ILLUMINATION

Similar to sound, light is another form of “Energy”.

The measurement of light is called photometry. The sensitivity of the

human eye to light varies with wavelength. The basic instrument used
is known as photometer.
PHOTOMETER

An instrument for measuring the amount of light.

Depending on the purpose, a variety of filters can be used
to measure light of specific wavelengths.

A photometer can also be used to measure ambient light,

or only a narrow beam that comes directly from a source
such as the Sun.

It measures photometric quantities such as luminance,

luminous intensity, luminance flux and illumination.
Photometry
Photometry deals with the measurement of visible light as
perceived by human eyes. The human eye can only see light in the
visible spectrum and has different sensitivities to light of different
wavelengths within the spectrum. The eye is most sensitive to
greenish yellow light at 555nm (nanometre: it is the most common
unit to describe the wavelength of light).
OPTICS

The study of light & the interaction of light & matter is termed
optics.

Optics usually describes the behaviour of visible, ultra-violet &

infra-red light.
Natural Light
• Is free of charge

• It has certain vital physiological benefits for our health.

Drawbacks of too much of dependence on artificial
lighting and ignoring sunlight to shape the buildings

 High operative costs.

 Reduced user productivity.

 Overheating of buildings on sunny side and under heating

in winters.

 Excessive glare.

 Environmental degradation.
Daylight
Benefits of day lighting:

• Economical illumination.
• Comfortable to use.
• Provides delightful interiors.
• People are always oriented to the outside scene – to the
time and weather.
• Makes a statement – that you care about the environment.
Nature of light
The scientific study of the behavior of light is called OPTICS.

Light is electromagnetic radiation, particularly radiation of a

wavelength that is visible to the human eye (about 400-700nm)
(nm: nanometre- it is the most common unit to describe the
wavelength of light).
Theories of light
RAY: Aray is a beam of light that travels in a
straight line until they hit an object.

WAVES: Awave is the transfer of energy by

vibrations, from one particle to another. Scientists
argued that if light travels as waves, then light
should be able to bend. They later realized that
light CAN bend around the corners and this is
called DIFFRACTION.
Characteristics of Waves
Amplitude: the distance between the peak
of a wave to the midpoint.

Frequency: the number of complete waves

per second at a certain location.

Wavelength(Lambda): the distance

between the two peaks.

Speed: (frequency*wavelength)- the rate at

which it travels
299,792,458 m/s.
Frequencies
Light waves also come in many frequencies. The frequency is the
number of waves that pass a point in space during any time
interval, usually 1 second. It is measured in units of cycles per
second or Hertz (Hz).

The amount of energy in a light wave is proportionally related to

its frequency.
High frequency light has high energy
low frequency light has low energy.

Thus gamma rays have the most energy & radio-waves have
the least.
Of the visible light, violet has the most energy & red the least.
Speed of Light

The speed of light in a vaccum is presently defined to be exactly

299,792,458m/s. Light always travels at a constant speed, even
between particles of a substance. Through which it is shining.
Luminous Intensity

Luminous intensity is the perceived power per unit solid angle. It is

a measure of the wavelength weighted power emitted by a light
source in a particular direction. The SI unit is candela (cd).
Luminous Flux(F)
Luminous flux is the measure of the perceived power of light. The SI
unit is lumen (lm).
Luminance
Luminance is a photometric measure of the density
of luminous intensity in a given direction. It
describes the amount of light that passes through
or is emitted from a particular area and falls
within a given solid angle. The SI unit is candela
per square metre (cd/m-2).
 S Quantity Symbol SI Unit Abbreviation
No.

1. Luminous Energy Qv Lumen second lm-s

2. Luminous Flux F Lumens(cd-sr) Lm

3. Luminous Iv Candela(lm/sr) Cd
Intensity

4. Luminance Lv Candela per cd/sq.m

square meter

5. Illuminance Ev Lux (lm per sq.m) Lx

LUX VERSUS LEMUN

1 Lux is defined as 1 lumen per square metre.

There are 10.76 square feet in 1 square metre. So to convert, use this

Lumen per square ft = lux/10.76

The lux (lx) is the SI unit of illuminance. It is used in photometry as a

measure of the apparent intensity of light hitting or passing through a
surface.

