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The Performance of Light: Exploring the Impact of Natural Lighting in the New UMass School of Performance

Dylan Brown , University of Massachusetts Amherst Follow

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Open Access Thesis

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Degree program.

Architecture

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Master of Architecture (M.Arch.)

Year Degree Awarded

Month degree awarded.

This thesis explores how natural light can be integrated with built form to create a “performance of light” in architecture. Lighting conditions from a contemporary dance piece, as well as other architectural precedents, were studied, and aspects adapted into the building’s design. In addition to designing theatrical effects of light, the classroom and administrative spaces were designed to take advantage of natural light. Daylight studies were used to inform glazing design and material selection to stay within illuminance thresholds in the spaces.

This project is responding to the facility needs of the campus of UMass Amherst where the program of the dance, theater and music departments are stressed for space, are operating in below-average facilities, and are separated, making collaboration difficult. The programmatic concept driving this design purposely mixes offices, classrooms and rehearsal spaces, creating overlap and collaborative opportunities.

The use of mass timber was also an important aspect of the buildings’ design. Wood brings along many benefits, such as lower embodied energy, carbon sequestration, better thermal properties, and an increase in the perceived quality of architectural spaces. The volume of wood used in the building’s structural system was run through a life-cycle analysis to determine the overall carbon footprint, in relation to the amount of steel and concrete used.

https://doi.org/10.7275/10081396

First Advisor

Kathleen Lugosch

Second Advisor

Ajla Aksamija

Recommended Citation

Brown, Dylan, "The Performance of Light: Exploring the Impact of Natural Lighting in the New UMass School of Performance" (2017). Masters Theses . 496. https://doi.org/10.7275/10081396 https://scholarworks.umass.edu/masters_theses_2/496

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The Role of Artificial Lighting in Architectural Design: A Literature Review

Anthony Sholanke 1 , Oladimeji Fadesere 1 and Daniel Elendu 1

Published under licence by IOP Publishing Ltd IOP Conference Series: Earth and Environmental Science , Volume 665 , International Conference on Energy and Sustainable Environment 23-25 June 2020, Covenant University, Nigeria Citation Anthony Sholanke et al 2021 IOP Conf. Ser.: Earth Environ. Sci. 665 012008 DOI 10.1088/1755-1315/665/1/012008

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1 Department of Architecture, Covenant University, Ota, Ogun State, Nigeria

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Artificial lighting design is an integral part of the building design process. However, little or no emphasis is usually placed on its importance in the initial design process, as lighting is often understood as merely the idea of illuminating spaces. This paper investigated the evolved variety of roles artificial lighting plays in architectural designs in the context of psychology and communication. Data was compiled from existing knowledge on artificial lighting techniques, tools and practices to develop a literature for better understanding of the greater capabilities of artificial lighting within the urban context. The study focused mainly on the use of artificial lighting in the 21 st century, in a bid to capture the diverse roles artificial lighting plays in the built environment in recent times. The study is a qualitative research that relied strictly on data from secondary sources. A total of twenty-eight relevant publications were sourced using Google search engine via the internet. The data were content analysed, grouped in themes and presented using descriptive approach. The study revealed that artificial lighting plays important roles in delineating spaces, beautifying environments, improving workers' productivity level, as well as serving as a tool for navigation and communication in the urban environment. The paper concluded that over the years, artificial lighting has evolved beyond spatial illumination, but now functions as a tool for passive non-verbal communication. Therefore, planning for artificial lighting should be introduced early in the design process to avoid incurring unnecessary cost and time wasting usually associated with late decision making in the building industry.

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• Ph.D. Thesis
• M.Sc. Thesis
• Architecture
• Simulation tools

Nordic Light ‐ and its impact on the design of apertures in Nordic architecture

Living on the northern‐most part of the globe means we experience the Nordic light every day, and this dissertation is about this very special light.

Traditionally, the northern people have been very conscious of the Nordic daylight. They see the Nordic light as a distinctive feature of the northern countries as well as of great importance for the experience of Nordic architecture.

That is also the basis of this dissertation. But what are the characteristics of the Nordic light? Does it differ at all from other kinds of daylight? And does Nordic architecture in fact relate specifically to the Nordic light? Based on these questions, the dissertation will focus on the following issue:  What are the characteristics of the Nordic light and how does it manifest itself in Nordic architecture?

The dissertation is organised in four main sections:  Prologue, Light Characteristics, Light Modelling  and  Epilogue . The first main section makes use of many different statements in order to describe the understanding of the term Nordic. The second section on Light Characteristics makes use of meteorology as a method to identify the characteristics of the Nordic light. The meteorological studies document these characteristics through records of the frequency of clear blue sky and overcast sky, the character of the cloud cover and the sky luminance. The third section on Light Modelling uses phenomenology as a method to study the experience of the interaction between the Nordic light and architecture in three case studies. In the fourth and final main section, the dissertation juxtaposes the results of the previous studies and discusses how the architects work in relation to the Nordic light.

Relationship between cloud cover and light intensity. The graphs illustrate how great intensity the sun and the sky lit up depending on the cloud cover extent specified in oktas. The graphs illustrate the lighting conditions of Copenhagen in June at 12 noon and a relatively thin cloud cover. The cloud cover thickness does not change from graph to graph; it is the fractional cloud cover that changes.

The architects in the case studies each express an eagerness to understand the characteristics of the Nordic light and to work in close relation to it. All three buildings are designed according to the specific local light characteristics, where large, bright and diffuse cloud cover is particularly dominant. The design of the light apertures and thereby the modelling of the light in the various rooms does not follow a particular standard or have a specific shape or size. The three examples illustrate how careful architectural modelling of the Nordic daylight can support a room’s function while also allowing the room to be perceived as atmospheric, intimate and inviting to its users.

This means that the best Nordic architect is often occupied with how to design the daylight apertures in a Nordic context. Therefore, this dissertation aims at pointing to the opportunities provided by daylight apertures to interact with the Nordic light. This means that the Nordic daylight aperture is not designed within a particular mode of expression or style, but rather it is designed in its own special way in order to relate to the light.

Link to Nanet Mathiasen’s Ph.D. thesis is available here

“ Space and light and order. Those are the things that men need just as much as they need bread or a place to sleep. ” [Le Corbusier]

Exposure to light, and especially to daylight, has much to offer. Regarding buildings’ occupants, daylight has been shown to boost performance, improve sleep, provide a connection to the outside, increase comfort, lessen agitation, and reduce depression. Regarding buildings, daylight enhances the aesthetics of a space and improves its energy efficiency. On one condition, though: that it does not produce visual discomfort. In order to harvest the benefits of daylight, visual discomfort has to be minimized. Hence, discomfort glare from daylight should be predictable.

To date, more than twenty daylight discomfort glare models have been developed. However, none of them can consistently and accurately explain the large variation between subjects’ discomfort glare perception. Improving current models predicting discomfort glare perception remains a crucial step to move towards optimal daylighting design in buildings.

In this context, it is hypothesized that the prediction of discomfort glare perception can be improved by including relevant additional factors related to the context or to the subject in the models. The main research question that this study aims to answer is to determine whether one of these factors, namely the socio-environmental context of the subject, influences discomfort glare perception from daylight in office buildings. The socio-environmental context is defined here as the climate and habitat, including indoors and outdoors, to which a subject has been acclimatized, her/his behavior toward these elements, and her/his expectations about them. Two additional research questions aim at investigating other potentially influencing factors and potential experimental biases in order to guide further research in the field.

Furthermore, the influence of several other factors on discomfort glare perception from daylight in office buildings was tested and the data was further analyzed regarding potential experimental biases in order to answer the two additional research questions.

A statistically significant effect was found for three factors, namely the self-assessed glare sensitivity, the attractiveness of the view through the window, and the indoor air temperature. From this result, it can be hypothesized that these factors could influence discomfort glare perception. Moreover, further analyses suggest that two experimental biases, namely the glare rating scales and the study type, could be influencing the results of studies on discomfort glare perception. However, since the study was not specifically designed to answer these two additional research questions, and in view of its limitations, no conclusion can be drawn on these last observations. They can, however, be used to guide the development of future studies.

In conclusion, this research provides no evidence that discomfort glare from daylight is perceived differently in different socio-environmental contexts. Research efforts in discomfort glare perception from daylight should therefore aim at improving prediction models by looking at other potential factors, such as physiological and environmental ones. Finally, future studies should also aim for the validation of reliable methods to study discomfort glare, and for the development of a unified methodological framework to promote the reproducibility of studies and the comparability of results.

The distinctiveness of natural light in a built environment is a confluence of its physical feature––buildings, trees, and the ground––with its region-specific daylight source––the sun and the sky. The colours and patterns we see around us at different scales of cities, neighbourhoods or streets is the result of these complex interactions between the physical features and characteristics of its daylight. The current daylighting modelling workflows do not account for this distinct quality of light as the focus of performing a daylight simulation is to predict and plan for optimal quantities of light. Hence, surrounding buildings are usually modelled as ‘obstruction’ boxes with an assumed average reflectance of 30%; trees are modelled as spheres, cones or cylinders with assumed reflectance of 20%; and equal spectral energy sky models such as the CIE standard or all-weather Perez skies are used that lack spectral and colorimetric information. Two of the prime attributes of daylight in Singapore and an equatorial climate––patterns of light through trees and colour renditions of the built environment due to changing colours of the sky––are currently not represented in daylight prediction workflows. Therefore, the goal of this research is to first measure and model light through trees, and second measure and model interactions of Singapore’s built environment under various sky conditions typical of an equatorial climate. The first phase of the research presents the open-source program to generate a tree crown model that mimics the distribution of the measured leaves and gaps of a tree. This tree crown model, when used in daylight simulation workflows, helps predict their unique spatial and temporal transmittance and shadow patterns. In the second phase of the research, a detailed analysis of the spectral and colorimetric characteristics of the equatorial sky and its influence on Singapore’s built environment is presented. Two multi-spectral daylight rendering platforms are also compared for their visual, spectral and colorimetric representations of the equatorial light. This phase provides a framework for architects and designers to compute climate and context-specific daylight information and use an appropriate multi-spectral daylight rendering platform to compute colour-dependent visual perceptions.

The full Ph.D. thesis can be accessed here.

Contact Email: [email protected]

Additional Information: http://priji.com/

Perceptual effects of daylight patterns in architecture

The profound impact of daylight on occupants is broadly recognized in the fields of architecture and lighting. In particular, the façade and its interplay with light is central design element, while the diversity of daylight in space is widely acknowledged as a source of interest and stimulation that enriches our spatial experience. However, little is known about how the façade geometry and the resulting daylight patterns affect occupants. Moreover, we have limited knowledge on the impact of space function and of regional differences on human perception.

