University of Central England - Daylight Analysis

Client - Shepherd Construction Ltd

The analysis here concerns the performance of the New Technology Offices, University of Central England. The contractor, Shepherd Construction Ltd, required an independent assessment to ensure that the proposed design will meet the Employer's Requirements. Flow Analysis were commissioned to fulfill this role. The daylight assessment performed by Flow Analysis is described below.

The five-storey building is designed around a central atrium which serves the dual purpose of providing additional daylight and providing the exit route for the air supply. The building has been thoughtfully designed with overhangs and bris-soleil added to provide solar shading. Of course the downside of solar shading is the reduced daylight factors. Some views of the daylight model are shown to the left.

• Daylight factor. According to the British Council for Offices BCO Guide, the optimum standards for the office workplace are:
• Minimum daylight factor > 0.5 %
• Average daylight factor > 2 % - 5 %.

• Daylight autonomy. This is the percentage of time that a specified lux level will be exceeded over an entire year. Thus, if the specified lux level is 400, then the daylight autonomy is the percentage of time that additional lighting will not be required.  

These two parameters have been calculated for the ground and 1st floors at a plane 0.6m above each floor level. (Note that the 1st floor is almost identical to floors 2-5). The results in the form of contours are shown to the right.

The investigations by Flow Analysis Ltd resulted in the following observations and conclusions:

• The ground floor and 1^st floor both meet the BCO guide standards.
• There are relatively large variations in the daylight factors on the ground floor; in small bands near the south and west facades and near the light-well, the daylight factors are relatively high (in excess of about 8%), but in the interior the daylight factors are lower (generally about 2%)
• Based on achieving 400 lux on the ground floor, it is predicted that on average, electric lighting will be required for about 33 % of the time during office hours over a one year period.
• Based on achieving 400 lux on the 1^st floor, it is predicted that on average, electric lighting will be required for about 24 % of the time during office hours over a one year period.

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