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Analysis of Sun Path and Effective Shading Co-efficient using ECOTECT

Software for Coimbatore

Article · May 2020

DOI: 10.37628/jaip.v6il.618

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 International Journal of
Architecture & Infrastructure Planning
ISSN: 2456-0154
Vol. 6: Issue 1
www.journalspub.com

Analysis of Sun Path and Effective Shading Co-efficient using

ECOTECT Software for Coimbatore
Vimal Chandrasekaran*
Associate Professor, Faculty of Architecture, Karpagam Academy of Higher Education,
Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, India

ABSTRACT
Sun path of location depends on its latitude which creates a major heat impact on the surface
of a building. This paper analyses the sun path of Coimbatore (11°N, 77°E), and its shading
coefficient results as predicted by the ECOTECT software and Solar Tool. These sun path
graphical presentations and calculated predictions of the shading coefficient can give a clear
idea to the Architect/Designer to propose shading design, which can be cost effective,
thermally resistant to reduce the heat gain and achieve indoor thermal comfort. The shading
coefficients are calculated by means of simulation by the software for a room of size of 3 m ×
3 m × 3 m with windows on all the facades of about 2 m width × 1.2 m height placed at a
skill level of 0.9 m, which is a more applicable design in Living rooms, Bedrooms, Dining
space, Foyer etc. The effective shading coefficient which is a combination of both window
and the wall surface is simulated and calculated by the software all around the year for the
cardinal directions and roof gives the result of amount of shading potential. The Software
also recommends the optimal depth of the shading device for a typical wall and window for
all the season which can be used as a guideline by the designer.

Keyword: Ecotect, building simulation, effective shading coefficient, indoor thermal comfort,
passive shading strategies, external shading, Coimbatore

*Corresponding Author
E-mail: vimalarchitect@gmail.com

INTRODUCTION conditioning etc. for a longer period of

Shading the built form is one of the major
design decisions to be done for a tropical
climate like India for achieving thermal
comfort in a building by reducing the heat
gain. The Architect/Designers have a
general intuitive idea about shading the
windows and sometimes the idea of
sunshade is also neglected due to their own
style of aesthetic value to the building.
These decisions by the Architect/Designer
are not favorable to the client in terms of
thermal comfort after they occupy the
building, thus making them to use more
active design strategies like fans, air-
time in a day. The air-conditioning usage
is more during the summers leading to
more electric bills and inefficient energy
usage.
The three-tier approach (Figure 1) is
proposed for reducing energy consumption
and sustainable design, in which the first
tier-basic building design suggests to go
for appropriate shading depending on the
climatic zone. This location is in tropical
zone and is more exposed to the solar
irradiation all the year leading to high
amount of heat gain inside the building.

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Analysis of Sun Path & Effective Shading Co-Efficient Vimal Chandrasekaran

Fig. 1. Three tier approach to sustainable design.

The Solar heat gain of the building is due
to fenestrations, voids, glass windows and
other materials which must be minimized
or shaded by external features or shading
devices—External and Internal. The
shading devices prevent direct sun light
and can give a good visual and thermal
comfort [1]. The glass windows are one of
the main elements of heat gain due to the
absorptivity and transmittance level of the
glass (Figure 2), depending on its
properties the level may vary.
SUN PATH IN COIMBATORE
Coimbatore located in the northern
hemisphere is a tropical region which gets
more exposure of the sun all the year. The
path of the sun is slightly inclined towards
the south which can be seen in the
Stereographic and Spherical Projection
(Figures 3 and 4).

Horizontal Shading is one of the widely

used, cost effective fundamental passive
design strategy which is more efficient in
terms of reducing the heat gain inside the
building. The proposal of shading is
dependent on the sun path of the location
and orientation of windows in a building;
thus, an in-depth study can provide
architectural design solutions of Fig. 2. Glass properties of
appropriate shading techniques. heat transmission.

