Indoor Environmental 

Control

Lecture 02
Dr. Ali Sedki
Measuring of light – important terminologies
Luminous Flux
is the rate at which a 
light source emits 
light. 

In other words, 
luminous flux 
is the amount 
of light 
emitted by a 
source. 

Measurement 
units 
in lumens.
Measuring of light – important terminologies
Luminous Intensity
It takes into account the
luminous flux (amount of
light) and the angle of
distribution (direction of
light). For instance, a spot
light and a flood light may
both emit 1000 lumens, but
the spot light has a much
higher intensity because the
light is focused into a smaller
cone.
Luminous intensity is
measured
in candelas or candlepower.

So luminous intensity is:

Quantity of light (luminous flux) emitted per
second in a specified direction within a given
angle.
Measuring of light – important terminologies

Illuminance is a measure of the amount of light

that falls on a specific surface area and is
measured in lux (metric) or foot candles (imperial).
A 1000 lumen spot light will illuminate a small area
much more than a 1000 lumen flood light because
more of the spot light's lumens are hitting the small
surface. As a rough guide, 1 foot candle (FC) = 10
lux.

Luminance is the measure of an object's

brightness or the amount of light that is coming off
an illuminated surface. The unit of measurement is
the foot‐lambert. The brightness of an object has to
do with the amount of light that hits it and the
amount of light that is reflected back.
Measuring of light – important terminologies
Daylight ‐ background

Path of sun in summer and winter

http://andrewmarsh.com/apps/releases/sunpath3d.html
Daylight Factor
Daylight Factor (DF)
The daylight factor is the ratio of internal illuminance at a point in a room to the 
external illuminance.

Like other light measurements the internal illuminance is normally taken at the 
horizontal working plane level i.e. 0.85 metres above floor level.
The table below gives some daylight factor recommendations.
Average Minimum
Area Daylight daylight
factor factor
Commercial Buildings:
General office 5% 2%
Classroom 5% 2%
Dwellings:
Kitchen 2%
Living room 1%
Bedroom 0.5%
Daylight Factor
Example 1
Calculate the illuminance at a point in a room given the daylight factor of 5% if 
the external illuminance is 9500 lux.

Therefore:
Internal illuminance = ( Daylight factor x External illuminance ) / 100%
Internal illuminance = ( 5 x 9500 ) / 100%
Internal illuminance = 475 lux

Example 2
Calculate the illuminance at a point in a domestic kitchen if the average external 
illuminance is 5000 lux.
From the above table the recommended daylight factor for a kitchen is 2%.
Internal illuminance = ( Daylight factor x External illuminance ) / 100%
Internal illuminance = ( 2 x 5000 ) / 100%
Internal illuminance = 100 lux
Daylight Factor
In the UK broadly bands average daylight factors into the following categories:
• Under 2 – Not adequately lit – artificial lighting is required
• Between 2 and 5 – Adequately lit but artificial lighting may be needed part 
of the time
• Over 5 – Well lit – artificial lighting generally not required, except at dawn 
and dusk
To calculate Ei (illuminance due to daylight at a point on the indoors working 
plane), requires knowing the amount of outside light received inside of a 
building. Light can reach a room through a glazed window, rooflight, or other 
aperture via three paths:
• Direct light from a patch of sky visible at the point considered, known as the 
sky component (SC),
• Light reflected from an exterior surface and then reaching the point 
considered, known as the externally reflected component (ERC),
• Light entering through the window but reaching the point only after 
reflection from an internal surface, known as the internally reflected 
component (IRC).
• The sum of the three components gives the illuminance level (typically 
measured in lux) at the point considered:  Illuminance = SC + ERC + IRC
Daylight Contours
Contours
Contours of equal amounts of daylight can be produced for rooms to give an
indication of where the illumination from outside falls and the effects of
differing window shapes, as shown below.
Dimming Control of daylighting
Daylighting Control
It is the controls that dim or turn off electric lights in response to levels of
natural daylight.

There are two types of daylighting control systems: 
Dimming controls: Dimming control varies the light output over a wide range
to provide the desired light level.
Switching controls: turn individual lamps off or on as required.
Control of daylight
• In a conventional two‐lamp fixture, there are three settings: both lamps off,
one lamp on, both lamps on. The same strategy can be used with three‐ and
four‐lamp fixtures. Dimming systems require electronic dimmable ballasts
and are more expensive than switching systems, however, they achieve the
largest savings and do not have the abrupt changes in light level
characteristic of switching systems.

• Dimming systems are best suited to offices, schools and any areas where
desk work is being performed. Switching systems can be used in areas with
high natural light levels (e.g., atria, entranceways) and where non‐critical
visual tasks are being performed (e.g., cafeterias, hallways). Of course,
neither system is appropriate in non‐daylight areas. The lighting control
zones and number of sensors need to be carefully designed. At least one
sensor is required for each building orientation. The lighting control zone
should only be as deep into the building as is effectively daylight; about five
metres from windows in conventional office plans. Light shelves can extend
the daylight zone further into the building interior.
Control of daylight

Atriums and Lightwells create

opportunities for introducing natural
light and ventilation deep into the
building. Factors to consider are:

• The structure of the atrium roof

can reduce its transparency by
between 20% and 50%.

• The surface finish in respect of

color and reflectance of the atrium
walls

EDS building ‐ plano, TX
Control of daylight

Calgary new central library ‐ Canada
Control of daylight

The use of reflective surfaces outside the viewing range such as light shelves and
louvers are an excellent way to overcome glaring problem. Many designers have
utilized these techniques, as shown below, to produce glare−free interiors with
good natural daylighting levels and a dynamic visual quality that exploits the
changing nature of natural light.

Use of light shelves or other reflective surfaces to direct sunlight Into a space
without glare
Control of daylight

Pomona's buildings – Pomona’s college, South California
Control of daylight

Interior of cultural centre Manifatture Knos, Lecce, Italy.
Control of daylight

Light pipes gather incoming sunlight sometimes using a solar tracking system.
The light is concentrated using lenses or mirrors and is then transmitted to
building interiors by pipes.
Control of daylight

A light tube installed in the subterranean train station atPotsdamer Platz, Berlin

Control of daylight
Refraction Of Sunlight ‐ LCP angular selective skylights

• Laser Cut Panel redirect light 
through pyramid skylight
• The use of angular selective glazing 
upon atria allows the rejection of 
high elevation direct sunlight 
whilst redirecting and therefore 
improving low elevation skylight 
penetration
Collecting ,Transp. (Fibre optics), and Mix with Artificial Light (Hybrid system)

1. Collecting head unit
2. Duct unit 
3. Diffuser unit
4. lamps
5. Hollow light guides
6. Coupling and diffuser unit
7. Electronic control system
Collecting ,Transp. (Fibre optics), and Mix with Artificial Light (Hybrid system)

• The system uses roof‐mounted concentrators 
to collect and separate the visible and 
infrared portions of sunlight
• The visible portion is distributed through 
large‐diameter optical fibers to hybrid 
luminaires
• Hybrid luminaires are lighting fixtures that 
contain both electric lamps and fiber optics 
for direct sunlight distribution. 
• When sunlight is plentiful, the fibre optics in 
the luminaires provide all or most of the light 
needed in an area. Unlike conventional 
electric lamps, they produce little heat
• During times of little or no sunlight, sensor‐
controlled electric lamps operate to maintain 
the desired illumination level