ABSTRACT

This chapter provides the foundational knowledge regarding illuminance, luminance, and direct sunlight based daylight metrics. It presents a brief overview of daylighting performance metrics and their typical use within a design process. Daylighting design goals and aspirations vary widely among building types and the visual tasks they support. In building design, daylighting traditionally encompasses three primary avenues of design inquiry: aperture and interior surface design for effective luminous distribution and intensity, shading for glare control, shading for solar heat gain control. The integrated lighting design process should begin before a geometric design concept is put to paper. The project lighting designer should work with the architect to establish defined lighting and visual comfort criteria across the primary program elements of the project. Advanced computational methods allow designers to examine real spaces and digitally simulated spaces with emerging luminance-based metrics to assess visual comfort and aspects of quality.