IJAIP (2020) 18-27 © JournalsPub 2020. All Rights Reserved Page 19

 International Journal of Architecture & Infrastructure Planning
ISSN: 2456-0154
Vol. 6: Issue 1
www.journalspub.com

Fig. 3. Stereographic sun path projection of Coimbatore.

Fig. 4. Spherical sun path projection with month line highlighted for of Coimbatore.

IJAIP (2020) 18-27 © JournalsPub 2020. All Rights Reserved Page 20

Analysis of Sun Path & Effective Shading Co-Efficient Vimal Chandrasekaran

Analyzing the sun path in this location by
a three dimensional sun path drawing
(Figures 5 and 6) it is evident that the
movement of the sun during the hottest
months (April, May) is overhead during
the day with an altitude angle of 83°at
12:30 PM (April) and altitude angle of
43.9° at 3:30 PM (April) [2], where the
roof is more affected due to incident solar
radiation, wherein the Sun is on the
southern part during the months of
November, December, January and
February with an altitude angle of 53.9° at
12:30 PM (December) and altitude angle
of 42.8°at 3: 30 PM (December). The
Table 1 clearly indicates the elevation of
the sun path inferring that during the
month of November, December, January
and February the sun is inclined toward the
south and affects the southern wall/façade
of the building. The Sun location during
May, June, July, August is more towards
the north of the building and the solar gain
is more on the North side building roof
and North of the west wall during the
afternoon.

Table 1. Elevation of the sun path movement of Coimbatore at 12:30 PM for all year.
Ecotect:
Sun path
—
Elevation

South North
S.N. South wall South part roof Middle of Roof North part roof
1 January 01–31 March 16–30 April 16–30 May 16–30
2 February 01–28 April 01–15 May 01–15 June 01–30
3 March 01–15 September 16–30 September 01–15 July 01–30
3 November 01–30 October 01–30 August 16–30 August 01–15
4 December 01–31

South

North

Fig. 5. Sun location of Coimbatore—January at 2 PM.

IJAIP (2020) 18-27 © JournalsPub 2020. All Rights Reserved Page 21

 International Journal of Architecture & Infrastructure Planning
ISSN: 2456-0154
Vol. 6: Issue 1
www.journalspub.com

South

North

Fig. 6. Sun location of Coimbatore—June at 2 PM.

SHADING COEFFICIENT AND located on all the surfaces (North, East,

DESIGN CONSIDERATIONS FOR South and West) is considered for the
CALCULATION calculation of the Effective Shading
The Shading Coefficient is a factor which Coefficient.
gives the result of total amount of solar
radiation or the amount of heat transmitted
through a glass window with 3mm thick
single glass, also considered as factor of
incident solar radiation transmitted by an
Internal or External shading device [3].
Which has a value between 0 and 1. The
Effective Shading Coefficient (ESC) as
simulated by the Ecotect software is
defined as a ratio of Solar radiation that is
allowed on a surface, compared to the
solar radiation that would pass through the
single pane 3 mm thick window. The Fig. 7. Typical room considered for
Software calculates the effective shading simulation.
coefficient values for all the selected
surfaces and gives the value in percentage Table 2. Table showing the design
which can be converted as a factor considerations.
ESC=100% = 1. Room size 3 m × 3 m × 3 m (height)
Window size 2 m × 1.2 m (height)
Window North, East, South and West
A basic layout (Figure 7 and Table 2) of locations
room size 3 m × 3 m × 3 m (height) with Window wall 26% on North, South, East and West
the windows of size 2 m × 1.2 m (height) ratio (all sides)

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Analysis of Sun Path & Effective Shading Co-Efficient Vimal Chandrasekaran