This thesis investigates the effect of façade and daylight patterns on human responses, while simultaneously examining the impact of space function and regional differences on these responses. The literature suggests two important challenges in current experimental methods in lighting research that might be contributing to the aforementioned knowledge gaps: the changing daylight conditions, which create an unstable variable, and the use of rating scales as the sole method of data collection. To address these challenges, this work introduces two main methodological contributions: the use of immersive virtual reality (VR) as an experimental tool, and the collection of physiological data as a complementary measure to rating scales. Specifically, a novel experimental method that combines VR with physically-based scenes was developed and tested against real environments in experiments that examined its adequacy regarding the perception, presence, and physical symptoms of participants.

Following the positive findings for the adequacy of this method, VR was employed in a series of experimental studies that investigated human responses to façade and daylight patterns, and laid the foundation for a wider study that was replicated in Switzerland and Greece. In all studies, each participant was immersed in a daylit interior space with varying façade configurations of a constant aperture ratio, and the impact of façade geometry, sky type, and spatial context on participant responses was examined in different experimental designs.

The outcomes of this work revealed that the façade and daylight patterns impacted both the subjective and physiological responses of participants. In particular, façade and daylight patterns consistently influenced the spatial experience, such as how pleasant, interesting, exciting, calming, and complex the space was perceived. The façade geometry also impacted spatial attributes that are traditionally considered objective, such as the perceived brightness, spaciousness, and satisfaction with the amount of view in the space. Moreover, the presented façade and daylight patterns significantly affected the participants‘ heart rate, demonstrating in a VR setting that façade elements and their interaction with light can have quantifiable effects on occupants.

The perceptual effects of façade geometry were shown to be robust to changes in the sky type, as well as the function, type, and window size of the space. In addition, no differences were found between the responses of participants in Switzerland and Greece, revealing the generalizability of these design-driven perceptual effects across latitudes in Europe. The findings of this thesis demonstrate the importance of façade design as a powerful driver of the spatial experience, outlining new directions in the design of buildings that are not only comfortable and energy efficient, but also delightful for their occupants.

Ph.D. thesis can be accessed here

It is already challenging to make small changes to buildings – painting the window panels, upgrading the kitchen, or even (as many Copenhageners are familiar with) installing a shower. But there is a pressing need for more extensive change – we need to learn how to build again and build more sustainably. As part of the EU Marie Curie project “ Innovation for Sustainability (I4S) ”, my PhD dissertation investigates how the  Active House Alliance  and their co-founder,  VELUX,  experiment with demonstration houses in order to develop a sustainable building standard for a trifecta: environment, energy, and comfort. In other words, it examines how they use experiments (building, then building again) to best synergize the three and holistically improve building practice.

The third dimension “comfort” has been particularly challenging to develop in that there has not historically been a formal definition or measurement of comfort in buildings. The PhD’s first article delves into how Active House goes about legitimating technical specifications (i.e. measurable parameters) for comfort in buildings. Not least of all, this has involved revisiting basic elements like light exposure, air exchange, and indoor human health (see for example the  Circadian House Report ). The research finds a reciprocal relationship between commensuration (conversion of qualities into comparable quantities, see Espeland & Stevens,  1998  and  2008 ) processes and legitimacy building – both among other professionals internationally and locally in the context of the projects.

The second article addresses structurally influencing the building users towards sustainable consumption – so that by design, people may behave more sustainably in buildings. Buildings are made with default rules: the rules for which infrastructural set-ups come ready-made. We know that default rules can affect sustainability-related behaviors ( Mont et al., 2014 ;  Sunstein & Reisch, 2013 ;  Dolan et al., 2011 ;  Brown et al., 2013 ). For example, the space orientation determines how much light a living room receives, and thus when and how for how long one uses lights. The literature holds that default rules work, in part, because they do not engage people’s awareness. However, this research finds that, in relation to sustainable consumption, that there are further nuances. Where at first people are unaware of how the defaults are affecting their behavior, after they leave the experimental buildings and live in their former, non-sustainably designed structures, the contrast makes them aware. It is this change that gears them towards making more sustainability-oriented consumption choices in the future.

Lastly, the third paper delves into the development of sensor-based building technology systems, such as WindowMaster, NetAtmo, Nest, and so forth. In an era of pressure for technologies that can decide for or replace the actions of people ( McIntyre-Mills, 2013 ), building systems can manage entire households – from running grocery lists and scheduling exercise to adjusting electricity usage and changing temperature. At the same time, the building industry grapples with the performance gap, wherein the planned energy performance of buildings does not match reality, largely explained by failures to grasp how people will behave ( Frankel et al., 2015 ). Rather design needs both technical and social considerations ( Maguire, 2014 ). This article uses the Active House building demonstrations to show how these experiments have helped standards makers to learn from too much focus on technological automation – as it leads to an overshoot, wherein people feel too controlled by technology and either submit or tamper with it, akin to technological interaction highlights in the works of  Rip and Kemp (1998)  and  Shove (2003) . The paper argues that the pendulum can swing too far towards technological reliance, and that co-design, a balance between human and technological development is needed – especially under seeking sustainable solutions to societal challenges.

Altogether, the idea is: that which is built can be rebuilt, our norms and practices are fluid and constantly under development. In the case of sustainable building, governance projects and experiments must tackle challenges of measurement, consumer base, and rapidly evolving technologies. It is an era of uncertainty, wherein there are no clear trajectories for sustainability transitions; but when experimenting within the frame of learning and adapting for the next steps, we can lay the first building blocks.

The thesis can be accessed here

Climate-Based Daylight Modelling (CBDM) can be defined as the assessment of the luminous conditions within the built environment that makes use of representative climate data to recreate realistic sky luminance distributions, at hourly or sub-hourly consecutive steps, by means of physically accurate lighting simulation tools. CBDM made its appearance among other Building Performance Simulation disciplines relatively recently, marking a profound change from the previously established daylighting analyses, such as the Daylight Factor and Sun Path diagrams. Daylight metrics derived from CBDM now appear in building guidelines, and CBDM evaluations are becoming widespread in design practices since they have proven to be a powerful tool to extract a wealth of information on the daylighting annual performance of buildings. However, despite the now widespread use of CBDM, the findings of this thesis showed that the accurate representation of direct sunlight still poses significant challenges for current simulation tools, due to its high intensity, variability and directionality. This has important consequences for any evaluation that depends on the effects of sunlight and indicates that further research in the field is required.

The objectives stated in the thesis aimed at broadly assessing the applicability of CBDM by looking at multiple aspects: (i) the way CBDM is used by expert researchers and practitioners; (ii) how multiple state-of-the-art simulation techniques compare to each other and how they are affected by uncertainty in input factors; (iii) how the simulated results compare with data measured in real occupied spaces.

The answers obtained from a web-based questionnaire portrayed a variety of workflows used by different people to perform similar – if not the same – evaluations. At the same time, the inter-model comparison performed to compare the existing simulation techniques revealed significant differences in the way the sky and the sun are recreated in each technique. The results also demonstrated that some of the annual daylight metrics commonly required in building guidelines are sensitive to the choice of simulation tool, as well as other input parameters, such as climate data, orientation and material optical properties. All the analyses were carried out on four case study spaces, modelled on existing classrooms that were the subject of a concurrent research study that monitored their interior luminous conditions. A large database of High Dynamic Range images was collected for that study, and the luminance data derived from those images could be used to extend this work to explore a new methodology to calibrate climate-based daylight models.

The results collected and presented in this dissertation illustrate how, at the time of writing, there is not a single established common framework to follow when performing CBDM evaluations. Several different techniques coexist but each of them is characterised by a specific domain of applicability.

Daylighting in offices creates a comfortable and healthy working environment for its users. Additionally, it can decrease the electricity consumption for artificial lighting. However, maximizing the amount of daylight can cause some issues. In Northern European climates, visual discomfort is the most negative side effect from windows. Also, excessive short-wave directly-transmitted solar radiation and long-wave indirectly-transmitted energy can cause thermal discomfort and an increased energy demand for cooling. To counterbalance these problems, designers implement shading systems, which control the transmitted solar and visual radiation. Different control strategies exist, but researchers evaluate their performance merely by checking the impact on the energy need, without considering the visual comfort of the user. Furthermore, the acceptance and satisfaction of the user regarding these strategies remains low.

Therefore, we developed a control strategy that is based on the comfort requirements of the users. The control strategy aims at avoiding visual discomfort for the user, while optimizing for daylight availability and improving user satisfaction. This is the first study where a shading device is controlled by a controller system with a low-resolution camera. The controller system captures luminance maps and evaluates a visual comfort parameter, namely the ’Daylight Glare Probability’. The system controls the actuator of the shading device based on the assessed level of comfort. The user can override the automated control and the controller system will adapt itself to the preferred user set-point.

This thesis uses numerical simulations of an indoor environment to check the performance of the control strategy in terms of the impact on the energy consumption and the visual and thermal comfort. Next, the thesis demonstrates two experimental case studies where the low-cost controller system and the control strategy are implemented. The controller system keeps the discomfort glare below the predefined limit and reduces the cooling demand, while sufficient daylight can still enter the office room.

Full thesis can be accessed here , under the Files

The objective of this thesis is to provide a decision tool to evaluate the daylighting potential of a space considering also its thermal component in order to balance the presence of daylight illuminances and solar heat gains to provide enough daylight for visual tasks avoiding situations of discomfort, such as glare or overheating.

This research is based on the evidence that the amount of daylight that enters into space has, at the same time, luminous (solar radiation in the visible spectrum) and thermal effects (solar radiation in the infrared spectrum). Nevertheless, both aspects are studied nowadays separately, so this research proposes an integrated study.

In addition, the Climate-based Daylight Modelling allows to obtain illuminance values with the same time-step resolution and climatic dependence that the values of solar heat gains obtained by means of thermal simulation.

Once the differences in the calculation methods of the daylighting and insolation metrics are highlighted, this thesis establishes a common calculation frame which allows to obtain the illuminances that simultaneously are reached in the work plane and compare them with the solar heat gains in the space.

In order to evaluate the daylighting potential of a space and limit the solar heat gains that provoke discomfort, 5 metrics have been defined on the basis of the Daylight Sufficiency criterion (300 lux, 50 % time, 50 % workplane), the illuminance ranges recommended for the development of visual tasks and the irradiance upon which user close blinds due to glare or overheating.

In addition, by means of a parametric analysis, this research applies the methodology developed to analyse the influence of different architectural design parameters in the daylighting and insolation potential.

The results have allowed to obtain the behaviour or trend of each one of the parameters, the capacity of every parameter to modify each of the metrics and a certain classification of the influence of these parameters on daylighting and insolation.

These results allow to establish design recommendations and to prioritize those parameters of architectural design that must be considered in order to provide a daylighting that balances daylight illuminances for visual task and avoids excessive illuminances and/or solar heat gains that produce glare and/or overheating.

This approach, therefore, supposes a first step in combining daylighting potential of a space and its correlated heat gains.

