Variations in Wall Fenestrations for Institutional Buildings to Achieve Optimal Daylighting - A Simulation-Based Approach, Case of Chennai, India

Effective daylighting in institutional classrooms often results in lesser usage of artificial lighting, thereby reducing electrical consumption and additionally enhancing the visual comfort for the user. This study explores how to manipulate Window to Wall Ratios (WWR) strategically and include different forms of fenestration to optimize natural lighting in an academic studio environment. The process includes computer simulations using design builder software with varying cases. With the baseline conditions, cases are tested from minimum to maximum window area coverage, with several WWR layouts and increased sill levels to find the best ratio for optimizing daylight penetration. In addition to adjusting WWR, the research investigates various fenestration styles, such as light shelves and clerestories, which demonstrate their better performance. A thorough examination of daylight distribution patterns under different setups is made possible using the metrics Spatial Daylight Autonomy (SDA), Annual Sunlight Exposure (ASE), and Uniform Daylight Illuminance (UDI) by computational simulation. From the results, it may be noted that maximum illuminance inside the classroom can be achieved with respect to UDI, SDA AND ASE by having a 30% window wall ratio with the sill height of 1.5m without the addition of clerestory and light shelves.