1 lux = 1 lm/sq metre = 1cd-sr/sq metre.

The difference between the lux and the lumen is that the lux takes into
account the area over which the luminous flux is spread. A flux of 1000
lumens concentrated into an area of 1 sq metre, lights up that sq metre
with an illuminance of 1000 lux. However, the same 1000 lumens, spread
out over 10 sq metres produce a dimmer illuminance of only 100 lux.
Foot candle

A foot-candle is a non SI unit of illuminance or light intensity widely

used in photography, film, television and the lighting industry.

The unit is defined as the amount of illumination the inside surface of a

1 foot radius would be receiving if there were a uniform point source of
one candela in the exact centre of the sphere. Alternatively, it can be
defined as the illuminance on a 1 square foot surface of which there is a
uniformly distributed flux of one lumen. This can be thought of as the
amount of light that actually falls on a given surface.

The foot candle is equal to one lumen per square foot.

LUX VERSUS FOOTCANDLE
The foot candle or lumen per square foot is a non SI unit of
illuminance. Like the BTU, it is mainly only in common use in United
States, particularly in construction-related engineering and in
building codes. Because lux and footcandles are different units of
the same quantity, it is perfectly valid to convert foot candles to lux
and vice versa.
The name “foot candle” conveys “the illuminance cast on a surface
by a one candela source one foot away”.
1 foot candle = 10.76 lux(approx.)
WHEN LIGHT HITS AN OBJECT…
When light wave hits an object, what happens to it depends on:

• Energy of the light wave

• The natural frequency at which electrons vibrate in the material
• Strength with which the atoms in the material hold on to their electrons.
Based on these 3 factors, 4 different things happen
when light hits an object:

•The waves can be reflected or scattered off the object.

•The waves can be absorbed by the object.
•The waves can be refracted through the object.
•The waves can pass through the object with no effect.

And more than one of these possibilities can happen at once.

REFLECTION OF LIGHT

Reflected waves are simply those waves that are neither

transmitted nor absorbed, but are reflected from the surface of the
medium they encounter.

If the surface of the medium contacted by the incident wave is

smooth and polished, each reflected wave will be reflected back at
the same angle as the incident wave.

This conforms to the law of reflection which states: The angle of

incidence is equal to the angle of reflection.
REFLECTION OF LIGHT
REFRACTION OF LIGHT

When a light wave passes from one medium into a

medium having a different velocity of
propagation, a change in the direction of the wave
will occur. This change of direction as the wave
enters the second medium is called refraction.
REFRACTION OF LIGHT
DIFFUSION OF LIGHT

When light is reflected from a mirror, the angle of reflection equals

the angle of incidence. When light is reflected from a piece of plain
white paper; however, the reflected beam is scattered, or diffused,
as shown. Because the surface of the paper is not smooth, the
reflected light is broken up into many light beams that are reflected
in all directions.
DIFFUSION OF LIGHT
ABSORPTION OF LIGHT

Light beam is reflected and diffused when it falls onto a piece of

white paper. If the light beam falls onto a piece of black paper, the
black paper absorbs most of the light rays and very little light is
reflected from the paper.

If the surface upon which the light beam falls is perfectly black,
there is no reflection; that is, the light is totally absorbed. No
matter what kind of surface light falls upon, some of the light is
absorbed.
GLARE

Glare is difficulty in seeing in the presence of very bright light. Glare

can be categorized into different types. There are 4 types of glare
that progressively affect one’s ability to see clearly.
Blinding Glare

Blinding glare describes effects such as that caused by staring at the

sun. it is completely blinding and leaves temporary and permanent
vision deficiencies.
Disability glare

Disability glare describes effects such as being blinded by oncoming

car lights, or light scattering in fog or in the eye, reducing contrast,
as well as reflections from print and other dark areas that render
them bright, with significant reduction in sight capabilities.
Discomfort glare

Discomfort glare does not typically cause a dangerous situation in

itself, though it is annoying and irritating at best. It can potentially
cause fatigue it experienced over extended periods.
Distracting Glare

Distracting glare, where light reflects from the eyeglass lens

surface or from within the lens, causing distraction, eye fatigue and
squinting.
SPECULAR REFLECTION

Reflections on still water are an example of specular reflection.