Dr. Paula M. Esquivias Fernández can be contacted:  [email protected]

Discomfort glare is considered to be an annoyance or distraction caused by sources of non-uniform or high luminance within the field of view of an observer. There are still significant gaps in our understanding of the conditions that characterise the magnitude and occurrence of discomfort glare, this being especially evident in the presence of large sources of luminance such as windows. The large degree of scatter that is observed when subjective evaluations of glare sensation are compared against calculated glare indices suggests that discomfort glare may be dependent on other variables beyond the physical and photometric parameters that are commonly embedded in glare formulae (e.g., source luminance, source size, background luminance, and position index). There are strong reasons to believe that some of these variables might be linked to the time of day when the observer is exposed to the glare source. In response, this thesis investigated the research hypothesis that subjective glare sensation is associated with temporal variability. This hypothesis was tested in two stages. The first stage was conducted within a laboratory setting, and sought to examine temporal effects under controlled artificial lighting conditions. The collection of temporal variables and personal factors – thereby examining the scatter in glare responses across the independent variable (time of day) and isolating potential confounding variables – enabled to identify factors that could influence the subjective evaluation of glare sensation along the day. Having established the presence of a temporal effect on glare response, the influences detected were further explored within a test room with direct access to daylight, whereby temporal variables and personal factors were measured in conjunction to glare sensation for them to be statistically masked from the analysis. The results confirmed the hypothesis of an increased tolerance to glare as the day progresses. This supported the conclusion that physical and photometric parameters alone are not sufficient for a robust prediction of discomfort glare.

In our experience of daylit architecture, our visual perception is greatly impacted by the ephemeral and inherently dynamic conditions of the surrounding environment. Driven by changes in sky type, time-of-day, and time-of-year, these variable conditions can alter our impressions and appraisal of indoor space. Daylight, including both direct sunlight and indirect skylight, drives a powerful range of perceptual phenomena, which transform structured geometry into a time lapse of slow and smooth or fast and harsh ethereal effects.  Between the disciplines of architectural design and building engineering, there are many approaches to evaluating daylight performance, from qualitative considerations such as texture, color, spatial depth, and ambiance to compliancy targets regarding task performance, energy, and visual discomfort.  While some of these considerations, like visual discomfort, are both quantitative in prediction method and qualitative in subjective evaluation, there are few quantitative measurements developed to predict the positive perceptual impacts of light on human perception. Unlike other environmental factors like temperature, air quality, and sound, daylight creates direct impacts on the appearance of a space and cannot be divorced from the simultaneously aesthetic implications it has on architectural design.  Research in daylight is therefore necessarily interdisciplinary, as it integrates physics, with the psychology of emotion, the bio-mechanics of perception, and the aesthetics of architectural design.

To integrate perceptual, aesthetic, and emotional considerations into lighting performance evaluation, the aim of this thesis is to determine whether objective, quantifiable characteristics of luminous composition within an architectural scene can be linked to subjective evaluations of visual interest (like contrast, excitement, pleasantness, etc) and whether these characteristics are sensitive to temporal dynamics. This thesis begins with a review of existing quantitative measures for predicting contrast perception in daylit scenes (both real and digital) and presents a comparison of these measures using a catalogue of rendered scenes.

Through a pair of experiments designed to induce visual effects and record subjective responses – an online survey using 2D renderings and an immersive 3D study done in Virtual Reality -, this doctoral thesis introduces a method for predicting those perceptual responses using image-based algorithms and a proportional odds model. Using the algorithms and model developed from experimental data, a visually immersive, simulation-based approach is adopted for evaluating and visualizing predictions of visual interest and excitement through space and over time.  By selecting a series of architectural spaces to exemplify this approach, dynamic predictions of daylight-induced excitement across an array of eye-level view positions show the highly variable nature of perceptual performance and its capacity to impact occupant appraisals of space.

The novelty of proposed measures, prediction model, and simulation-based approach provides an exciting new frontier in daylight performance evaluation, giving rise to the importance of occupant perception alongside existing task, energy, and comfort considerations.

The thesis can be accessed here .

This thesis introduces a new approach to characterize and evaluate ocular light exposure based on the discovery of novel blue light-sensitive photoreceptors in the human eye. These photoreceptors are the primary mediators of ‘non-visual’ responses impacting human health, from resetting the circadian clock to directly alerting the brain. In recent years, studies have found that light at short-wavelengths is more effective than light at longer wavelengths at inducing and suppressing a range of ‘non-visual’ responses. Although it has been recommended that we approximate the spectral sensitivity of these novel photoreceptors with an action spectra peaking near λmax = 490 nm, the optimal approach for quantifying non-visual spectral effectiveness is yet unknown. These novel photoreceptors, in addition being photoreceptors themselves, receive inputs from the classical photoreceptors (rods and cones) that in return affect the overall spectral sensitivity of the non-visual system as it changes with lighting conditions. Due to this time-varying spectral sensitivity and the relatively slow temporal processing, the relation between dynamic external light stimuli and the magnitude of non-visual responses cannot be explained with a single function or a simple threshold value.

To better understand these non-linear and unknown relations, this thesis aims to develop a novel computational method, based on recent findings about the ‘non-visual’ — also called non-image-forming—effects of light on human health. A dynamic wavelength-dependent model framework is proposed to evaluate the non-visual health potential of light. This novel approach integrates the spectral effectiveness of irradiation and accommodates time-varying spectral sensitivity functions. These time series of light quantities serve as inputs for the light-driven model, which accounts for light intensity, duration, history, and timing of light exposure. By quantifying light in terms of spectral effectiveness and temporal dynamics, different light exposure patterns can be ranked in terms of its potential to have an impact on human health.

The final objective of this thesis is to support the design of healthier buildings by applying evidence-based lighting criteria, which can then inform architectural design through a simulation-based approach. Incorporating non-visual effects into a building simulation workflow requires a good approximation of daylight spectra as it varies with sun position and sky type. Performance predictions must also account for occupant behavior and scheduling, which brings us to the question: How can we apply such a method to make informed decisions about our built environment? The integration of the proposed model into a functional simulation workflow is demonstrated using an architectural case study but first the non-visual spectral effectiveness of light will be evaluated under varying sky conditions to analyze the model output sensitivity to input accuracy. The model and its application to the built environment will then be investigated using multiple view directions and by considering occupant behavior and scheduling to make an immersive prediction within a space.

This novel computational approach can be seen as a first step towards human-centric lighting application, simulating an occupant’s light consumption to evaluate non-visual health potential that can support decision-making in the built environment.

Studies show that shading devices have a positive impact on the energy performance of buildings and in the visual and thermal comfort of their interior spaces. However, such systems are classified as Complex Fenestration Systems (CFS), which usually present very complex optical properties, making them very hart to model within energy performance and lighting simulations. In the last few years, using the concept of Bidirectional Scattering Distribution Function (BSDF), different software have been provided with modules that allow modeling them more accurately, taking into account their complex optical behavior.

Since CFS are installed for providing simultaneous enhanced lighting and thermal environments, performing integrated simulations between those two domains is a necessity. Also, since shades and luminaires of the building will be handled by occupants and/or automatic systems, simulation not only has to be integrated, but also has to involve control. The purpose of this thesis is to advance in the development of a tool that allows performing integrated lighting/thermal analysis of spaces with controlled CFS and artificial lighting. According to this, it was concluded from the literature review that the assessment of the solar BSDFs of CFS, and the implementation of a methodology for performing integrated analysis are crucial steps in the process, and required simplification.

This thesis shows, comparing results with analytical solutions, that genBSDF tool is capable of assessing solar BSDFs of CFS. Also, the development of a new program, mkSchedule, is explained. This program intends to simplify and improve the integration of lighting and thermal software. Finally, a design methodology is proposed. This methodology allows performing integrated lighting and thermal analysis of spaces with controlled artificial lighting and CFS. Even more, it allows designing not only the building itself, but also the CFS, the artificial lighting and the control algorithms. The thesis is closed with an analysis of a simple case study.

The full thesis is available  here .

The objective of this thesis was to facilitate an integrated building design process applicable to office buildings in Nordic climate with respect to thermal comfort, daylighting and energy use. The thesis is divided into three main parts.

Part I contains a literature review carried out to investigate if the present thermal comfort and daylight design practices constitute any obstacle for conducting an integrated design. Based on findings in the literature it was suggested that modelling of mean radiant temperature (MRT) should be improved by considering the location in the room, accounting for both long-wave and short-wave radiation. With respect to daylight design it was suggested that static daylight calculations should be replaced by dynamic ones and that climate-based measures should be used in the evaluation of daylight supply and glare. Examples of measures for daylight supply are given in the literature (e.g. UDI and DA). Candidates for glare might be horizontal or vertical illuminance. Additionally, it was investigated how solar shading control should be modelled, since the fenestration system and its control is a crucial link between the thermal and daylighting performance. It was suggested that shading control strategies preferably should be multivariable and incorporate variables related to interior conditions. It was proposed that the tilt angle should be considered as a control variable for shading with blinds. Furthermore, it was found that more knowledge is needed regarding user acceptance of automatic solar shading controls.

Part II describes verification of improved models of MRT and daylighting implemented into the simulation tool IDA ICE, which is one of the steps to make the integrated design method practically applicable for building designers. The new MRT model takes short-wave radiation hitting the occupant into account. The new daylight feature utilises the Radiance engine and the climate-based three-phase method, which arranges for daylight calculations to be conducted based on the same underlying boundary conditions as used in thermal comfort and energy calculations. Further, Part II describes the results from an occupant survey carried out to investigate occupants preferences with respect to use of automatically controlled venetian blinds and their sensation of glare in an office work environment. The results from the occupant survey indicated that views to the outside were an important factor for the occupants and it confirmed that the tilt angle should be incorporated as a control variable in the shading strategy. The results further indicated that there was a statistically significant correlation between both vertical eye illuminance and horizontal illuminance at the desk and the occupants’ perception of glare. Based on this study, threshold of 1700 lux vertical eye illuminance at the occupant position and 1900-2100 lux horizontal at the desk was found to be reasonable for avoiding excess glare perceptions in perimeter zones. Part II is ended with a proposal for a solar shading strategy suitable for office buildings in cold climates. The proposed strategy is based on a modified version of a control algorithm developed within the Norwegian R&D project “Glazed facades keeping what we promise”. The strategy is improved with findings from the literature and results from the occupant survey by utilising tilt angle as a control variable as well as applying vertical illuminance of 1700 lux as activation criterion. Full-scale measurements during both winter and summer conditions along with annual simulations verified high energy, thermal comfort and visual performance; resulting in better performance than with the use of a conventional strategy where the shading is activated according to external irradiance with closed slats in activated position.

Photo of the south façade of the Cube and section and plan view of the experimental room and placement of sensors in the experimental room.

Part III comprises an overall conclusion and suggestions for future work. It is indicated that the proposed integrated design might have implications on the traditional area of responsibility among design disciplines within a building design.

