NATURAL AND

ARTIFICIAL
LIGHTING

NATURAL
LIGHTING SYSTEM
By: Rochelle Ende
Elie Therese
Alcalde

The source of all natural daylight is the sun .Its

light is intense but will vary with the time of
day, from season to season, and from place to
place. It can be also be diffused by cloud cover,
haze ,precipitation , or any pollution that may
be present in the air.
In addition to direct sunlight, two other
conditions must be considered when designing
the daylighting of space- reflected light from a
clear sky and light from an overcast sky. While
direct sunlight is more diffuse and enhances
cool colors.

Introducing sunlight into a building can

decrease dependence on electric lighting,
which in turn reduced energy use.
Sunlight will also bring solar heat into
cold weather, but will increased airconditioning costs in warmer months.
Problem associated with day lighting is
glare, which is caused by excessive
contrast between the brightness of a
window opening and the darker wall
surfaces or cast shadows adjacent to it.

Daylightingis
the
practice
of
placingwindowsor other openings
andreflectivesurfaces so that during
the
daynatural
lightprovides
effective internallighting. Particular
attention is given to day lighting
while designing a building when the
aim is to maximize visual comfort or
to reduce energy use. Energy savings
can be achieved either from the
reduced use of artificial (electric)
lighting or frompassive solarheating
or cooling.

Daylightingis lighting an indoor space with

openings such aswindowsandskylightsthat
allow daylight into the building. This type of
lighting is chosen to saveenergy, to avoid
hypothesized adverse health effects ofoverilluminationby artificial light, and also
foraesthetics. The amount of daylight received
into an indoor space or room is defined as
adaylight factor, being the ratio between the
measured internal and external light levels.
Artificial lighting energy use can be reduced by
simply installing fewer electric lights because
daylight is present, or by dimming/switching
electric lights automatically in response to the
presence of daylight, a process known
asdaylight harvesting.

Benefits of Natural Daylight

Daylight is an essential natural asset. For those of us
living in temperate Northern climates, the beneficial
effect of sunlight is easy to recognize; a couple of
sunny days seem to lift everyones spirits. Research
also shows that suicide rates are considerably higher in
parts of the world where daylight is very limited for
significant parts of the year. On a slightly less dramatic
but equally significant level, there is also a growing
body of evidence to suggest that buildings enjoying
high levels of natural light are literally more successful
than those more reliant on artificial light. In all
environments the eye and brain functions respond
better
to natural light, so people perform better, while passive
solar gain can reduce energy costs.

Locate Windows with Daylighting in

Mind
Good lighting begins with the effective
use of sunlight. Consider the size,
location and primary function of the
windows.

There is a tradeoff between the benefits of

windows, such as daylighting and good
views, and the major drawback, reduced
insulation value. Because even new
windows have a much lower insulation
value than walls, they should not exceed
15% of the wall area, unless the home is
specifically designed to take advantage of
passive solar heating. With proper window
placement, there should be more than
enough daylighting in the home with 15%
or less window-to-wall area.

Low-emittance (low-E) windows keep the

heat inside in winter and outside in summer and
- as a side benefit - protect furnishings from
fading. They have a thin film applied to the glass
that improves the performance of the window.

Seasonal Window Shading

Provide for shade at south- and west-facing
windows with an appropriate roof truss
design, architectural features, landscaping
plan, and decorating plan.
In warm climates, sunlight can overheat the
home through windows on the south and
west
facing
sides
of
homes.Roof
overhangscan provide shade for these
windows as well as improve the home's
long-term ability to withstand rain.

Passive solar design is a process that

informs choices of a building's shape, the
materials used, features (such as
windows), and their location. Importantly,
in Minnesota passive solar design takes
into account the seasonal variation of
sunlight angles (i.e. the sun is higher in
the sky in summer and lower in winter).
By designing our building with this in
mind we can increase heat gain from the
sun during the winter, which reduces
heating costs, and decrease heat gain in
the summer, which reduces cooling costs.

Passive solar design strategies at

Cascade Meadow include:

Physical window shading (like our roof

overhang) that blocks the summer sun,
but not the winter sun.
Floors made of massive (heavy) materials
that can soak up heat from the winter
sun shining on them.

Active daylightingis a system of collecting

sunlight using a mechanical device to increase the
efficiency of light collection for a given lighting
purpose. Active daylighting systems are different
frompassive daylightingsystems in that passive
systems are stationary and do not actively follow
or track the sun.

