Daylighting properly employed provides quality to the building. It must be present in every environment, even indirectly, because it complements the psycho-physiological human needs. The light well is a device that can contribute in certain proportions with the interior lighting of a building. Its application requires a careful design as physical principles of light and different for each location under study. This paper aims to contribute to improving the use of daylighting in architectural projects through understanding of parameters and variables that influence the light well s performance in a residential building in the context of Maceió-AL. This evaluation is looking for quantify the reduction of daylighting, as a function of the light well s depth that reaches the bathroom on each floor; the evaluation includes also the distribution of illuminance in a work plan provided for a different size window, a light well s inverted section, as well as, compared to the same environment without a well; analyzing the influence of the reflectance of internal surfaces of the well and the bathroom in the overall average illuminance of the point under study and verify the contribution of the sky and the sun in the most frequent skies in Maceió, in obtaining the illuminance at the same given point for each month of the year and evaluate the influence of azimuth due to seasonality with the purpose of indicate the most appropriate directionrough the deep well. Simulations were performed to indicate the efficiency of the lighting device only for the ninth floor to the existing window size. By increasing the width of the window, we can reach the minimum illuminance values down to the sixth floor, according to the data generated by Troplux 3.12 software. It is also noted the differentiation of the internal illuminance due to the window s orientation and the significant variation of lighting, when studying the contribution of the sky s and sun s light, for the different standardized types of skies and suitable to climate of Maceió. Finally, Finally we can say that the efficiency of the device is only showed on window installed in the top floor with a vertical distance of 1.5 m and 2m horizontal to the point studied. With a window which has an area 2.5 times larger, the light penetrated three floors until the sixth floor to a vertical distance of 10.4 m and 2m horizontal, and that presented higher expectations. The south had the highest illuminance for the option of the existing window, even when a variation of the specular surfaces of the well. Then, the direction north also had good results, then east and finally west. / Fundação de Amparo a Pesquisa do Estado de Alagoas / A iluminação natural corretamente empregada proporciona qualidade à edificação. Deve estar presente em todo ambiente, mesmo que indiretamente, por complementar as necessidades psico-fisiológicas do homem. O poço de luz é um dispositivo de projeto que pode contribuir dentro de certas proporções com a iluminação interna de uma construção. Seu emprego requer um desenho minucioso conforme os princípios físicos da luz e diferente para cada localidade em estudo. O presente trabalho tem como objetivo contribuir para a melhoria do uso da iluminação natural no projeto de arquitetura através da compreensão dos parâmetros e variáveis que influenciam no desempenho de um poço de luz em um edifício residencial no contexto de Maceió-AL. A avaliação busca quantificar a redução da iluminação natural, em função da profundidade do poço de luz, que chega ao banheiro de cada pavimento; avaliar a distribuição das iluminâncias no plano de trabalho proporcionada por um tamanho diferente de janela, uma seção invertida do poço de luz e também comparando ao mesmo ambiente sem o poço; analisar a influência da refletância das superfícies internas do poço e do banheiro na iluminância global média do ponto em estudo; verificar a contribuição do céu e a do sol, nos céus mais freqüentes em Maceió, na obtenção das iluminâncias num mesmo ponto dado para todos os meses do ano e avaliar a influência do azimute em função da sazonalidade com o objetivo de indicar a orientação mais adequada para a obtenção da iluminação através do poço de luz. Foram realizadas simulações que, apontam a eficiência do sistema de iluminação apenas para o nono andar da geometria existente. Ao aumentar a largura da janela, podem-se alcançar mínimos valores de iluminância até o sexto andar, de acordo com processamento no programa Troplux 3.12. Constata-se também a diferenciação da iluminância interna em função da orientação da janela e a variação significativa da contribuição da luz do céu e do sol, para os tipos de céu comuns em Maceió. Enfim, para a janela existente, a eficiência do dispositivo foi apenas para o andar mais alto com uma distância vertical de 1,5m e horizontal de 2m até o ponto estudado. Com a janela grande, de área 2,5 vezes maior, a luz penetrou três pavimentos até o sexto andar a uma distancia vertical de 10,4m e horizontal de 2m, apresentando valores esperadamente mais altos. A orientação sul obteve maiores iluminâncias para a opção da janela existente, até quando se variou a especularidade das superfícies do poço. Em seguida, a orientação norte também apresentou bons resultados, posteriormente a leste e por último a oeste.

