Abstract
Urbanization is commonly associated to densification, which may lead to upward growth or urban consolidation. High-rise buildings with a given height (H) relative to a certain street width (W) create what may be termed urban canyons. The present study evaluates the potential of having optimal daylighting conditions as a function of urban morphology for the city of Curitiba (25º25′50″ S, 46º16′15″ W), where street axes designated to allow densification (in the so called Structural Sector of the city) may lead to the formation of urban canyons by not imposing height restrictions to existing buildings. Daylight analysis was based on software simulations with Luz do Sol, DLN, ECOTECT and RADIANCE. It was verified that diagonal axial orientations relative to the North (rotated in 45º) provide higher daylighting potentials to buildings located in urban canyons. From the obtained results, height restrictions are suggested for such buildings and for different axial orientations in the Structural Sector of Curitiba.
