Using fundamental components of the Daylighting Designer’s Toolkit, designers can improve the visual environment, create a higher-quality space, and lower energy costs for buildings.

Summary:

Using fundamental components of the Daylighting Designer's Toolkit, designers can improve the visual environment, create a higher-quality space, and lower energy costs for buildings.

Daylighting provides the opportunity for both energy savings and improved visual comfort. Daylight may be introduced into a building using a variety of design concepts, including sidelighting and/or toplighting strategies. The level of integration of daylighting into the design can have a profound influence on the architectural form of the building.

When developing a daylighting design, consider the fundamental components of the Daylighting Designer's Toolkit, which includes these six design principles:

• Treat the building as a luminaire.
• Separate the vision and daylight glazings.
• Position the daylighting apertures to create mood and visual focus.
• Address the requirements of the visual task.
• Integrate the daylighting system with the architecture.
• Integrate the daylighting system with the other building systems.

Care must be taken when developing a daylighting design to minimize direct solar penetration through careful placement of daylighting apertures and the incorporation of shading elements and/or light shelves. Glazing selection is a key consideration in the overall design. Integration with electric lighting, interior design, and mechanical systems also plays an important role in the overall success of the design.

The application of these basic tools in the design of a daylighting system can provide a building with a unique architectural expression, lower energy costs, improved visual environment, higher-quality space, and improved occupant satisfaction.

This Design Brief provides the designer with in-depth information on the following topics:

• Six Important but Often Overlooked Daylighting Principles
• Types of Daylighting Strategies
• Three Levels of Design Integration in the Daylighting Designer's Toolkit