From Living Room to Workstation: Daylighting Performance Optimization in the Hybrid Domestic Space of Algerian Collective Housing — A Parametric Study in Bejaia

Abstract

Post-COVID Algeria has seen the collective housing living room emerge as the primary telework space and, simultaneously, as an informal setting for collaborative work among peers embodying a new hybrid live-work habitat typology. Yet existing housing stock was never designed for such use, generating critical visual comfort deficiencies for computer-based workers. This study examines the living room of a representative Algerian collective housing unit in Bejaïa, a coastal Mediterranean city, across eight building orientations. Using Rhinoceros and Grasshopper with a Radiance-based engine, spatial Daylight Autonomy, Useful Daylight Illuminance, Annual Sunlight Exposure, and Daylight Glare Probability are simulated at workstation level. Results show orientation and workstation placement are decisive for visual comfort, with northern orientations proving most favorable. For critical southern and western orientations, a dual-layer strategy combining exterior shading with an interior translucent blind achieves full metric compliance, providing directly actionable retrofit guidelines for Algeria’s existing hybrid housing stock.