INTEGRATING DAYLIGHT IN INTERIORS

DONE BY AZRA MALIHA

INDEX

• Introduction• Application in interior spaces• Installation methods• Benefits• Case study

INTRODUCTION

Using daylight or natural light for indoor illumination has become the most popular and demanded

application as it is a very sustainable use of light, which not only reduces electrical energy consumption,

but also conserves it, creates healthy indoor for any type of spaces.

Daylight implementation techniques are approved worldwide now and different types of smart

technology and building systems have come up for this purpose. Daylight can be induced in residential

spaces to office, commercial and even hospitality interiors. It is a key feature of sustainability and green

buildings. The various techniques not only saves energy and cost, but also make the interior

sophisticated, healthy and brings aesthetic touch .

APPLICATION IN INTERIOR SPACES

• Daylight can be integrated almost everywhere, in any kind of spaces. But in order to do that, weneed to determine the location of the building and the space, local climate and availability ofsunlight and other architectural factors, like placements of façade, windows, doors, skylight, roof,materials used, technology, etc.

• Areas where we can use this also depends on function of the space and the occupants’ needs.Commercial workspaces, educational institutes, malls, retails, restaurants, etc. uses daylightintegration using facades, windows and glass roofs. But in work spaces where there will be a lot ofuses of computers, direct sunlight is not advisable for glare issues.

• Building architecture has an important role on deciding where we can use daylight techniques.Windows and facades facing south, skylights, or sunlight portal in the middle of a building willallow daylight access in any interior.

• Daylight also should match with the lighting system analysis, where a detailed study must be doneon how much light we will receive from the sun and how much artificial lighting is applied.

INSTALLATION TECHNIQUES

1. WINDOWS. These are the most basic and ancient technique, which allows daylight and ventilation. Inmodern days, we can implement south facing windows to utilize the most of natural lighting. Smartsolutions like automatic blinds or sensor consisting windows will only allow how much of natural light isneeded for that particular space.

2. FACADES. Widely used in commercial and hospitality environment and large residential spaces. Thesealso comes in various shapes, functions and technology according to the requirement and location ofthe building. It is because the glazed facades can cause glare, privacy issues and excessive heating insidethe room if not installed properly.

3. SKYLIGHTS. Can be for both clear and cloudy skies. As these can not be controlled like windows orfacades using curtains, smart technology must be applied where the shade of skylight can be remoteoperated and amount of light can be controlled in order to prevent unpleasant glare.

4. DIRECT PATHS. These are usually used in large commercial, hospitality or educational buildings, where adaylight portal is created, which is an opening for the whole building to get access to sunlight in eachfloor. Also natural sunlight can be piped and induce in other rooms.

Directing sunlight through pipes to

induce light

Use of smart windows

Facades and skylights

BENEFITS

• The most important benefit of using daylight is it can illuminate large part of an interior in anuniform way, without any energy consumption . It is one of the best side of sustainability, that weuse natural energy to illuminate space in day time, or working hours to reduce almost 30-60% ofelectricity use.

• It reduces the use of artificial luminaries, which produce lot of heat. So the indoors are kept cooland soothing.

• Natural light is full spectrum light, which gives excellent color rendering index.

• Sunlight kills many microbes and bacteria, keeping the interior environment fresh, healthy andcheerful. This is tested and proved, that spaces where sunlight is used increase sales incommercial places and performance in educational institutions.

• Using daylight reduces a lot amount of cost which is usually spent on artificial lighting.

CASE STUDY – AL GHURAIR UNIVERSITYAfter analyzing the whole area of the university, it is noticeable that 60-70% of the total space do not requireany kind of artificial lighting during day time.

They have used full length windows with blinds, facades all around the corridors and reception area and directsunlight through two huge portals on both corners of the building, which provide abundance of natural light oneach floors, through the facades.

Except the classrooms which are situated in the middle of the building, rest rooms, conference and halls, officeareas and few other spaces, all of it is lit by natural lighting, which is a very good initiative in conserving energyand cost efficiency.

The fiber insulated facades allow only the light for illumination, eliminating excessive heating during thesummer as it is situated in middle east. The window blinds also control the amount of light to enter, to avoid un-unusual glare for the students. Break area facades are covered with shaded layer backing to dim sunlight andmake the space comfortable and soothing to the occupants.

CONCLUSION

Sunlight is a renewable resource, meaning it will never get over by use. As designers,

we can use this natural resource as much as we want, in all basic, innovative or

smart ways to create green buildings, cut cost and reduce the usage of electricity. If

we can implement the correct and effective methodology for integrating daylight

techniques, it is possible to create a dynamic interior.

REFERENCES

• https://design.ncsu.edu/building-systems-integration/daylighting-design-process/• http://www.designmena.com/specify/daylight-as-key-design-element• https://facades.lbl.gov/sites/all/files/Downloads/daylighting-c2.pdf