Daylight for sustainable built heritage sites

Elkadi, HA; Al-Maiyah, S

Abstract

Daylight is an essential contextual ingredient of place making. Research in daylighting has recently received major attention for its valuable contribution to the sustainability of the built environment. Previous research has investigated the role of daylighting in energy efficiency, its regional qualities in relation to the façade configuration, and its contribution to the sense of visual comfort. This paper argues that appropriate use of daylighting will ensure not only visual and thermal comfort in an urban setting, but also contributes to the place identity and hence sustainability of urban regeneration projects. The paper identifies the daylight variables that affect the place-making process in the urban fabric of the Eastern Mediterranean. Daylight variables in public open spaces, a combination of sunlight, skylight and the reflected light from the facades and the ground, are identified. The Solar altitude, the geometry of sectional profiles, the reflectance of the opposing facades, the width of the street and the density of the urban built environment are applied as the main variables that determine the daylight performance. Located in the historical Darb al-Ahmar district, Aslam Square is recently selected as part of one of the rehabilitation project in Cairo. This paper examines the photometric and morphological properties of the existing configuration using daylight simulation software. Various spherical projections were developed to represent full 3D visual environment. The paper calculates and analyses the direct radiation energy, the sky diffused energy and the reflected energy in the case study.

Citation

Elkadi, H., & Al-Maiyah, S. (2010). Daylight for sustainable built heritage sites. Built environment journal, 7(1), 13-22

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Publication Date: Jan 1, 2010
• Deposit Date: Jul 31, 2015
• Journal: Built Environment Journal
• Print ISSN: 1675-5022
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 7
• Issue: 1
• Pages: 13-22
• Related Public URLs: http://www.uitm.edu.my/index.php/en/
• Additional Information: Funders : Funder not known