Vdara Hotel Solar Case Study

I've just posted a video clip case study analysis of solar design problems at the Vdara Hotel in Las Vegas at Gnarly Architecture.  It uses a massing model in Rhino and the Heliotrope plugin with Grasshopper to raytrace solar vectors reflecting off the building surfaces into the swiiming pool area... where they raise poolside temperatures as high as 130 degrees F in the high summer.  What I find particularly interesting is not just how the Vdara focuses rays onto its own pool, but also how the reflections from the neighboring Aria Hotel are dispersed outward from its convex surface only to be refocused by the Vdara's concave one.  

All in all, a good example of where not to put your swimming pool!

     - Brian -