Performance Effectiveness of Daylight Modifiers for Optimizing Daylighting in University Buildings

Daylighting is a crucial factor for the comfort of humans. Insufficient daylighting can make residents feel more disoriented, anxious, and uneasy, while excessive daylighting can result in glare and severe heat gain. This chapter studies the effectiveness of daylight modifiers: dynamic glass, metal overhangs, and perforated panels on optimizing daylighting, glare probability, and solar heat gain with a focus on university buildings. Due to the building’s excessive natural light, this study focuses on the A. Alfred Taubman Engineering, Architecture, and Life Sciences Complex, which is home to the Marburger STEM Center at Lawrence Technological University. The majority of the building’s façade is made up of enormous curtain walls, which the inhabitants claim cause them to feel uncomfortably warm and endure substantial glare. Through the evaluation of several daylighting options and a cost analysis, this study seeks to identify the most effective remedy for occupant discomfort. In this study, dynamic glass, post-construction overhangs, and perforated paneling were all considered daylight modification techniques. To find the best option, the cost and performance of each system are compared. There are recommendations for the best solution based on the performance of each modifier for glare likelihood, daylight autonomy, solar heat gain, and cost, as well as the significance of each parameter.