How to predict daylight conditions in buildings during the design phase

Luminance rendering under sunny sky with false color mapping, Hessenwaldschule school project - see the case study

The importance of predicting daylight conditions prior to design realisation

The quality of natural light within a building is an important consideration for designers.

Daylight has been shown to be an important factor for the health and wellbeing of building users. Contributing to both human comfort and productivity. It also provides appropriate illumination to carry out tasks and gives people a connection with the outdoors.

Being able to predict a building’s daylight conditions at the design stage will avoid costly changes downstream and gives the confidence that the building design will:

Meet any specifications and standards for daylight e.g. EN 17037
Minimise the need for artificial lighting

Using the VELUX Daylight Visualizer to predict daylight conditions in buildings

How to evaluate EN 17037 with Daylight Visualizer using imported models. YouTube.

VELUX Daylight Visualizer is a free professional simulation tool for the analysis of daylight conditions in buildings.

Utilising this software tool, design professionals can predict and document daylight levels and appearance of a space prior to realisation of the building design.

Daylight Visualizer can:

Accurately simulate and quantify daylight levels in interiors
Calculate daylight factor levels
Evaluate requirements for daylight provisions in the new European Standard for Daylight in Buildings - EN 17037
Create or import 3D models
Perform luminance and illuminance simulations under different CIE (The International Commission on Illumination - the Commission Internationale de l´Eclairage) sky conditions

The Daylight Visualizer simulation tool has been developed to run on both Mac and PC.

For more information on the VELUX Daylight Visualizer and to download the software please visit the VELUX Commercial website.

--VELUX Commercial