DAYLIGHT DESIGN

FORMULAE AND THEIR

IMPLIMENTATION
“Architecture is the masterly, correct, and
magnificent play of masses brought
together in light. Our eyes are made to see
forms in light; light and shade reveal these
forms." Le Corbusier

SUBMITTED BY

SUMITABH CHOWDHURY
B.ARCH,3RD YEAR,6TH SEM
MITS,GWALIOR
 Separate evaluation of:
Different conditions regarding
daylight
Bad daylighting design with
DFs
.Entrance of daylight is from
rare side

Because of that the presentation

board shines thus reflects back
to the viewers eyes

Due improper daylight

electricity is used to light the
room, hence energy
consumption
 Reasons for the success of the
Daylight approach:
• •If the natural lighting is sufficient on an overcast day,
it is likely to be more than adequate when the sun is
shining.
• •But ... a daylight factor optimized building admits as
much light as possible, therefore the ideally daylight
building would be fully glazed! This is clearly in
contrast with comfort requirements.
• •A densely overcast sky looks the same whichever
direction one faces -North, South, East or West.
Therefore the effect of the orientation vanishes from
the calculation.
• •But ... the simplification introduced with the use of
the daylight factor does not account for building
location and orientation, season, time of day, direct
solar penetration, variability of sky conditions. It is not
possible to predict glare.
Lighting exposure on windows
 Architect’s intentions
• Let daylight in
• Modulate daylight through
translucent materials (alabaster,
paper,fibre glass)
• previously this technique was used in
churches
 Use of daylight using
skylights
• By using skylight we can use the
sunlight to light the room
• Performance indicator: light exposure
 Shadow and Reflection
Analysis
• Shadows cast on a dwelling by eaves and trees

• Shadows cast in a stadium from stand and lighting towers

• Reflection study showing reflections from building onto street and
adjacent buildings

• A detail study of shadows under an umbrella

 Description

For a given mean daylight factor this

method calculates from
1. the reflectance of the room surfaces,
2. the room dimensions,
3. the glazing parameters (transmission,
framing factor, and dirt-on-glazing factor),
4. and the type of rooflight with the
geometric parameters of the light wells
the necessary total rooflight area.
solar light factor SF2 as function of
distance from the
window and window percentage (of
facade)
 Properties of materials
• Properties of
different
materials which
are used in
buildings
• Their scattering
property
• Their thickness
,reflection,perm
eability,absorpt
ion
 Heating requirement and
sunshine duration

Heating requirement and global radiation are inversely

propertional to each other
 The Daylight Factor
approach
• The DF is the standard recognised daylighting metric in any
place in the World where there is an interest in daylighting.
• Reasons for the success of the DF approach:
• If the natural lighting is sufficient on an overcast day, it is
likely to be more than adequate when the sun is shining.
• But ... a daylight factor optimised building admits as much
light as possible, therefore the ideally daylit building would
be fully glazed! This is clearly in contrast with comfort
requirements.
• A densely overcast sky looks the same whichever direction
one faces -North, South, East or West. Therefore the effect
of the orientation vanishes from the calculation.
• But ... the simplification introduced with the use of the
daylight factor does not account for building location and
orientation, season, time of day, direct solar penetration,
 Climate based dynamic
lighting simulation

• Input: 1) weather data, 2) 3D model, 3) sensor points

• Pre-process: calculation of daylight coefficients to save
time. If dynamic daylighting systems are used, such as
movable blinds, sun tracking systems, electrochromic
glazing, etc., different sets of daylight coefficients need to
be calculated.
• Simulation: coupling of daylight coefficients with climate
data over the chosen time basis and occupancy profile. For
dynamic systems, a control algorithm triggers the use of
the different set of daylight coefficients.
• Results: time series of illuminance and/or luminance
(annual, seasonal, daily, etc ...)
• Post-process: time series can be plotted, and other
indicators can be calculated (daylight autonomy,
continuous daylight autonomy, useful daylight illuminance,
 Windows options

Static diffusing fabric blinds Seasonally adjusted blinds,

manual control
Automatic open/close roller
Automatic venetian blinds
blinds

Light level control -three luxlevel control that allows the

slats to adjust to maintain light levels within a selected
band width.
Fixed interstitial louvres
 Average Daylight Factor
• The average daylight factor is the ratio between the mean illuminance in a
space and that from an unobstructed sky externally expressed as a
percentage. In calculation terms the sky is generally assumed to be the CIE
overcast sky. It is measured or predicted on the working plane that for
domestic buildings is assumed at 0.85m. There are two formulae that give
an average daylight factor, Sumpner’s and the BRE average daylight factor
formulae. Both are based on a ratio of the window area to the surface area
of the room, with corrections for any obstructions, glass transmission and
room reflectance.

