Flat Glass or Crystal Dome Aperture? A Year-Long Comparative Analysis of the Performance of Light Pipes in Real Residential Settings and Climatic Conditions

Abstract

This paper presents the first comparative study of its type of the performance of light pipes with different types of apertures: a flat glass versus a bohemian crystal dome. Measurements were taken at 20-minute intervals over a period of one year in the bathrooms of two newly built identical houses of the same orientation located in Manchester, UK. The comparative analysis of the data collected for both light pipes types reveals that the crystal domed aperture consistently outperforms the flat glass one. Furthermore, the difference in the recorded horizontal illuminance is most marked during the winter months and at the end of the one-year experiment, indicating that the crystal dome has better performance for low incident winter light and higher resistance for the long term effect of weathering and pollution. This study provides strong evidence based on long term real measurements. Such evidence informs architects’ decisions when weighing up the aesthetic considerations of a flat glass aperture versus the higher illumination levels afforded by a crystal dome aperture with higher resistance to weathering and pollution.

A Novel Approach to Multi-Apertures and Multi-Aspects Ratio Light Pipe

“…A diamond-shaped dome for the collector captures more light than a simple dome and this was proved in this study [58]. Also a comparison between the flat and crystal dome collectors, which is done by M. Sibley and A. Peña-García [59]; The crystal dome allows transmit a higher luminous flux than a flat glass in the colder months of the year (winter), this rate increases even more; As a result, the crystal dome performs better than flat glass, especially when pollution and effects of weathering are involved in the analysis, moreover for this crystal dome cover, antireflective glass with a high transmittance coefficient is recommended. Radiance properties of materials for light pipes in our case study are shown in Table 3.…”

The Future of Interior Lighting Is Here

“…The Special Issue, entitled "The Future of Interior Lighting Is Here", addressed several subjects on interior lighting such as architectural lighting, daylighting, Human Centric Lighting (HCL), the impact on human health, lighting design, sustainability, and social impact and wellbeing. A total number of eleven articles, ten research papers [24][25][26][27][28][29][30][31][32][33] and one review paper [34], were published. In terms of the geographical distribution of the affiliations of the 34 contributing authors, contributions originated from ten countries, including Austria, Denmark, France, Germany, Korea, Slovakia, Spain, Sweden, Tunisia, and UK.…”

“…Sibley and Pena-Garcia [33] presented a comparative study concerning the performance of light pipes with two different types of apertures. A bohemian crystal dome was compared to a flat glass.…”

Modular Construction of Industrial Buildings and Lean Thinking—Identifying the Role of Daylight through a Case Study

“…Tsangrasoulis et al [12] have undertaken studies in order to examine a hybrid system of natural light, while Doulos et al [13] investigated the correlation between dimming and natural light hybrid systems, whereas Kontadakis et al [14] concentrated on the effect of dynamic daylight redirection systems. In addition to the above, various studies have been carried out on the research into daylighting systems within various types of buildings, and their results [15][16][17][18] provide evidence and scope to integrate these elements into a holistic approach towards an example design. If daylight design is left unchecked, it can create negative conditions in terms of the individual energy characteristics of the proposed solution to heating and cooling needs.…”