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Experimental Research in the Daylighting Systems Engineering Abstract

In the midst of the current environment-conscious era, sustainable architecture and sustainable engineering are seen as the vehicle to creating green buildings. This paper investigates the role of daylighting systems in green design. The paper argues that: engineering of daylighting systems is necessary to optimize the use of energy in buildings. The use of engineering principles in the design for daylight may overcome the current barriers to effective incorporation of daylighting systems in buildings; in academia and in practice. That is why more emphasis should be given to experimental research in the field of daylighting systems in order to establish a set of rigorous engineering principles for the design of daylighting systems. In the end, the paper gives a brief description of a new model of an artificial sky dome that is designed by OSU faculty. This artificial sky dome is now under construction and will be used by undergraduate and graduate students to perform experimental research in the field of daylighting design.

1. Introduction: Dilemma of Green Design

Green design, also known as sustainable design, is a relatively new field of expertise. According to a recent definition of sustainable architecture, sustainable buildings should be both ultra- efficient (also known as high-performance) and environment-friendly1. Being ultra-efficient is to maintain a desirable quality of life with minimal use of natural resources, i.e., energy, water and materials. Being environment-friendly is to assure that buildings, in their construction, operation, and demolition do not disturb the balance of ecosystems nor pollute or exhaust natural resources. Indeed, green (or sustainable) architecture is not a new architectural style. It is rather a new generation of buildings that perform more efficiently and do not harm the environment. Both ultra-efficiency and environment friendliness are achievable through rigorous engineering of building systems. That is why engineering of building systems, including daylighting systems, should be considered an underlying principle of sustainable architecture. That is where rigorous architectural engineering of green buildings becomes an inescapable task in green design.

Historically speaking, in the post-industrial revolution era, separation between architectural design and engineering of buildings contributed to the fragmentation of the design process. Because modern technology was developed in a relatively short period of time and was complex, the practice of architecture had to be organizationally divided into different sub-disciplines. This is primarily why it became almost impossible for architects to be sufficiently knowledgeable to make conceptual design decisions regarding the technical aspects of modern buildings, i.e., environmental and structural systems2. It is unfortunate that the current professional practice, in general, is still following the same post-industrial revolution fragmented paradigm of design.

In the 21st Century, in the environment-conscious era, green design of buildings should follow a new holistic paradigm of design. Because sustainability is a holistic approach, full integration between the design of a building and the design of its systems (active and passive) is essential. In an integrated design process, all members on the design team, i.e., architects and architectural engineers, should collaborate during all design phases. Design and coordination of building systems, including daylighting systems, should start in the beginning of the design process. Only

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O'Hara, S., & Mansy, K. (2006, June), Experimental Research In The Daylighting Systems Engineering Paper presented at 2006 Annual Conference & Exposition, Chicago, Illinois. 10.18260/1-2--102