Daylighting analysis for selection of optimal hospital building form in warm humid climate

• Study emphasizes the importance of daylighting analysis in warm humid climates. • Compares the developed courtyard building forms through daylighting analysis. • A novel combination of ANOVA with simulation-based approach to enhance the precision and reliability of daylighting performance evaluation. • Provides practical recommendations for selecting the best form variants through daylighting analysis. Architectural design is crucial for enhancing the energy performance as well as achieving thermal comfort in a hospital building, requiring a focus on climate as a key design criterion. Daylighting plays a vital role in hospital design, influencing both energy performance and comfort. The research investigates the impact of courtyard building form variants on daylighting and aims to identify the most suitable building forms ensuring optimal daylighting performance while adhering to reference hospital building envelope details located in the warm humid climate of India. This research introduces a combination of simulation and statistically rigorous, data-driven framework to optimize building forms based on daylight metrics. By combining metrics like illuminance, DF, and UDI with ANOVA, it brings a novel methodological approach to architectural research, enhancing the precision and reliability of daylight performance evaluations. The importance of the study in advancing theory and practice in sustainable design is emphasized by its potential to expose novel concepts in similar context. The findings provide valuable insights into develop efficient space layout that balance energy performance and user comfort. This analysis serves as a critical step in the design process, ensuring that chosen courtyard building forms meet functional requirements while prioritizing daylighting, energy efficiency, occupant comfort, well-being, and environmental sustainability.