Apr 6 2009
Before the Industrial Revolution, mankind conducted business between sunup and sundown. But in the late 19th Century, all of that changed - the advent of electrical illumination marked the end of Father Time’s imposition on our work and leisure activities.
But as we’ve come to spend more and more of our time in the workplace, the relationship between our built environment and well-being has met with scrutiny.
A decade-long trend in building science research indicates that people are more comfortable, productive and perhaps most importantly, feel healthier in buildings that are specifically designed to accommodate the use of daylight as the primary source of workplace illumination.
The concept of harnessing natural light to illuminate building interiors is as old as the window itself, but relatively recent advances in lighting research and technology have opened up new horizons for daylighting.
“Daylighting also represents the single largest ‘new’ opportunity for energy savings in commercial lighting today and for the foreseeable future,” said Professor of Architecture Dale Brentrup.
Rather than relying on component technologies, daylighting is shaped and delivered by the architecture itself, and it’s free!
Enter the School of Architecture’s Daylighting + Energy Performance Laboratory at UNC Charlotte. Along with a “sun machine” and “sky machine,” you’ll find graduate students and faculty who enjoy crunching numbers and care deeply about the environmental impact of buildings.
The lab uses two instruments to assess the impact of sky luminance and solar radiation. The Artificial Sky, which allows simulates the average overcast conditions of the Piedmont region, and a Fixed Sun Movable Earth Heliodon, which simulates actual solar penetration.
Under Brentrup’s direction, lab staffers are working with the University, as well as with local industry and government, to figure out how current practices have impacted our carbon footprint.
“Daylighting is directly related to the idea of carbon reduction,” said graduate student Lindsay Frizzell, who is working on a project to quantify energy efficiency. “For every kilowatt hour of energy we save, we’re cutting approximately two and a half pounds of carbon dioxide emissions.”
According to a recent Brookings Institution study, the Charlotte region’s carbon footprint is among the nation’s heaviest. The study rated 100 large regions from least footprint to biggest — and Charlotte ranked No. 72, with emissions rising significantly faster than the national average.
While buildings can be retro-fitted to be more energy efficient, Brentrup said the greatest amount of energy savings can be achieved by designing new buildings in accordance with environmentally responsible practices. He is working with the University to develop guidelines for ensuring the efficiency of new buildings, and has consulted with the architects of the Student Union and the Energy Production and Infrastructure Center.
During his 15-years at the helm of the Daylighting Lab, Brentrup also has developed numerous partnerships within Mecklenburg County. Local architects and government have consulted with the lab in the design of facilities including Imaginon, Freedom Center (400,000 square feet of County office space), the Health and Social Services Building, and the Renaissance Recreational Sports Learning Academy, a new project in the pipeline.