4.493 | January IAP 2006 | Graduate

Natural Light in Design

Syllabus

Course Meeting Times

Lectures: 3 sessions over 2 weeks, 8 hours / session

Course Overview

Daylighting, or more generally lighting, is one of the fundamental components of architecture. Not only is it the key element in revealing built volumes and providing a character to a space, it must also adequately respond to our needs for visual comfort and for a healthy environment, and has to be carefully planned to be ecologically viable. Today, computer-based simulations are becoming increasingly popular, especially when daylighting and energy conservation are amongst the key goals for a project. This workshop will introduce participants to using Radiance, Ecotect, and Daysim as a toolset to carry out a state-of-the-art daylighting analysis of buildings. The analysis will combine traditional performance metrics - such as daylight factor and avoidance of direct sunlight - with emerging metrics based on dynamic annual daylight simulations. Two days of formal instruction and hands-on exercises will be followed by a day during which participants will be able to apply the concepts learnt to a design project of their choosing.

Timeline

This workshop will be open to students and practitioners. It will be organized in two parts:

Tuesday and Wednesday, January 24-25: Lectures and hands-on exercises

Tuesday, January 31: Presentations, discussion and feedback on design projects

During the week in-between, each team will apply the learned concepts to a design project of their choosing so as to generate an “added value” from the daylighting/energy consumption standpoint; they will benefit from feedback during that time and present their results on this third day of the workshop.

Registration

The class size will be strictly limited; early applications will receive first consideration. Although bringing a laptop to class is not a requirement for this course, it is highly recommended. Please arrive one hour before class begins in order to install the necessary software.

Course Info

Departments
As Taught In
January IAP 2006
Level