• BRE formula : DF = θTW/A ( 1-R2)

• Sumpner’s formula: DF = θTW/2A(1-R)

θ is the angle of obstruction measured from the mid-point of the window

T is the light transmission of glazing
W is the window area
A is the area of all the surfaces of the room
R is the average reflection factor of the room
• Alternatively the average daylight factor can be
calculated using a variety of computer programs
which determine the daylight factor on
predefined grid and take the average. It is clear
that the latter method will give a more accurate
result, but the former is particularly useful at an
early design stage.
 TYPOLOGICAL STUDY OF
VARIOUS TEST ROOMS
• Not only numerical but also visual information is
included. This gives a fast understanding of the
visual perception of daylight in rooms. A powerful
simulation tool has been used to show the strong
impact of simple modifications of basic
daylighting design parameters like window size
and placement. The study is not suited for
thorough numerical analysis; it should rather be
understood as design guide for architects and
building designers in the early conception of a
building. The study has been performed for Swiss
conditions, thus some of the provided information
is restriced to Swiss latitudes, climates, and
regulations.
Application Example
Daylight performance at the lower floors of high-rise
residential development was very poor. VDF of
approximately 6% to 8% were recorded. The room
average
daylight factor for habitable rooms was typically in
the
order of 0.2%, whilst kitchens located at the rear
end of a
deep re-entrant recorded close to 0.0% - hardly any
light at all. (F
• Daylight performance of
a typical residential unit
in high density sites in
Hong Kong. Daylight
Factor at the rear of the
space is about 0.2%

• (Right), the window

facing into a narrow
space and obstructed
by an opposing building
is allowed by the
building regulations.
(Left), the window
facing directly a high
block but with an open
aspect on its left is not
permitted.
Some key problem areas were identified. Whilst satisfying the building
regulations, these windows do not provide adequate daylight to
their respective interior spaces.
(A) Windows placed inside deep re-entrant (local term for
deep recesses from the main façade).
(B) Windows facing into narrow streets where no height
restriction in force.
(C) Windows placed in the ‘large’ light well formed by
surrounding building blocks.
(D) The misuse of the regulatory Rectangular Horizontal
Plane (RHP). This results in tight spaces being formed
between building blocks.
(E) Windows not properly positioned in the space.

The 12 surveyed estates simulated using Lightscape.

 User satisfaction vs.
simulated daylight
• performance
At the same time, daylight
performances of around 6000
windows of the 12 housing
estates were computed using
simulated results (Figure 5).
Lightscape was used as it has
been noted previously that it
could cope with high-density
conditions reasonably well. From
the computed results, daylight
availability of the windows of
each of the residential unit that
were user surveyed was
identified and coded into the User satisfaction vs.
simulated daylight
survey forms. The performance
performance
data of each of the space and
the associated user responses
were then used to compute user
 TOWARDS A NEW DESIGN AND REGULATORY
METHOD

• How to formulate a simple method for daylight design and

building regulations is the next task. It is important to strike
for “simplicity” and “reasonable accuracy” at the same
time.
• A method based on a two-dimensional “the visible area
/volume in front of the window” was first speculated – on a
napkin during a dinner session! It was considered very
similar in spirit to the existing regulatory Rectangular
Horizontal Plan (RHP) requirements. The method was based
on modifications a more accurate three-dimensional sky
component overlay method developed by Tregenza.
• The new method, dubbed the Unobstructed Vision Area
Method (UVA) is a simple method suitable for high-rise,
high-density development. The method is not
fundamentally new. R G Hopkinson proposed similar
offering before. The Unobstructed Vision Area (A) is
• [Take a cone of light φL+φR=100° from the
window, given a vertical obstruction angle of
θL=71°, the mathematical formula relating the
horizontal area in front of the window (A) and the
Height of the building (H) can be given here, k is
a constant relating A with H2. ]
 Ray-Tracing Techniques

• The ray-tracing technique determines the visibility of

surfaces by tracing imaginary rays of light from a viewer’s
eye to the objects of a rendered scene. A centre of
projection (the viewer’s eye) and an arbitrary view plane
are selected to render the scene on a picture plane. Thanks
to the power of novel computer algorithms and processors,
millions of light rays can be traced to achieve a high-
resolution rendered picture.
• Originally developed for imaging purposes, some ray-
tracing programmes (e.g., RADIANCE, GENELUX, and
PASSPORT) were adapted and optimised for calculation of
daylighting within building spaces [Ward and Rubinstein
1988]. In this case, light rays are traced until they reach the
main daylight source, which is usually the sun position
(clear and intermediate skies) or the sky vault (cloudy
skies). Figure 6-3 illustrates the principle of ray tracing,
showing the viewpoint (P) and view direction of the
• Most daylighting and electric lighting calculation
programmes currently use this backward ray-tracing
technique (from the viewpoint to the source). A slightly
different technique is used by some software to improve
daylighting calculations, especially for clear sky conditions
(with sun). A forward rather than backward ray-tracing
technique is used by the GENELUX programme to follow
rays from the light source to a scene.

The principal features of the ray-tracing technique for all types

of light calculations are the following:
• the method accounts for every optical phenomenon that can
be analytically expressed by physical equations;
• the method can consider specular materials, like window
panes and glossy surfaces;
• the method can effectively simulate non-homogeneous
 Sky Simulators

View of the EPFL the BRE

scanning sky mirror sky
simulator (UK),
(Switzerland),
 conclusion
• Required setbacks should be given in
highrise buildings
• Proper planning should be done so as to
get sufficient amount of daylight
• Where it is not possible to give windows or
any other opening we must provide
skylight if possible
• Openings should be sufficient to light the
room
• At hot regions we should provide proper
arrangements at the openings so as to
Thank you