Assignment: "Let the (Indirect) Sun Shine In"

Let the (Indirect) Sun Shine In
http://continuingeducation.construction.com/article.php?L=5&C=406&P=1

Energy Software to Link Design and Science by B.J. Novitski
http://www.architectureweek.com/2000/0705/tools_1-1.html

Computer Visualization as a Tool for Critical Analysis by Mark Maddalina
http://www.architectureweek.com/2000/0705/tools_4-1.html


The article “Let the (Indirect) Sun Shine In” is about how art museums are looking at using indirect sunlight to light their galleries instead of using electric lights on individual works. This is because daylight can render colors perfectly, and it also makes the building space more interesting. Designers that incorporate daylight into exhibition areas have to deal with a multitude of challenges. Artwork can be damaged if it is exposed to too much light, and designers must also create visually comfortable conditions for visitors. Designers and architects must work in an integrated team to analyze site conditions and weather data, establish the orientation and geometry of a building, and position and size apertures. One of the best tools to do this is the computer.

There are computer programs designed to test light levels in spaces. By having a 3D model of a building, the architect can find out how strong the light is in different areas of the space. An example of this is the BCAM building in Los Angeles. The Renzo Piano Building Workshop has been hired to design a projected 40,000-square-foot, single-story daylit exhibition space as an addition to the building. To determine the primary direction of illumination within the gallery space an illumination vector analysis was taken. This analysis includes light passing through the skylight from the north and light reflected between inclined sunshades. “As a result of the study, designers refined the sunshade, adding a “kicker” at its bottom edge. This 3-foot-tall vertical element bounces light back to the south-facing wall, creating more uniform daylighting conditions.”

Another example of computer technology to help lighting design is the Queens Museum of Art in New York. A new addition to the building will be added in the fall of 2010. The central element in the QMA plan is a new “large works” gallery with a 55-by-40-foot fixed baffled skylight inserted in the roof above. Surrounding the new skylight with frosted-glass fins, there will be a 30-foot-tall structure suspended from the roof trusses and floating about 10 feet from the gallery floor. The hanging element, along with fabric baffles, reflect, refract, and diffuse daylight passing through the new skylight and also direct it to side galleries. These seven smaller galleries have fixed aluminum louvered ceilings that further reflect and diffuse daylight. This prevents direct light from hitting artwork and controls diffuse and scattered light.

In order to analyze their performance targets, the design team conducted extensive modeling of the museum’s spaces and the architectural elements. For example, they performed an examination of the relationship between roof aperture configuration and side-gallery daylighting levels. Using the simulation program Radiance, consultants placed virtual sensors in each gallery. They were then able to chart the amount of light falling on wall surfaces by manipulating the skylight size and shape. The goal of the study was to come as close as possible to the annual reciprocity target without exceeding it. They also closely examined the aluminum louvers over the smaller galleries, conducting a solar-ray analysis for various shapes, angles, and spacing. This caused the designers to select louvers with elliptical sections, varying their slant and spacing them closer together near the wall adjacent to the large-works gallery. The arrangement provides reflective surface area where it is needed most to direct light back toward the wall closest to the light source.

These two examples show how computer technology can help design buildings to function accurately. Instead of testing the building after it is built, architects can eliminate problems before the building stage.

Energy Software to Link Design and Science is an article that talks about how computer technology can predict energy levels in a building. A program called BDA maintains an object-oriented model of a building, and links the building data to various simulation tools. These tools include DOE-2 for energy performance calculation and Delight for daylight and electric lighting analysis. This article is from 1999, so since then, more sophisticated software has been developed.

Computer Visualization as a Tool for Critical Analysis is also an article that talks about computer software that analyses space. This article is examining the space within Frank Lloyd Wright’s Martin House. The relationships between the space and fireplace could only be seen through this computer analysis. “In combining the conceptual spatial model with the more realistic chimney model, there appears to be a conflict within the Martin House design where the space of the second floor hall encounters the form of the chimney mass.” This analysis shows how the computer can provide a new way of seeing and evaluating architectural design.