drawn from the "capital" represented by fossil fuels in their various forms.
When you consider that space heating accounts for some 20-25% of energy consumption in Western society, it's easy to understand the interest in solar energy studies and the rise of the notion of bioclimatic architecture. This notion, implicitly implemented in vernacular architecture, today incorporates the possibilities offered by new materials (insulation, glazing) and is encouraged by the development of increasingly demanding standards and labels for building energy performance (RT2005, HQE, Minergie, etc.).
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http://audience.cerma.archi.fr/cerma/pageweb/theorie/solaire/geometrie_solaire.html
...Regulations
Decree no. 61-1297 of November 30, 1961, which became article R. III-3 of the Code de l'Urbanisme by decree no. 77-755 of July 7, 1977, article 2.
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