KENYATTA UNIVERSITY

SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE AND THE BUILT ENVIRONMENT

Department of Architecture and Interior Design

Bachelor of Architecture/Architectural Studies

Year Two; Semester Two (2017/2018)

ARC 210: BUILDING SCIENCE II - LIGHTING

Tutor: - Arch. Robinson O. Manguro

LESSON 03: DAYLIGHT

Definition

Daylighting is the practice of placing windows, other openings, and reflective surfaces so that
sunlight (direct or indirect) can provide effective internal lighting. Particular attention is given to
daylighting while designing a building when the aim is to maximize visual comfort or to reduce
energy use

Daylight factor is the ratio of outside Illuminance to Inside Illuminance

Why daylight?

For all architectural spaces whose envelopes are penetrated by any opening to the exterior
environment, lighting design begins with recognition of the entry of daylight. It is a first consideration
because the presence of daylight in an interior strongly influences spatial perception and also
changes the color of surfacing materials in terms of how they appear elsewhere in the room under a
number of different kinds of electric illumination.

Determinants of daylight

The amount of sunlight reflected about an interior is determined by the size and shape of apertures in
the spatial envelope – as they relate to the proportions of a room. Direct daylight will penetrate deeper
into a room the higher the top of the window is above the floor

Windows can reduce dependence on electric lighting and lower energy costs. it is important not to
neglect daylighting in other parts of the building.

Desirable day light

When planning for good daylighting, we have to consider the illumination provided by the sky rather
than direct sunlight, which is often undesirable
Good daylighting is not simply a function of the quantity of light. In fact, some techniques that
increase the quantity of daylight can actually decrease its quality.

The two main quality issues are glare and light distribution. Glare can be either disabling or
discomforting. It is disabling when it interferes with the ability to see. It is discomforting when there
is excessive contrast between light and dark surfaces in a room. Glare does not nesessarily increase
with increasing window size.

Room Finishes: For maximum daylight levels,uniformity and the least glare, room surfaces should
have matte finishes. Shiny finishes create reflections that result in glare.

Glass Type: Glazing that allows the highest transmission of the visible portion of the solar spectrum
provides the highest daylight levels

Window Position: The higher the window, the greater the Daylight Factor and the deeper the
penetration of daylight into the space. Clerestory windows that allow deep penetration of daylight
while avoiding normal viewing angles are a good daylighting strategy.

History

While up to the mid-20th century almost all schools and workplaces used daylight as their primary
source of lighting, the advent of inexpensive energy and the proliferation of fluorescent lights in the
1950s and 1960s made daylight as an illumination source almost irrelevant.

When energy costs began soaring in the 1970s the ‘glazed skin’ look of many buildings became an
expensive, though popular and attractive, liability that often increased the costs of both heating and
cooling. Cooling, in particular, was a major cost, leading to the elimination of solar gain-the heat
generated by direct natural sunlight through windows.

New construction deemphasized direct sunlight and brought forth lower ceilings and lower building
skin-to-volume ratios. Dropped ceilings, heavily tinted glass, and insulating panels, designed to
reduce heat from windows, gained widespread acceptance.

The net result of this change in architectural and design priorities (and realities) for public buildings
of all types has been a dramatic reduction in the amount of daylight available to students in schools
and working people at their jobs.

Recently, this trend is being reversed for two reasons. First is the cost. Along with heating and
cooling expenses, the use of electricity to provide workplace/school lighting adds considerable
overhead to the overall cost of operating a building. Not only is daylighting cheaper ( a net energy
benefit), it is intrinsically more efficient than any electric source because it provides greater amounts
of brightness per unit of heat content (lumen per watt).

Second, a growing interest in the influence of the indoor environment on health, productivity and
higher retail sales has resulted in growing interest in the potential benefits that day lighting can bring
toward reaching these goals.

Daylight is generally perceived as more attractive and comfortable than artificial light. There are
several reasons for this:

(i) Light emitted by the sun covers a wide spectrum of colors. The blend of these colors
makes up white daylight. Artificial light sources cannot exactly reproduce the color
spectrum of the sun. The eye senses this and reacts by tiring more easily.
(ii) Daylight is dynamic. It varies through the seasons and times of the day, the position
of the sun and cloud cover. Artificial light is static

The required amount of artificial light in interior space is set at a level required for minimum comfort.
Daylight in interior spaces often reaches considerably greater light levels, which is perceived to be
more pleasant.
Daylight is emitted by all sides of the celestial hemisphere and by the sun. Its distribution results in
the illumination of the environment. This kind of illumination is comfortable for the eye.

Daylighting tips

(i) Avoid direct sunlight and skylight unless needed for thermal comfort.
(ii) Bounce daylight to create indirect daylight.
(iii) Bring daylight in from above to obtain deeper penetration.
(iv) Filter daylight into buildings.
(v) Use sustainable design principles.
(vi) Maximize ceiling height to gain better light distribution.
(vii) When appropriate, separate view glass from daylight glass.
(viii) Determine whether daylight is primary or supplementary in lighting design.
(ix) External control strategies offer best light and heat control. Combined strategies of external
and internal controls are also practical and are becoming more common.
(x) Building geometry and interior space planning should promote, rather than preclude,
distribution of daylight.
 (xi) Locate the maximum number of spaces near daylight through building massing and
configuration.
(xii) Create low contrast between window frame and adjacent walls to reduce glare and
improve the vision experience. Splaying openings inward can increase distribution of
daylight into rooms.
(xiii) Integrate building systems, including artificial lighting with daylighting through control
systems

Daylighting strategies

Common strategies are:

(i) Single side lighting from one direction provides a strong directional quality of light with rapid
deprecation of light quantity away from the window. Bilateral lighting occurs when light enters
rooms from two side directions, thus improving uniformity of distribution depending on width of
room, height, and location of glass. Multilateral lighting enters from several directions and can
reduce contrast and glare, improve uniformity of light on horizontal and vertical surfaces, and
provide more than one primary daylighting zone.
(ii) Clerestories are high windows with sill heights greater than seven feet above the floor and are
excellent strategies for task illumination on horizontal and vertical surfaces. Glass higher on a
wall generally provides deeper penetration into a room.

