Effective Daylighting with High-Performance Facades

Abstract

Effective daylighting requires rethinking the simplified approach to glazing and facade systems to acknowledge the needs and behaviors of building occupants as a critical determinant of long-term performance. Occupants represent a rich multisensory source of information on environmental performance. This chapter argues that a lack of human factors data from buildings in use leads to environmental design that is largely detached from the preferences or needs of building occupants, with cascading implications for occupant comfort and energy use. Emerging methods for collecting human factors data on Indoor Environmental Quality (IEQ) are presented and discussed for integrating detailed occupant-feedback into building evaluation, operation, and the design process. This chapter concludes by proposing an approach to environmental design informed by examination of occupant behavior, personal modifications, and subjective assessments of IEQ and speculates on how this approach may lead to better outcomes for building occupants.