User:Elnaz Safari Abyazani

Elnaz Safari Abyazani is a building and architectural engineer based in Rome, Italy. Her work connects occupant-centred building research, environmental measurement, annual performance simulation, BIM-based retrofit, and construction life-cycle assessment. She holds an M.Sc. in Building and Architectural Engineering from Politecnico di Milano and a B.Sc. in Architectural Engineering from Qazvin Islamic Azad University.

• M.Sc. in Building and Architectural Engineering, Politecnico di Milano, 2020-2023. Final grade: 102/110. Thesis: User-Centered Daylight Assessment Based on Occupant Behavior and Preference. Advisor: Prof. Andrea Giovanni Mainini. Graduated 19 July 2023.
• B.Sc. in Architectural Engineering, Qazvin Islamic Azad University, 2015-2019. Final grade: 18.82/20. Top student during the final two semesters of the programme.

Elnaz co-led her master’s study and the resulting publication under faculty supervision. The research combined three questionnaires completed by 384 students with measurements of illuminance, air temperature, relative humidity, mean radiant temperature, and air velocity. It examined thermal and daylight comfort, glare, view, visual privacy, and seat choice across shared learning spaces.

She built a whole-year ClimateStudio model of a 297.9 m² south-facing study area using Milan-Linate weather data and a 772-point desk-height workplane. The baseline assessment used spatial daylight autonomy, annual sunlight exposure, spatial daylight glare, daylight factor, illuminance, and conceptual energy balance. It identified marginal daylight sufficiency, excessive solar exposure, glare risk, and non-uniform conditions.

The design study compared 10 glazing assemblies, nine shading configurations, and five MicroShade scenarios using custom BSDF files. MicroShade cases reduced ASE from 16.2% to 0-1.1% and spatial daylight glare from 29.2% to 10.7-24.1%, depending on the assembly. Results were translated into zone-specific recommendations balancing solar exposure, useful daylight, glare, energy performance, and occupant preferences.

• Occupant-centred solar-responsive facade assessment for educational spaces - a mixed-method study linking occupant evidence, environmental measurement, and annual facade simulation.
• Low-Energy Student Housing: Integrated Energy and Solar Design - a collaborative student-housing project focused on comparative energy analysis, passive solar design, envelope optimisation, natural ventilation, HVAC alternatives, and photovoltaic integration.

• M. El Shemy, D. Jiménez Herrera, E. Safari Abyazani, S. Zibakalam, E. Casolari, and A. G. Mainini (2024). User-centric design approaches: Understanding preferences for indoor environmental quality in educational spaces. Colloqui.AT.e 2024 - Convegno Artec, Palermo, Italy, 12-15 June 2024.

Elnaz works as a BIM Specialist in Architecture and MEP at S.I.B. Studio di Ingegneria Bello S.r.l. in Rome. She coordinates architectural, structural, and building-services models at LOD 400-500 across more than 15 public, educational, healthcare, residential, and regeneration projects. Her work includes IFC exchange, clash resolution, structured information, model-based quantities, technical documentation, and model-quality review.

She supports energy-retrofit and decarbonization projects and prepares construction LCA outputs using One Click LCA and BIM-derived quantities. Selected projects include:

• CUC Area Nolana, Naples - executive BIM models, material information, multidisciplinary coordination, IFC exchange, and LCA reporting for the regeneration of three public buildings.
• ESCO energy-retrofit projects in Milan, Bari, and Turin - BIM-based support for energy-demand reduction and long-term decarbonization of public and residential building stock.
• Liceo Scientifico Francesco Ribezzo, Puglia - as-built and retrofit coordination of HVAC, electrical, plumbing, security, and fire-protection systems.

Earlier experience at IndexLab, Politecnico di Milano, involved robotic fabrication and assembly systems for free-form architectural structures and claddings.

• Open-source building-performance and life-cycle assessment workflows
• Affordable environmental sensing and retrofit validation
• Solar-responsive building envelopes
• Reproducible BIM and IFC data pipelines
• Low-carbon public-building retrofit
• Occupant health, comfort, and wellbeing
• Transparent tools for evidence-based design

• Building performance: ClimateStudio, Climate Consultant, Rhino, Grasshopper, custom BSDF materials, sDA, ASE, spatial daylight glare, daylight factor, illuminance mapping, and annual conceptual energy analysis.
• Digital delivery: Autodesk Revit, Navisworks, AutoCAD, IFC exchange, clash detection, model-based quantities, LOD 300-500 workflows, ISO 19650, UNI 11337, UNI EN ISO 16739, and Uniclass.
• Sustainability and data: One Click LCA, Python, QGIS, IESVE, Sefaira, TRNSYS, environmental measurements, questionnaire design, comparative analysis, scientific visualisation, and technical writing.

The original thesis used specialised simulation and BIM tools and is not presented as an open-source project. Elnaz’s proposed next step is to translate its reusable logic into openly documented components: a neutral room-and-envelope data dictionary, scripts for cleaning and comparing exported scenarios, explicit calculation assumptions, and guidance for low-cost field validation. Any release of participant or project data would be subject to anonymisation, permission, and licensing requirements.

The intended contribution is practical documentation for researchers and public-building teams that need to connect occupant evidence, environmental measurements, building information, and carbon or energy indicators through transparent and reproducible workflows.

• Erasmus Scholarship for academic study in Poland, 2021
• Italian Government Scholarship for international students, 2020
• Top student during the final two semesters of the bachelor’s degree, 2018

• Persian: Native
• English: C1
• Italian: B2
• Email: Elnaz.safari@mail.polimi.it
• Location: Rome, Italy