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Description / Abstract:
INTRODUCTION
Traditional vertical windows can provide adequate daylight
within about six metres of a window but, since daylight levels
decrease asymptotically with distance from a window, a
disproportionate amount of solar radiation must be introduced into
the front of the room to achieve small increases in daylight at the
back. While this will contribute to energy savings by offsetting
electric lighting, the corresponding increase in cooling due to
solar heat gain, and/or heating due to structural heat loss, can
negate these savings. Atria, rooflights and roof monitors may light
areas remote from vertical windows but are of little use in
lighting deep core areas. A number of systems exist to redirect
daylight into areas of buildings that cannot be lit by conventional
glazing. One major generic group known as "beam daylighting"
redirects sunlight by adding reflective or refracting elements to
conventional windows. This work is concerned with the second major
group of redirecting devices known as tubular daylight guidance
systems.
ubular daylight guidance systems are linear devices that channel
daylight into the core of a building. They consist of a light
transport section with, at the outer end, some device for capturing
natural light and, at the inner end, a means of distribution of
light within the interior. The light capture device may be located
at roof level of a building enabling light from the zenithal region
of the sky to be gathered. Alternatively, light may be gathered
from a device mounted on the building façade. Zenithal openings
allow intensive use of daylight but may cause glare or overheating
due to penetration of direct solar radiation especially during
summer. For a horizontal aperture the quantity of solar flux
entering through a façade mounted collector depends on façade
orientation and season and these systems are more likely to be
influenced by external obstruction than zenithal systems.
Collectors may be either mechanical devices that actively focus and
direct daylight (usually sunlight), or be passive devices that
accept sunlight and skylight from part or whole sky hemisphere. The
transport element is usually a tube lined with highly reflective or
prismatic material or may contain lenses or other devices to
redirect the light. Light is distributed in an interior by output
components, commonly diffusers made of opal or prismatic
material.
The major emphasis of this Report is on passive zenithal
systems. These are by far the most commercially successful types of
tubular daylight guidance, being manufactured and installed in
large numbers in numerous countries. The design related material in
this Report relates to passive zenithal systems only. The Report
includes a contextual review of the technology of all generic types
of daylight guidance system and includes case studies. The sections
on performance indices, photometry of components and systems,
design methods, cost and benefits, human factors and architectural
issues relate to passive zenithal systems.