Comprehensive assessment of dynamic shading devices for daylighting and energy management in Saudi Arabian hot-arid buildings

Dynamic shading devices offer promising solutions for balancing daylighting and solar heat gain in hot-arid buildings, yet their operational effectiveness requires systematic evaluation. Filling a critical gap in comprehensive performance assessment, this study uniquely integrates long-term field measurements, calibrated building energy simulations, detailed occupant feedback, advanced control strategies, and techno-economic analysis to evaluate various dynamic shading systems within the challenging climate context of Saudi Arabia. The research methodology employed field measurements in eight identical test rooms equipped with different dynamic shading technologies, including electrochromic glazing, automated venetian blinds, and motorized roller shades. Continuous monitoring of interior illuminance, energy consumption, and occupant response was conducted over 14 months. Calibrated building energy simulations extended the analysis to additional climate contexts. Results revealed that automated external venetian blinds provided the best overall performance, reducing cooling energy by 32 % while maintaining useful daylight illuminance (300–3000 lux) for 68 % of occupied hours. Electrochromic glazing demonstrated superior glare control but reduced daylight availability by 27 % during cloudy conditions. The study concludes that dynamic shading systems must be carefully selected based on building type, orientation, and climate zone, with properly commissioned automation algorithms being crucial for optimizing the balance between daylighting and thermal performance. Integration with building management systems can further enhance performance by responding to both environmental conditions and occupant preferences. Theoretically, the work extends façade-performance modelling by delivering the first long-duration, empirically calibrated dataset for hot-arid contexts and by formalizing an optimized multi-parameter control algorithm that can be generalized to comparable climates.