SUN PATH DIAGRAM

DESIGN OF SHADING DEVICES

UNIT 2

BY
Ar. V.VANATHI
SOLAR AZIMUTH AND ALTITUDE

The position of the sun is generally given as an azimuth and altitude angle:
Altitude Angle [a] represents the vertical angle at the point of observation between the
horizontal plane and the line connecting the sun with the observer.
Azimuth Angle [e] The angle at the point of observation measured on a horizontal plane
between the northerly direction and a point on the horizon circle, where it is intersected
by the arc of a vertical circle, going through the zenith and sun’s position.

North - 0° or 360°
East - 90°
South - 180°
West - 270°
SUN PATH DIAGRAM
ANNUAL SUN PATH
ANNUAL SUN PATH @ 12:00 PM ON THE 21ST OF EACH MONTH

HOURLY SUN PATH

HOURLY PATH TAKEN BY THE SUN IN A DAY

Sun path diagrams are a convenient way of representing annual changes in the
path of the Sun through the sky within a single 2D diagram. Their most immediate
use is that the solar azimuth and altitude can be read off directly for any time of
the day and day of the year.
They also provide a unique summary of solar position that the designer can refer
to when considering shading requirements and design options.

The generation of each sun-path line is done by determining the exact position of
the Sun as it passes through the sky in sub-hourly increments for each date - in
most cases on the 1st or 21st of each month. This is then projected from the sky
dome onto the flat image, as shown below.
THE FUNDAMENTAL COMPONENTS THAT MAKE UP A SUN-PATH DIAGRAM ARE :
AZIMUTH LINES
ALTITUDE LINES
DATE LINES
HOUR LINES

AZIMUTH LINES

Azimuth angles run around the edge

of the diagram in 15° increments. A
point's azimuth from the reference
position is measured in a clockwise
direction from True North on the
horizontal plane. True North on the
stereographic diagram is the positive Y
axis (straight up) and is marked with
an N.
ALTITUDE LINES

Altitude angles are

represented as
concentric circular
dotted lines that run
from the centre of the
diagram out, in 10°
increments from 90 to 0.
A point's altitude from
the reference position is
measured from the
horizontal plane up.
DATE LINES
Date lines represent the path of the sun through the sky on one particular day of the year. They start on the
eastern side of the graph and run to the western side. There are twelve of these lines shown, for the 1st day
of each month. The first six months are shown as solid lines (Jan-Jun) whilst the last six months are shown as
dotted (Jul-Dec), to allow a clear distinction even though the path of the Sun is cyclical.
HOUR LINES

Hour lines represent

the position of the sun
at a specific hour of the
day, throughout the
year. They are shown as
figure-8 style lines that
intersect the date lines.
The intersection points
between date and hour
lines gives the position
of the sun. Half of each
hour line is shown as
dotted, to indicate that
this is during the latter
six months of the year.
To read azimuth and altitude values from a stereographic diagram

to find the position of the Sun at 9.00am on the1st ofApril.

Step 1 - Locate the required hour line on the diagram.

Step 2 - Locate the required date line, remembering that solid are used for Jan-Jun and dotted
lines for Jul-Dec.

Step 3 - Find the intersection point of the hour and date lines. Remember to intersect solid
with solid and dotted with dotted lines.

Step 4 - Draw a line from the very centre of the diagram, through the intersection point, out to
the perimeter of the diagram.

Step 5 - Read the azimuth as an angle taken clockwise from North. In this case, the value is
about 62°.

Step 6 - Trace a concentric circle around from the intersection point to the vertical North axis,
on which is displayed the altitude angles.

Step 7 - Interpolate between the concentric circle lines to find the altitude. In this case the
intersection point sits exactly on the 30° line.
This gives the position of the sun, fully defined as an azimuth and altitude.
SUN ANGLES & SHADOW ANGLES

Given the Altitude Angle & Azimuth Angle – the angle of incidence - β can be found. Angle of
Incidence is nothing but the sun’s position in relation to the wall surface of any orientation.

Horizontal Component of Angle of Incidence : d: difference between the solar azimuth and wall
azimuth. It characterises a vertical shading devices. Eg., Lets assume the azimuth angle to be 239°
and the wall is facing the west – 270° ,

d = 270 – 239 = 31°

Vertical Component of Angle of Incidence is same as the solar altitude angle itself. v. It
characterises horizontal shading devices

β = Angle between a line perpendicular to the wall and the sun’s direction.

