Daylighting Glare and Design for Visual Comfort

Daylighting and glare simulation provide architecture students, professionals, and researchers with the knowledge and skillsets to design environments for visual comfort. Conducting simulations is essential for better human health and reducing building energy consumption. This paper evaluates the effectiveness of a mixed-methods approach to designing a glare-free environment in a hot-arid region. It examines daylighting and glare distributions in different scenarios with combinations of architectural daylighting devices, such as shading devices, light shelves, etc., using Rhino 7, DIVA, and ClimateStudio. The study concludes by recommending a practical simulation approach for evaluating glare. In this case study, using a customized shading device/light shelf combined with efficient skylights reduces glare to imperceptible and increases the daylit area by 20%.