MODULE 5: LIGHT

LIGHT

Ar.Prashansha Srivastava
 LIGHT
Light plays a vital role in our daily lives and has become an important tool in meeting the needs of our 21st
century world.

“Light is electromagnetic radiation within a certain portion of

the electromagnetic spectrum. The word usually refers to visible light,
which is the visible spectrum that is visible to the human eye and is
responsible for the sense of sight. Visible light is usually defined as
having wavelengths in the range of 400–700 nanometres (nm).”
Psychological aspects:
• To create the visual sensation
• It can create a feeling of fear/confidence.
• Influence the mood of people
• Create feeling of privacy
• Create the feeling of spaciousness
• Give relaxation

Types of lighting:
1. Natural Day light
2. Artificial Light
TRANSMISSION
Transmission of light is the moving of electromagnetic waves (whether visible light, radio waves,
ultraviolet, etc.) through a material. This transmission can be reduced, or stopped, when light is reflected
off the surface or absorbed by the molecules in the material.

Light incident on any object an be distributed in three ways:

•Reflected
•Absorbed
•Transmission
Some important properties of the object and its material are
described
by the proportions of these three components:
reflectance (r)
absorbance (a)
Transmittance(t)

In all cases r+a+t=1

In case of opaque objects: t=0,thus r+a=1
REFLECTION
Reflection of Light is the process of sending back the light rays which falls on the surface of an object. The
image formed due to reflection of an object on a plane mirror is at different places.

The objects having shiny or polished surface reflects

more light compared to the objects having dull or unpolished
surface. Silver metal is the best reflector of light.
This is why plane mirror is made by depositing a thin
layer of silver metal on one side of a plane glass sheet.
The silver coating is protected by a red paint.
 DIFFUSION
When light is reflected from a mirror, the angle of reflection of each ray equals the angle of incidence.
When light is reflected from a piece of plain white paper, however, the reflected beam is scattered,
or DIFFUSED
GLARE
Glare is difficulty seeing in the presence of bright light such as direct or reflected sunlight or artificial light
such as car headlamps at night.
OR
Glare is a visual sensation caused by excessive and uncontrolled brightness.

TYPES OF GLARE:
Direct glare: it occurs when a bright source of light is placed in the field of vision. (Glare from Glass)
Indirect glare: it results when incident light from a bright source is reflected by the task plane into the eyes
of the observer. (Glare on TV)
Durability glare: the glare which severely interferes with ability to see without necessarily causing visual
discomfort.
 DAYLIGHT
DAY LIGHT VS SUNLIGHT:

Daylight- refers to the level of diffuse natural light coming from the surrounding sky dome or reflected off
adjacent surfaces.

Sunlight - on the other hand,refers to direct sunshine and is very much brighter than ambient daylight.
Day lighting is the controlled admission of natural light, direct sunlight, and diffused-skylight into a building to
reduce electric lighting and saving energy.

The components of a day lighting system are designed to bring natural light into a building in such a way that
electric lights can be dimmed or turned off for a portion of the day, while preventing occupant discomfort or
other building loads from increasing.

Factors affecting the level of illumination:

1. Position of Sun
2. Sky Condition
3. Exterior features of the space.
SOURCES OF NATURAL LIGHT
Principles of Effective Natural Lighting
o Orientation of the Building
o Form of the Building
o Glazing Ratio and specifications
o Window Height and location
o Overhead day lighting
o Daylight Redirection
ORIENTATION OF THE BUILDING
 FORM OF THE BUILDING

SHADOWS IN A COURTYARD
GLAZING RATIO & SPECIFICATIONS
•Glazing ratio= Area of glazing/area of external wall (25%-50%)
•The more the glazing ratio the more day lighting but more the solar heat gain.
•Optimum glazing ratio depends upon the user requirement, building orientation, location, View of sky
•Triple glazing, tinted or reflective glass can reduce day lighting but increase thermal comfort.

WWR <60%
 WINDOW HEIGHT & LOCATION
As a general rule, the higher the window head height, the deeper into the space the daylight can penetrate.
Therefore, good daylighting fenestration practice dictates that the window should ideally be composed of
two discrete components: a daylight window and a view window.

National Building code says-

In office buildings, windows of 1.2m
opening with sill height 1m-1.2m above
floor and
in residences, windows of 1-1.1m and sill height
to be 0.9-0.7m above floor.
OVERHEAD DAY LIGHTING
Skylights can be either passive or active,
the majority of skylights are passive
because they have a clear or diffusing
medium (usually acrylic) that simply allows
daylight to penetrate an opening in the
roof. They are often comprised of a double
layer of material, for increased insulation.
They can be of any shapes.
DAYLIGHT REDIRECTION
 Daylight redirection devices take incoming direct beam sunlight and redirect it, generally onto the ceiling
of a space. These devices serve two functions: glare control, where direct sun is redirected away from the
eyes of occupants, and daylight penetration, where sunlight is distributed deeper into a space that would not
be allowed otherwise. Daylight redirection devices generally take one of two forms: a large horizontal
element, or louvered systems. Horizontal daylight redirection devices are often called light shelves.
Tubular daylight devices
Tubular daylight devices are another type of toplighting device. These devices employ a highly reflective film
on the interior of a tube to channel light from a lens at the roof, to a lens at the ceiling plane. Tubular daylight
devices tend to be much smaller than a typical skylight, yet still deliver sufficientdaylight for the purpose of
dimming the electric lighting.
 DAYLIGHT FACTOR
Daylight Factor is the ratio of the internal light level to the external light level
DF=(Ei/Eo) x 100%
Ei = illuminance due to daylight at a point on the indoors
working plane
Eo = simultaneous outdoor illuminance on a horizontal
plane from an unobstructed hemisphere of overcast sky

Ei=SC+ERC+IRC
Light from the patch of sky visible at the point considered
Is expressed as the sky component.

Light reflected from opposing exterior surfaces and then

reached the point, is expressed as Externally reflected
component.

Light entering through the window but reaching the point only
after reflection from internal surfaces is expressed as the
Internally reflected component.
 HOT & DRY CLIMATE
PROBLEMS:
Direct sunlight must be avoided.
Dust suspended in the air may create a haze and increase the apparent sky brightness upto 10,000
cd/m² but value could be as low as 850 cd/m².
Windows will be small not much sky would be visible ,so sky component would be negligible.
Ground and external surface of building create glare in the strong sunshine.
Externally reflected light can be used only if glare can be avoided.
Use internally reflected light.

SOLUTION:
When view through a window is necessary, the contrast between view and window frame can be
reduced by
•Painting the adjacent wall a light color
•Painting the insides of window frames white
•The thick walls should be light colored and splayed( angled)to
provide contrast.
Other openings may be placed in opposite or side walls to throw
light on the wall containing the window.
•Another solution is to place a strip window at the corner of
the room ,which will throw light onto the wall thus giving
diffused but much larger area of luminance.
 WARM & HUMID CLIMATE
PROBLEMS:
Buildings have large openings for cross ventilation and air movement ,usually with wide over hangings
eaves or other shading devices.
The sky is bright and can provide adequate day lighting but its high luminance (7000 cd/m²)will cause
glare.

SOLUTION:
•Day light should be reflected from ground and louver blades to ceiling which should be light in color.
•View of the sky should be screened with shading devices and plants.
• Exclude view of bright ground or sunlit surfaces,