A Framework for Integrating Zoning Regulations and Site Layout Design to Enhance Visual Comfort-A Study based on Zoning Regulation and EN 17037

Abstract

Daylight is one of the primary sources to ensure a comfortable, healthy, and energy-efficient neighborhoods. Zoning regulations significantly influence daylight-driven site layouts by constraining design decisions, particularly at the neighborhood scale. This study therefore hypothesizes that zoning design rules should be structured to optimize visual comfort in buildings, ensuring that daylight access is not compromised by restrictive policies. In this regard, the study examines the impact of the different site-layout alternatives, compliant with the Turkish zoning regulation, on the visual comfort conditions in the residential spaces designated for a new residential development. In parallel, the study also analyzes the extent to which site layout design parameters—such as obstruction angle, light reflectance, and building type—affect daylight performance. To achieve these, various parametric daylighting simulations were conducted via Climate Studio for Grasshopper, and site-layout configurations under different legal constraints were comparatively analyzed based on EN 17037 metrics. The results show that the effects of obstruction angle and light reflectance value vary significantly with building type and orientation. Furthermore, obstruction angle can be misleading as a standalone design indicator for predicting daylight performance within a space. The findings of the study contribute to the development of visually comfortable and sustainable living spaces for newly developing residential areas and existing site layout patterns that have changed as a result of urban transformation. In addition, the study can also provide insight into the evaluation methods given in the daylight standard to assess the daylight performance of space in the context of neighborhood scale.