The thesis can be downloaded at  http://vbn.aau.dk/files/240986648/PHD_Line_Roeseth_Karlsen_E_pdf.pdf

People have a deeply rooted need to experience control. Today we are surrounded by intelligent systems that take decisions and perform actions for us. This can make life easier, but there is a risk that users experience less control and reject the system. The central question in this thesis is whether we can design intelligent systems that have a degree of autonomy, while users maintain a sense of control. We try to achieve this by adding an ‘expressive interface’: the part of a system that provides information to the user about the internal state, intentions and actions of the system. We examine this question both in the home and the work environment.

In the workplace, we have focused on automated blinds systems. For 20 weeks, we have monitored the use of automated blinds in 40 offices and studied the user experience. Over 75% of users switched off the automatic mode permanently. This shows that users are not satisfied with the automatic behavior and want to operate the system themselves. However, this leads to less energy savings in a building than expected. Simulation results indicate that offices in which the automatic mode is deactivated consume on average about three times more energy for heating and cooling than offices in which the automatic mode is active. We therefore propose to improve the acceptance of automated blinds by making users aware of how the system works and how its use affects energy consumption. We designed an expressive interface for the automatic blinds consisting of a light feedback device that informs users about the current daylight conditions and the upcoming or recommended blinds adjustments. We have mounted the expressive interface to a virtual window with automatic blinds and tested the system in two user experiments. The results show that the addition of an expressive interface enhances the users’ satisfaction. Additionally, users made fewer corrections after an automatic adjustment of the blinds and they followed the suggestions of the system more often than with the system that had no expressive interface.

This thesis shows the potential of the expressive interface as an instrument to help users understand what is going on inside the system and to experience control. The expressive interface might be essential for the successful adoption of the intelligent systems of the future.

On July 5 th  2016, Bernt Meerbeek defended this thesis Cum Laude at the Eindhoven University of Technology. The thesis can be downloaded here

HUMAN RESPONSIVE DAYLIGHTING IN OFFICES: a gaze-driven approach for dynamic discomfort glare assessment

This dissertation proposes a novel gaze-driven approach for dynamic discomfort glare assessments as a first step towards understanding human responsive comfort with respect to daylight. The objective was to observe the natural gaze behaviour in relation to glare for office spaces with the conditions implicitly constrained by real world luminous conditions. In the existing visual comfort models human behaviour is not sufficiently considered. These models employ only subjective assessments, which lack an objective understanding of the factors affecting the perceptual mechanism of light-induced visual discomfort. They so far have not integrated the inter-dependencies of visual discomfort perception and human gaze responses and have been limited to a fixed-gaze assumption directed towards the office task area.

In this dissertation, a gaze-driven approach is developed and adopted in the discomfort glare assessments. The assessments were done in a series of experiments in simulated office setting under different lighting conditions where participants gaze responses with means of mobile eye-tracking as well as their subjective assessments were recorded while monitoring photometric quantities relevant to visual comfort using high dynamic range luminance imaging. Integration of the luminance images coupled with eye tracking enabled us to obtain the gaze-centred luminance fields, which gives a better estimate of actual luminance values perceived by the eye, used as a basis to investigate the gaze direction dependencies of visual comfort.

This PhD dissertation describes different stages of conception of this novel dynamic discomfort glare assessment method. In the experimental phase, two pilot studies were made for proper integration of the adopted methods and techniques into discomfort glare assessments. Development of several routines, algorithms and tools to identify and translate the gaze directions in order to derive the actual luminance field perceived by the participants were needed to achieve this goal. A final comprehensive experimental phase was realised to investigate gaze behaviour in response to light. As a first validation step, the gaze-driven approach was compared to the fixed-gaze approach. Then the effects of different luminance levels as well as different view outside the window on the dynamic shifts of the gaze were investigated.The developed approach demonstrates the need to integrate gaze direction patterns into visual comfort assessments, which move us beyond the existing assumption of a fixed-gaze direction towards a gaze responsive comfort.

Mandana Sarey Khanie’s Ph.D. thesis is available at http://infoscience.epfl.ch/record/208929 .

TOWARDS A NEUROAFFECTIVE APPROACH TO HEALING ARCHITECTURE

In recent years, there has been a growing conception that the architectural design of hospitals can help to promote healing processes among patients. These ideas have come from two relatively independent sources, namely Evidence Based Design (EBD) and the writings of individual medical researchers. However, as EBD tends as a methodological approach to keep the architectural framework e.g. patient bed rooms as a constant instead of a variable, very little information is gained about the possible effect of the architectural design itself. Furthermore, as EBD tends to concentrate on physical causes and physiological effects, while disregarding the physiological processes that mediate the demonstrated effects, it often becomes rather difficult to generalize from the results. On the other hand, a couple of medical researchers have presented ideas about how architecture might influence healing and promote health. In the case of these writers, the understanding of the physiological processes is very robust, but a systematic understanding of the link to architecture is missing. Thus, a consistent understanding of how the perception of architecture through physiological mechanisms might influence healing is missing. It is therefore defined as the aim of this thesis, to make a scientific contribution to the establishment of such an understanding.

It is established that the concept of the homeostatic balance is central to the concept of health and healing. Any living organism is faced with the challenge to keep its inner biochemical milieu stable within narrow bounds despite the relatively large fluctuations and physical threats that might occur in the outer environment. Compromised health can be understood as a state of homeostatic imbalance.

Research is then concentrated on finding mechanisms that tie together perception and homeostatic regulation. The stress systems is picked for further investigation, as stress basically can be defined as a state of threatened homeostasis, and a stress reaction as an adaptive behavior. Furthermore, there is a comprehensive interaction between the stress system and the immune system. The question is then, if an architectural context to a stressful event can influence the magnitude of the stress reaction. To investigate this, a stress experiment is carried out, using a virtual version of the so-called Trier Social Stress Test. Because the test is carried out in a virtual environment, the architecture can be systematically varied. Using a closed room versus a room with openings, it is shown that differences can be measured in secretion of the hormone cortisol, which is a stress hormone as well as an immune regulatory hormone, but no differences can be measured in the reaction of the other stress effector system, the sympathetic nervous system.

Thus, an understanding of how systematical variations in architecture through a welldefined physiological mechanism can influence health, healing and well-being is successfully established. However, the stress test only induces acute stress which has a different effect on the immune system compared to prolonged stress, and furthermore only young healthy males were tested due to age and gender differences in stress reactions. Thus, the experiment demonstrates that architecture can make a differences as far as cortisol is concerned, but that further research is needed to reach a comprehensive understanding of the interaction of the perception of architecture and physiology, along these lines.

However, the theory that the artificial environment that is constituted by architecture can influences physiological reactions such as stress reactions through their design is strengthened.

Lars Brorson Fich PhD Thesis is available here

POWERED BY NATURE – The psychological benefits of natural views and daylight

For centuries nature has been our habitat. Many aspects of this natural habitat still have pronounced influence on our health and wellbeing. In this dissertation, two important aspects of nature have been studied; views to nature and exposure to daylight. The main focus has been on positive effects of these two phenomena as well as on the underlying psychological pathways of these beneficial effects.

The first chapter of this dissertation presented a review of the evidence for beneficial health effects of nature and daylight. The main conclusion of this chapter was that natural views and daylight exposure rendered very similar beneficial effects on a variety of health outcomes, but both phenomena have been studied in two separate research fields. Not only did this separation oftentimes result in ignorance with respect to contributions of one phenomenon while studying the other, but there were also substantial differences in the experimental paradigms used, the outcome variables, and the proposed underlying mechanism. Therefore, it was as of yet unclear whether natural elements and daylight exhibit similar beneficial effects and whether they share psychological underlying pathways. For these reasons, the aim of this dissertation was twofold. First, we wanted to test whether daylight and natural environments share underlying psychological mechanisms. Second, beneficial effects of nature and daylight were studied separately, but within uniform research paradigms to establish whether their health-benefits overlap.

A first series of experiments investigated possible underlying psychological pathways. The focus was on preference and associative pathways. Preference ratings are important in view of the adaptive function of preferences, guiding humans toward healthy -and away from unhealthy- environments. Chapter One reported a consistent preference for environments that are natural, bright, and sunny as opposed to urban, dark, and overcast environments. These findings were found for explicit preference, but not for implicit preferences. Two studies also investigating implicit preference for environments differing in naturalness, brightness, and weather type did not yield any evidence for implicit preferences. Importantly, we were also not able to replicate earlier findings concerning implicit preferences for natural environments. Preference for daylight over artificial light was further reported in Chapters Four and Six and higher preference ratings for natural as opposed to urban environments were reported in Chapters Three and Five. These higher preference ratings provided a first indication for possible restorative effects of daylight through psychological pathways.

Psychological mechanisms were further investigated in Chapters Three (for nature) and Four (for daylight). This time, the focus was on associative patterns, which are closely related to preference formation and have been previously theoretically linked to restorative potential. The series of experiments performed in these two Chapters aimed at testing whether and how associations differ between nature or daylight and their artificial counterparts. Results indicated that both daylight and natural environments generally evoked more positive associations than respectively electric light and urban environments. The valence of the associations generated with natural as opposed to urban environments mediated the preference ratings for these environments. The causal directionality of this relation was further investigated for natural environments by guiding the valence of associations. To this end, participants were instructed to generate either only positive or only negative associations and to suppress all oppositely valenced associations. The outcomes of these conditions rendered mixed results. Preference ratings for natural environments remained unaffected by the association instructions, whereas preference ratings for urban environments declined when generating only negative associations as compared to only positive associations.

Whereas natural environments and daylight both evoked more positive associations, the influence of these associations on preference formations differed between them. For natural environments, the valence of associations significantly mediated the effect of environment type on preference. However, for daylight the valence of associations did not mediate preference outcomes. Therefore, we did not guide the valence of associations with daylight versus electric light.

Not only did we investigate the relation between valence of associations and preference, we also studied the role of associations in restorative outcomes. For both natural environments (Chapter Three) and daylight (Chapter Four), little evidence for restorative effects of the manipulation was found. We hypothesized that the association generation task possibly interfered with the restoration process. On the other hand, in Chapter Three, we found that generating positive associations resulted in an improved restoration of positive affect. We postulated that natural environments generate more positive thoughts and that positive thoughts, in turn, can be restorative.

From the studies investigating psychological pathways for the effects of nature and daylight, we learned that they both generated more positive associations and higher preference ratings than electric light and urban environments. However, the relation between associations and preference ratings appeared to differ between the two phenomena, indicating that they could work through different psychological pathways.

These differences between daylight and nature proceeded when comparing the beneficial effects of nature and daylight on self-regulation, mood, and physiology. A uniform research paradigm was chosen to test these effects; ego-depletion. Chapter Five focused on the effects of nature, while controlling for daylight influences and Chapter Six investigated beneficial effects of daylight as compared to electric light while view content was kept constant.

