Daylight penetration into a deep interior space can be achieved by using a light tube strategy. This research investigates how effective a room's ceiling cavity can be as a daylight transporting system. The design, therefore, tries to answer the question "What is the optimal geometry for a ceiling cavity and inlet aperture to bring deeper daylight penetration and achieve a higher illumination level, measured at the back of a room, than that achieved by a typical high window opening?" Corporate affiliate 3M assisted this project by providing a prismatic and highly specular surface to cover the underlying geometry of the ceiling cavity. A 16' deep room section with a high window opening on one side was constructed as a test cell. Inside, sensors were set up to allow light measurement at task level along the depth of the room. Light rays were deflected by the geometry of the ceiling cavity, through a number of internal reflections on the highly reflective film surface, to a diffuser at the back. The three most promising geometric designs from scaled model tests were selected, installed and tested for efficiency in the full-scale test cell. / Master of Science

This PhD thesis evaluated the applicability of Climate-Based Daylight Modelling (CBDM) as it is presently done. The objectives stated in this thesis aimed at broadly assessing applicability by looking at multiple aspects: (i) the way CBDM is used by expert researchers and practitioners; (ii) how state-of-the-art simulation techniques compare to each other and how they are affected by uncertainty in input factors; (iii) how the simulated results compare with data measured in real occupied spaces. The answers obtained from a web-based questionnaire portrayed a variety of workflows used by different people to perform similar, if not the same, evaluations. At the same time, the inter-model comparison performed to compare the existing simulation techniques revealed significant differences in the way the sky and the sun are recreated by each technique. The results also demonstrated that some of the annual daylight metrics commonly required in building guidelines are sensitive to the choice of simulation tool, as well as other input parameters, such as climate data, orientation and material optical properties. All the analyses were carried out on four case study spaces, remodelled from existing classrooms that were the subject of a concurrent research study that monitored their interior luminous conditions. A large database of High Dynamic Range images was collected for that study, and the luminance data derived from these images could be used in this work to explore a new methodology to calibrate climate-based daylight models. The results collected and presented in this dissertation illustrate how, at the time of writing, there is not a single established common framework to follow when performing CBDM evaluations. Several different techniques coexist but each of them is characterised by a specific domain of applicability.

There is a golden hour between life and death. That hour could bring valuable realizations in a person’s life. In the last few decades, hospice and palliative care went through evolutions to make a better sense of death without treating death neglecting the human experience, which plays a major factor in overall health and well-being. A palliative approach focuses on life than focusing on death, it facilitates the optimization of life for patients livingwith terminal diseases, allowing them not to feel left behind or forgotten. As the golden hour of life arrives and seeks palliative care which is total care ensuring physiological, psychological, social, and spiritual care, we can ponder over something supporting emotions from the beginning of time. Buried deep within our collective unconscious lies ancient memories of the eternal cycle of light and dark that created our archetypical patterns of thinking and feeling. With cultural beliefs and practices affecting these emotions about the transition, there should be a pattern in which daylight evokes our feelings and thoughts. This thesis is a journey to discover the association of the daylight cycle with the activities that can evoke a sense of total care. Through the study mapping state of mind with the daylight change in 35 people in Bangladesh and preference study with 8 patients in a palliative care, the paper comes to draw attention that daylight change and views can be associated with the cycle of emotion and can give the feeling of a good life. As important as it is to glorify the experience of finding comfort, so is the art of letting go, feeling good about life, and being near a good ending. A painless ending is not only a state of body, it is also a state of mind. This thesis is an attempt to discover the first steps toward it.

Humans are less exposed to natural light during the day and less to darkness at night. Good daylighting provides visual comfort for performing tasks but also influences non-visual comfort. According to various studies, good daylight conditions can influence human physiology and behaviour, like sleep, alertness, mood and cognitive functions. Having good daylight conditions in our homes or student homes can be challenging, even more in Nordic countries. This research focuses on daylight in student dorms, located in Sweden. The influence of orientations and seasonality on daylight qualities is researched by using a survey with subjective evaluations and computer-simulated results. The survey and computer simulations show slight differences between the orientations for the existing situations in the student dorms. In summer and spring, daylight generally has more qualities than in winter and autumn, in some cases, glare can cause discomfort. Larger window dimensions result in more daylight entering future student homes. This improves the daylight conditions in winter and autumn, but east, south and west-facing rooms would benefit from shading to avoid potential glare. The amount of sky present in the outdoor view strongly influences the daylight qualities of a room.

The master’s thesis investigates daylight qualities and visitors’ perception in the central atriumof Medelhavsmuseet in Stockholm, Sweden. The investigation started from personal observationof the space where a feeling of darkness was experienced despite the existing skylight.The visitors’ perception of daylight and space were examined through a survey, and it wascompared to daylight simulations where it was proven that the museum’s daylight quality couldbe classified as a minimum. It is suspected that visitor perception of the space was consideredto be bright due to the use of artificial light, and the brightness of the prevailing weather conditionsduring the time of the survey (mid-April). The daylight conditions as per the survey andsimulations are considered to be sufficient if not a little muted during the lighter half of the year,but during the darker seasons, they are likely to be insufficient. Furthermore, it is proposed thatre-designing the skylight, changing the way the artwork is displayed or changing the materialof the skylight could drastically improve daylight quality, in turn benefiting visitor experience.

