Topic: DAYLIGHT

AIM: to study daylight and what constitutes good daylighting design, and
outlines a general design methodology that considers the many factors
involved in good daylighting design.

INTRODUCTION
The dynamic nature of daylight, poses challenges when designing buildings that seek
to utilize this abundant natural resource to meet the illuminance requirements of
architectural spaces.
Daylighting refers to the use of natural light, be it brilliant sunlight or muted overcast
light, to support the visual demands of building occupants, for a space to be
considered daylit, it must use natural light as the primary source of daytime
illumination, create a visually and thermally comfortable place connected to outdoor
phenomena, and persistently maximize electric lighting energy savings while
minimizing peak energy demand.
The approach to daylighting design begins by defining daylighting performance goals
and design criteria, and then developing and evaluating daylighting design alternatives
that achieve these goals and criteria.
The development of relatively cheap artificial lighting became an alternative to
daylight. This antithesis of the passive building is now questioned for the number of
environmental viewpoints.
Daylight is free and plentiful source of light.

THE BENEFITS OF DAYLIGHTING

Architectural Factors
Space definition
Establishes character of space
Establishes exterior expression

Psychological benefits
Improve the overall attitude, satisfaction and well being of building occupants.
Increased worker productivity,
Improved patient recovery times in hospitals.
Improve general health and circadian rhythm.
Improve occupant satisfaction with indoor environment
Psychological connection to outdoors
Energy savings benefits
Reducing electric lighting loads and associated cooling loads.
Solar gains during heating load periods can be utilized, reducing the energy
requirements of both cooling and heating a space.
The luminous efficacy (useful visible light in relation to the total energy of the
radiation) is high. The heating effect of daylight is and 1/10 of typical artificial
lighting.

Daylighting Design Goals

1.Quantity
Provide ambient lighting requirements during daytime hours for the majority of the
year.
2.Quality
Create uniform distribution of daylight to reduce uncomfortably high brightness ratios.
Control direct sunlight when necessary and utilize beneficial passive solar strategies
when appropriate.
3.Usability
Allow for user adjustment and override.
Ensure adequate daylight to all occupants of the daylit space.
Provide view and connection to the outdoors.
4.Building Integration
Fully integrate with the architectural expression of the building inside and out.
Fully integrate with other building systems -- HVAC, Electrical, Lighting, Structural,
Interiors.
5.Cost Effectiveness
Implement within overall construction budget of the project.
Achieve significant energy savings by reducing lighting energy costs and associated
cooling energy costs.

Daylighting Design Process

Architectural Integration
Daylight designs are most effective when properly integrated into the overall
architecture of a building. It is best to address daylighting and solar control issues
early in the design, when programming the various spaces.

Design Considerations
When considering daylighting strategies early in the design process, the
following issues should be considered:
Daylighting Appropriateness
Direct Sunlight
Solar heat gain
Views and Connection to the Outdoors
Integrated Architecture and Daylight

Solar Control
In order for a daylighting design to effectively improve the energy efficiency of a
building, it is essential that both the electric lighting and the solar heat gain of the daylit
spaces are effectively controlled.
Inadequate control can result in glare issues and a reduction in energy efficiency.
Dynamic (movable) solar control is often the best choice for east and west facades or
cloudier climates, where incident direct sunlight is variable and occurs less than twothirds of the time. These strategies optimize the daylight resource both when direct
sunlight is present as well as under overcast skies when the dominant daylight
contribution is from a relatively glare-free sky dome. Static solar control is often the
most effective strategy in sunnier climates and for southern facades (within 20o of due
south) that receive significant incident direct sunlight. Static systems typically have
reduced maintenance requirements and costs compared to an automated or dynamic
strategy.

Typical Daylighting Design Problems

Glare visual discomfort

Poor daylight distribution
Ineffective electric lighting system integration
Ineffective interior window treatment
Inappropriate interior design and furniture selection
Uncomfortable glare and thermal conditions
Veiling reflections and high contrast ratios

Sources of light inside a building

Diffused or skylight
Externally reflected light
Internally reflected light
Direct sunlight
Glare from sunlit surfaces
Reflected light diffused by the ceiling
A corner window

THANK YOU