Abstract

ZAMBRANO PRADO, Mtra. Arq. Perla Liliana  and  PRADO LEON, Dra. Lilia Rosalía. Simulation of natural lighting in offices; implications for visual efficiency. Estoa [online]. 2016, vol.5, n.8, pp.75-95. ISSN 1390-9274.  https://doi.org/10.18537/est.v005.n008.06.

This article focuses on the carrying out of 36 virtual natural lighting simulations, with the purpose to provide an overview of the contributions of the simulation of natural lighting in an office space and describe their results in the light of the rules for visual efficiency, considering seasonal variations, orientation façade, time and color through the use of specialized software. Three seasons were compared at two different times and two orientations (North and South) where only one window was placed. We used Radiance and Autodesk Ecotec software. Our results showed that during winter and facing South the average lighting levels exceed 27 times the values established by the Official Mexican Norm (NOM-025-STPS-1999 Lighting conditions in work spaces) in winter at South orientation at 12:00 hrs. It was also proven that color reflection coefficient plays an essential role in lighting, increasing up to 63% the level of illumination.

Keywords : color; natural lighting; orientation; season; simulation...

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