Improvement of energy performance and quality of indoor space can be achieved through good daylight and electric lighting design. Its impact and internal availability should be considered right from masterplanning and concept stages, particularly when making decisions on right-to-light and amount/positioning of glazing and the inevitable energy consumption trade off.
Performance against compliance thresholds, daylight penetration, atria use, glare issues, occupant perception, daylight diming potential and the impact of glass types and advanced techniques such as light-shelves, skylights and daylight harvesting are all areas for investigation as the design progresses.
IES’ tools cover daylight threshold and illuminance analysis right from the VE-Toolkits upwards. LEED requirements can be assessed at both the indicative and actual level, while advanced daylight penetration can be taken into account for scenarios where daylight passes through one space, such as an atrium, and through glazing into another space. Results can be interrogated against other metrics, such as energy use.
Within VE-pro, it is possible to establish levels of daylight even in the most complex spaces and where advanced daylighting techniques such as light-shelves, skylights and daylight harvesting are employed. As daylight is a perception metric, IES analysis also allows designers to understand how factors such as glare can lead to blinds down, lights on situations. Visualisation and electric lighting design/layout can also be undertaken.
