School design daylighting Analysis A study of Foundation schools in Erbil Governorate

Abstract

Recently, the physical building performance has been demonstrated widely by researchers and architects due to its direct and indirect influence on space usage and comfortability, particularly in learning spaces. This study was intended to assess the natural light performance of educational premises in Erbil governorate. The six foundation schools with different size, shape, and layout have been selected. The daylight illuminance level and Daylight Autonomy have been simulated and compared with design standards for the sufficient daylight. An academic-licensed Revit Architecture 2018 with plugged insight daylight analysis has been adopted as an analysis tool for daylight parameters. The results showed that the illuminance level in most of the case studies is below the satisfactory range depended on architectural standards. Similarly, the daylight autonomy in term of spatial Daylight Autonomy (sDA) and Annual Sunlight Exposure (ASE) are dissimilar from one case study to another. The sDA and ASE have reached what is needed in three school layouts. In contrast, sDA and ASE performance was below the required levels. In consequence, the importance of daylight analysis in existing school environment, and informing the educational planners and architects have been clarified about the meaningful prediction of natural light performance. The daylight performance in school needs to be improved by using appropriate advanced technology, such as, laser cut panels, louvers and daylight shelves. The outcomes of the research are valuable for measuring the daily performance of the physical learning environment and exploring innovative strategies and techniques for improving the actual daylight performance.

Keywords

• daylight
• school design
• illuminance level
• students’ performance
• daylight analyses
• erbil.