REGULARS: ROOFING MATTERS
Approach to daylighting
At Danpal, we believe that well-designed
buildings should offer as much natural
daylight as possible while still maintaining
a comfortable internal environment.
Natural light is one of the key ways of
saving energy. Daylighting minimises the
amount of artificial light and reduces
electricity and HVAC costs. Electrical
lighting produces a lot of heat, whereas
natural lighting generates hardly any heat if
it is properly controlled. Making use of
natural light can save up to 75% of the
energy used for lighting buildings and
reduce cooling costs.
In the past few years, lighting has
become a focus for energy saving ideas.
However, not enough effort has gone into
maximisation of the use of natural light
either in building design or legislation.
Good daylighting solutions demand an
integrated building design approach.
Daylighting design should be holistic:
developing solutions that are part of the
main concept, while meeting visual,
thermal and energy needs. We should
discover how the sun shapes our
experience, and apply this lesson to
building design from the start. Designing
for daylighting must be considered at the
initial stages of building design. The
orientation of the building and glazing
relative to the sun path is the most
important decision. This is followed by the
design of the roof and façades, the
selection of glazing systems and daylight
controls such as blinds and louvres.
As energy issues are ever more pressing,
buildings are increasingly sophisticated in
their various responses to site, climate and
function – and much of this sophistication
is expressed through technology. The right
tools for planning the most effective light
openings can be achieved by integrating
Hospital Nacional de Niños is a national paediatric hospital in San José, Costa Rica, and has
provided medical care to children in the country since it was founded in 1845.
appropriate products, which exploit the
optimal level of energy resources,
anywhere in the world, any time of day.
Light is fundamental to our existence.
Over 50% of the world’s population lives in
cities and the United Nations estimates that
by 2050 this figure will rise to 70%. But we
are not using our cities and towns to their
fullest potential. Night-time presents great
challenges to cities around the world. While
more and more people are living in cities,
this has not always successfully translated
into a ’24-hour’ city. In many cities there is
no strategic planning and design for night-
time. A holistic approach to urban lighting
can create vibrant and safe places for
people in cities – at all hours.
We must rethink urban lighting beyond
safety or beautification and more as a way
of improving the quality of life for people
who live in cities. Lighting can have a
positive impact on our cities total
architecture, enhance cultural experiences
and encourage social interaction. The
integration of smart light-emitting diodes
(LEDs) in city systems enable lighting that is
responsive to specific contexts, while
understanding the impact of light on
human behaviour can help us design more
liveable urban environments. We need
to find ‘the right kind of light’ for
urban environments.
At night, the impression of a city is
created through what is lit. Light and art
create the atmosphere, while shaping the
sensorial experiences of our surroundings.
Illumination alters spaces; as a medium, it
enables designers to play with shades,
colour and intensities. Research shows that
lighting can trigger positive behaviour, for
example, it can induce a positively balanced
mood. LEDs give us the tools to address
complex urban challenges in new ways.
Night-time lighting can be more responsive
to environmental, social and contextual
needs through smart technologies.
DO YOU HAVE A GREAT PROJECT
OR STORY TO SHARE WITH
SA ROOFING READERS?
Send your article and high resolution images
to [email protected] or call
+27 (0) 11 579 4940 for more information.
RESIDENTIAL // COMMERCIAL // INDUSTRIAL
APRIL 2018
27