Daylight Performance of Buildings

Book excerpt: As part of Daylight Europe, the daylighting behaviour of 60 buildings was observed and measured during a three year period. Buildings of many different types, sizes and ages were included - from offices to museums, libraries, churches, houses, airports and factories; from Classical buildings to modern constructions, and from a small single room to an office of over 100,000 square meters. The results of the study of each building are presented, extensively illustrated in colour, with the unusual features and main lessons highlighted. The book also includes details of the monitoring procedures, the results of and comparisons with simulations, the outcome of post-occupancy evaluation, and a summary of the major findings. These show the extraordinary potential of daylighting techniques to improve amenity and energy performance for the benefit of the occupants and building managers. They also demonstrate how often opportunities are missed, and the frequency of problems of overheating or glare. Above all, they demonstrate the beauty, elegance and scope of daylight design.