RESEARCH & METHODS
Performance is measured.
Buildings are experienced.
Connecting building physics with the way people see, use and experience space.
DOCTORAL RESEARCH / UNIVERSITY OF WATERLOO
BIPV windows. Human perspectives.
Evaluating Window View Quality of Building-Integrated Photovoltaic Using Immersive Virtual Reality
Sorour’s doctoral research investigated the visual experience of BIPV glazing through immersive virtual reality. It connects the energy-generating role of a façade with view quality and occupant responses.
This research informs a central idea at LUMIArchLab: a window should not be reduced to one energy input. Daylight, glare, visual clarity, privacy and the experience of the space belong in the design conversation.
The university repository records the author as Sorour Yekeh. This is academic research, not a LUMIArchLab commercial project. University references do not imply endorsement or partnership.
Our approach to evidence.
Define the question. Establish the building decision, comparison boundary and evidence needed before choosing a workflow.
Document the inputs. Track model versions, weather, geometry, operating assumptions and intentional changes between options.
Distinguish estimates from findings. Label demonstration data, screening outputs, uncertainty and the limits of a study.
Explain the trade-offs. Relate results to energy, carbon, cost and occupant experience rather than offering one unexplained score.
From research to practical questions.
How should glazing and shading be compared? Which evidence supports an electrification option? Where do cost and comfort change the preferred direction? These are the questions shaping our studies and the experimental Building Decision Studio.
