1.1 Background
Daylighting has been an important element in the design and construction of buildings throughout the history of architecture, as for a long time was the only source of light for interior spaces (Bjorngaard and Satterfield, 2010). So, architects goal was to design large openings to allow the distribution of daylight into building interiors. Since the invention of artificial lighting, designers begun to liberate their buildings from this constraints(Johnsen and Watkins, 2010). However, nowadays electric lighting in home and office buildings is a significant source of society’s energy consumption and lot of researches are focused on new technologies to save energy(Haqparast and Maleki, 2014). Yet, daylighting is superior to artificial
…show more content…
One of the most difficult issues is to determine the design aspects of the openings that influence the distribution and amount of daylight in the space(Roberts and Marsh, 2001). This paper is going to explain the main elements that has to be taken in consideration while designing such as building orientation; materials used in the finishing of walls, ceiling and floor; glass used for windows and the size and location of openings. In order to determine all these parameters, the paper will give a short background for simulation programs and explain the importance of including them at the early stage of …show more content…
The first chapter introduces the research background, aim, research questions and objectives. Once the aim and objectives have been established, the basic outline of the methodology and structure of the dissertation is shown.
Chapter 2, ‘Literature Review’ critically analyzes the available literature on daylighting and the aspects of sustainable design. Also, this chapter gives a historical background on how architects deal with daylighting as well its definition, importance, benefits on the building form, energy consumption, comfort and health of its occupants. Finally, the research focuses on advanced technologies used to calculate and determine usage of daylighting. Most of these techniques are recently new and can revolutionize the design process in Albania. Also an important part of the chapter, is the analysis of existing international examples that show the benefit of using daylighting at the early stage of