Cross-Disciplinary Research
Cross-Disciplinary Research
Cross-disciplinary research covers areas that cross boundaries of individual project areas, such as highly insulating windows, or energy performance of shading systems. These projects span several aspects of our work, from measurement methods to modeling tools, from optical performance of complex glazing and shading systems to insulating glazing. One such research effort is collaborative research work between LBNL's windows group and Fraunhofer ISE's windows research team.
Models and Methods for Optical and Thermal Characterization of Building Envelopes
Joint project funded by Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft (Frunhofer Society) and United States Department of Energy (US DOE).
Dr. Helen Rose Wilson
Fraunhofer ISE
Heidenhofstr.
79110 Freiburg
Germany
Phone +49 761 4588-5149
Dr. Charlie Curcija
Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
1 Cyclotron Road
Berkeley, CA 94720
USA
Phone +1 (510) 604-8668
Send email: [email protected]
LBNL and Fraunhofer ISE collaborated within this ICON project to support the global construction industry by achieving the following goals:
BIM-compatible, internationally recognized database
Development of a cloud-based, BIM-compatible, internationally recognized database for architectural glazing, daylighting, solar-shading and active-solar (i.e. building-integrated PV and solar-thermal) components. All data formats, data files and access specifications will be “open”
Presentation WP2: Product Data in the Cloud – The Next Step for Manufacturers, Software Companies and Planners [PDF 0.51 MB]
Follow-up research project: Increasing the Energy Quality and Cost-Effectiveness of Building Envelopes Through Efficient Provision and Use of Product Data in Planning Software
Measurement and data-processing methods
Development of validated measurement and data-processing methods to determine the full range of solar-optical properties of advanced building-envelope products
Presentation WP4: Optical and Thermal Characteristics of Solar Shading and How they Can be Measured/Determined [PDF 1.59 MB]
Presentation WP4: Optical measurement and data-processing methods applying bi-directional data [PDF 1.07 MB]
Regional Data Aggregation (RDA)
Implementation of joint strategies for the population of the new database with manufacturer data sets certified by independent labs (WP3). This includes the establishment of Fraunhofer ISE as the European regional data aggregator - RDA (responsible for database input from Europe) for the new and existing international data bases.
Within WP3, TestLab Solar Facades became the European Regional Data Aggregator (RDA) for the National Fenestration Rating Council NFRC in July 2020. European glazing manufacturers that wish to address the North American market with their products must have the relevant data sets reviewed by the European RDA and then entered into a data base in cooperation with LBNL. European manufacturers should submit the required data sets by email to [email protected]. The necessary forms can be downloaded from the LBNL page. Fraunhofer ISE is willing to advise and support manufacturers during the submission process.
Related project: International Glazing and Shading Database - IGSDB. Comprehensive online database of glazing and shading products
Software Tools
Development of accurate component and systems-level daylight and energy simulation programs for product labeling, design optimization and building planning that treat the optical and thermal characteristics of advanced building envelope components accurately and can interface via well-defined API or other semantic web-approaches with the new database for building envelope components.
Presentation WP1: Applying Software to Evaluate the Effect of Solar Shading on Energy Consumption, Daylighting and Glare in Buildings [PDF 1.31 MB]
Window Calculation Engine - WCE: Open-source WINDOW calculation module
PyWinCalc: Python script implementation of the WCE
Accurate Methods
Development of simple but sufficiently accurate methods for the initial design phase and building permit application to represent the optical, thermal and energy-relevant properties of architectural glazing, solar-shading and active-solar products and integrated design solutions. These tools will also communicate with the new database via semantic web interfaces.
Publications
Final Report: ICON final report Cloud-Based Semantic Structures, Verified Models and Advanced Experimental Methods for Optical and Thermal Characterization of Building Envelopes and their Components, including those inaccessible to current methods [PDF 2.37 MB]
WP2
Maurer, C., Wacker, S., Bueno, B., Jonsson, J.C., Lamy, H., Bush, D., Shi, M., Sprenger, W., Mitchell, R., Wilson, H.R., Curcija, D.C., Kuhn, T.E. “Optical and Calorimetric Product Data in Building Information Modelling”. Proceedings of Building Simulation 2021, International Building Performance Simulation Association, Bruges, September 1-3, 2021
Maurer, C.; Wacker, S.; Bueno, B.; Jonsson, J.C.; Lamy, H.; Bush, D.; Shi, M.; Sprenger, W.; Mitchell, R.; Wilson, H.R.; Curcija, D.C.; Kuhn, T.E. 2024.
"A product data network to enable faster, easier, and better planning of building envelopes". Journal of Building Engineering. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jobe.2025.112582.
