lightadmission

Lightadmission is a concept in architectural design that emphasizes maximizing the ingress of natural light into built spaces while maintaining comfort and energy efficiency. It encompasses strategies for orienting, shaping, and glazing buildings so that daylight illuminates interiors with minimal reliance on artificial lighting. The term is used in some design guides and professional discussions as a shorthand for daylight-optimizing design.

Origin and usage: The term lightadmission is not part of a formal standard; it appears sporadically in architectural literature and online discussions. In practice, it overlaps with daylighting, solar design, and passive solar heating, but its emphasis is specifically on the controlled admission of light through openings and interior layout.

Techniques and tools: Building orientation relative to sun, window-to-wall ratios, and the use of glazing with selective transmission. Shading devices such as louvers or dynamic blinds. Interior design choices like reflective surfaces and vertical bays. Daylight modeling and simulation tools help predict luminance levels and glare, while daylight harvesting systems adjust artificial lighting in response to daylight availability.

Benefits and challenges: Improved energy efficiency, reduced artificial lighting use, and potential health and productivity benefits from daylight exposure. Challenges include glare, thermal heat gain, and upfront costs. Solutions include high-performance glazing, smart shading, automatic dimming, and thermal mass strategies.

See also: daylighting, passive solar design, solar glazing.