'The Fourth Wave of Lighting Design' research at Victoria University
School of Architecture student James Sullivan features in the latest Daylighting publication for HomeTech, as a part of the company’s sponsorship of his Master of Building Science thesis.
HomeTech Solatube Ltd has been collaborating with the School of Architecture’s Centre for Building Performance Research (CBPR) since 2011, with the objective of improving the productivity and performance of people who spend their working day in large buildings. James’ research focussed on a particular computer room in the Faculty of Architecture and Design where the lighting required improvement, his project spanned a 15-month period.
As a result of James’ work, the computer room was equipped with HomeTech Solatubes, which capture daylight from the roof above and direct it into the room below through highly reflective tubing, greatly improving the lighting situation in the room and lowering power bills. James’ research role included identifying and quantifying the benefits of natural light compared to artificial lighting.
James was supervised by Senior Lecturer Michael Donn, who specialises in lighting and its impact on the working environment. Mr Donn says that James’ research approach placed him in a unique position to contribute to the CBPR 2013 project for the government’s Property Management Centre of Expertise as part of their work into improving public sector performance. “With Professor George Baird, he completed an extensive review of the evidence for the links between environmental quality and productivity,” he says.
James’ research provides new insights into Solatube technology, but further research needs to be done to completely understand the benefits of optimising daylight harvesting in large buildings. James graduates on 12 December this year with a Masters in Building Science with Distinction, and intends to pursue a PhD in his field. He plans to investigate what is known as the Fourth Wave of Lighting Design: designing lighting for people’s pleasure, comfort and productivity, not for a simplistic ‘light level’ that can be measured by a light meter.
Read the full story about James’ research here www.hometech.co.nz/uploads/files/daylighting_5_highres.pdf
A copy of James’ thesis can be found on the Victoria University Research Archives:
http://researcharchive.vuw.ac.nz/handle/10063/2892
Image caption: James Sullivan and Mike Donn test the lux levels in the FAD computer room