In both chapters, the ego-depletion inductions were not always successful. Irrespective of this, Chapter Five reported consistent beneficial effects of natural environments on Heart Rate Variability and hedonic tone. By testing effects of nature after a depleting as well as a control task, we were further able to challenge the notion of restorative versus instorative effects. Contrary to the beneficial effects found for natural environments, no such effects were found for daylight. No difference in restoration outcomes were reported for daylight as compared to electric light in Chapter Six.

To conclude, we found that both daylight and nature generated higher preference ratings as well as more positive associations than their artificial counterparts. In a uniform research paradigm we established beneficial effects of nature, but not of daylight. In Chapter Seven, we postulated that the lack of evidence for beneficial effects of daylight could be due to the separation of daylight from view content. The psychological benefits of daylight may depend on exactly the factor we tried to single out; view content.

Femke Beute PhD Thesis is available at  http://repository.tue.nl/780722

DAYTIME LIGHT EXPOSURE – EFFECTS AND PREFERENCES

Light enables us to see the world around us, but is also important for our physiological and psychological functioning. During the last decades, light has become an important research topic for engineers, chronobiologists and neuroscientists. Developments in lighting technologies (e.g., LED) are offering new possibilities for flexible, dynamic and personalized lighting applications. Moreover, the discovery of a third (non-rod, non-cone) photoreceptor in the human retina has significantly advanced our knowledge about the role of light in human behavior and physiology. A substantial body of research has demonstrated the relevance of light exposure for circadian regulation. In addition, research has shown acute activating effects of bright light exposure on subjective and objective indicators of alertness and arousal. These studies have revealed robust effects in the late evening and at night. Yet, to what extent and under what conditions such effects exist during daytime for healthy day-active persons is largely unknown.

In the current thesis, we studied the relation between diurnal light exposure and human functioning during daytime, from a more psychological perspective. Complementing earlier studies performed in domains of chronobiology and neuroscience, we explored the role of daytime light exposure in human mental wellbeing, health and performance, focusing on individuals’ behavior, experiences and preferences during regular daytime hours. To this end, a series of studies were performed to investigate potential alerting and vitalizing effects of bright light exposure during daytime on subjective experiences, task performance and physiology and to explore whether individuals’ appraisals and light preferences reflected these effects. A field study was performed to investigate daily light exposure patterns and explore the relationship between light exposure and feelings of vitality during daytime. Moreover, a series of laboratory studies was performed to explore effects of bright light exposure during regular daytime hours on self-report, task performance and physiological arousal measures. In addition, we investigated preferred light intensity as a function of alertness, vitality and performance, to explore whether persons would prefer a higher illuminance level, i.e., seek more light, when they felt mentally fatigued and depleted than when feeling more alert and vital.

Schematic overview different routes for potential effect of light on human functioning.

Together, these studies demonstrated the relevance of light exposure for mental wellbeing and performance, even during daytime and in everyday life. Results of the field study showed that hourly light exposure was significantly related to feelings of vitality, indicating that persons who had been exposed to more light felt more energetic immediately afterwards. In line with these results, our laboratory studies showed that more intense light induces alertness, assessed with self-reports and some indicators for task performance and physiology, even during regular daytime hours (i.e., in the absence of sleep and light deprivation). More specifically, bright light exposure induced higher feelings of alertness and vitality, resulted in faster responses in sustained attention tasks and higher physiological arousal (measured with EEG power density in the theta range, heart rate and skin conductance level). Yet, effects on subjective alertness and vitality as well as on sustained attention were more consistent than the effects on the measures for cognitive performance and physiology. Moreover, results indicated that the effects on human experiences may depend on persons’ prior mental state (i.e., mentally fatigued vs. rested), and effects on task performance and physiology may depend on time of day, duration of exposure and type of indicator, motivating the use of person-centered and dynamic lighting scenarios for day-active persons.

Results of the studies investigating light preferences suggested that preferred light settings to perform an attention task are probably only modestly affected by a person’s experienced mental state. Overall, preferred illuminance levels showed substantial inter- and intra-individual variations and the alerting effects of bright light were only subtly reflected in individuals’ light preferences. This suggests that although participants may benefit from bright light exposure during regular daytime hours, persons may not consciously adjust the light to increase their level of alertness and vitality.

Up to now, research to the non-image forming effects of light had rendered convincing evidence for alerting and vitalizing effect of bright light exposure during persons’ biological night or on certain subgroups (such as persons suffering from seasonal affective disorder or dementia). Although those earlier findings mainly had practical implications for shift workers and particular clinical subgroups, the current research suggests the potential for the application of bright light (natural or electric) to benefit the population at large. Our results provide valuable insights for engineers and lighting designers in the development of person-centered lighting solutions, but also propose new research directions for scientists. Moreover, the results shed light on potential underlying mechanism during daytime.

Karin Smolders thesis can be downloaded at http://repository.tue.nl/762825

Natural Light and Daylight Assessment. A New Framework for Enclosed Space Evaluation

The multiple ways by which natural light can be enhanced to define a room can be improved by the conscious use of daylight, involving several topics that concur in outlining the role of natural light as a matter of fact, space and representation. This thesis explores the spatial qualities of built environments through the use of natural light, involving energy savings strategies and visual comfort definition, although in current architectural practice, daylight is a deeply under-exploited natural resource. A proper natural lighting system, tailored to the requirements of architectural form and customized to occupants functional desires is an essential support to modern climate control policies, as well as to energy-saving measures and in reducing thermal loads.

The first section is thus about architectural practices, its related traditions, customs and rules that are closely linked to the use of natural light. The perceptive and constructive dimension of architectural lighting is here outlined, through a detailed excursus of daylight praxis among different occurrences and environments, based on chronological and geographical order, in order to critically explore some outstanding examples of architectural works, across historical treatises, through modern study cases, in which the issue of daylight integration in building envelope is fully achieved. The first part, focused on historical architectural experiences, gives way to a comprehensive review of daylighting techniques, proper solar devices and other technological solutions, to be adopted in order to enhance daylight penetration and to shade any undue dose of light.

In the second part this thesis explores the current daylight calculation method, that relies on daylight static performance although, due to daylight changeability, a precise daylight evaluation cannot be thoroughly assessed using single-moment simulations, or single point in time method, as DF does. The most common daylight design methods and tools, based on DF or other geometrical appraisals are currently the sole quantitative performance metrics to implement daylighting in buildings, but they are quite inadequate, since each simulation represents only one time of year and time of day under a theoretical overcast sky condition.

Conversely, a Climate Based methodology and DDS performance metrics should help in carrying out high-quality lighting predictions along with building energy simulations. A new schema to assess daylighting potential, considering a multiphase approach is here introduced. In this context, a “Combined Dynamic Cascade Procedure- CDCP” framework is here defined to address all the DF impairments and to provide a holistic scheme to merge quantitative data –thanks to the CBDM metrics–with qualitative evaluation facts – inferred from POE investigation, carried out among building occupants. Thanks to the CDCP, any retrofit actions can be exactly estimated, in order to maximize the benefits of refurbishment actions and to promote effective environmental retrofit strategies, according to the actual users’ needs.

For the first time, the capability of the new CDCP merges the potentials implicit into CBDM on a larger scale, by focusing on multiple layers, according with a top down appraisal and thanks to software simulations. A complete case study is then examined to prove the benefits of such a procedure.

The entire dissertation can be downloaded here

Development of a simple framework to evaluate the daylight conditions in urban buildings in the early stages of design

The thesis proposes a simple method to aid urban designers in the daylighting aspect of the decision-making process in the early stages of design when the outline of the city is defined. As input to this simple method, complex simulations of the urban canyon structure were made. Paper I reports on a study on the simplified representation of the structure of the streets and buildings in cities. From the results in this study, a simple 4-step method was developed to evaluate facades in an urban context based on daylight simulations in which the densities of the urban building layout, external surface reflectances, and facade window areas were varied. The method developed was based on a CIE overcast sky, so it did not consider the effect of building orientation, geographical location, changes of sky distribution, or the time of day on its results. In Paper II, climate-based daylight simulations of the urban structure were introduced. The climate-based simulations consisted of annual simulations of the daylight conditions. These simulations took into account the enormous variations in daylight illuminances during the year as well as geographical location, facade orientation and user occupancy patterns. For these simulations, the luminance distribution of the sky was described by the Perez all-weather sky-model, based on hour-by-hour input of direct and diffuse irradiance from weather data files.  This meant that the weather data files used had an important impact on the simulations. In Paper III, the impact of different weather data sets for a given location and of the time-steps applied was therefore investigated. Occupancy patterns also have an important impact on climate-based daylight simulations. The effect of applying occupancy profiles of varying complexity was investigated in Paper IV. In the urban planning stage of design, you usually know very little, or nothing, about the future occupants of the building, so it is useful to know whether detailed simulations of occupancy profiles, as opposed to using simplified assumptions, would increase the value of the simulation.

The general hypothesis to be evaluated in this thesis was that:  Simple models for the early stages in the design of urban building structures can represent the complexities of daylighting without loss of important characteristics.

This hypothesis was investigated through the work reported in the four papers appended. The research showed that the simple method can be expanded to include more complex aspects if the simplifications include the important parameters. To transform complex urban simulations into the simple 4-step representation, it was necessary to include simulations with i) various facade reflectances, ii) rooms located on different floors, iii) buildings with different orientations, and iv) buildings in different geographical locations. So when the right framework is set-up, the general hypothesis was confirmed. The more complex model of the urban structure used weather and occupancy data. The research showed that it made very little difference to the simulation outcome if different weather data files were applied for a given location. Furthermore, simulation with hourly mean irradiance values, as opposed to 1-min resolution, also made little difference to the simulation outcome. This means that simulating the urban structure based on hourly-mean values is sufficient. From the investigations made on the impact of occupancy profiles, it was found that applying an absence factor, as opposed to simulating the dynamic presence of occupants, also made little difference to the simulation outcome. In other words, the complex input in terms of the presence of occupants can be reduced to an absence factor.

Anne Iversen’s thesis can be downloaded at  http://www.byg.dtu.dk/~/media/Institutter/Byg/publikationer/PhD/byg-r256.ashx

ARCHITECTURAL EXPERIMENTS. Design with Knowledge

The vision of creating balance between the consumption and production of energy in our build environment has created ambitious energy targets and requirements in the building regulations, which has accelerated the development of new energy optimized technologies and components. This has increased the focus on quantitative values in the process of designing energy optimized buildings. There is a need to focus on user aspects and qualitative values by retaining architectural qualities through transdisciplinary design processes: processes where scientific and technical knowledge is mixed with cultural awareness in a “hybrid imagination”, processes where scientific and creative methods are united through designing with several criteria. In the thesis it will be discussed, how this can be done using light as a multidimensional design element in architectural experiments.

The thesis is motivated by my experience from a number of interdisciplinary architectural experiments, which I have realized in the period 2001-2011 as a researcher and teacher at schools of architecture and as a project manager in the construction industry. Through these I have developed methods, concepts for collaboration, cross-disciplinary research, education, industry, technology, developmental environments and practice in the process of developing energy producing technologies, components and buildings with architectural potentials.