(iii) Light shelves provide shading for middle window positions and re-direct sunlight from high
position windows. Light shelves, which separate view glass from daylight glass, are most
effective on a building's southern exposure(in the temperate regions) and under clear skies. Light
 shelves may be external, internal, or a combination of external and internal. Depth of shelves
depends on visual needs, orientation, latitude, and window height.

(iv) Borrowed light as a concept allows sharing of light to adjacent spaces when the geometry and
depth of perimeter spaces permit. Corridor lighting gained through translucent partitions, glass
block, or glass transoms represents a viable concept. Usually borrowed light will supplement or
replace electric light during daylight hours when illuminance requirements are low. Security and
fire safety influence feasibility of borrowed light.

Top Lighting

When daylight penetrates a building from above the ceiling plane or is concentrated in the roof, it is
referred to as top lighting. Top lighting can provide greater freedom of source placement to achieve
more uniform illumination, takes advantage of high wall surfaces and other architectural elements to
distribute light where needed, and increases security and privacy.

 Skylights placed horizontally in flat or sloped roofs can provide a uniform level of
illumination throughout a space when skylights are spaced on a ratio of 1.5 times ceiling
height. Skylights are generally effective for lighting horizontal tasks and function best for
one-story buildings. The performance of skylights differs under clear versus overcast
skies. Thermal gain is an issue in hotter climates.
 Roof monitors are in raised or elevated roof planes. The higher plane contains the
monitor which illuminates task areas under each monitor bay. Glazing may be vertical or
sloped. Monitors should be avoided on east and west orientations
.

 Sawtooths are apertures with vertical or angled glazing installed in a slopped roof plane.
Sawtooths are most effective when used in series of three and were historically used in
industrial and manufacturing buildings as the primary light source. Sawtooth slope is
generally at a 45 degree angle.

 Courtyards are outdoor areas open to the sky and are partially or totally enclosed by the
building. In partly enclosed courtyards, the north orientation should be the open segment
to reduce glare and to reduce the need for sun control. Façade and ground materials
should reflect daylight and sunlight without increasing glare for building users.
 Lightwells are openings in the ceiling or floor of a room that allow daylight penetration
to the floor, or floors, below. Lightwells are generally utilitarian shafts for daylight and
ventilation and are not occupied space. Performance of lightwells depends on depth and
 the aspect ratio of the shaft. It is best to consider a lightwell as a source of supplementary
light.
 Atria are central areas of multi-storied buildings open to the sky. Atria can be glazed to
create a controlled environment. Short and wide atria perform better than tall and narrow
atria. Performance of atria, like lightwells, is dependent on aspect ratio.

Advanatages of daylighting

What are some of the potential benefits of daylighting?

 reduced electric lighting load
 reduced cooling loads
 improved lighting conditions
 color rendition
 color temperature
 “sparkle”
 occupant satisfaction
 occupant comfort
 connection to nature
 time orientation
 health: circadian rhythms

Drawbacks of daylighting
What are some of the potential drawbacks of daylighting?
 Increased heat gains
 Increased cooling loads
 glare!
 functional interference (example: projectors)

Window size ratios

Maximum recommended brightness ratios for indoor lighting

In a side lit space with a standard window and venetian blinds, the depth of the daylit area usually lies
between 1.5 and 2 time the window-head-height. If a space does not require the use of a shading device
the ratio can increase up to 2.5.

Day Light Transmitting Systems

These are especially used in buildings that have insufficient or no openings such as windows,
skylight etc..

(i) In light shelves, daylight is taken into interior directly, but in transmitting systems,
daylight is taken from one point, collected and distributed to the spaces.
(ii) Compare with the light shelves, light tubes have more complex mechanisms and they
need more structural spaces such as small skylight etc. In spite of this when it is thought
in a long term, light tubes can be economic and effective for the wide and multiple spaces
than the light shelves.
Fiber Optics are, optical specified fibers that can transmit and lead the light rays even through the
long ranges. Basic principle of fiber optic based lightning is close to the light tube systems. Solar
panels or heliostatic units that are positioned on the roof tops collect daylight that is transmitted with
fiber optic cables, then daylight is transmitted to light tubes. These tubes are directly related with
special lightning source to illuminate the spaces at day times.

Solar panels or heliostatic units that are positioned on the roof tops collect daylight that is transmitted
with fiber optic cables, then daylight is transmitted to light tubes. These tubes are directly related with
special lightning source to illuminate the spaces at day times. Fiber optic daylight systems are more
efficient than many daylight in take systems. Also there is occurred less light losses so more
daylight is used for illumination as much as possible. However, sensitive structures of fiber optic
cables may occur some problems and cost of treatment can be higher than the other systems.
Anidolic Systems

Different from the light tubes, anidolic systems do not collect the sun light. Their work principle is;
absorbing sunlight with a glass semi optics unit than transmitting to the ceiling system. In this system
sunlight is transmitted directly, there are no collectors, reflectors or mirrors.
Although their simple mechanism anidolic systems must be used with their special ceiling systems,
for this reason their field of use is limited and sometimes that can be less economical than the other
systems.