Hotel Shadow Studies Bring Added Value In Design

Hotel Shadow Studies Bring Added Value To Hotel Projects

Hotel developers do not want to enter their first summer season and realize their hotel pool sits in the shadow 90% of the day! Architectural shadow studies early in the design process will help you avoid this, as well as other costly design mistakes.

See below for a shadow time-lapse video of a Hyatt Place recently designed by the Base4 visualization team. You can see the added value this feature brings by visualizing how light and shadows impact your project.

The Basics:

• Shadow studies, also called solar studies, help visualize the impact of natural light and shadows on a new project.
• Architects use 3D technology to model a new project virtually in a real environment. They then virtually model the effects of the sun at different times through the day and different dates throughout the year.
• Trees, surrounding structures, and topographic landscapes can all be included in the model to accurately envision the natural light impact of a new building to the surrounding landscape.

The Benefits

• Maximize Sun Exposure – Shadow studies help designers determine the best positioning of a building on a site so that areas such as pools and patios receive maximum sun exposure.
• Visualize Shadowing Impact – In more urban locations, new buildings will often create shadows on surrounding buildings and green spaces.  These impacts can be of major concern for both residents and city officials. Shadow studies help demonstrate that the location and height of a proposed building will not cause undue shade on surrounding areas and allows designers to make adjustments to limit negative impacts from shadowing.  
• Increase Energy Efficiency – Designers can use solar studies to increase a projects energy efficiency by adjusting the building orientation, window placement, and amount of daylight exposure.

We pride ourselves at being at the forefront of technology in the design sector. Please reach out if you’d like to discuss how we can bring added design value to your project through technology with services like shadow studies.