Three experiments from my previous work are used as the empirical material in the thesis to demonstrate: a model to collaborate and incorporate knowledge from a diversity of fields by defining criteria and visions, constructions and various methods for compiling and synthesizing the values. In all three experiments light is central as a multidimensional design element, both to produce energy and add architectural values.

The theory in the thesis is drawn from knowledge from different fields such as architecture, innovation, design and anthropology to form a multidisciplinary theoretical platform discussing how to mix and transform knowledge through experiments.The thesis thus addresses the question, how can knowledge of light from different disciplines support a creative design process and generate new knowledge, which supports a sustainable development?

To approach the problem area of the development of knowledge through design in a transdisciplinary environment, the three experiments and the supporting theories demonstrate that research from different traditions can be integrated with distinct criteria in the projects. It is thus possible, in the same process, to work with hypotheses that are tested in parallel with the three criteria on the basis of technical/scientific, social science and art/humanities traditions.

It is intended that the outcome takes the form of generalized discussions, principals and concepts that can be adapted to individual development and educational progress and thereby create added value in sustainable living environments with focus on the natural resource of daylight – an energy source and an architectural potential.

This is a PhD thesis ‘without previous studies’, which means that publications from previous work are part of the thesis and will be included in the assessment.

The thesis can de downloaded from this link:  http://www.create.aau.dk/images/Design_med_viden_Phd_indhold.pdf

The Impact of Light Including Non-Image Forming Effects on Visual Comfort

Visual comfort at workplaces has often been considered in terms of discomfort glare, luminance distribution and task visibility. Besides visual effects, the lighting environment has also impact on human physiology and behaviour. These effects of light are transmitted via a novel class of photoreceptors in the mammalian retina, which was discovered only a decade ago. Since then, it has become evident that light also plays an important role in regulating Non‐Image Forming (NIF) functions such as circadian rhythms, alertness, well‐being and mood. In lighting design it is accordingly necessary to take into account not only luminous intensity, but also light’s spectral composition, since the novel class of photoreceptors is more maximally sensitive to different luminous wavelengths than the classical photoreceptors (e.g. rods and cones).

The main focus of this doctoral thesis is on visual comfort assessment at workplaces. It was hypothesized that the impact of light on visual comfort comprises not only luminance distribution and/or luminous intensity, but also other qualitative aspects of the lighting environment. Office lighting influences building occupants in terms of visual task performance, alertness, health and well‐being. The aim of this thesis was to assess the impact of office lighting on visual comfort including NIF effects.

Firstly, in order to monitor the luminance distribution within a scene, a new photometric device based on a high dynamic range logarithmic visual sensor (IcyCAMTM) was set up. After calibrations and validations, the photometric device was used to assess luminance distribution of office spaces in a very efficient way. Secondly, two experimental studies were performed with human subjects, aiming to test the acute effects of light on visual comfort variables, subjective alertness, mood and well‐being. Lastly, the novel device was also used during one of the studies to monitor the impacts of luminous distribution over time and under various lighting conditions.

The novel photometric device enables to assess luminous distribution also in circadian metrics with respect to NIF effects of light. The results from the two studies showed the effects of office lighting including different sky conditions and time‐of‐day changes on visual comfort and NIF functions. Inter‐individual differences, as assessed in extreme chronotypes, also had an influence on visual comfort. Interestingly, luminance distribution was not only found to impact on visual comfort but also on subjective alertness, mood and well‐being. To conclude, the results obtained with the new device provide a more comprehensive scientific framework and practical basis for indoor lighting design at workplaces.

Apiparn Borisuit defended her PhD thesis in December 2013. The entire dissertation can be downloaded at  http://infoscience.epfl.ch/record/190815

Light, Architecture and Health – a Method

This thesis focuses on the relationship between  light and health  in  architec­ture . Light and health is an area which in recent years has undergone major changes and gained increasing attention in architectural planning. However, it is still a relatively new area, which is why a lot of effort and work is put into defining the different health aspects of light and how to better utilize them in the architecture.

Much recent research reveals new beneficial aspects of light, while other research merely seems to confirm the ideas of healthy architecture in the early 20th century.

The point of departure of the thesis is based on historical sources. Through a literature study, the thesis unfolds what can be described as  forgotten knowled­ge . Subsequently, the thesis reviews recent and evidence-based knowledge on  light and health . Here the influence of light on health is conceptualized, also relating the role of architecture to various diseases.

This is followed by field studies of modernist buildings, all based on health aspects. The original intentions are described and subsequently evaluated with contemporary eyes based on the knowledge obtained about light and health.

The overall lesson to be learned is that a strategy of unilateral exposure to sunlight often fails, simply because it over-emphasizes the sunlight. Instead a balance between  exposure to  sunlight and  protection from  sunlight is suggested.

This balance is investigated through two practical light experiments. In the first experiment glass is examined, seen from a health perspective. Here the thesis presents a new concept,  the unhealthiness factor  of glass. The second experiment seeks to find a balance between exposure to and protection from the sun, based on studies of the geographical orientation, the weather and the circadian rhythm during the day and year. This is done through a setup of 8 scale models in controlled test and control trials comparing and representing  the differences in light  over time and place.

For this purpose the thesis develops a new method of representation,  si­multaneous-timelapse-photography , depicting differences in the light over time and space, according to E, S, W and N, depicting the differences in the light respectively at summer solstice, equinox and winter solstice.

Based on the light experiments the thesis introduces an overall architectural strategy for healthier light in buildings, a strategy that responds to the asym­metrical light of the sun. It does this by, in itself, being asymmetrical.

Thereby the thesis restores the importance of the geographical orientation, that is, the aspect of morning sun, evening sun, summer sun and winter sun and the fundamental importance of light for temporality, place and body.

The thesis emphasizes the importance of two factors, when we talk about light, architecture and health, namely the differences in light during the day and the clear, low-iron glass. Two factors, which in a healthy and sustainable architecture seem to go hand in hand.

In the thesis, a new method to better cater a healthier planning of light in the architecture is developed. A method, which can complement existing met­hods, such as the daylight factor, its greatest weakness being that it, overlooks both time and place, only working from the concept of  a cloudy sky.

The conclusion of the dissertation is that it is possible to plan a healthier day­light, if the architecture is planned deliberately both according to E, S, W and N, and according to the circadian rhythm of the body. Architecturally, this is suggested done by differentiating the architecture according to the asymme­trical light of the sun. Be it in the form of an asymmetric planning of building form, facades, apertures or artificial lighting.

The entire dissertation can be read in the Library at the Aarhus School of Architecture, where it is available in both Danish and English, and is available here in English.

Contact: Carlo Volf,  [email protected]

Influence of Presentation Modes on Visual Perceptions of Daylit Spaces

Virtual renderings are increasingly used in the architectural design process and in lighting quality research to assess the visual appearance of indoor environments. Thanks to imaging technologies continuously in development to improve the “realism” of these images, pictures can nowadays be presented in various ways. Regrettably, to date, few studies assert that such images replicate the visual appearance perceived in actual daylit environments.

The present research investigated the perceptual equivalence between actual daylit environments and images. Two types of images – photographs and virtual renderings – were studied as well as four modes of presentation – QuickTime virtual reality (QTVR) panoramas, 2D display, 3D display, and high dynamic range (HDR) display.

ight groups of 40 students viewed four daylit corridors and filled in a questionnaire about the appearance of lighting and space elaborated for the study. The corridors were presented in several ways: a first group of participants visited the actual rooms while the other groups visualized, in a lab context, their reproduction in sketches, photographs or virtual renderings.

This research provides some proofs that images can reasonably be used as a surrogate for the real world when studying the appearance of lighting (characterized by the perceived brightness, coloration, contrast, distribution, directivity and glare). On the other hand, the study suggests that images poorly reproduce the appearance of space (pleasantness and enclosedness were studied). As a result of the research, we determined precisely the media to use for studying each dimension characterizing the appearance of lighting and space.

Coralie Cauwerts graduated from the Louvain School of Engineering (EPL) at the Université catholique de Louvain (UCL) with a Master in Architecture and Engineering in 2007. She conducted her thesis between 2009 and 2013 as a research fellow of the Fonds de la Recherche Scientifique (FNRS) and she successfully defended her PhD thesis in November 2013.

The entire dissertation can be downloaded at  http://hdl.handle.net/2078.1/135934 .

Daylight and View

A window doesn’t only allow daylight to come inside, but also offers a view of the outside environment. View has a much bigger influence on the overall appearance of indoor spaces than people are generally aware of. Glare by daylight, for instance, is experienced as less disturbing when the outside view is of a high quality.

Aim of my PhD research was to develop a method for the analysis of the daylight and view quality of windows, the D&V analysis method. Initially, office workers in eight different buildings in the Netherlands were questioned on the quality of their workplace concerning the office, the lighting and the view. Subsequently, the D&V analysis method was developed based on scientific literature and the results of the questionnaire study.

The analysis method includes a rating system for view quality. It grants points for several aspects of the view. If you’re looking at nature, it’s plus four points, if your view is human-built there are no points to start with. This basis is refined by points for the amount of visual layers (depth of view), presence of water, vegetation, the amount of diversity etcetera.

In another set-up was studied how the appreciation of the daylight access and the outside view varied with different window size, shape and position. Participants in this study were asked to look outside through a miniaturised (1:5) office room. By varying the façade of the scale model, the influence of different windows and views was studied on the visual quality of the office room.

This latter study made clear that people wanted a window at least a quarter the size of the wall, but not a fully glass wall. The shape of the window was of secondary importance, but panorama was favoured above portrait. The sky component (what part of the view is sky) was a pretty good indicator for the amount of incident daylight.

I hope that my study will contribute in putting the view on the architect’s agenda. A proper placement of a building on the lot, respecting lines of sight and making the best of adjacent green can – for the same price – improve people’s appreciation of their views and thus of the spaces they occupy.

The dissertation can be downloaded from the website of the university library:  http://repository.tudelft.nl/view/ir/uuid:2daeb534-9572-4c85-bf8f-308f3f6825fd/

Integrated Energy Design in Masterplanning

This PhD thesis considers urban structure and buildings in an energy correlation and use the knowledge to design energy- and comfort-optimized cities and buildings. The parameters are: the structure of nature, the city and the landscape, both in terms of geometry and interrelationships and in terms of opportunities and limitations with regard to light, shade, sun and wind.

The aim is threefold: (1) to unfold the link between building energy use and urban density, typology and fabric; (2) to analyse how technical scientific knowledge can be integrated in early urban planning and design decisions (IED); and (3) to show the architect’s responsibility and opportunities to rethink their architectural role based on new goals and knowledge.

The research results show an impact from urban form on building energy consumption which is much greater than previously thought, more precisely described, and more dynamic in character as daylight is taken into account. Furthermore the results suggest that there are limits to urban densification (200–300%) as an energy optimization strategy. The solar energy and daylight potential should be considered, and indeed protected, as a common resource in urban design.