<p>The goal of this project was to evaluate three main proposals, by the Property Management Department (PMD) of St. Louis County, which the department hoped would reduce energy consumption at their Duluth Jail facility. This particular facility was opened in 1995 and houses approximately 170 inmates. Despite its relatively new construction, the building produces some of the highest utility bills of all of the County’s buildings.</p><p>The proposals put forth by the PMD were the following: to reduce natural gas consumption by using solar water heating for the domestic hot water; to reduce heating and cooling costs by enclosing a light well which is currently open to the sky with a transparent, insulated roof; and to utilize a white roof to reduce cooling demand during the summertime.</p><p>The solar water heating proposal was evaluated by determining the energy the solar system could provide annually and comparing these energy- and monetary savings to the cost of the system. Two solar options were evaluated; one system with 20 collectors and another with 50. Both systems also included condensing boilers to provide supplementary heating during times of low solar output. The annual savings of the 20- and 50 collector systems were 128 and 173 MWh, respectively. This led to a payback period of approximately 17 years for the 20 collector system and 16 years for the 50 collector system.</p><p>Enclosing the open light well, which is an open area inside the perimeter of the building which is designed to give rooms on the inside of the building natural daylight, was evaluated by performing an energy flow analysis comparing the existing condition with one in which a roof topped the well. This involved calculating the U-values of the walls before the skyroof and then using heating and cooling degree days to determine the heat flows through the walls. The enclosed light well was evaluated by performing an energy balance on the well to determine the temperature of the enclosed well. This temperature could then be used to calculate the heat flow through the enclosed light well’s walls. The difference in these heat flows between the two options was then converted to an economic cost to evaluate a payback period. Two grades of Kalwall-brand insulation were evaluated; the “Nanogel” grade and a mid-range grade. The Nanogel-enclosed light well reduced the heating demand by 16 MWh but increased the cooling load by 9 MWh, while the mid-grade enclosed well decreased the heating load by 11 MWh but increased the cooling load by 4 MWh. These added up to net annual savings of $650 for the Nanogel roof and $470 for the mid-grade skyroof. However, the investment costs were so high that the payback periods were between 450 and 550 years.</p><p>Two white roofing options were considered and corresponded to a newly installed roof and one that had weathered for 3 years, thereby reducing its reflectivity. These options were evaluated by determining the mean monthly roof temperatures throughout a typical year and calculating the heat flows through the roofs based on these temperatures. The temperatures were determined by performing a heat balance on the roofs’ surfaces and considering the solar radiation incident on the roofs. The heat flows with the existing black colored roof and the proposed white roofs were thencompared and converted into heating and cooling costs. The white roofs led to summertime air-conditioning savings but created more wintertime heat losses and therefore caused net annual energy cost increases of $560 and $240 for the new and weathered roofs, respectively.</p><p>The recommendations therefore were to implement the solar thermal system but not the other two proposals. Other areas which might benefit from additional investigations include lighting efficiency improvements, water use reductions, and replacement of the existing boilers with either more efficient natural gas units or wood-pellet/biomass boilers.</p>

The goal of this project was to evaluate three main proposals, by the Property Management Department (PMD) of St. Louis County, which the department hoped would reduce energy consumption at their Duluth Jail facility. This particular facility was opened in 1995 and houses approximately 170 inmates. Despite its relatively new construction, the building produces some of the highest utility bills of all of the County’s buildings. The proposals put forth by the PMD were the following: to reduce natural gas consumption by using solar water heating for the domestic hot water; to reduce heating and cooling costs by enclosing a light well which is currently open to the sky with a transparent, insulated roof; and to utilize a white roof to reduce cooling demand during the summertime. The solar water heating proposal was evaluated by determining the energy the solar system could provide annually and comparing these energy- and monetary savings to the cost of the system. Two