Study of the Visual Environment of a LEED® Gold Laboratory: User Perspective and Visual Quality
Ying Hua, Cornell University
This presentation reports a post-occupancy study of a LEED Gold laboratory building on a university campus, which features an extensive daylighting design. A visual environment evaluation tool kit was developed and tested in this study. The instruments include spot measurement of light levels at various work surfaces with different lighting and shades scenarios, continuous light level monitoring at multiple locations with different distance from the facade, fish-eye lens pictures for glare identification, lighting systems auditing, and occupant survey and interview. The objective and subjective data collected were used to examine the daylight quality and the general visual environment quality in the laboratory space, the effectiveness of the daylighting design, as well as the relationship between the visual environment quality and occupant perception of comfort, satisfaction, and performance in the laboratory building. The presentation will also explore the interface between daylighting and artificial lighting as a means to create a high-quality and environmentally effective visual environment for users and the level of individual control on visual environment. Radiance simulation was carried out to complement the measurement of daylight penetration and distribution in the laboratory space.
Results from this study informed the improvement of the visual environment of the building studied. Suggestions cover ambient lighting, task lighting, control, and façade design. The toolkit is optimized for laboratory owners and users to diagnose problems and identify solutions. Laboratory building daylighting design and POE guidelines are generated for maximizing the benefits from daylighting for both the occupants and the environment. This study is supported by Cornell Climate Action Plan as part of a collective effort to investigate strategies for a sustainable campus.
Biography:
Ying Hua received her Ph.D. from the School of Architecture at Carnegie Mellon University in the United States. Her research and teaching activities at Cornell University demonstrate a deep interest in design for sustainability and a comprehensive understanding in human behavior and experience in the built environment. She has been conducting research on the effect of passive strategies on building energy performance, building systems integration, life cycle analysis of green building strategies, building post-occupancy evaluation, and the relationship between workplace environment and occupant perception and performance. The goal of her research is to inform the design, management, and reengineering of various types of buildings to support the performance of individuals and teams, as well as the sustainability of buildings and the larger environment. One of her courses was recently awarded the Excellence in Green Building Curriculum Incentive by the U.S. Green Building Council.
Dr. Hua is an active speaker on international conferences and workshops of green building design and sustainable development, and is currently serving on the Committee of Academic Affairs of the International Facility Management Association Foundation. She is actively promoting the integration of stakeholders in the building delivery process and building life cycle to achieve the sustainable goal in the building sector. As a 2009 Abe Fellow awarded by Japan Foundation Center for Global Partnership and the Social Science Research Council, Dr. Hua is carrying out a comparative study on sustainable building policy framework in Japan, the United States, and China from 2009 to 2011.