A New Approach in Daylighting Design for Buildings

Abstract

Daylighting is a future building design trend, subjected to all the global energy efficiency standards, but its design still largely depends on the architect and it is difficult for electrical engineers to precisely quantify the energy efficiency of the solution. This study presents an innovative integration process of design and simulation, rooted in the parameters of existing standards and regulations, and leveraging architectural design and simulation software tools. Within this novel integrated design methodology, the peripheral zones of the building envelope and the central core areas of the structure are discretely conceptualized and designed. Daylight intensity in the building envelope’s peripheral zones is calculated based on the average daylight factor and the building’s optimized window-to-wall ratio. In contrast, the central core areas are designed to attract daylight from open spaces on the roof, roof structure, reflective roofs, and clerestories. A building energy performance simulation tool is utilized to validate the energy efficiency of these new design techniques. This fresh approach is tested on a complex pilot-scale building in Nhon Trach, Dong Nai, Vietnam, to evaluate the method’s feasibility and scientific soundness. The simulation results corroborate the accuracy of the proposed approach in quantifying the efficiency of reducing a building’s lighting system energy consumption by 34%, equivalent to an annual CO2 saving of over 4,000 tons. Through the proposed daylighting design, an approximate 7% increase incurs in total initial investment, promising substantial profitable returns.