The most important observation for qualitative design research is that the first step to improving energy performance must be taken with the architect’s first sketch on paper. It is here that the framework and preconditions for the city and the building’s performance will be set. Argued this way, optimization of the special properties of urban density, typology and fabric takes priority over the optimization of technical service systems. This means that in the design process the architect’s responsibilities outweigh those of the engineers. The research is reported in the main body of this thesis and in the papers for scientific journals.

Jakob Strømann-Andersen, Henning Larsen Architects, successfully defended his PhD thesis titled ’Integrated Energy Design in Masterplanning’ at the Technical University of Denmark. The research is based on a close collaboration between the Technical University and Henning Larsen Architects – with support from Realdania.

The PhD Thesis can be downloaded at  http://www.byg.dtu.dk/english/~/media/Institutter/Byg/publikationer/PhD/byg-r254.ashx

Design Parameters of Pleasurable Light Atmosphere

At the moment, the future of hospital design is a subject of interest and thereby also a subject of discussion. It is a fact that new hospitals have an increased focus on user perspectives and an interest for improving the physical environment in such a way it supports the user needs and preferences and thereby the experience of an admission to the hospital. Recent literature such as “Hospitals of the senses” and “Healing Architecture” presents research and design solutions focused on senses and experience of the design. The Danish Regions ask for Evidence Based Design to future prove the hospitals by research base the design of the buildings. The present PhD project expands the existing knowledge of lighting research by focussing on the experienced light atmosphere. The project uses multi strategies of methodology based on a flexible design to elaborate on the socio-cultural aspect of light and the sensory impact of light. To frame the work, the “Model of Light Atmosphere” is created and improved throughout the study, first as an abstract model and then it is exposed for detailed study. The detailed study first of all creates a theoretical and visual context. Then explorative studies seek to investigate unknown or tacit knowledge on how light is used in a Danish context, preferences for light in different situations and investigating the hospital ward as frame for a lighting concept. The concept is installed in a hospital ward at Odense University Hospital as a “real world” study and evaluated by the patients in the ward.

The project is based on the Danish Regulation for light in hospitals (DS703), which is a supplement to the regulation of artificial lighting in workplaces (DS700). The kick-off to the project was reading the DS703, second paragraph, chapter 2 about general requirements for lighting.

In general, measurable parameters such as the amount of Lux, the composition of CRI and degree of Kelvin is described precisely in a way so the designer can handle the requirements. But what does it mean to create a “home-like” and “pleasant or appealing” light in this context? Does the composition of CRI and degree of Kelvin tell it all? Is it enough information to provide an illumination, which the patient can experience as homely and pleasant?

This project seeks to highlight the design process of lighting a hospital ward and articulate visual as well as written what a homely and pleasant light atmosphere could be in a Danish context. Therefore, the study investigates the socio-cultural understanding and the geographical impact of the understanding of light atmosphere. “Model of Light Atmosphere” Ill: 12 describes four key aspects of light atmosphere and displays what is important when a light atmosphere is qualified. The four key aspects are: “Light”, “Space”, “Users” and “Time”.

The “Light” aspect describes, as shown in the figure below, the character of the light, light information and light effect i.e. function, aesthetics or symbolism. The “Space” aspect looks into the dimension of the space, geographical orientation, interior design, composition of the space, materials, surfaces and objects. The parameter “Time” elaborates on the time one is present in the space, the season and time of day. The “Users” aspect is split up into categories such as characteristics exploring the user group’s preferences and needs. The user group has quite diverse needs and preferences, while the staff needs task lighting and the patient a space experienced as homely and pleasant.

“Model of Light Atmosphere”

Categories such as “pleasure” and “activities” are also a part of the user aspect. The space is divided into subcategories as ”location of the space” and “geographical orientation”. The interior design, surface and spatial composition of the space are also parameters of importance.

The model “Light Atmosphere” is the focal point of the project through iterative process and also developed through the study. First the model frames the study and later serves as a design tool for creating light atmosphere in hospital wards.

The project is performed through four cycles of iterations. The first cycle describes the “State of the art” in the research field “Atmosphere”. Here the study find its theoretical foundation based on Gernot Böhmes’ concept of atmosphere. It also finds its visual understanding by studying the architects’ way to design atmosphere. The second cycle explores the users’ preferences and trends of light atmosphere in four exploratory studies. First presented is a study of light preferences in Danish homes. Then, the trends of light atmosphere in Denmark are investigated and light zones at the hospital ward defined in order to optimize the illumination. Lastly, an observation of ward atmosphere is presented. The third cycle of iteration is an experimental study testing a lighting concept developed and grounded in the knowledge gained through the first and second cycle. The fourth cycle evaluates the effect of the light atmosphere at the ward. Here the patients are admitted to two similar wards not including the artificial illumination. The evaluation uses Semantic Environmental Description developed by environmental psychiatrist Rikard Küller, in order to evaluate the light atmosphere.

The thesis can be downloaded from  http://riverpublishers.com/book_details.php?book_id=246

Further information at  www.lostdesign.dk

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Correia, Gonçalo Daniel. "Indoor wireless architecture for smart lighting." Master's thesis, Universidade de Aveiro, 2016. http://hdl.handle.net/10773/18715.

Nikolic, Bojana. "Light art in Contemporary Architectural Lighting Design." Thesis, KTH, Ljusdesign, 2017. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:kth:diva-208660.

Aldrich, Matthew (Matthew Henry). "Experiential lighting : development and validation of perception-based lighting controls." Thesis, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2014. http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/95866.

de, St Aubin William Joseph. "Natural lighting as a design issue in architecture." Thesis, Georgia Institute of Technology, 1985. http://hdl.handle.net/1853/22345.

Whitted, Roger K. "Introductory handbook for College of Architecture lighting system." Virtual Press, 1985. http://liblink.bsu.edu/uhtbin/catkey/426080.

Senbabaoglu, Bilge. "Understanding lighting in architecture of Louis I. Kahn /." free to MU campus, to others for purchase, 2004. http://wwwlib.umi.com/cr/mo/fullcit?p1422963.

Markkanen, P. (Piia). "Intelligent and adaptive lighting in retail environment." Master's thesis, University of Oulu, 2013. http://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:oulu-201305241335.

Aldrich, Matthew (Matthew Henry). "Dynamic solid state lighting." Thesis, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2010. http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/58000.

Forsberg, Joakim. "Aesthetical Perspectives in Street Lighting : A Study of Future Potentials in LED Lighting." Thesis, Luleå tekniska universitet, Institutionen för ekonomi, teknik och samhälle, 2016. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:ltu:diva-60258.

KHODADAD, NAZANIN. "ARTIFICIAL LIGHT + ARCHITECTURE: REINTERPRETATION OF ARCHITECTURE THROUGH PERCEPTION." University of Cincinnati / OhioLINK, 2004. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ucin1085520684.

Kaikkonen, V. (Venla). "Intelligent lighting in urban context:a conceptual plan for Kalasatama, Helsinki." Master's thesis, University of Oulu, 2016. http://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:oulu-201612103232.

Alsaeid, Mohamad Khaled. "Sustainable lighting in offices "How to save energy in offices with a new lighting design ?" : An energy efficient Lighting design approach in offices." Thesis, KTH, Ljusdesign, 2019. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:kth:diva-290570.

Huang, Yi Chun. "An Integrated Scalable Lighting Simulation Tool." Research Showcase @ CMU, 2011. http://repository.cmu.edu/dissertations/545.

JABERI, OMAR. "A Lighting Design for theFaçade of RiddarholmenChurchAUTHOR: OMAR JABERITracks: urban." Thesis, KTH, Ljusdesign, 2019. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:kth:diva-280067.

Prodromou, Anastasia. "Emotion through theatrical lighting: Light as a psychological modifier in architecture." Thesis, KTH, Ljusdesign, 2019. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:kth:diva-280078.

Ballina, Mariana. "Illuminating education : composition and use of lighting in public K-12 classrooms." Thesis, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2016. http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/106405.

Becker, Jonas Johannes. "MIDDLA makerspacedynamics in lighting." Thesis, KTH, Ljusdesign, 2019. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:kth:diva-280060.

Lesina, Debiasi Lukas. "Illuminating preference : rethinking colored lighting in workplace environments." Thesis, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2020. https://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/130183.

Sardogan, Huseyin Emre. "NEW Lighting : First step for a Sustainable, and Digital futurein an industrial production factory." Thesis, KTH, Ljusdesign, 2019. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:kth:diva-280080.

Seitinger, Susanne 1978. "Liberated pixels : alternative narratives for lighting future cities." Thesis, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2010. http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/61935.

Beyers, Lew Morris. "Daylight in architecture : the application of daylighting principles in the formulation of sacred space : a "one-volume" library for Leonardo da Vinci's Codex." Virtual Press, 2002. http://liblink.bsu.edu/uhtbin/catkey/1237765.

Beever, Meaghan K. "Light as word : exploring the linguistic roles of light in interior space." Online access for everyone, 2006. http://www.dissertations.wsu.edu/Thesis/Spring2006/M%5FBeever%5F050706.pdf.

Rocchi, Elisa. "Dynamic Digitalisation in the Lighting Industry. Present Technology and Future Scenarios in the Design of Smart Urban Lighting." Thesis, KTH, Ljusdesign, 2020. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:kth:diva-280045.

Alsaeid, Khaled. "Sustainable lighting in offices : " How to save energy in officeswith a new lighting design ? "." Thesis, KTH, Ljusdesign, 2019. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:kth:diva-280059.

Netz, Jenny. "Task lighting for the future school." Thesis, KTH, Ljusdesign, 2020. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:kth:diva-280027.

Stravoravdis, Spyridon. "Lighting offices with LEDs : a study on retrofitting solutions." Thesis, Cardiff University, 2013. http://orca.cf.ac.uk/45793/.

Garcia, Rodriguez Raquel. "LIGHTING MASTER PLANFOR MARCHAMALOSALT FLATS." Thesis, KTH, Ljusdesign, 2019. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:kth:diva-280068.

Thompson, Maria do Rosário. "Psychophysical evaluations of modulated color rendering for energy performance of LED-based architectural lighting." Thesis, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2007. http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/38608.

Jarrell, Robert Perry. "Natural daylighting : a thermal analysis." Thesis, Georgia Institute of Technology, 1987. http://hdl.handle.net/1853/22350.

Hirsch, Matthew Waggener. "BiDi screen : depth and lighting aware interaction and display." Thesis, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2009. http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/55261.

Devers, Marvin G. "Building Under the Ground: An Exploration of Spirituality, Visibility and Presence in Architecture." University of Cincinnati / OhioLINK, 2010. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ucin1277137181.

Dascalita, Raluca. "That meaningful light : A phenomenological approach to meaning in lighting design." Thesis, KTH, Ljusdesign, 2018. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:kth:diva-234268.

