A platform for research: civil engineering, architecture and urbanism
A platform for research: civil engineering, architecture and urbanism
As we approach the end of the decade of the 1990s, daylighting is increasingly promoted as a design strategy and building solution that can save energy and improve human performance and satisfaction in indoor spaces. Similar claims were made in the 1970s in the aftermath of the oil embargo. Twenty-five years later, in a world newly concerned about carbon emissions, global warming, and sustainable design, daylighted buildings are again proposed as a 'solution.' While it is possible to find some examples of well daylighted buildings that have been built in the last 25 years, the fact that there are so few suggests that the optimistic outlook for daylighting needs to be critically (re)examined. In 1978 and again in 1986 the author examined (Selkowitz 1979, Selkowitz 1986) the gap between the potential benefits claimed for daylighted buildings and the actual achievements in building practice. That gap remains in 1998. The first challenge is to define performance expectations for a daylighted space. Many definitions of daylighted buildings and the associated performance expectations are used interchangeably: Architectural definition: the interplay of natural light and building form to provide a visually stimulating, healthful, and productive interior environment; Lighting Energy Savings definition: the replacement of indoor electric illumination needs by daylight, resulting in reduced annual energy consumption for lighting; Building Energy Consumption definition: the use of fenestration systems and responsive electric lighting controls to reduce overall building energy requirements (heating, cooling, lighting); Load Management definition: dynamic control of fenestration and lighting to manage and control building peak electric demand and load shape; Cost definition: the use of daylighting strategies to minimize operating costs and maximize output, sales, or productivity. Each of these (and others) is a legitimate perspective, but it is important to be clear about which is being referenced. In this assessment we focus on the energy-related savings definitions, recognizing that there are overlapping elements in each definition.
As we approach the end of the decade of the 1990s, daylighting is increasingly promoted as a design strategy and building solution that can save energy and improve human performance and satisfaction in indoor spaces. Similar claims were made in the 1970s in the aftermath of the oil embargo. Twenty-five years later, in a world newly concerned about carbon emissions, global warming, and sustainable design, daylighted buildings are again proposed as a 'solution.' While it is possible to find some examples of well daylighted buildings that have been built in the last 25 years, the fact that there are so few suggests that the optimistic outlook for daylighting needs to be critically (re)examined. In 1978 and again in 1986 the author examined (Selkowitz 1979, Selkowitz 1986) the gap between the potential benefits claimed for daylighted buildings and the actual achievements in building practice. That gap remains in 1998. The first challenge is to define performance expectations for a daylighted space. Many definitions of daylighted buildings and the associated performance expectations are used interchangeably: Architectural definition: the interplay of natural light and building form to provide a visually stimulating, healthful, and productive interior environment; Lighting Energy Savings definition: the replacement of indoor electric illumination needs by daylight, resulting in reduced annual energy consumption for lighting; Building Energy Consumption definition: the use of fenestration systems and responsive electric lighting controls to reduce overall building energy requirements (heating, cooling, lighting); Load Management definition: dynamic control of fenestration and lighting to manage and control building peak electric demand and load shape; Cost definition: the use of daylighting strategies to minimize operating costs and maximize output, sales, or productivity. Each of these (and others) is a legitimate perspective, but it is important to be clear about which is being referenced. In this assessment we focus on the energy-related savings definitions, recognizing that there are overlapping elements in each definition.
Elusive challenge of daylighted buildings
S. Selkowitz (author)
1998
9 pages
Report
No indication
English
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