Detailed Shading

This 35-minute course offers a comprehensive understanding of 'Advanced Shading Design,' a sophisticated skill set for creating complex solar control systems within Better Building's platform. Through detailed hands-on instruction using multiple shading methodologies, participants will learn to design, specify, and optimise advanced shading systems ranging from simple overhangs to complex architectural features, trees, and neighbourhood context modelling.

Key Course Content

This course establishes the critical importance of shading in building performance, demonstrating multiple implementation pathways available within the platform and helping you understand the strategic decision-making process for selecting appropriate shading methodologies based on project complexity, design intent, and specification efficiency requirements. You'll explore fundamental principles of solar control design and learn how the relationship between shading geometry and building performance outcomes can significantly impact overall energy efficiency and occupant comfort in contemporary building design.

You'll master the most efficient shading specification methodology using comprehensive tagging systems for rapid distribution across multiple building elements, learning to create sophisticated shading tags, apply them to window and door elements simultaneously, and specify complex multi-surface shading devices including dual projections, horizontal and vertical combinations, and gap configurations. The course covers external shading context including neighbouring buildings, landscape elements, and site features, teaching you to model adjacent building masses with full geometric control including extrusion heights, base height adjustments, and surface opacity settings. You'll also explore sophisticated architectural shading elements created at the building level including balcony systems with integrated balustrades, canopy structures, pergola-type installations with repeated geometric elements, and complex multi-level shading inheritance using efficient duplication and modification workflows.

The course extensively covers shading coefficient analysis using Better Building's advanced solar analysis tools, demonstrating how to transition to designer workflow mode for detailed shading impact assessment, configure seasonal analysis periods for summer and winter performance evaluation, and interpret shading coefficient results for individual windows and building facades to optimise designs for specific performance targets. You'll gain experience with sophisticated geometric shading creation using projection combinations, rotation and offset parameters for complex architectural forms, multi-surface shading devices with varying depths and configurations, and environmental context modelling including realistic tree representations with seasonal opacity variations. Advanced topics include comparative analysis of different shading strategies, quantitative validation of solar control effectiveness, and integration of shading systems with overall building envelope performance strategies whilst emphasising both aesthetic design considerations and quantitative performance optimisation approaches.

Learning Outcomes

By the end of this course, participants will be thoroughly equipped to design, specify, and optimise sophisticated shading systems that effectively balance solar control performance with architectural design intent using Better Building's comprehensive shading design capabilities.

Course Completion

A Certificate of Completion will be awarded upon achieving an 80% pass mark on the final quiz.

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