For lighting designers and energy consultants, it is important to understand the various daylight terms, calculation methods, and metrics that are used in the rating systems and by the daylighting community.

The Tahoe Center for Environmental Sciences (TCES) is a three-story, 45,000 ft2 building on Sierra Nevada College's Lake Campus that demonstrates how an ambitious project team can successfully reduce energy usage by implementing a variety of innovative mechanical designs at minimal additional first cost.

In a world newly concerned about carbon emissions, global warming, and sustainable design, the planned use of natural light in non-residential buildings has become an important strategy to improve energy efficiency by minimizing lighting, heating, and cooling loads. The introduction of innovative, advanced daylighting strategies and systems can considerably reduce a building's electricity consumption and also significantly improve the quality of light in an indoor environment.

The Skylighting Guidelines are a collection of documents intended to help architects and engineers use skylights to maximum advantage in commercial and industrial buildings.

Workers tend to be more productive in a well-lit space that fosters better visual comfort. Lighting controls can increase the value of commercial buildings by making them more comfortable, productive, and energy efficient. These controls work either by turning lights off when they are not needed or by dimming light output so that no more light is produced than necessary.

With so many factors influencing glazing selections, whole-building lifecycle analysis is the best tool for determining the most costeffective solution. Few decisions that a designer makes have more impact on the appearance and utility of a building than the glazing selection.

Traditionally, skylight wells in large, low-rise commercial buildings have been custom designed and site built, an expensive and labor-intensive process. This design brief explores the benefits of a better alternative: splayed modular skylight wells specifically designed for use with suspended ceilings.

Timberland, a manufacturer of boots and outdoor clothing, opened its new distribution center in a 400,000-square foot warehouse near Ontario, Calif. This warehouse came equipped with skylights, and lighting controls were installed during tenant improvements.

A few building simulation runs early in a project can lead to design solutions that, though they appear simple, significantly improve building energy performance.