Table 3. Average shading coefficient values for the room simulated in Ecotect software.
Months North East South West Roof
January 0.0% 47.8 % 100.00% 52.2 % 100.00%
February 0.0% 47.8 % 100.00% 52.2 % 100.00%
March 8.3% 50.0 % 92.70% 50.0 % 100.00%
April 100.0% 52.0 % 0.0 % 48.0 % 100.00%
May 100.0% 52.0 % 0.0 % 48.0 % 100.00%
June 100.0% 50.0 % 0.0 % 50.0 % 100.00%
July 100.0% 48.0 % 0.0 % 52.0 % 100.00%
August 85.3% 50.0 % 13.6 % 50.0 % 100.00%
September 0.0% 49.9 % 100.00% 50.0 % 100.00%
October 0.0% 47.8 % 100.00% 52.2 % 100.00%
November 0.0% 47.8 % 100.00% 52.2 % 100.00%
December 0.0% 52.0 % 100.00% 47.8 % 100.00%

Average Effective Shading Coefficient
for the Room Simulated in Ecotect
Software
The ESC values of all the surfaces and the
roof indicates the effect of the solar
radiation over the building during the
specific months. Higher the ESC value
indicates there is high amount of radiation
exposure during the day on surface, where
the major shading must be provided to
minimize heat gain.
Analyzing the Average Shading
coefficient values (Table 3), it is evident
that from April to July the values are high
up to 100% ESC (equal to 1 SC) on the
northern part/Façade of the building and
the values from September to March are
high on the southern part/façade of the
building. The values on the roof are to the
maximum for the whole year which
indicates the top part/roof of the building
has the maximum incident solar radiation
all the year leading to maximum heat gain
into the building. The East and West
values are about an average of 50%ESC
(equal to 0.55 SC) due to the movement of
the sun during the day, which also leads to
an average solar exposure and solar heat
gain. The Air temperature chart (Figure 9)
indicates the summer months (March,
April, May) and September, October has
high air temperature [2] at this location
leading to maximum effect of the solar
radiation and these months must be
considered for effective shading.
The roof shading is given the highest
priority which must be done effectively to
cover the whole area which can be
expensive and may not be utilized or
maintained properly. The next priority is to
shade the wall surfaces of the building to
reduce the solar exposure which can be
effectively done by Cantilevered massing,
Overhangs, Horizontal sunshades, vertical
fins, solar pergolas and bio screen walls
etc. The simplest and cost-effective
solution will be to make a better massing
and providing overhangs or horizontal
Sunshades which can also add to the
aesthetics of the building. The Ecotect
software simulates the optimum shading
depth values for a typical window and
different types of shades.
OPTIMIZED SHADING
PREDICTIONS FROM ECOTECT
The optimized shading predictions given by
the Ecotect Software can be used as a guide
line by the Architect/Designer to provide
design solutions for shading the building by
Pergolas, Sun shades, overhangs etc. and
also massing of the building.
For this research an optimal window
(Figure 8) of Size 2 m × 1.2 m with a
horizontal shade and the Peak hour of
irradiation in a day from 11:30 AM to 3:30
PM is considered for the Simulation. The
left and right-side projections of the
horizontal Shade are fixed to 150 mm on
either side which is economical and viable.

IJAIP (2020) 18-27 © JournalsPub 2020. All Rights Reserved Page 23

 International Journal of Architecture & Infrastructure Planning
ISSN: 2456-0154
Vol. 6: Issue 1
www.journalspub.com

Fig. 8. Window with sunshade.

Fig. 9. Chart showing annual mean daily maximum and minimum temperature of
Coimbatore.(Source: meteoblue.com)

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Analysis of Sun Path & Effective Shading Co-Efficient Vimal Chandrasekaran

