The effect of window orientation on the amount of light in the inner space over year using DIALux Evo application simulation

Abstract

The visual comfort of users in residential buildings is undoubtedly a substance and necessary to put an attention. About 30-40% of human activities are spent at the house, such as working, studying, reading, and resting. To support these activities, they need a lighting condition from natural and artificial light. Natural light can be achieved by making various openings, such as windows, skylights, and ventilation that are tailored to the lighting needs of the room. The general case for natural lighting is the effective positions for the openings because it can affect the distribution and the amount of light for which passing to the inside. Other consequences of the opening’s position are radiation levels, visual comfort, and the use of energy for the electric lights. This research aims to find the appropriate orientation of windows through the amount of light in the inner space over the year. The method is qualitative research by collecting data in the form of the amount of light entering through window openings at four different positions based on cardinal orientations in a 12 m2 empty room in a natural setting to interpret the phenomena. The research is using the digital simulation of the DiaLux Evo 9.1 software. The result of this study is that the placement of windows in north and south orientations has met the Indonesian National Standard (SNI) with a value range of 146 - 1879 lx. These results meet the need for various functions of space in the house, such as terraces, garages, dining rooms, workspaces, bedrooms, living rooms. guest and bathroom. Meanwhile, the openings located in the east and west directions have the value range of 179 - 213 lx which less matches with the standard.