DAYLIGHTING SUFFICIENCY AND DAYLIGHT NON-VISUAL EFFECTS IN RESIDENCES LOCATED IN TROPICS

Abstract

Daylight has been considered, in recent years, a proper strategy to favor energy efficiency in buildings if it is controlled glare probability associated to high illuminance levels. However, currently daylight is also being valued according its capacity to suppress melatonin in people located in indoor environments, and, therefore, to contribute to people’s alertness throughout the day, that is, to favor the rhythm of circadian cycles. This paper aims to evaluate the daylighting performance of a housing room from the double perspective: light sufficiency on the workplane and considerations of the non-visual effects of daylight on people. That evaluation was done on the desk and on the bedroom of a typical colombian bedroom in different cities. Computational simulations were carried out in specialized computer programs on a hypothetical space with different facade configurations. The following metrics were considered in the simulations: EML and Lux. Simulation results allow a broader view and favor discussion on the criteria for evaluating indoor environments according to lighting performance..