The Daylight Visualizer software by VELUX was utilised as a part of the daylight design strategy for Oasis Academy in Leesbrook, United Kingdom. The data showed how rooflight reduction sometimes optimises the daylight design of a building.
The Oasis Academy has been built on the former Breeze Hill School site spreading over 19 acres. In the main building, the smaller classrooms located on the perimeter benefit from daylight through vertical glazing, whereas the larger, deep, double-height communal spaces, located in the heart of the building, needed daylight from above. Larger activity spaces like the sports hall, the gym and the library, required specific daylight levels and quality to comply with legal requirements for schools in the UK.
Specification Manager in VELUX Commercial GBI Wai Cheung was involved in the project and the one to reach out to Pozzoni Architects to win the project as daylight provider.
“This was actually my third time reaching out to Pozzoni Architects on one of their projects to convince them that VELUX Commercial would be the right partner for them. The industry standard for daylight design is largely based on previous experience of the architect or the designer with vertical and horizontal daylight solutions. We therefore needed to show them that we are more than a company selling roof windows – we are daylight engineers.”
“I knew that I needed another strategy to convince them to choose our solution and given the legal requirements and building complexity of Oasis Academy, the Daylight Visualizer would be a good tool to bring to the table because of its accurate daylight simulation calculations.”
At that time in 2018, it was still new territory for us to use the software on a commercial project, but I was curious to see what the Daylight Visualizer could do for this building.
Wai Cheung, Specification Manager in VELUX Commercial GBI
VELUX Daylight Visualizer is a professional lighting simulation tool for the analysis of daylight conditions in buildings. It is intended to promote the use of daylight by predicting and documenting daylight levels indoors while designing a building.
VELUX Daylight Visualizer data demonstrates how rooflight reduction optimises daylight design
The original design introduced six roof areas with 24 horizontal penetrations of varying sizes, shapes and positioning. However, the architect was unsure whether the design was sufficient to meet the requirements set out by the Department of Education in the UK, and by using the Daylight Visualizer, VELUX Commercial could help to ensure more precise projections.
Applying the software, Technical Market Support analysed the early 3D model of the building for daylight conditions. The software simulated the daylight factor (DF), luminance and illuminance to accurately predict the daylight levels, rooflight quantity, distribution and the appearance of the space when lit by natural light. The data was interpreted and provided some unexpected results.
The suggestions for five of the design areas was to reduce the number of skylights from 24 to 18 and in one area to eliminate skylights altogether, resulting in significant savings. Immaterial of the cost reduction, the analysis showed that reducing the amount of the openings and changing the size, type, angle and location would provide significant improvements to the quality of daylight but also enhance acoustics, sense of calmness and feeling of space in the school.
“The higher luminance achieved by the inclusion of the skylights in the original design would have been counterproductive as it created more daylight than necessary, a higher glare level and provided less thermal comfort in the rooms. In the remaining four areas the suggested roof openings were therefore reduced, repositioned and resized to provide more balanced daylight, says Wai Cheung.”
The VELUX Daylight Visualizer brings accuracy in the early design stage and significant project savings
The use of the Daylight Visualizer software at the concept stage created a more prescriptive and analytical approach to daylight design for the school. The ability to accurately calculate, visualise and compare various daylight solutions prior to the realisation of the design made it possible for the designer and contractor to make the daylight design a homogenous part of the building and demonstrated more is not always better.
The result is not just the optimal design for daylight availability but also direct tangible impact on the costs for the designer and contractor. The accurate and compliance-focused daylight design of the Visualizer made the process of getting it approved according to legal requirements quicker and cheaper. The daylight analysis results were then used to improve the focus of the contractor’s market testing stage, narrowing the pricing options and streamlining the process. Meanwhile, the suggested reduction from 24 to 18 openings would see a 33% cost reduction in supply and install, equating to savings of approximately £49,000.
This project really shows that we put customers first and accommodate their needs and wishes"
Wai Cheung, Specification Manager in VELUX Commercial GBI
Wai Cheung is happy about the result and especially the repeat business that followed after Oasis Academy:
“My job as a specification manager is not solely about quantity and volume of roof windows when working on a project. It’s about servicing the customer and choosing the right amount, the right size and the right rooflight for each project. This project really shows that we put customers first and accommodate their needs and wishes and my experience is that it gains trust in us as a partner. We have witnessed it first hand with Pozzoni Architects, who I have now worked with on eight other projects since Oasis Academy – also using the Daylight Visualizer – and that repeat business is for me the most important thing.”
Alice Parker from Pozzoni Architecture comments on the partnership: “Early engagement with VELUX Commercial and the application of the Daylight Visualizer software right from the concept stage of the project, allowed us to be confident with the suggested reductions in rooflights. Moving forward, this cooperation indicated that efficient daylight design can be done right the first time.”