Daylighting in buildings in Iceland: What evaluation methods are suitable for Nordic daylight? Analyzing the need for requirement updates in Icelandic building regulations

Þórðardóttir, Tinna Kristin

4. Term

Lighting Design

2016

2016-05-26

62

Efterhånden som byer bliver tættere og bygninger højere, er det afgørende at sikre bæredygtige løsninger. Dagslys i bygninger har stor betydning for menneskers sundhed, trivsel og energiforbrug. Vurdering af dagslys sker gennem standarder, regler og bæredygtighedscertificeringer, og det er vigtigt, at disse er opdaterede og passer til lokale forhold. Denne afhandling gennemgår metoder til at evaluere dagslys og vurderer deres egnethed til Islands særlige nordiske lysforhold. Den undersøger også, om Islands bygningsregler bør opdateres, da de i dag mangler klare krav til godt dagslys. Arbejdet bygger på et litteraturstudie om Islands geografi, arkitektur- og byplanhistorien i Reykjavík, en analyse af dagslysvurderingsmetoder samt en gennemgang af bygningsregler i Island og Norge og to internationalt anerkendte bæredygtighedscertificeringer. Derudover er der gennemført kvalitative interviews med lysdesignere og arkitekter for at belyse fagfolks viden, erfaringer og bekymringer. Klimabaseret dagslysmodellering (CBDM), en metode der bruger lokale klima- og vejrdata til at beregne dagslys over året, vurderes som den mest velegnede til nordiske forhold. Interviews peger dog på, at CBDM endnu er for ny og kompleks til at blive indført som standard i Islands lille branche. Hypotesen bekræftes: Islands bygningsregler anses generelt for forældede, især i lyset af den øgede tilgængelighed af værktøjer og byggeteknikker til at designe for godt dagslys.

As cities grow denser and buildings get taller, sustainable solutions become crucial. Daylight in buildings strongly affects health, well-being, and energy use. Countries rely on standards, regulations, and sustainability certifications to assess daylight, and these need to be updated and suited to local conditions. This thesis reviews methods for evaluating daylight and assesses their fit for Iceland’s unique Nordic daylight. It also examines whether Iceland’s building regulations should be updated, as they currently lack clear requirements for good daylighting. The study includes a literature review of Iceland’s geography and the architectural and planning history of Reykjavík, an analysis of daylight assessment methods, and a review of building regulations in Iceland and Norway, along with two internationally recognized sustainability certifications. Qualitative interviews with lighting designers and architects were conducted to understand professional knowledge, experiences, and concerns. Climate-Based Daylight Modeling (CBDM), a method that uses local climate and weather data to simulate daylight throughout the year, is identified as the most suitable for Nordic conditions. However, interviews indicate that CBDM is still too new and complex to adopt as a standard in Iceland’s small industry. The hypothesis is confirmed: Iceland’s building regulations are widely considered outdated, especially given the growing availability of tools and construction techniques for designing good daylighting.

[This abstract was generated with the help of AI]

Daylighting ; Nordic daylight ; sustainability certifications ; evaluation methods ; Iceland ; Waldram Diagram ; Daylight factor ; Climate based daylight modeling ; Building regulations

Download
View record in AAU Student Projects

Þórðardóttir, Tinna Kristin:

• Daylighting in buildings in Iceland: What evaluation methods are suitable for Nordic daylight - Analyzing the need for requirement update in Iceland building regulations (2016)