Cos b = Cos d x Cos g

Angle of incidence is required for selecting the appropriate gain

factor in heat gain calculations through window and for
calculating incident radiation on an opaque surface.
g
β
Performance of Shading Device is specified by 2 angles.
Horizontal Shadow Angle d
Vertical Shadow Angle. e or g

Horizontal Shadow Angle d characterizes a vertical shading device and it is the difference
between the solar azimuth and wall azimuth, same as the horizontal component for the angle of
incidence.

Vertical Shadow Angle. e or g characterizes the horizontal shading device , i.e., a long
horizontal projection from the wall and it is measured on a vertical plane normal to the elevation
considered. Solar altitude angle (g) describes the sun’s position in relation to the horizon & the
Vertical Shadow Angle (e) describes the performance of the shading devices. Numerically the two
coincides (g=e) only when solar azimuth and wall azimuth are the same (i.e d=0). All other
cases when sun is sideways from perpendicular e>g. The relationship is expressed as
Tan e = tan g x sec d
Shadow Angle Protractor :
Representation of shadow angles in
stereographic projection and to same scale as
sun path diagram . This protractor shows the
various combinations of azimuth difference
[d] & solar altitude angles [g]

The perimeter scale gives the horizontal

shadow angle (d) up to -90o to the left and
+90o to the right of the centre line. The
arcuate lines indicate the vertical shadow
angle (ϵ) from 0o , given by the horizon
circle, to 90o , the zenith point. If laid over a
solar chart, the corresponding sun-position
angles can be read.
 SHADING DEVICES :
# VERTICAL DEVICES
# HORIZONTAL DEVICES
# EGG – CRATE DEVICES

VERTICAL SHADING DEVICES

Narrow blades with close spacing gives the same shadow angle as broader blades with wider spacing

Using the shadow angle protractor the ‘shading mask’ of a given device is established. If the shading mask
of the device is done on the same scale as the protractor, on tracing paper, it can be laid on the solar chart
– shading times for the particualr device (dates and hour) can be read off directly.

It will be seen that this type of device is most effective when the sun is to eastern or western elevation.
HORIZONTAL SHADING DEVICES

Eg. Canopies , horizontal louvres , externally applied venetian blinds

Vertical shadow angle is used for its design

Shading mask of a segmental type is the most effective when the sun is opposite to the building face
& at a high angle for north & south facing walls. It permits a view downwards only

EGG CRATE SHADING DEVICES

These are combination of horizontal & vrtical shading device

Eg., Grill blocks / jallis & decorative screen work

Can be effective for any orientation – depending on detail dimensions.

 DESIGN OF SHADING DEVICES

STEP 1
DECIDE WHEN SHADING IS NECESSARY
[AT WHAT TIMES OF THE YEAR & BETWEEN WHAT HOURS OF THE DAY]
‘OVER HEATED PERIOD’
ET Isopleth :
Dec A line on a diagram
Nov connecting places
20°C registering the same
Oct amount or ratio of some
Sep meteorological
25°C phenomenon
Aug
(eg: effective
Temperatute Lines °C

Jul temperatures)

25°C 30°C Jun

May
20°C Overheated period :
Apr The overheated period
refers to the time of year
15°C Mar
when it is hotter than what
Feb is normal considered
comfortable for people.
10°C Jan month

0 2.0 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18 20 22 24
time
ET Isopleth transferred
to sun-path diagram
DESIGN OF SHADING DEVICES

STEP 2
OVERLAY OF ISOPLETH TO SOALR CHART
Determine cut-off date.
[date before which the window is to be completely shaded and after which the window will be only
partially shaded. ]
Determine Start and End Times.
[These represent the times of day between which full shading is required.] Keep in mind that the
closer to sunrise and sunset these times are, the exponentially larger the required shade.

STEP 3
SOLAR CHART – AZIMUTH, ALTITUDE ANGLE
Use solar tables or a sun-path diagram to obtain the azimuth and altitude of the sun at each time on
the cut-off date.
Calculate HSA and VSA.
Calculate Required Depth and Width. calculate the depth and width of the required shade on each
side of the window.

Shade Depth
The depth of the shade is given by:
depth = height / tan(e)
The width is given by:
width = depth * tan(D)

The depth of the shade is given by:

depth = height / tan(VSA)
The width is given by:
width = depth * tan(HSA)
DESIGN OF SHADING DEVICES

These two angles, HSA and VSA, can then be used to determine the size of the shading device
required for a window. If the height value refers to the vertical distance between the shade and the
window sill, then the depth of the shade and its width from each side of the window can be
determined using relatively simple trigonometry.

Shade Depth

The depth of the shade is given by:

depth = height / tan(e)
The width is given by:
width = depth * tan(D)

The depth of the shade is given by:

depth = height / tan(VSA)
The width is given by:
width = depth * tan(HSA)