WP1
Bueno B., Sepúlveda A., Maurer C., Wacker S., Wang T., Kuhn T.E., Wilson H.R.. “Easy-to-Implement Simulation Strategies for Annual Glare Risk Assessments based on the European Daylighting Standard EN 17037”. Proceedings of Building Simulation 2021, International Building Performance Simulation Association, Bruges, September 1-3, 2021
Sepúlveda, A., Bueno B., Wang T., Wilson H.R.. Benchmark of methods for annual glare risk assessment. Building and environment 201 (2021), ISSN: 0360-1323. DOI: 10.1016/j.buildenv.2021.108006.
Ward G.J., Bueno B., Geisler-Moroder D., Grobe L.O., Jonsson J.C., Lee E.S., Wang T., Wilson H.R. Daylight Simulation Workflows Incorporating Measured Bidirectional Scattering Distribution Functions. Energy and Buildings 2022 259 (2022) 111890.
Geisler-Moroder, D. (Ed.), Lee, E.S., Ward, G., Bueno, B., Grobe, L.O., Wang, T., Deroisy, B., Wilson, H.R. (2021). “BSDF generation procedures for daylighting systems”. White paper. T61.C.2.1 - A Technical Report of Subtask C, IEA SHC Task 61 / EBC Annex 77. DOI: 10.18777/ieashc-task61-2021-0001.
Geisler-Moroder, D. (Ed.), Apian-Bennewitz, P., de Boer, J., Bueno, B., Deroisy, B., Fang, Y., Grobe, L.O., Jonsson, J.C., Lee, E.S., Tian, Z., Wang, T., Ward, G.J., Wilson, H.R., Wu, Y. „Analysis and evaluation of BSDF characterization of daylighting systems.“ T61.C.2.2 – A Technical Report of Subtask C, IEA SHC Task 61 / EBC Annex 77. DOI: 10.18777/ieashc-task61-2021-0012.
Tan, Y., Peng, J., Curcija, D.C., Gao, J., Hart, R., Jonsson, J.C.. 2020. Parametric Study of Venetian Blinds for Energy Performance Evaluation in Residential Buildings. Energy Journal May 2020. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.energy.2021.122266
Hart, R., Selkowitz, S., Curcija, D.C. 2018. Thermal Performance and Potential Annual Energy Impact of Retrofit Thin-glass Triple-Pane Glazing in US Residential Buildings. Build. Simul. (2019) 12: 79. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12273-018-0491-3
Tan, Y.; Curcija, D.C.; Hart, R.; Jonsson, J.; Selkowitz, S.E. 2020. “Parametric study of the impact of window attachments on air conditioning energy consumption.” Solar Energy. 202. 136-143. 10.1016/j.solener.2020.03.096.
Tan, Y.; Peng, J.; Luo, Y.; Gao, J.; Luo, Z.; Wang, M.; Curcija, D.C.; 2022. “Parametric study of venetian blinds for Energy Performance Evaluation and Classification in Residential Buildings.” Energy. Volume 239, Part D, 15 January 2022. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.energy.2021.122266
Peng, J; Curcija, D.C.; and Hart, R.G. 2021. Energy Performance Indices EPC and EPH Calculation Methodology and Implementation in Software tool. LBNL Technical Report. Berkeley, CA. September 2021.
WP4
Jonsson, J.C., Wilson H.R., Bilokur, M. (2021) “Preliminary report on LBNL 2019 inter-laboratory comparison for laboratories submitting scattering glazing data to the CGDB”, LBNL web site: https://windows.lbl.gov/2019-complex-glazing-ilc.
Geisler-Moroder, D. (Ed.), Lee, E.S., Ward, G., Bueno, B., Grobe, L.O., Wang, T., Deroisy, B., Wilson, H.R. (2021). “BSDF generation procedures for daylighting systems”. White paper. T61.C.2.1 - A Technical Report of Subtask C, IEA SHC Task 61 / EBC Annex 77. https://task61.iea-shc.org/publications. DOI: 10.18777/ieashc-task61-2021-0001.
Geisler-Moroder, D. (Ed.), Apian-Bennewitz, P., de Boer, J., Bueno, B., Deroisy, B., Fang, Y., Grobe, L.O., Jonsson, J.C., Lee, E.S., Tian, Z., Wang, T., Ward, G.J., Wilson, H.R., Wu, Y. „Analysis and evaluation of BSDF characterization of daylighting systems.“ T61.C.2.2 – A Technical Report of Subtask C, IEA SHC Task 61 / EBC Annex 77. DOI: 10.18777/ieashc-task61-2021-0012.
Geisler-Moroder, D. (Ed.); Lee, E.S., Apian-Bennewitz, P.; de Boer, J., Bueno, B.; Deroisy, B., Fang; Y., Grobe, L.O.; Hauera, M.; Hoffmann, S.; Jonsson, J.C.; Maurer, C.; Plorer, D., Subramaniam, S., Tiank, Z.; Wang, T.; Ward, G.; Grobe, L.O.; Wang, T.; Weitlanerm, R.; and Wilson, H.R. 2024. "BSDF Data generation for daylight applications: A call for international standardization". Lighting Res. Technol. 2024; XX: 1–25.