Assessment of daylight in rooms with different architectural features

Abstract

Results are presented from a parametric study that assessed the amount of daylight in rooms with different architectural features: the orientation, window size and visible glazing transmittance, room depth, external obstruction angle and site. Annual lighting simulations were run in order to understand how the daylight availability within a space changes as a function of the architectural features. A sub-dataset of the full result database is examined in detail for north- and south-facing rooms in Turin, north-west Italy, with a visible glazing transmittance of 70%. Each feature is analysed for its influence on the daylighting conditions. A simple graphical tool is presented to promote an easier reading of the results. This was developed to provide a synthesis of information to the design team. It shows the influence of preliminary design solutions on the amount of indoor daylight. This allows a design team to assess indoor daylighting from the earliest design phases onwards and to determine which combinations of architectural features are able to provide high, acceptable or low daylight levels within a room.

Keywords:

• climate-based daylight metrics
• climate-based daylight modelling
• daylight availability
• daylighting design
• design tools