Objective Due to the concave appearance, spatial layout, and mirror reflection characteristics of building curtain walls, photothermal focusing problems frequently occur. Reflected sunlight and excessive solar radiation highly concentrated by concave curtain walls induce severe glare and deteriorate the thermal environment around concave buildings, and can even cause burns to people or objects in the focused area or trigger fire hazards. Therefore, it is critical for architects to rapidly observe and analyze photothermal focusing so that such problems can be effectively avoided through design adjustments at the design stage. However, existing static calculation and simulation analysis methods exhibit limitations in three-dimensional building model establishment, visualization of calculation results, and user friendliness for the primary decision-makers, architects, and thus fail to effectively support the optimization of design schemes for buildings with concave curtain walls. Therefore, this study aims to develop a new method that enables architects to dynamically simulate and calculate photothermal focusing of curtain walls during the design stage and to rapidly perform analytical evaluations. Methods Based on the principle of mirror reflection and the corresponding ray tracing method, the causes of photothermal focusing induced by concave building curtain walls were identified. The logical framework for dynamic simulation calculation and analysis of photothermal focusing in curtain walls was clarified. Through theoretical derivation, calculation models for Ray Tracing and Sunny Day Solar Radiation were developed, and the corresponding battery modules were prewritten in Grasshopper. Then, a new method was established by adopting Rhino, a drawing software widely used by architects, as the modeling and visualization platform, while the modified Grasshopper served as the simulation and calculation engine. Since the Sunny Day solar radiation model constituted the most important theoretical foundation of the proposed method, this model, along with its four calculation modules, namely the calculation module of dynamic geometric characteristics of the sun, the calculation module of solar radiation, the calculation module of reflected radiation intensity of curtain walls, and the calculation module of solar radiation intensity and ground temperature in the focus area, as well as the associated formulas, was systematically and logically introduced in detail. Finally, the application of the proposed method in the simulation, calculation, and analysis of photothermal focusing problems in curtain walls was demonstrated step by step, and the results obtained for a case study building using the proposed method were compared to field measurement results reported in previous studies and references. Results and Discussions The newly developed method exhibited several advantages. First, by adopting Rhino as the modeling and visualization platform, the method was highly accessible to architects, as the three-dimensional building models created in Rhino did not require reconstruction and could be directly used for simulation. In addition, simulation results could be promptly transmitted back to Rhino, enabling the visualization of numerical results as graphical outputs, which allowed architects to observe potential scenarios associated with different design schemes and to efficiently analyze photothermal focusing issues. Second, through the calculation module of dynamic geometric characteristics of the sun, the modified Grasshopper was able to trace both direct and reflected rays from curtain walls, enabling the identification of whether photothermal focusing problems would occur, as well as their timing and location, and the specific glass units responsible for their formation. Through the calculation module of solar radiation, the modified Grasshopper calculated the intensity of direct solar radiation at any time throughout the year. Through the calculation module of reflected radiation intensity of curtain walls, the intensity of reflected solar radiation from curtain walls was determined. Through the calculation module of solar radiation intensity and ground temperature in the focus area, the combined intensities of direct and reflected solar radiation on the ground within focus areas or hotspots, as well as the corresponding ground temperature, were calculated. Overall, the proposed method enabled architects to observe the dynamic evolution of photothermal focusing phenomena associated with different curtain wall design schemes over an entire year during the design stage and to rapidly determine which design schemes would induce photothermal focusing, when and where such focusing would occur, how the focusing intensity would evolve, and which curtain wall units would contribute to the focusing effect. Finally, comparisons between the simulation results of the case study building at the Vernal Equinox and field measurement results further demonstrated that the proposed method allowed architects to obtain accurate and comprehensive results efficiently, supporting improved decision-making aimed at avoiding or mitigating photothermal focusing problems induced by buildings with concave curtain walls. Conclusions The newly developed method utilizes Rhino as the modeling and visualization platform and a modified Grasshopper environment as the simulation and calculation engine. This approach enables architects to adjust curtain wall design schemes in a timely manner to avoid photothermal focusing effects or to reduce focusing intensity during the design stage.
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