Analysis and design of a new roof monitor for day and night illumination of a large volume room

The Illuminating Engineering Society of North America (IESNA) Lighting Handbook recommends illuminance criteria for specific applications to raise the ''minimum standard of care'' required of lighting design to meet human, economic environmental, and architectural concerns. Specific criteria for daylighting of auditoriums (i.e., large rooms) focus on the importance of daylighting integration, control and flexibility, illuminance levels, light distribution, color appearance, and glare. A new skylight design for day and night illumination of a large volume room is proposed. The feasibility of this unique design uses clerestory windows, also known as a roof monitor, and an outdoor lighting array. The design illuminates a room 100-feet wide, 100-feet long, and 75-feet high, located at 40°-north latitude. Comparisons have been made to flat skylight wells for the same volume. The demonstrated design meets lighting criteria that satisfy IESNA standards for day and night to play basketball, a task that requires low contrast and involves small sized objects, like a basketball. The design has been tested with AGI32 software created by Lighting Analysts, Inc of Littleton, Colorado. Results show the new skylight meets IESNA criteria F (for tasks like basketball) during the daytime with an assist by external lighting as the setting sun reduces the daylight. © SAGE Publications 2008.