The natural lighting for energy saving and visual comfort in collective housing: A case study in the Algerian building context

Abstract

The present study aims to evaluate natural lighting in the collective housing in the new Algerian building context initiated by the Agency for the Improvement and Development of Housing (AADL). Since the building sector is among the most energy-intensive sectors, this study aims to identify and analyze the factors that can intervene to reduce energy consumption in collective housing, while highlighting the role of architectural design in achieving visual comfort. To achieve this post-occupancy assessment, a survey and on-site measurements were used. The occupant survey confirms the lack of natural lighting in housing units and three indicators stand out: orientation, masks, and floor level. Then the level of natural lighting by on-site measurements in a benchmark building was checked. The level of luminance was simulated with 3DSMax design, and the data was processed with Matlab software. This allowed us to compare simulated levels of lighting for a sample of representative days over a year at different times and sun position during the day, and to conclude by demonstrating the impact of architectural design. The analysis shows the effect of the studied factors on luminous comfort in the habitat and the importance of using simulations as decision support tools to design comfortable and energy efficient housing.