Glass in daylighting design, an experimental investigation of the impact of glass types

Abstract

This paper reports on an experimental study that investigated the impact of clear and diffusing glass types on the design and performance of daylighting systems. Scale models of toplighting and sidelighting systems were tested in the lab under the standard CIE overcast sky. Quantitative analysis of the test results documented, with a good level of accuracy, the impact of different glass types on the overall efficiency of daylighting systems, and showed their impact on the distribution of light intensities inside the spaces tested. The findings and recommendations of this study should be helpful to architects and engineers who do design (or engineer) daylighting systems