solar options were evaluated; one system with 20 collectors and another with 50. Both systems also included condensing boilers to provide supplementary heating during times of low solar output. The annual savings of the 20- and 50 collector systems were 128 and 173 MWh, respectively. This led to a payback period of approximately 17 years for the 20 collector system and 16 years for the 50 collector system. Enclosing the open light well, which is an open area inside the perimeter of the building which is designed to give rooms on the inside of the building natural daylight, was evaluated by performing an energy flow analysis comparing the existing condition with one in which a roof topped the well. This involved calculating the U-values of the walls before the skyroof and then using heating and cooling degree days to determine the heat flows through the walls. The enclosed light well was evaluated by performing an energy balance on the well to determine the temperature of the enclosed well. This temperature could then be used to calculate the heat flow through the enclosed light well’s walls. The difference in these heat flows between the two options was then converted to an economic cost to evaluate a payback period. Two grades of Kalwall-brand insulation were evaluated; the “Nanogel” grade and a mid-range grade. The Nanogel-enclosed light well reduced the heating demand by 16 MWh but increased the cooling load by 9 MWh, while the mid-grade enclosed well decreased the heating load by 11 MWh but increased the cooling load by 4 MWh. These added up to net annual savings of $650 for the Nanogel roof and $470 for the mid-grade skyroof. However, the investment costs were so high that the payback periods were between 450 and 550 years. Two white roofing options were considered and corresponded to a newly installed roof and one that had weathered for 3 years, thereby reducing its reflectivity. These options were evaluated by determining the mean monthly roof temperatures throughout a typical year and calculating the heat flows through the roofs based on these temperatures. The temperatures were determined by performing a heat balance on the roofs’ surfaces and considering the solar radiation incident on the roofs. The heat flows with the existing black colored roof and the proposed white roofs were thencompared and converted into heating and cooling costs. The white roofs led to summertime air-conditioning savings but created more wintertime heat losses and therefore caused net annual energy cost increases of $560 and $240 for the new and weathered roofs, respectively. The recommendations therefore were to implement the solar thermal system but not the other two proposals. Other areas which might benefit from additional investigations include lighting efficiency improvements, water use reductions, and replacement of the existing boilers with either more efficient natural gas units or wood-pellet/biomass boilers.

The topic discussed in Brno for several decades is certainly the building of the new main railway station and its location. Countless architectural and urban studies have been done especially in 2018, which examined three possible locations of the station. After considering the possibilities, it was decided to place a new railway station near by the Svratka river. The advantage of the chosen location is the possibility of constructing a high-speed track, which is not possible in the current position of the station. Furthermore, this area allows the construction of a station on a green field, without limiting train traffic during the works. The capacity of the new designed train station represents an increase of 30-40 thousand passengers per day. Total capacity is approximately 100,000 passengers per day. However, construction activity in the area is limited by the flood risk factor. It is an effort to eliminate this risk with elements inspired by nature. These solutions include for example widening profle of the river , determining floodplains in such a way as to maintain access to the river. The diploma thesis offers a possible view of the architectural solution of the new railway station and its public spaces. The entrance hall of the station is located at one end of the visual axis, which is represented by the considered boulevard. The dominant building on the opposite side is the Cathedral of St. Peter and Paul. The requirements and location of the new main station mean an assumption for the creation of a new city icon. The iconic vaulted structure, which runs across the railway bridge, refers to the former glory and fame of the city. The curve of catenary arch used in the profile of vault is a symbol for the new station. The new station represents a significant impulse not only for the development of Brno, but especially for the development of new South district. The construction of the trade fairs complex a hundred years ago had a similer effect.