Specular reflection is the mirror-like reflection of light from a

surface, in which light from a single incoming direction (a ray) is
reflected into a single outgoing direction. Such behaviour is
described by the law of reflection, which states that the direction
of incoming light (the incident ray), and the direction of outgoing
light reflected (the reflected ray) make the same angle with
respect to the surface normal, thus the angle of incidence equals
the angle of reflection.
SPECULAR REFLECTION
Diffuse Reflection

Diffuse reflection is the reflection of light from an uneven or

granular surface such that as incident ray is seemingly reflected at a
number of angles. It is the compliment to specular reflection. If a
surface is completely non-specular, the reflected light will be evenly
spread over the hemisphere surrounding the surface.
Diffuse Reflection
Diffuse Inter-Reflection

Diffuse inter-reflection is a process whereby light reflected from an

object strikes other objects in the surrounding area, illuminating
them. Diffuse inter-reflection specifically describes light reflected
from objects which are not shiny or specular. In real life terms what
this means is that light is reflected off from non-shiny surfaces such
as the ground, walls, or fabric, to reach areas not directly in view of
a light source. If the diffuse surface is coloured, the reflected light is
also coloured, resulting in similar coloration of surrounding objects.
Inverse Square Law of Illumination

States that, when the light source is a point, illumination on

a surface is inversely proportional to the square of the
distance of the light source.

E = I/D^2

Where E= illuminance
I= luminance intensity
D= distance
DAY LIGHTING
• Day lighting is the practice of placing windows and
reflective surfaces so that during day natural light
provides effective internal lighting.
• It is the controlled admission of natural light into a
space through windows to reduce or eliminate
electric lighting.
• Day lighting reduces one-third of total building
energy costs.
DAY LIGHTING CONCEPTS
• Day lighting design process involves the integration of many
disciplines including architectural, mechanical, electrical and
lighting.
• Good day lighting requires attention to both qualitative and
quantitative aspects of design.
• To be effective, day lighting must be integrated with electric
lighting design.
• As part of a day lighting, consider the use of continuously dimming
fixtures controlled by luminous sensors.
BENEFITS OF DAY LIGHTING

• Improve life-cycle cost.

• Increase user productivity.

• Reduce emissions.

• Reduce operating costs.

Day Light Factor

 Rate of illumination (Ei) in the interior of a building to the

simultaneous outdoor illumination (Eo) is constant.
 This constant ratio when expressed as a percentage is day light
factor.
 Therefore DF = Ei/Eo * 100
 The daylight factor is valid (i.e. the ratio remains constant) only
under overcast sky conditions when there is no direct sunlight.
 Therefore three components will contribute to daylight factor:
 Sky component (SC)
 Externally reflected component (ERC)
 Internally reflected component (IRC)

Therefore: DF = SC+ERC+IRC

When daylight factor for a given point has been established it can be converted into
an illumination value, if the outdoor illumination value is known
For INDIAN conditions for a place like GURGAON the OUTDOOR
ILLUMINATION LEVEL is 10000 LUX.

This figure will be exceeded in 85-90% of the days in a year.

We usually provide a daylight factor of 4% in studios.

Let us assume we have to provide an illumination level Ei of 600 lux in the drawing
studio.
4 = Ei/10000 * 100
Therefore Ei = 400 lux
But we need a DF of 6%.
We can manipulate the design variables i.e. window size etc. to achieve this daylight
factor.
PLANNING IMPLICATIONS OF SIDE LIGHTED
BUILDINGS
1. Windows
2. Light Reflectors
3. Light Shelves
4. Sky lights
5. Light Tubes
6. Clerestory Windows
7. Saw tooth roof
8. Solarium
9. Fiber optic concrete wall
10. Hybrid solar lighting
1. WINDOWS
Windows are the most common way to admit daylight into a
space. There are three ways to improve the amount of light
available from a window:
 Place window close to a light colored wall.
 Slant the sides of window openings so the inner opening is larger
than the outer opening.
 Use a large colored window sill to project light into the room.
2. LIGHT REFLECTORS
 Once used extensively in office
buildings, the adjustable light
reflector is seldom in use
today. The reflector had
found favor where the choices
of artificial light provided poor
illumination compared to
modern electric lighting.
3. LIGHT SHELVES
 Light shelf is an architectural
element that allows daylight
to penetrate deep into a
building. This horizontal light-
reflecting overhang is placed
above eye-level and has a
high-reflectance upper
surface. This surface is then
used to reflect daylight onto
the ceiling and deeper into a
space.
Light Shelves
A light shelf is an architectural element which
is designed to scatter natural light into a
room, reducing the need for artificial lighting.

