Investigation of daylight availability in university dining halls: A case study at the University of Jordan

Abstract

This study evaluates the availability of daylight inside a university’s dining halls over two days (one sunny and one cloudy) using light meters in real-life sittings. Quantitative monitoring was conducted for horizontal and vertical illuminance levels (HILs and VILs) derived from daylight inside of the dining halls and outside under an unobstructed sky, along with monitoring of the illuminance levels of the artificial light inside. The results are discussed in relation to the minimum recommended HIL value in dining halls of educational buildings (150 lux) set by the Jordanian National Construction Constitution’s lighting code. Further, a questionnaire was conducted with 239 students and employees to evaluate daylight and artificial light from the user’s perspective of the dining halls. HIL, as a dependent variable, was found to vary between the two examined halls, which had different façade fenestrations and hall characteristics. The analysis found that, within the halls, only the area within a 2-metre distance from the north- and west-oriented windows complied with the recommended value, except at breakfast time on a cloudy day. The middle and deepest areas of both halls were significantly lacking in daylight on both cloudy and sunny days. The subjective mean evaluation corresponds with the daylight VILs but contradicts the artificial illuminance levels. As such, subjective needs and preferences may not correspond with objective measurements. This study opens a new path of daylighting research for a largely neglected space: foodservice halls in educational buildings.

Keywords

• daylighting
• illuminance levels
• university dining hall
• foodservice halls