Light wells in residential building as a complementary daylight source

This paper presents the results of the illumination measurements and analyses, carried out on the scale model of an energy conscious multi storey apartment building using light wells as an additional source of daylight. The design of the building is based on a compact longitudinal structure consisting of east or west oriented flats with only one outer wall and a deep ground-plan. To additionally daylight the central areas of the building and at the same time to control the heat gains and losses, three types of innovative light-guiding systems with several variations were devised. The illuminance measurements on the scale models were carried out under an artificial sky. The measurements showed that the best results were obtained by using light well with wide upper and narrow lower part into which the reflecting wall was placed. In all the cases the reference values were reached. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.