Paradigm in Sustainability and Environmental Design: Lighting Utilization Contributing to Surplus-Energy Office Buildings

Abstract

This paper addresses the lighting design strategies and advanced technologies used in the design of the Masdar Headquarters, an office building set within Abu Dhabi, the United Arab Emirates. The building, which is now under construction, is expected to have 103% net-positive energy use. The work emphasizes design goals centered on human visual needs and investigates lighting conditions related to sustainable and climatically responsive architecture. The optimization of the daylighting design strategies is presented, including a shading trellis with integrated photovoltaic cells, the conical courtyards, and the sawtooth facade. The study highlights electric lighting concepts predicated on available daylight and advanced lighting controls that incorporate digital dimming ballasts, programmed and user operable controls, daylight harvesting, and occupancy monitoring. Simulation was utilized to investigate parameters such as daylight factor, daily radiant energy including photosynthetically active radiation (PAR) and average daily total (ADT), and sunlight patterns. These analyses informed the daylighting design, electric lighting design, and the specific lighting controls. Such lighting components supplemented by other design strategies contribute to the energy-use goals while providing high quality luminous environments that meet end-users' visual needs.