Spectral irradiance simulation for evaluating light environments for indoor plants

Abstract

Abstract In recent years, interest in biophilic design and indoor greenery has increased. However, the growth of indoor plants may become stunted under unfavorable light conditions. Therefore, we must evaluate the light environments required for indoor plants to thrive. We propose a new method to assess indoor light environments for indoor plants by using spectral irradiance simulation. We verify the accuracy of the spectral irradiance simulation via actual measurements in a university classroom. Additionally, we confirm the calculation accuracy of the photosynthetic photon flux density, which is strongly correlated with photosynthesis in plants. We evaluate indoor light environments for indoor plants in 3D models by applying a few concepts from plant physiology.

Keywords

• biophilic design
• indoor greenery
• photosynthetic photon flux density
• simulation
• spectral irradiance