Better Performance of Students by Proper Utilization of Daylight in Classrooms Case Study: The Architecture School, Iran University of Science and Technology

Qualitative environmental factors have an enormous impact on performance of the main users of educational spaces, i.e. students. Given the important impact of lighting on visual activities and also non-visual factors, such as performance of the students, mood, synchronization of the biological clock in educational environments, the level of appropriate lighting must be provided. In this field, one of the most effective qualitative environmental factors is appropriate utilization of daylight in designing educational classes. Besides improvement of student's performance, appropriate daylight affects the health of students and leads to saving energy consumption. In the case study of this paper, the results of the objective observations and questionnaire obtained from 82 students, show that students in appropriate day-lighted classes and ateliers have more satisfaction and better performance. Also these students have more tendency to have daylight in their classrooms than artificial lighting. In this paper, the effective factors of utilization appropriate daylight in educational classes were evaluated in a case study, i.e. architecture school of Iran University of Science and Technology that is similar to other universities in terms of design principles. This evaluation is useful for physical modification of similar constructed samples and better designing of new buildings. One part of this research was related to determining the characteristics of appropriate daylight in educational spaces. In this field, required data were collected from credible sources and standards. In this context the most important indexes are daylight factor (the ratio of indoor illuminance and outdoor illuminance, which can be measured for a specific point or for an average of a space) and illuminance (in Lux and FC units). In next step, specifications of building of the case study of this research (locations and sizes of classes and ateliers and their windows and skylights), have been identified. These spaces are simulated in lighting simulation and calculation software (DIALUX) in the next step. In this simulation, location, orientation and sizes of classes and their windows and skylights, as well as joinery and glass materials of these spaces, the geographic information (latitude and longitude) and the status of air pollution of case study location (Tehran) are considered. The results of simulation and calculation of software (DIALUX) are compared with standard characteristics of daylight in educational spaces. Finally, the factors affecting the optimal daylight on these spaces are evaluated. The results indicated very low use of artificial light is correlated with greater satisfaction and better student performance in classrooms and more natural lighting; moreover, more students tend to have natural light in the classroom and atelier. Research results show that the main problem of day-lighting in this case study is low area of windows facing north which is equal to windows area facing south. The dark colored ceiling in some classes and ateliers, crossing utilities channel from unsuitable places (over windows) and incorrect location of some classes (underground floors) are other problem of day-lighting in this case study. Also utilization of skylights is very effective on improving the quality of daylight in some ateliers. In this paper, the amount of effectiveness of each desirable/ undesirable expressed factors is presented.