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Measurements and Comparisons of Sunlighted and North-Lighted Atriums on Two Office Buildings in Dallas, Texas
Abstract
The use of natural light (daylighting) in the
atriums of office buildings is often done to
supplement or eliminate the artificial lighting
otherwise required. To the extent that the
daylight can be effectively admitted and then
distributed, the dependence on artificial light is
reduced, and energy is conserved.
This study involves two major Dallas Texas
office buildings: Dallas City Hall (I. M. Pei and
Partners) and Diamond Shamrock Corp. (Harwood K.
Smith and Partners), both with linear type
atriums. The fenestration type used at City
Hall is a north-facing barrel vault system for
indirect light, while Diamond Shamrock uses a
north-south pyramidal system which permits direct
solar gain.
This paper compares the illumination levels of
these two systems and the relative merits of each,
as well as indicating the effectiveness of
daylight distribution in both buildings. Also
included in this study are data indicating some
brightness ratios for each building and subjective
responses to an informal survey.
Citation
Molinelli, J. F.; Kim, K. (1986). Measurements and Comparisons of Sunlighted and North-Lighted Atriums on Two Office Buildings in Dallas, Texas. Energy Systems Laboratory (http://esl.tamu.edu); Texas A&M University (http://www.tamu.edu). Available electronically from https : / /hdl .handle .net /1969 .1 /6886.