Passive sunlightusing static, non-moving, and

non-tracking systems such asWindows,Sliding
glass doors, mostskylights,light tubes, and
daylightingis a system of both: collecting
reflecting the collecteddaylightdeeper inside with
elements
such
aslight
shelves.
Passive
daylighting systems are different fromactive
daylightingsystems in that active systems track
and/or follow the sun, and rely on mechanical
mechanisms to do so.

Windowsare the most common

way to admit daylight into a
space.
Their
vertical
orientation means that they
selectively admit sunlight and
diffuse daylight at different
times of the day and year.
Therefore
windows
on
multiple
orientations
must
usually
be
combined
to
produce the right mix of light
for the building, depending on
the
climate
and
latitude.
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 light colored
window sill to project light
into the room.

Clerestory windows
Another important element in
creating daylighting is the use
ofclerestory windows. These are
high, vertically-placed windows. They
can be used to increase direct solar
gain when oriented towards the
equator. When facing toward the sun,
clerestories and other windows may
admit unacceptableglare. In the case
of apassive solarhouse, clerestories
may provide a direct light path to
polar-side (north in the northern
hemisphere; south in the southern
hemisphere) rooms that otherwise
would
not
be
illuminated.
Alternatively, clerestories can be
used to admit diffuse daylight (from
the
north
in
the
northern
hemisphere) that evenly illuminates
a space such as a classroom or office.
Often, clerestory windows also shine
onto interior wall surfaces painted
white or another light color. These
walls are placed so as to reflect
indirect light to interior areas where
it is needed. This method has the
advantage
of
reducing
the
directionality of light to make it
softer and more diffuse, reducing
shadows.

skylightis any horizontal

window,roof
lanternoroculus, placed at
the roof of the building,
often used for daylighting.
White translucent acrylic is
a
'Lambertian
Diffuser'
meaning transmitted light
is perfectly diffused and
distributed
evenly
over
affected areas. This means,
among other advantages,
that light source quality
standards are measured
relative to white acrylic
transmission. White acrylic
domes provide even light
distribution throughout the
day. Skylights admit more
light per unit area than
windows, and distribute it
more evenly over a space.

Light
shelvesare
an
effective way to enhance the
lighting from windows on the
equator-facing side of a
structure, this effect being
obtained by placing a white
or reflective metal light shelf
outside the window. Usually
the window will be protected
from direct summer season
sun by a projecting eave.
The light shelf projects
beyond the shadow created
by the eave and reflects
sunlight upward to illuminate
the ceiling. This reflected
light can contain little heat
content and the reflective
illumination from the ceiling
will typically reduce deep
shadows, reducing the need
for general illumination.

Light reflectors
Adjustable light reflector
Once used extensively in office buildings, the manually
adjustable light reflector is seldom in use today having been
supplanted by a combination of other methods in concert with artificial
illumination. The reflector had found favor where the choices of
artificial light provided poor illumination compared to modern electric
lighting.

Tubular Daylighting Devices

(TDDs)use modern technology
to transmit visible light through
opaque walls and roofs. The
tube
itself
is
a
passive
component consisting of either a
simple reflective interior coating
or a light conducting fiber optic
bundle. It is frequently capped
with
a
transparent,
roofmounted dome 'light collector'
and terminated with a diffuser
assembly
that
admits
the
daylight into interior spaces and
distributes the available light
energy evenly (or else efficiently
if the use of the lit space is
reasonably fixed, and the user
desired one or more 'brightspots').

Where windows are not practical due to

elevation
or
a
room's
layout,tubular
skylightscan provide natural light while
minimizing the size of the roof penetration.
Tubular skylights have a roof-mounted light
collector that reflects light through a metal or
plastic tube with a highly reflective interior
coating. The reflective tube guides the sunlight
to a diffuser lens mounted on the interior ceiling
surface that spreads light evenly throughout the
room.

There are three principle types of material used to

provide natural light into buildings:

Glass
Used widely in large span rooflights such as atria,
this readily recycled glazing media benefits from
the low cost availability of low emissivity coatings and improved cavities such as
argon gas
filled. Very low U-values are therefore simply
achieved with the same glazing systems and depth
of sections without the need for triple glazing.

GRP (Glass Reinforced Polyester)

A translucent thermoset material under the
general heading of plastic that once formed into
therequired shape can never be reshaped after
curing. A very tough and durable material that in
opaque format is used for yacht hulls, aircraft
nose cones and mine sweeper hulls.

Polycarbonate and Other Thermoplastics

Polycarbonate is a clear thermoplastic formed under heat and fixed in shape by
cooling. It can
be recycled by reheating to a liquid state. When
correctly processed and handled it can provide
excellent impact resistance and good resistance
to UV and weathering.