Lighting Design

&
Day Lighting
Session 5
 Lighting Design

 The goal of lighting design is to create an efficient

and charming interior, both functional and
aesthetically pleasing
 Lighting design is purposeful use of natural or
artificial light for practical or aesthetic purpose
 It is the approach:
o To provide visibility
o To enhance architectural forms
o To contribute to energy savings
 Lighting Design

 Vision is a product of light, created by reflection,

absorption and transmission of light
 Lighting affect and change the mood of a space
 Lighting contribute to change the optical scale of a
space
 Lighting can change or help to realize the color of a
space
 Visual Performance

Factors affecting the performance of a visual task:

1. The task
 Size/proximity
 Exposure time
2. Lighting condition
 Illumination level
 Brightness & Brightness ratios
 Glare & Contrast
3. The observer
 Condition of eyes, Adaptation, Fatigue level, Health
 Rules for Lighting Design

Some rules of the thumb for lighting:

a. Determine the nature of the visual task
b. Illuminate things that we want or need to see
c. Quality lighting is largely a problem of geometry
d. Darkness is as important as light
e. Use light-colored finishes whenever possible
f. Use efficient electric lighting
g. Use day-lighting wherever possible
h. Flexibility and quality are more important than the
quantity of light above the minimum illumination
level
 Successful Lighting Design

 Requires an integrated design approach

 Involves decisions about:
o Climate
o Orientation
o Building form
o Diverse building components
o Lighting design criteria
o Lighting controls
 Successful Lighting Design

Considerations:
 How to provide enough light to meet visual needs,
avoiding side effects (overheating, glare)
 What are the visual requirements?
 How can the room environment be shaped with
light?
 Which ideas and strategies are to integrate light?
 Which feeling should be achieved?
 How can the desired environment be supported by
light?
 Successful Lighting Strategy

 THREE-TIER APPROACH

Basic Architecture

Integration of Day-lighting

Integration of Artificial Lighting

 Successful Lighting Strategy

Tier 1 Tier 2 Tier 3

Basic Architecture Day-lighting Artificial Lighting
Principles
Main Role Architect Mainly Architect Electrical Designer
Efficiency Significantly reduces energy consumption
of buildings
Lighting Basic Building Natural light – Use of electrical
Design Design: Climate, passive system and
Orientation, Massing techniques, glare, equipment
to allow light to color, reflectivity
reach max. number and
of spaces material concerns
Approaches Daylight: Windows, Glazing Types, Interior Efficient artificial
Finishes, Skylights, Clerestories, Light Light, Lamps, use of
Shelves renewable energy
 Successful Lighting Strategy

TIER – 1: BASIC ARCHITECTURE

 Explains basic concepts for a creative and quality
lighting, achieved mainly by geometric
manipulation of light and color of finishes
 For most critical decisions, consider:
o Climate
o Orientation and
o Massing/Geometry

 Poor decisions can have large impacts on electric

lighting need and increase the energy needed
 Successful Lighting Strategy

Massing/Geometry:
 Influences significantly if sunlight is used as the
primary light source
 Determines:
o How many windows to place on each direction
o How many skylights or clerestories can be
placed on the roof
o How much of the floor area will have access to
day-lighting
 Successful Lighting Strategy

TIER 2: DAY-LIGHTING
 Integration of day-lighting principles
 With implementation of day-lighting strategies, up
to half of all electricity need for lighting buildings
can be saved
 Day-lighting involves opening design to provide
enough daylight, balance heat gain/loss, glare
control, study changing daylight available
 Successful Lighting Strategy

TIER 3: INTEGRATION of ARTIFICIAL LIGHTING

 Electrical Lighting Design, as all other designs, is
not a one-size-fits-all design process
 Electrical lighting has a wide variety of application
b/c of the blooming electrical technology
 Electrical lighting comprises selection of lighting
fixtures and lamps, luminaire placement and
quantity and technology used to control light
DAY-LIGHTING
 Day-Lighting
 The source of natural light
is the Sun
 Distance 150 mil. km and
surface temperature
5526.85ºC
 Sunlight embraces three
major components:
o Visible light
o Ultraviolet light
o Infrared radiation
 Day-Lighting

