Practicality and Performance of Daylight Trough in The Tropics: A Case Study

¹ Faculty of Built Environment, Universiti Malaya, 50603, Kuala Lumpur
² IEN Consultants Sdn Bhd, Bangsar, 59100, Kuala Lumpur

^a Lim Gene-Harn: limgeneharn@gmail.com

Abstract

The field of office daylighting is vital for both energy efficiency practice and occupants’ visual comfort. With the emergence of green building in Malaysia, building designers are exploring avenues for energy efficiency design; one common strategy is daylighting. The majority literature reviews on daylighting are skewed towards temperate or developed countries, where sky luminous condition is different from that of the Tropics. Conventional daylighting system designs redirect daylight from the envelope or atrium openings, such as light shelves. Presumed to be the pioneer daylight trough in the Tropics, this paper presents the simulated and in-situ lighting level measurements prior to occupancy. This case study presents an as-built daylight trough design which is able to daylight the office space as deep as 6 meters sufficiently. It achieves a lighting power density 1.90W/m2 and saves 39.2% of lighting energy over conventional office lighting energy. Discussed further is the practicality of working with such a system, including cost implication, return on investment and contractual challenges in reaching a consensus on the design. The results reinforce that the effectiveness of daylighting design is very dependable on the sun path and obstacles surrounding the office tower. The RADIANCE simulation correlates well to field measurement results. Further investigation into the light trough, its lighting energy savings, users’ interaction, visual comfort, and glare is still ongoing.