Daylighting Optimization in Residences with Emphasis on Window Design

Abstract

Daylighting has become a serious concern for Architects and builders owing to the fact that energy issues need to be considered while building a house. Modern architecture focuses on daylighting as it relies on thebuilding structures, occupants thermal and visual comfort, energy and functional set-up of space. While designing a building, daylighting is considered as the primary factor to reduce the use of energy and to enlarge the visualcomfort. The purpose of window openings in the building is to ensure that daylight illuminates the interior. newline newlineIn general, there was a problem in the comfort factors like illumination levels because of orientation, obstruction and standards/ building bye-laws. Window openings play a major role in controlling the daylighting and many other factors for comfort living of the occupants. In the coastal regions of the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh, most of the residential buildings are designed considering three directions (East, West, and North) of the site. As per National Building Code 2016, set of guidelines are given for the illumination levels depending on the task performed in different functional spaces of residential buildings. Despite following standards (percentage of openings and setbacks), still the interior spaces of the residences of ground floor suffer from insufficient daylight illumination. (Read more please see in abstract page) newline newline