Table 4. Effective shading coefficient for Coimbatore from 11:30 AM to 3:30 PM for a
window with horizontal shade simulated by Ecotect.
Months North North East South South South West North
East East West West
January Behind 42.4% 48.2% 54.9 % 54.7 % 54.9 % 46.8 39.9 %
%
February Behind 49.9 52.2 58.9 65.1 61.2 51.6 53.9
March 3.7 % 51.7 50.2 61.1 73 64.5 57.1 56.5
April 63.1 58.5 54.7 62.4 Behind 59.3 52.5 57.2
May 60.2 63.1 56.4 62.3 Behind 55.5 53.9 58.4
June 56.0 60.7 54.4 57.4 Behind 58 55.2 61.2
July 60.4 60.8 53.6 59.4 Behind 58 56.1 60.3
August 56.7 54.4 48.5 57.8 99.8 62.4 56.1 61.1
September Behind 52.9 53.4 63.4 64 62.5 53 52.6
October Behind 48.6 51.4 59.1 64 59.1 51.6 48.9
November Behind 33.7 45.8 51.8 50.8 55.5 47.5 40.9
December Behind 38.3 46.5 53.3 47.2 50.2 45.5 33.3
Summer 65.5% 61.5% 54.8 % 59.7% 0.0% 57.2% 55.1% 59.9%
Annual 26.7% 51.2% 51.3 % 58.5% 43.2% 58.4% 52.3% 52.0%
Optimized 0.373 0.717 0.866 1.263 1.027 1.418 1.046 0.796
Horizontal shade depth from 11:30 AM to 3:30
PM for full year
Optimized 0.373 0.717 0.697 0.477 0.029 0.560 0.806 0.796
Horizontal shade depth from 11:30 AM to 3:30
PM from 15 April to 15 August(summer)

RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONS ESC for the Window

ESC for the Room
The results of ESC for the room indicates
the months from April to July (ESC=100
%) is more exposed to the solar radiation
on the Northern facade of the building and
the months from September to February
(ESC=100%) the southern façade of the
building is exposed. The East and the
western Facades of the building are
exposed to about an average ESC=50% for
the whole year. The roof (ESC=100%) of
the building is exposed with high solar
incident radiation all the year.
Understanding the above calculations and
the annual temperature charts (Figure 9) of
Coimbatore the emphasis of shading must
be given first to the roof and then to the
northern façade due to the exposure in
summer which can considerably reduce the
heat gain of the building. The Southern
parts of the building can be partially
shaded and also can invite a little amount
of heat for the winter months—December
and January.
The optimized results (Table 4) calculated
for peak radiation of the day (11:30 AM to
3:30 PM) with an average size window
shows that the ESC of the window and the
Horizontal shade values are higher in
North, North East and North West (avg
EFC =62.3%) and it is nullified on the
southern façade during the summer. The
East, South East, South West and West
(avg. EFC=56.7 %) are also partially
exposed to radiation during summer, thus
an optimum shading of window is
recommended for all the sides of the
building.
Analyzing the simulations by Ecotect
(Table 4) the projection of northern façade
horizontal shade is only 0.373m whereas
the North East, East and North west are
0.717 m,0.866 m and 0.796 m.
respectively. The calculated projections of
south east, South and South west are from
1m to 1.5 m. This result of longer
projections on the southern part are due to
the inclination angle of the sun path
towards the south which leads to more

