![Sun, sky brightness, and glow: Making the most of daylight [AIA course]](/sites/default/files/datylight.jpg "Sun, sky brightness, and glow: Making the most of daylight [AIA course]")
To some project teams, “daylighting” means using glass area to admit direct sunlight, period. Yet there are better approaches to illuminating building interiors. Often, the sun’s direct rays are the last thing you need for effective daylighting.
Sunlight comes with high solar heat gain—measured as solar heat gain coefficient (SHGC) for various types of glazing and translucent materials—and can lead to glare, occupant thermal discomfort, and material degradation caused by ultraviolet (UV) light.
Building occupants and owners want useful, uniform light, not high-contrast or high-heat sources, according to surveys like the seminal study led by the University of Washington (https://tinyurl.com/zhpx7h3). That’s why controlled and redirected sunlight almost always provides the best approach, while direct rays may be counted among the least desirable techniques.
Building surfaces and enclosures receiving direct sunlight need solar control systems, including shading devices such as overhangs and fins that may be opaque or translucent, solid or louvered, according to the Best Practices Manual published by the Collaborative for
High Performance Schools. Canopies, window films, and insulated glazing units (IGUs) with internal louvers may also be required. Façades and areas facing north, on the other hand, need ways to maximize daylight harvest.
After reading this article, you should be able to:
+ Discuss the benefits and ideal kinds of daylighting illumination desired for such interiors as workplaces, libraries, and museums.
+ Describe the types of enclosure technologies and wholebuilding design approaches for maximizing beneficial daylighting.
+ List techniques for improving daylighting performance.
+ Compare the methods or materials commonly used in daylighting applications.
TAKE THIS FREE AIA COURSE AT BDCUNIVERSITY.COM
Related Stories
| Oct 13, 2010
Community college plans new campus building
Construction is moving along on Hudson County Community College’s North Hudson Campus Center in Union City, N.J. The seven-story, 92,000-sf building will be the first higher education facility in the city.
| Oct 13, 2010
County building aims for the sun, shade
The 187,032-sf East County Hall of Justice in Dublin, Calif., will be oriented to take advantage of daylighting, with exterior sunshades preventing unwanted heat gain and glare. The building is targeting LEED Silver. Strong horizontal massing helps both buildings better match their low-rise and residential neighbors.
| Oct 12, 2010
University of Toledo, Memorial Field House
27th Annual Reconstruction Awards—Silver Award. Memorial Field House, once the lovely Collegiate Gothic (ca. 1933) centerpiece (along with neighboring University Hall) of the University of Toledo campus, took its share of abuse after a new athletic arena made it redundant, in 1976. The ultimate insult occurred when the ROTC used it as a paintball venue.
| Oct 6, 2010
Windows Keep Green Goals in View
The DOE's National Renewable Energy Laboratory has almost 600 window openings, and yet it's targeting LEED Platinum, net-zero energy use, and 50% improvement over ASHRAE 90.1. How the window ‘problem’ is part of the solution.
| Oct 6, 2010
From grocery store to culinary school
A former West Philadelphia supermarket is moving up the food chain, transitioning from grocery store to the Center for Culinary Enterprise, a business culinary training school.
| Sep 16, 2010
Green recreation/wellness center targets physical, environmental health
The 151,000-sf recreation and wellness center at California State University’s Sacramento campus, called the WELL (for “wellness, education, leisure, lifestyle”), has a fitness center, café, indoor track, gymnasium, racquetball courts, educational and counseling space, the largest rock climbing wall in the CSU system.
| Sep 13, 2010
Triple-LEED for Engineering Firm's HQ
With more than 250 LEED projects in the works, Enermodal Engineering is Canada's most prolific green building consulting firm. In 2007, with the firm outgrowing its home office in Kitchener, Ont., the decision was made go all out with a new green building. The goal: triple Platinum for New Construction, Commercial Interiors, and Existing Buildings: O&M.
| Sep 13, 2010
Committed to the Core
How a forward-looking city government, a growth-minded university, a developer with vision, and a determined Building Team are breathing life into downtown Phoenix.
| Aug 11, 2010
New data shows low construction prices may soon be coming to an end
New federal data released recently shows sharp increases in the prices of key construction materials like diesel, copper and brass mill shapes likely foreshadow future increases in construction costs, the Associated General Contractors of America said. The new November producer price index (PPI) report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics provide the strongest indication yet that construction prices are heading up, the association noted.
| Aug 11, 2010
YKK AP launches enerGfacade family of building envelope products
YKK AP America, the leader in manufacturing high quality architectural products, today announced enerGfacade™, its new family of energy-efficient products, as part of the YKK Group’s 50 year anniversary in the architectural products business. The family includes several products, such as Luminance™, ThermaShadeTM and YOW350T.