Guðmundsdóttir, Anna Kristín. "Outdoor lighting in Icelandic schoolyards : The importance of outdoor lighting during the dark winter days." Thesis, KTH, Ljusdesign, 2017. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:kth:diva-210258.

Intaragumhaeng, Nuchanat. "East Lake Meadows Public Housing : modernism reconsidered through natural lighting." Thesis, Georgia Institute of Technology, 1993. http://hdl.handle.net/1853/23071.

Slagan, David M. "The symbolic role of light in religious architecture with a critical interpretation of five churches in Columbus, Indiana." Virtual Press, 1993. http://liblink.bsu.edu/uhtbin/catkey/864946.

Kutlu, Hilmi Gökhan Günaydın Murat. "An Evaluation Methodology For Assessing Artificial Lighting Quality In Architecture: The Case of Apikam/." [s.l.]: [s.n.], 2007. http://library.iyte.edu.tr/tezler/master/mimarlik/T000290.pdf.

Kilpatrick, Yvonne Younis. "Daylighting and high efficiency lighting : the effects on heating and cooling loads." Thesis, Georgia Institute of Technology, 1986. http://hdl.handle.net/1853/21810.

Mordeglia, Cristina. "The Home-Office Lighting Kit." Thesis, KTH, Ljusdesign, 2021. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:kth:diva-297959.

Jafarian, Hoda. "Lighting ambiances and materialities of wood in architecture : a comparative evaluation of the quality of spaces in relation to interior finishes." Master's thesis, Université Laval, 2016. http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11794/27262.

Levens, Kurt Antony 1961. "Lighting a building with a single bulb : toward a system for illumination in the 21st c.; or, A centralized illumination system for the efficient decoupling and recovery of lighting related heat." Thesis, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 1997. http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/68340.

Duan, Ran, and Alessandro Distaso. "LINK A lighting design framework to assist the integration ofHistorical Urban Public Parks to modern city life." Thesis, KTH, Ljusdesign, 2017. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:kth:diva-280055.

Cieszykowski, Jeannette Marie. "Restoring the night." Kansas State University, 2014. http://hdl.handle.net/2097/17598.

Malmberg, Jonas. "Is Human Centric Lighting Really Human Centric in a Classroom? : A holistic evaluation of a HCL-system in a classroom." Thesis, KTH, Ljusdesign, 2017. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:kth:diva-209810.

Kent, Michael G. "Temporal effects in glare response." Thesis, University of Nottingham, 2016. http://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/35450/.

Borralho, André João Patrício. "Iluminação pública em espaço urbano - Recomendações de referência e aplicação às Avenidas Novas em Lisboa." Master's thesis, ISA/UTL, 2012. http://hdl.handle.net/10400.5/5292.

Bergman, Oscar. "Public spaces and socially sustainable lighting." Thesis, KTH, Ljusdesign, 2019. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:kth:diva-280061.

Caton, Nicholas A. "Task-ambient lighting : a sustainable design method investigation." Manhattan, Kan. : Kansas State University, 2007. http://hdl.handle.net/2097/534.

Sova, Toma. "Guiding Light, Balancing fluidity and orientation." Thesis, KTH, Ljusdesign, 2021. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:kth:diva-297964.

Matlack, Daniel W. "Incorporating new age technology into campus lighting." Manhattan, Kan. : Kansas State University, 2009. http://hdl.handle.net/2097/1391.

Zhang, Xin. "How Street Features and Lighting Affect Neighborhood Walkability." The Ohio State University, 2019. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1563388047593407.

Reimagining Design with Nature: ecological urbanism in Moscow

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The twenty-first century is the era when populations of cities will exceed rural communities for the first time in human history. The population growth of cities in many countries, including those in transition from planned to market economies, is putting considerable strain on ecological and natural resources. This paper examines four central issues: (a) the challenges and opportunities presented through working in jurisdictions where there are no official or established methods in place to guide regional, ecological and landscape planning and design; (b) the experience of the author’s practice—Gillespies LLP—in addressing these challenges using techniques and methods inspired by McHarg in Design with Nature in the Russian Federation in the first decade of the twenty-first century; (c) the augmentation of methods derived from Design with Nature in reference to innovations in technology since its publication and the contribution that the art of landscape painters can make to landscape analysis and interpretation; and (d) the application of this experience to the international competition and colloquium for the expansion of Moscow. The text concludes with a comment on how the application of this learning and methodological development to landscape and ecological planning and design was judged to be a central tenant of the winning design. Finally, a concluding section reflects on lessons learned and conclusions drawn.

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The landscape team from Gillespies Glasgow Studio (Steve Nelson, Graeme Pert, Joanne Walker, Rory Wilson and Chris Swan) led by the author and all our collaborators in the Capital Cities Planning Group.

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Fifth-Year Thesis Final Pinup

April 19, 2024

This week, the Cowgill Lobby housed the last fifth-year thesis presentations of the semester. Faculty and students engaged in numerous discussions about the extensive investigations conducted over the past year. Following this, the students will compile their ideas into thesis books as a final documentation of their work. We wish our fifth-year thesis students luck as they wrap up their undergraduate education and move forward into the professional world! 🎉

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Eco Homes: 8 of the Most Sustainable Features to Consider, According to Experts

By Madeline Bilis

All products featured on Architectural Digest are independently selected by our editors. However, when you buy something through our retail links, we may earn an affiliate commission.

When it comes time to move into your next home, it benefits you—and the environment—to incorporate sustainable features. Eco homes make use of renewable resources, reduce energy consumption, and conserve natural resources, including water. While fully converting a space to be more eco-friendly might seem out of reach (or out of pocket), sustainable design is a lot easier to pull off than you think. Appliances, building materials, heating systems, and a slew of other home components can all work toward achieving the goal of sustainability . Whether you’re buying a house and want to take note of the home’s ability to add green features or you’re building your own custom eco home, here are the features that experts suggest you consider for eco homes.

1. Passive design

Sustainable homes begin with a sustainable framework. If you’re working with a designer to build a brand-new home, it’s imperative to employ passive design, which reduces a house’s ecological footprint by using the local climate and landscape to its advantage. One way to do that is taking note of the orientation of the house in relation to the sun.

“Maximize south-facing windows in colder climates to increase direct sunlight in the winter. This will help heat your home and reduce your reliance on artificial light,” says Candace Rodriguez , senior director of sustainability at the Home Depot . “Plant a tree that loses its leaves in the winter on the south side of your house. It’ll block the sun from streaming into your home in the summer and allow light through in the winter.”

The shape and size of your roof can also constitute effective passive design. Adding a large overhang allows light into your home during wintertime because the sun is at a higher angle, says Rodriguez. In the summertime, the same overhang will block sunlight in the summer, keeping your home cooler .

2. Geothermal heat pumps

As part of a top-to-bottom renovation, consider installing a geothermal heating and cooling system to conserve energy. They work by tapping into stable temperatures a few feet below the earth’s surface to heat and cool a home.

“[Geothermal energy] relies on harnessing relatively even subterranean temperatures,” explains Leslie Schneeberger, an architect and owner of Schneeberger Collective , a sustainable firm based in Massachusetts. “The trenches to do this can be deep or lateral, depending on the amount of land you have to utilize.”

While digging and installing geothermal pumps cost more than a typical air-sourced system (anywhere from $15,000 to $50,000, according to home services site Angi ), Schneeberger notes that they offer a significant return on investment (ROI). The savings on energy costs are often recouped within 5 or 10 years of installation, per the US Office of Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energy .

3. Recycled materials

Instead of shopping for new counters, cabinets, and shelving, turn to places like Habitat for Humanity’s ReStore or an architectural salvage shop for materials to reuse in your home. “You can retrofit pretty much any old piece of furniture into the space you need it for,” says Gabriela Narvaez, general contractor and founder of Guild Properties .

Recently, Narvaez has been sourcing antique console tables and armoires and retrofitting them for bathroom vanities. “I love doing this because not only will you have a totally unique piece in your new space but you’ll also be recycling and repurposing previously used materials into your home instead of buying a mass-produced product,” she says.

4. Energy-efficient windows

Insulated and laminated impact windows and doors do wonders for reducing a home’s overall energy consumption, explains Manny Angelo Varas, president and CEO of homebuilder MV Group USA . If you’re replacing windows in a home, take a closer look at triple-glazed windows, also known as triple-pane windows. “These have a much better insulation value, and with the right films, can cut down on not only solar heat gain but UV rays that can damage artwork, fabrics, and finishes,” says Schneeberger.

Rodriguez adds they’re well worth the investment. ( Triple-glazed windows can cost anywhere from $400 to $3,540.) The lower the U-value —or the rate at which the window loses non-solar heat—the better the windows will keep heat in your home, she explains.

5. Solar panels

As a Green designee , realtor Cheneil Lowe sits on the Atlanta Realtors Association’s sustainability committee. She often works with clients to find the solar panels that work best for their home and energy bill budgets. “With solar panels, homeowners can significantly reduce their dependence on traditional electricity sources, leading to substantial savings on their electric bills over time,” Lowe says.

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Over the course of 20 years, homeowners can save between $10,000 and $30,000 by putting solar panels on their roofs, says Rodriguez. She reasons money isn’t the only thing being saved, pointing to a UC Berkeley study that found a residential solar system can power a home with 80 percent lower carbon emissions than that of fossil fuels.

6. Eco-friendly appliances

Rob McGibney , president and COO of homebuilder KB Home, recommends looking for appliances that are Energy Star-certified and WaterSense labeled, two programs from the Environmental Protection Agency that set standards for energy efficiency and water conservation. “Think about water-conserving faucets and toilets, smart appliances that maximize energy and water performance, and other features that make living more sustainably even easier,” he says.

7. Formaldehyde-free cabinets

Many mass-produced cabinets contain formaldehyde in the glue that binds panels together. Springing for cabinets made without harmful chemicals can reduce indoor air pollution in your home. “Solid wood is always a formaldehyde-free option,” says Narvaez.

Companies that specialize in toxin-free cabinets include Puustelli Kitchens , Bertolini , KERF , PureKitchen , and more. Schneeberger recommends the Healthy Materials Lab at Parsons School of Design as a resource for finding sustainable materials and suppliers.

8. Programmable thermostats, lighting, and more

Smart technology can also help cut down on your home’s energy consumption. Lowe consistently recommends smart thermostat controls to her clients and new homeowners alike. “You’ll be able to adjust your temperature settings when you’re away, and some smart thermostats track your energy consumption so you stay on track,” adds Rodriguez.

Wifi-enabled lighting and shades can also help with regulating a home’s temperature and light exposure. “There are some amazing lighting systems such as Lutron’s Ketra system that adjusts lighting and shading throughout the day to match our natural circadian rhythms and perfectly balance with outdoor lighting conditions,” Schneeberger says. “This greatly contributes to occupant health and wellbeing as well as reducing energy use on excess or unneeded lighting.”

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