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 International Journal of Architecture & Infrastructure Planning
surface area exposure which is calculated
for the whole year.
The calculations were worked for the
hotter months (April 15 to August 15) and
the results for the North, North East and
North West were the same whereas the
projections were reduced for the other
directions even leading to 0.029 m only in
south façade.
CONCLUSION
This research for Coimbatore has given a
clear idea about(1) Movement of the sun
all the year and its solar exposure on all
the surfaces, (2) Effective shading
coefficient for the whole year and summer
months with optimized solutions of simple
horizontal shading parameters which are to
be followed in all the sides of the building.
The Design Solutions may vary according
to the idea of the Architect/Designer as per
the Requirement of the client and the
nature of the project, perhaps we are able
to give them a small guideline by this
research to process towards a sustainable
building. The favorable design
Recommendations of shading for a simple
non-conditioned building applicable for
the whole year component wise are:
Roof—Shading Recommendations
a. Ventilated double roof are
recommended to block the incident
solar radiation on the main roof and
minimize heat gain all the year
b. Fabric shades/Shade sail are
recommended to cover the roof to
minimize the solar radiation exposure
and provide shade to the structural roof.
c. Layer of shades overhead protects the
courtyard and building form from the
high sun, while a vertical shade can
protect from low sun [4], thus a
horizontal shade like pergola, parasol
or wooden trellis/bamboo can be
IJAIP (2020) 18-27 © JournalsPub 2020. All Rights Reserved
ISSN: 2456-0154
Vol. 6: Issue 1
www.journalspub.com
provided for roof protection.
d. Movable shades/awnings such as
fabric or tensile structures can be used
during day to shade the roof and folded
during night which reradiates the heat
from the roof to the clear sky.
e. Green roof (or) roof insulations can
minimize the heat gain on roof.
Shading—North Wall
a. Horizontal Projections for the whole
length of the wall up to 0.3 m
sufficiently at regular intervals from
top to bottom on the façade can shade
the whole wall surface and reduce the
sol-air temperature which results in
reduction of heat transfer during the
summer overheated period.
b. The window fixed shades can be in
tilted angle of 25°–35° for effective
shading during summer
Shading—East and west Wall
a. Horizontal fixed shades or
Cantilevered wall/room Projections of
about 0.7 m are recommended.
b. Vertical fins/brise soleil at regular
intervals of about 0.6 m from the roof
to the basement will also give effective
shading on these facades.
Shading—South Wall
Horizontal fixed shades of about 0.1 m is
sufficient during the summer since the
solar exposure on this side is less, but
considering the inclination of sun and the
diffused exposure on the wall on the other
months we may recommend to have a
horizontal projection up to 1.0 m [5–7].
REFERENCES
[1] A.M.R. Aminuddin, S.P. Rao, Hong
Wan Thing (2012): Thermal comfort
field studies in two certified energy
efficient office buildings in a tropical
climate, International Journal of
Sustainable Building Technology &
Page 26
 Analysis of Sun Path & Effective Shading Co-Efficient Vimal Chandrasekaran

Urban Development, 3:2, 129–136. [4] Dekay M, Brown GZ, Bennett S,

[2] Vimal Chandrasekaran. A Study on Cartwright V. Sun, wind & light:
Sun Path of Coimbatore & Its architectural design strategies.
Irradiation Effects on Buildings using Hoboken: John Wiley & Sons; Feb.
Ecotect Software & Design 2014.
Recommendations for Minimizing [5] Koenigsberger OH, Ingersoll TG,
the Heat Gain. International Journal Mayhew A, Szokolay SV. Manual of
of Architecture & Infrastructure tropical housing & building: climatic
Planning. 2019; 5(2): 36–47p. design. Hyderabad, India:
[3] Archmghasemzadeh (2011). Effective Universities Press; 2010.
Shading Coefficients in Ecotect. [6] Szokolay SK, Brisbin C. Introduction
Autodesk.com. Available at: to architectural science: the basis of
https://forums.autodesk.com/t5/ecote sustainable design. Oxford:
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Cite this Article: Vimal Chandrasekaran. Analysis of Sun Path and

Effective Shading Co-efficient using ECOTECT Software for
Coimbatore. International Journal of Architecture & Infrastructure
Planning. 2020; 6(1): 18–27p.

AUTHOR’S BIOGRAPHY
Vimal Chandrasekaran is an Associate Professor working with Karpagam
Academy of Higher Education, Coimbatore. He completed his B.Arch. from
Adhiyamaan College of Engineering, Hosur, Tamil Nadu, and a gold
medalist in M.Arch. from Karpagam University, Coimbatore. He has 15
years of experience in the field of architecture and design consultancy. His
passion towards the sustainability subject after his master graduation has
made him to orient his career towards research, teaching and sustainable
design consultancy. His current interests are in passive design strategies, adaptive thermal
comfort, building simulation, micro climatic studies, energy efficiency, and urban heat island
effect reduction.

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