Cooling load reduction through the optimization of the external envelope of Qazvin high-rise residential buildings based on sensitivity analysis

Document Type : Original Research

Authors
Zahra Karimi 1
Afsaneh zarkesh 2
1 PhD Candidate, Architecture, Faculty of Arts, Tarbiat Modares University
2 Assistant Professor, Faculty of Arts, Tarbiat Modares University
10.48311/bsnt.2025.75024.0
Abstract
Aims: Given the changes in climatic conditions and the global warming trend, energy conservation in the cooling sector has become one of the leading factors in current research. The main objective of this research was to reduce the energy consumption in the cooling sector of existing high-rise residential buildings in Qazvin city. This was achieved by optimizing various design variables of the building's exterior envelope, including the type of glazing, window shading devices, roof shading, and thermal insulation of the exterior walls.

Methods: The research methodology in this study is mixed-methods, involving qualitative aspects (studies on theoretical foundations) and quantitative aspects, energy simulation using the DesignBuilder software.

Findings: The Design Builder software was utilized to perform a sensitivity analysis on 3 parameters, encompassing 23 implementable variables in the existing building, to simultaneously evaluate their impact on the cooling load. The best selected solution for variables with a high impact factor was based on minimizing the cooling load. Finally, various states were considered for each variable, and the optimal variable was achieved through parametric analysis. By combining these optimal variables in the existing building model, an energy-efficient model for similar buildings was obtained.

Conclusion: The results indicate that the final model, which is introduced as the optimized building, achieved a reduction of approximately 45.47% in the building's cooling load. This reduction in energy consumption decreases the amount of greenhouse gases resulting from energy use, which are themselves a cause of global warming, and also provides thermal comfort conditions through these factors.

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  • Receive Date 03 November 2025
  • Revise Date 30 April 2026
  • Accept Date 10 May 2026