Website Guides Daylighting Design

DaylightModeling.com is an informative new website launched by Kalwall Corp. The site demonstrates a revolutionary daylight engineering service. Sample 3-D renderings, videos and example Daylighting Reports are available, along with a wealth of information about services and technologies that now allow architects and building designers to demonstrate the impact of their daylighting designs while having the option of easily demonstrating “what-if” alternatives to their clients.

“Sustainable design calls for daylighting strategies complying with recognized performance standards. But post-construction is not the time to discover glare, overly bright areas, dark spaces, or poorly balanced light levels,” says Kalwall’s Amy Keller.

Architects and designers with a need to check their designs for compliance to Net Zero, LEED, ASHRAE 90.1, Standard 189.1 and IgCC will find this service most helpful. Just as traditional 3-D computer modeling shows a finished design’s appearance, site-specific daylight simulation demonstrates the impact of size, type and placement of skylights, windows or translucent wall systems. Computer-generated charts and light-level schematics simulate the effects of various daylighting alternatives, enabling designers to analyze how light will behave before plans are finalized.

Beyond the building itself, well-planned daylighting considers a number of issues. How will the structure be positioned relative to the topography or the points of the compass? What is the effect of local climate and the sun’s path? Might any proximate structures create an urban canyon at certain times? Are there mountains or trees nearby or reflections off the surfaces of buildings or bodies of water? A daylighting design that is effective in one location simply may not be in another. How much daylight is needed? What about harsh glare and shadows? Too often, bright sunlight blinds occupants, overheats the space, or overworks the HVAC system. Using daylight simulation, can demonstrate potential problems while alternate design solutions are studied and compared to reveal better ways to daylight the space.