Light shelves also provide shade near the

windows, reducing glare and keeping rooms
cool when temperatures rise. This design
feature can be integrated into a building
when it is constructed, or added later to
increase energy efficiency.

Along with things like skylights and light

tubes, light shelves are considered “day
lighting” devices, meaning that they are
designed to cut down on the use of artificial
lighting during the day.
4. SKY LIGHT
Skylights are horizontal
windows or domes placed at
the roof of buildings, often
used for day lighting.

The optimum number of

skylights varies according to
climate, latitude and the
characteristics of the skylight,
but is usually 4-8% of floor
area.
5. LIGHT TUBES
Light tubes or light pipes are used
for transporting or distributing
natural or artificial light. In their
application to day lighting, they are
also often called sun pipes, sun
scopes, solar light pipes, or daylight
pipes.

These somewhat resemble

recessed light fixtures in the ceiling.
They do not allow as much heat
transfer as skylights because they
have a less exposed surface area.
6. CLERESTORY WINDOWS
• Another important element in
creating day lighting is the use
of clerestory windows. These
are high, vertically-placed
windows.
• Clerestories can be used to
admit diffuse daylight that
evenly illuminates a space such
as a classroom or office.
CLERESTORY WINDOWS
CLERESTORY WINDOWS
7. SAW TOOTH ROOF
Another roof-angled glass
alternative is a "saw tooth
roof" (found on older
factories).
A roof system having a
number of parallel roof
surfaces of triangular section
with a profile similar to the
teeth in a saw; usually the
steeper side is glazed and
often faces north.
SAWTOOTH ROOF
8. SOLARIUM
Similar to a SUNROOM, a room built largely of glass to afford
exposure to the sun. Solariums have glass roofs (and often curved
glass corners), unlike sunrooms. Solariums are designed for
warmth, whereas sunrooms are designed for scenic view.
A room designed and situated so as to receive the maximum
amount of sunlight.
Solarium
9. FIBRE-OPTIC CONRETE WALL
Another way to make a secure structural concrete wall translucent
is to embed optical fiber cables in it. Daylight (and shadow images)
can then pass directly through a thick solid-concrete wall. The only
drawback is an inability to put insulation on either side of such a
fiber-optic concrete wall. One possibility is to insulate it with aero
gel after concrete wall construction, for natural daylight with the
highest-possible structural security and no glass windows.
FIBRE OPTIC LIGHTING

Fibre optics work very well in the

garden, as this nicely-executed decking
project illustrates. These "stars" are all
lit by a single light source.
HEAVYWEIGHT TRANSPARENCY: Light
Transmitting Concrete
10. HYBRID SOLAR LIGHTING
Oak Ridge National Laboratory(ORNL) has developed a new
alternative to skylights called Hybrid Solar Lighting. This design uses
a roof-mounted light collector, large-diameter optical fiber, and
modified efficient fluorescent lighting fixtures that have
transparent rods connected to the optical fiber cables. Essentially
no electricity is needed for daytime natural interior lighting.
Hybrid Solar Lighting
MATERIALS AND METHODS OF
CONSTRUCTION
1. Exterior shading and control devices: to reduce heat gain and diffuse
natural light. For e.g. light shelves, horizontal louvers, vertical louvers
etc.
2. Glazing materials: the simplest method to maximize daylight within a
space is to increase the glazing area.
3. Aperture location: a thumb rule is that the depth of daylight
penetration is about 2 and a half times the distance between the top of
a window and the sill.
4. Reflectance of room surfaces: it is desirable to keep ceiling reflectance
over 80%, walls over 50% and floors around 20%.
5. Integration with electric lighting controls: with advanced lighting
controls, it is now possible to adjust the level of electric light when
sufficient daylight is available.
6. Other lighting control systems:
 Occupancy controls
 Timers