Optimizing Annual Daylighting Performance for Atrium-Based Classrooms of Primary and Secondary Schools in Nanjing, China

Abstract

Influenced by educational policies and newly emerging educational philosophies, the proportion of public space is expanding in primary and secondary schools in China. Consequently, the atrium in school design is increasingly drawing attention due to the consideration of space efficiency and its accommodability for diverse activities. Although many studies have already explored the daylighting performance of atriums, the particularities of primary and secondary schools are rarely noticed, which leads to the lack of a reliable basis for a quick judgment in the early design stage. This study used the annual daylight metrics of Spatial Daylight Autonomy (sDA300,50%) and Annual Sunlight Exposure (ASE1000,250 h) as the indicators, built a parametric model in Grasshopper, conducted the simulation using the Ladybug–Honeybee plug-in, and separately performed the linear regression analysis on the three groups of data from the different types of atriums. The results show that in Nanjing’s climate, the north and east sides of atriums are the most suitable orientations for classrooms, and a corridor width of 3 m ensures high-quality daylight for the bottom floors. The optimal design equations for atrium width and length are provided for the three types of atriums, respectively, hopefully, to ensure that classrooms surrounding the atrium can reach the requirement of sDA300,50% ≥ 0.75, and the design recommendations are offered based on the results.

Determination of Climate-Based Daylight Metrics under 15 CIE (International Commission on Illumination) Standard Skies and Three Representative Skies

“…The LEED v4.1 guidance manual [16] also adopted sDA 300 lux 50% and UDI 300-3000 lux to give credit points to green buildings. Many researchers applied these two metrics to evaluate the annual daylighting performance [27,42,43]. According to the proposed method, sDA and UDI could be easily achieved at the beginning of the design process without the need for comprehensive simulations or long-term measurements.…”

Indoor Environmental Quality and Occupant Comfort

“…The articles published in this Special Issue are representative of this research field. Scholars focus on how to effectively improve indoor thermal comfort [7], air quality [8], lighting performance [9][10][11][12], and sound insulation performance [13], and reduce building energy consumption by optimizing building equipment [7][8][9], interior spaces [10][11][12], and building structures [13]. In addition, the functional types and geographical locations of the research objects are different.…”

“…Zhang et al [8] studied a new ventilation system for rural houses in severely cold regions of China in winter. Piraei et al [10], Ma et al [11], and Jia et al [12] explored the optimal design of daylighting performance of heritage buildings in highlatitude areas and classrooms in mid-latitude areas. Qu et al [13] conducted a study on the sound insulation performance of interior partition structures for a hotel.…”

A Study on Modifying Campus Buildings to Improve Habitat Comfort—A Case Study of Tianjin University Campus

“…Temperature and humidity affect the indoor thermal environment [9]; improving room temperature can be achieved by adding insulation materials, improving ventilation systems, and optimizing the structure of building facades, where intelligent control systems can achieve fine-grained temperature control [10]. As an important part of the building, the atrium can enhance daylighting [11,12] and provide passive ventilation [13], which can be reasonably combined with mechanical ventilation to better achieve a comfortable indoor thermal environment and reduce energy consumption. The fresh air treatment system can fine-tune the temperature of the indoor fresh air and improve indoor thermal comfort [14].…”