Daylight performance of adapted industrial buildings

Abstract

This paper assesses the potential of historical industrial buildings to be reused as office spaces. Belgrade?s industrial heritage has been classified according to the criteria that influence visual comfort, including glazing area, floor depth, and orientation. Daylight performance of two representative buildings has been analyzed using daylight factor, point in time illuminance and spatial daylight autonomy. Potential improvement strategies that would not have a negative impact on the historical character of buildings have then been discussed. Further studies include increased internal surface reflectance and introduction of roof-lights. The impact of roof-lights on the annual cooling and heating load has been addressed in parallel. Since LEED is the dominant sustainability assessment tool in Serbia, preliminary compliance with LEED v4 Daylight credit has been assessed for all options. The methodology and findings can be applied to a wide range of industrial buildings in similar climatic conditions.