What is the biggest problems when designing with overhead and vertical glazing and what is the best solution
The daylighting dilemma is described as “How do you allow sufficient light into a space without letting in too much heat from the sun.”
Many architects go through great lengths to design spaces with daylight, because they know the many benefits to the end user from the sun. They also spend much time in trying to get a balance between light and heat control.
The problem is allowing the proper amount of light without creating overheating, especially in the summer months. One way to solve the problem is with shades or larger HVAC systems. Each of those solutions is expensive and require maintenance costs. One other solution is to block the heat through the utilization of different types of glazing such as reflective glass. The problem with that is it sacrifices light, especially in the winter months, when you need the heat from the sun the most. This problem we are speaking of is just from season to season, but it can actually be worse from day to day as far as sun control and design. Many calculations and design time is spent making sure each part of the building gets adequate light and proper heating/cooling.
The solution: Use a skylight that has the capability to control the light internally in each panelized section. In other words you should be able to control how much light comes in at any given hour of any given day at any given location of your skylight. The design needs to be simple and maintenance proof. The system need to work easily with the end user and should have the capability to tie into computers for self-analysis, etc. The end user should not have to worry about any maintenance, or cleaning of the product.
This Intelligent Daylighting System (IntelaSun) is available from CPI and is in use in the Unites States. Architects can now spend much less time and worry designing for the proper light levels and for proper shading in specific areas.
Other benefits:
- Pre-assembled in 1 meter wide panels
- Self contained panels provide simplified installation, durability and longevity
- Manual and / or automatic user controls
- Single-zone or Multi-zone system options
- System requires minimal motion to provide selected managed daylighting levels
- Minimal building interface is required
- Extremely low voltage 24 vdc system
- Optional Smart Building Integration
- Eliminates maintenance associated with exterior blinds or shading systems
See Also
- CPI Daylighting IntelaSun
Intelligent Daylighting Solutions