This is a research-based project investigating the relation between natural light, space and perception. It is in the format of a book with eight parts based on the observation and analysis of physical models. The spaces created in this book are divided in three parts, general daylight solutions, perceptual light-spaces and purposeful light-spaces. The first part consists of 19 spaces transferred from drawings found in Sunlighting as Formiver for Architecture by William M.C. Lam. The second part contains ten spaces based on perception and in the third part the focus in of function, which is generally divided into more general purposes of 13 models. The analysis I am using is a combination Light-zone(s) described by Merete Madsens and the Visual Terms and Seven Basic Terms by Anders Liljefors, which is a way to analyse perception. Following is an analysis of possible functions and daylight variability, which are then concluded. The spaces and findings are compared and summarised in order to find general strategies for the use of daylight in architecture. This book is meant to be used as a learning tool, a handbook and/or a basis for further investigation of the relation between natural light, space and perception.

The transformation of the architects’ vision to architectural form is a lengthy process. From initial sketch to day-to-day life, a design is transformed through the reality of occupation. No matter how much effort is put into a design its final effectiveness is determined by the end user. The access to ample daylight balanced with an adequate sense of visual privacy within ones one home is not often accounted for within the planning process. With current legislation making access to daylight a right within many developed countries, guaranteeing that access within the dense urban environment can mean putting resident’s privacy into question when planning to meet these daylight requirements. Failing to consider the privacy needs of all residents, especially immigrant groups, can lead to privacy driven modifications counterproductive to the overall goal of increasing access to daylight. Resident modifications can, in turn, lead to reductions of daylight levels within the home. There is a need for a system of analysis when it comes to the balance of access to daylight and adequate visual privacy, connecting the critical impacts of these factors on the human physiology and psychology. This proposal puts forward a system to analyze the relationship between the effective light transmission and the perceived visual privacy provided by a given visual privacy solution. The study is based off the analysis of current research regarding the effect of daylight on the human body, the importance of privacy within the home, the impact of cultural background on perception of privacy, and the impact of changing urban density on how people live. The research proposes a system of measurement taking into consideration both the quantitative effective daylight transmittance and a systematic qualitative analysis of perceived visual privacy through participant survey. The data collected would eventually be combined in a way that could be easily communicated to architects, designers, manufacturers and most importantly the end user. This system would be used to ensure that residents are able to effectively balance the level of privacy they require while mitigating the loss of daylight within their homes helping to insure the most benefits for the resident regardless of what home they find themselves in.

This thesis investigates the design of atria for daylighting in large scale buildings. Athree dimensional test building with a central atrium was constructed and various parameters of the atrium altered. The impact of these changes was studied through computer simulations of annual daylight distribution by implementing state of theart software. Daylight autonomy is simulated for an annual climate file for Stockholm, Sweden. In the thesis, notion is made of basic daylighting concepts, the importance of bringing daylight into buildings is argued, and the daylighting criteria of three environmental certification tools introduced. Furthermore, a detailed comparison is made on several well known daylight simulation tools. A newly developed, state of the art, daylight simulation tool called Honeybee, is used in the simulation process. The tool utilizes the calculation engines of wellknown daylight simulation software Radiance and Daysim, which apply backward ray-tracing to reach accurate results. Honeybee is coupled to the graphical algorithmeditor Grasshopper for Rhinoceros 3D, which allows for an efficient way of parametric modelling. The comparison of five different daylight simulation tools showed that Honeybee outweighs the capabilities of many of them by offering a wast range of simulation capabilities and also giving the user exceptional control of result data within multiple zones of the test building. The results of the daylight study have been compiled into a document which purpose is to serve as early stage design guidelines of atria for architects. Many factors have been shown through simulation to have a dramatic impact on daylighton an annual basis, and several suggestions have been made on how to maximize the quantity of daylight within buildings containing atria.

Contribution of daylight to employees in terms of health, productivity, and overall wellness in the office spaces are undeniable. Apart from the psychological and biological benefits of employees, embracing daylight in office spaces increases the energy-efficiency of the building which leads to the sustainable development of a city. However, a considerable number of employees in Sweden lack daylight in their workspaces according to a report by the Swedish Work Environment Authority [Arbetsmiljöverket (Swedish)] (Lowden, 2019). Professionals like Architects, Lighting Designers, and students of architecture and lighting design across Sweden were asked their opinions pertaining to lack of daylight in a considerable number of office spaces in Sweden based on their experience through online questionnaires/ interviews to get to know the overview of this subject. Out of all the possible reasons, window design and economy were the two macro factors according to them that influenced daylight in an office building in Sweden but often, obstruction angle in a building due to urban densification is overlooked when it comes to daylight in an office building. This thesis discusses the influence of obstruction angles with an illustrated office building in Stockholm. Diva for Rhino was the software used for the modelling and daylight simulation.

The energy use of commercial building operations is a significant contributor to the total global energy demand, and lighting is one of the largest end uses of electricity in commercial buildings. Convention Centers as commercial buildings are examples of big energy consumers, and they present a unique opportunity to showcase benefits of green building techniques due to their large size and broad range of visitors; however, the individual nature of convention centers makes it challenging to find design improvements which will be helpful in general for many convention centers. One exception to this rule of individuality is the presence of public assembly rooms, which are ubiquitous in nature and are used heavily. Traditionally, public assembly rooms are fully enclosed to allow for full control of illumination levels with artificial lighting, particularly fluorescent light. This represents a missing opportunity to utilize daylight or energy efficient artificial light to reduce energy use while enhancing human visual comfort. The objective of this research is to analyze the potential impact of the use of daylight in public assembly rooms. We present the results of a set of computer simulations performed using IES VE software. The simulations are performed as an iterative process, using as base case a north-facing public assembly room in the Tucson Convention Center, and progressively updating the lighting scheme using the software to analyze the illuminance levels for each case. The results are used to propose a lighting scheme for the north-facing public assembly room which uses 100% daylight to achieve a uniform level of illumination and meets the compliance of illumination requirements for public assembly rooms.