Natural Light:
 Influences our biological
system
 Influences our internal clock
 Accelerates recovery
processes
 Determines how we
perceive our surrounding
 Day-Lighting

Why Day-Lighting?
 Enriched aesthetics
 Visual comfort
 Occupant wellbeing
 Productivity 
 Energy/cost savings
Challenges:
 Reflection
 Glare
 Heat input [100] 60 Watt incandescent lamps
Yet can be avoided by design needed to produce the same light as
a window 0.90m x 1.50m
 Day-Lighting

Day-Lighting : Definition
 Is controlled admission of natural light, direct and
diffused sunlight into a building to optimize
comfort, reduce electric lighting and save energy
 Can reduce up to 1/2 of total building energy costs
 Employs apertures, like skylights and windows
 Balances heat gain/loss, glare control, variations in
daylight availability
 Day-Lighting

Day-lighting can help:

 Perception of a space,
material, color
 Can be filtered, scattered
thru perforated materials,
or reflected in the space
 Movement of the sun -
important to integrate, align
and plan natural lighting
 Day-Lighting

Basic Considerations for Day-

Lighting:
 Window size, spacing, glass
selection
 Shading devices to reduce glare
 Reflectance of interior finishes
 Location of interior partitions
 Avoid direct sun on task
surfaces and occupants’ eyes
 Day-Lighting
Forms of Daylight Sources:
 Direct sunlight, clear sky,
clouds
 Reflection from the ground
and nearby buildings
Each source provides variable
light in quantity, color,
diffuseness, efficacy
 Day-Lighting

Passive Day-lighting
 A system of collecting
sunlight using static, non-
moving and non-tracking
systems such as windows,
glazed doors, skylights, light
tubes,
 Reflect the collected daylight
deep inside with elements
like light shelves.
 Day-Lighting

Active Day-lighting
 A system of collecting sunlight
using a mechanical device to
increase the efficiency of light
collection for a given lighting
purpose
 Active systems track and/or
follow the sun, and rely on
mechanical devices to do so.
Day-lighting Design tools: Day-Lighting

Computer Simulations
Rules of The Thumb

Conventional Calculation Experimental Models

 Day-Lighting Strategies

Basic Day-lighting Strategic Guidelines:

A. Orientation
B. Openings
C. Form
D. Space planning
E. Color
F. View and day-lighting
 Day-Lighting Strategies

A. Orientation
 The most efficient strategy
in sustainable design
 Describes how much useful
sunlight is captured in a
room
 South orientation - the most
source for direct sunlight
 Day-Lighting Strategies
A. Orientation
 East-facing openings admit
strong sunlight in the
morning
 West-facing openings
receive the intense late
afternoon sun, sometimes
too much direct daylight
 Its advised to minimize
openings on east-west
orientation
 Day-Lighting Strategies

A. Orientation
 North-facing openings
never admit strong direct
sun, but receive a
consistent quality cool
white light
 South-facing openings
receive sunlight most
consistently throughout the
day and the year
 Day-Lighting Strategies

B. Openings
 Important elements that allow light to a room
 Determines amount and pattern of daylight
o Windows, Clerestory openings, Monitor,
Skylight
 Day-Lighting Strategies

B. Openings
 Overhead openings (ex.
skylights) offer two vital
advantages: 1st, allow fairly
uniform light over large area,
2nd, also receive more light
than windows.
 Average depth of day-lighting
from windows is estimated to
be about a 4.5m perimeter
zone
 Day-Lighting Strategies
B. Openings
 Two main problems
associated with skylights:
1st, high intensity of direct
light and 2nd it is difficult to
shade such horizontal
glazing
 So vertical glazing on the
roof is advised in the form of
clerestory windows,
monitor, or sawtooth
 Day-Lighting Strategies

C. Form
 Form of a building determines
how much floor area gets
access to day-lighting
 How many openings can be
placed on each side
 In a square plan, 16% is not
daylit at all, & another 33%
can be only partially daylit
 Day-Lighting Strategies

C. Form
 Rectangular plan can
eliminate the core area
with no daylight, but still
large area is only
partially daylit
 Atrium/Courtyard
scheme is able to have all
of its area daylit
To be Continued.