Analysis of Lighting Performance in the Architecture Design Studio: The Case of Architecture Department, Salahaddin University-Erbil

In the design studios, daylighting and artificial lighting have a primary influence on providing visual comfort and students’ satisfaction with the environment. The design and drawing activities performed in these spaces require an acceptable lighting performance. The aim of this study is evaluating the lighting quality in the design studios and providing lighting design recommendations to improve the students’ creativity and productivity. Observations were performed to obtain physical studio data and existing lighting system. A simulation software, namely DiaLux Evo 10, is used to simulate the lighting performance in the existing design studio at the Department of Architecture, College of Engineering, Salahaddin University-Erbil (SUE). The simulation results of daylight factor (DF), illumination levels (Lux), and glare value are analyzed in accordance to the British/ European Standard (BS EN 12464-1:2021). The results reveal that the lighting performance at the studied design studio is not sufficient, thus the study suggests possible modifications for the type and quantity of existing artificial lighting.