Abstract
This study tackles the analysis of fixed external solar shading systems. The geometry of a building and of the shading system has been parametrically defined and a genetic optimization analysis has been carried out to identify an architectural solution that would allow the increase of energy savings, through a suitable window-to-wall ratio and an accurate design of the shading device. A multi-objective analysis has been performed with the aim of minimizing the energy consumption for space heating, cooling and artificial lighting, while ensuring the visual comfort of the occupants. The main goal of the study is to explore the influence of climatic context on the optimal design of shading devices. The analysis has been performed for three different latitudes across Europe. In all analyzed cases, a reduction of the annual energy consumption could be achieved, up to 42% if the optimal shading configuration is used. Moreover, the possibility of integrating the shading system with photovoltaic (PV) panels has been considered and the electricity production has been estimated.