Daylighting Analysis of a Courthouse
More and more standards for courthouse design require daylight within courtrooms, which are notoriously difficult to introduce useable levels of daylight into due to program constraints. This analysis evaluates the effectiveness of light shelves to cast daylight into the recessed courtrooms. Despite high hopes, the light shelves were proven to be only moderately effective in this instance.
Daylight Illumination analysis
Sunshade Optimization
An analysis of various sunshade configurations and their comparative effectiveness in reducing the incident solar radiation on the glazing of a west-facing curtainwall. Such considerations can have major implications for occupant comfort and energy use. Despite common assumptions, horizontal shades proved considerably more effective than vertical on the west-facing facade.
Incident Solar Radiation analysis
Glare and Visual Comfort Analysis for the Security Queuing of a Major Airport
While glare considerations must take into account the duration of occupancy (transient, stationary), within airports it is common to receive the most complaints of visual discomfort from ticketing and security agents, who are typically constrained to face one direction for the entire working day. This initial study illustrates the effectiveness of external sunshades at diffusing the direct sunlight into the space. Such ray-tracing studies are common in architectural design and erroneously referred to as "glare analysis", however glare is not the measure of the light intensity present within the space, but an individual sensation caused by the contrast between light reflecting off of the focal point of the individual and of the objects within the peripheral vision. The threshold is different for each individual, but a general rule of 1:8 is often used.
A simple raytracing study. This is often as far as a "daylighting study" goes, but is inadequate for addressing glare concerns
A more in-depth study is needed in these instances, which accounts not only for direct sunlight, but also for the reflectivity of surfaces within the space. The objective view of the section above is replaced with the more subjective perspective of a security agent. Contrast ratios above those typically experienced by the majority of people as "glare" are highlighted in RED. The study found that the introduction of sun shades alone does very little to address the concern, and actually exacerbates the problem by increasing the contrast ratio in some areas. This study provided the designers with the feedback to take a more holistic approach at fine-tuning the space, adjusting the transparency of the glass and reflectivity of the major surfaces along with adjustments to the shading devices themselves.
Glare Analysis mapping luminance contrast ratios from a camera-based view
The Design-Analysis Feedback Loop
Leveraging the architectural model in the early stages of design development, designers have the opportunity to test the performance of their ideas within a virtual proving-ground. In this renovation and alteration of an existing airport, the proposed design takes full advantage of natural daylight to define zones within the space of the concourse, as a brighter, more vibrant swath activates the central circulation corridor and retail area, before waning into more understated lighting for the waiting lounges at each gate.
