Green Design: Daylighting

Click on the images above to learn about the green design features of 14 Maple Avenue.

 

Daylighting is typically part of a broader strategy to reduce energy costs by designing for more natural light to penetrate the building, reducing the need for artificial light as well as the extra load on the cooling system.

What are some examples of daylighting?
Daylighting combines different ideas to achieve its desired effect. For example, in the Dodge Foundation offices, interior light shelves which you will see above the windows, bounce natural light coming into our office up to the ceiling first, which helps distribute light more evenly and more deeply into the room. This reduces the need for artificial lighting.

Glass walls used throughout our offices capitalize on that natural light from the light shelves, by allowing it to penetrate even further into interior spaces. The glass walls also provide views to the exterior from interior offices.

Aluminum sun shades on the building’s exterior block summertime solar heat gain and allow solar warmth in winter months, which saves energy costs by maintaining a more constant temperature of the building.

And high performance windows also provide for warmer interiors during the winter and cooler interiors during the summer, and result in lower energy costs. 

 

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