Testing Daylight availability for cliff dwellings by adding Clerestory: A case study in Taba, Egypt

Abstract

The succession of day and night affects human beings’ psychological and health status. Therefore it is essential to transfer the proper amount of daylight. The one-directional daylight source causes the most significant problem in dwellings: the deep gloom sectors. The Clerestory is an old strategy that provides daylight and air inside zones. We develop a strategy to solve daylight problems for earth-sheltered and excavated buildings. The main goal is to measure the enhancement of daylight penetration of excavated mountainous buildings settled in cliffs at various slopes after setting Clerestory. The research presents a simulation study to test Clerestory’s capability to penetrate daylight by using the DIVA plug-in as a tool. The study model is a touristic chalet with a total built-up area of 100sq—meters in Taba, Egypt. The chalet overlooks the Red Sea with a south-oriented facade. The exposed roof’s material and the Clerestory distance inward the facade control daylight penetration and cause a homogeneous daylight distribution.