AREN 2004: Architectural Design II - Light and Lighting Systems

This course aims to develop an understanding of the role of light and lighting in the perception of architecture and human well-being. Studio: The studio component of the course will explore the interactions between light, materials, spaces, and people. Students will engage these topics through architectural design studies for a project with well- specified lighting and architectural needs. Modeling, visualization and simulation software, orthographic drawings, and physical models are used to explore and analyze architectural design concepts. Lectures: The lecture components of the course focuses on the design of illumination systems in buildings. A general introduction to the visual environment is provided, including subjective and objective scales of measurement, visual perception, photometry, brightness, luminance, illumination, natural and artificial lighting. Other topics include photometric units, light sources, daylight luminaries, lighting quality, light loss factors, average luminance calculations (lumen method), point-by-point calculations, performance impacts, and ethics. Field measurements and computer simulations are used to explore some major aspects of architectural illumination systems. Design problems are solved by considering economic evaluation, energy saving criteria and applicable standards and building codes. Students will be introduced to the use of computer tools for the design, analysis, and visualization of natural and artificial lighting in buildings. This course uses studio and lecture based teaching methods Students may not receive credit for both AREN 2004 and AREN 3003