Daylight and glare
With increasing concern over global warming and carbon emissions, monitoring the level and quality of natural light in buildings plays a pivotal role in environmental programs and design.
Bath Cricket Club
We carried out a solar study and glare assessment of a new four floor student accommodation building and cricket school for Gilltown Ltd. We assessed the potential level of solar glare from the proposed glazed facades and the extent to which this may impact train drivers.
Key details
Project name
Bath Cricket Club
Client
Gilltown Ltd
Location
Bath, Somerset
Services provided:
- Glare Analysis
- Reports to Discharge Planning Condition
Challenge
To precisely calculate the glare index of outdoor positions the external obstructions and their elevation must be assessed. We visited the site to identify and map the obstructions while GIS was used to identify their elevation.
The reflectance of the building materials had to be specified so we required rendered images and data on materials from the architect. We employed modelling simulation software to analyse the data and derive results.
Solution
We simulated and analysed a matrix of 3 elements:
- 10 positions of train driver at a height of 2.75 metres above the train line
- Position of windows and façade of the proposed development
- Time of a year: Spring Equinox, 21st March/Autumn Equinox 22nd September and 15th July
For each of the above elements, simulations were carried out from 08:00- 18:00, calculating Daylight Glare Probability, Daylight Glare Index and CIE Glare Index.
We concluded that the proposed development was not the source of glare. The daylight glare probability for the driver position for all three seasons was high and intolerable. However, this was due to the fact that the rail track and driver were totally exposed to the solar radiation and sunlight.
