VISUAL IMPACT ASSESSMENT OF BUILDING-INTEGRATED PHOTOVOLTAICS IN URBAN ENVIRONMENTS USING SALIENCY MAPPING

Building-integrated photovoltaics (BIPV) is seen as a promising architectural application of PV technology on building envelopes for generating on-site renewable energy. This research aims to objectively quantify the visual impact of BIPV in the built environment and clarifies its quality at the same time. The objective Visual Impact Assessment (VIA) approach is developed based on saliency mapping, a computer vision technique predicting human visual attention. As a case study, the proposed methodology is implemented to evaluate the perceived visual impact of a retrofitted coloured BIPV on four selected building frontages along Orchard Road in Singapore. Through validation with subjective surveys, the proposed objective VIA methodology was determined as “qualified” for predicting the visual impact of BIPV. The proposed method can be applied as a planning or building design tool for urban planners and architects to objectively predict the visual impact of BIPV at the preliminary design stage.

Author dc:creator

• SUN HUIXUAN

• building-integrated photovoltaics, visual impact assessment, objective quantification, saliency mapping, urban environment