Abstract

Air pollutants are a major health concern in urban zones worldwide, and these unnoticeable air particulates and gases are detrimental to the individuals’ respiratory and cardiovascular wellbeing. Since buildings are the most abundant structure within these built environments, this study focuses on how to utilize the façade of these structures in an attempt to solve the escalating air pollution problem. In this case, titanium dioxide (TiO2) is introduced to give building façades the capability to deal with air pollution in addition to being inexpensive and chemically stable. A TiO2 surface makes use of photocatalysis under ultraviolet (UV) light to decompose hazardous organic pollutants into harmless substances, and its air particulates removal effects are proven through multiple studies and existing architecture. Furthermore, the design of the façade will be based off of Voronoi tessellation to enhance the TiO2 efficiency by drastically decreasing the volume of the façade while still providing a substantial surface area for photocatalysis to take place. Last but not least, daylighting for the interior space is also taken into consideration because it is a vital part of determining whether the building façade is functional and successful. The main objective of this thesis is to optimize this Voronoi tessellation façade’s capability for pollution removal and interior daylighting. The different variables for the façade are the Voronoi pattern layout, the wall thickness, the size of Voronoi openings, and the outward angle of these openings. This study will evaluate different combinations of these variables to find the most optimal façade settings. Technologies such as genetic algorithms are used for the optimization process, while daylighting models and simulations are employed to analyze daylighting performance of the façade.

Library of Congress Subject Headings

Facades--Environmental aspects; Titanium dioxide; Air quality management; Daylighting

Publication Date

5-1-2023

Document Type

Thesis

Student Type

Graduate

Degree Name

Architecture (M.Arch.)

Department, Program, or Center

Architecture (GIS)

Advisor

Dennis Andrejko

Advisor/Committee Member

Seth Holmes

Campus

RIT – Main Campus

Plan Codes

ARCH-MARCH

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