contentsIntroduction 2Design Criteria 5Component Requirements 7Skylight Well System Integration 14System Design 18Conceptual Examples 21Glossary 24Resources 28Notes 30SummaryTraditionally, skylight wells in large, low-rise commercialbuildings have been custom designed and site built, anexpensive and labor-intensive process. This design briefexplores the benefits of a better alternative: splayed modularskylight wells specifically designed for use with suspendedceilings. These prefabricated systems, which consist of a two-part light well with a throat and a splay, are a relatively newdesign concept. Although they are not yet commerciallyavailable, there is considerable market interest in these systemsthanks to their potential to provide superior lighting quality,increase energy efficiency, improve occupant comfort, andlower installation costs. This design brief provides four conceptual examples ofprefabricated skylight well systems. Each of these proposeddesigns integrates suspended ceilings and traditional skylightsystems to introduce daylight into commercial spaces withfinished ceilings. As a new concept, splayed modular skylight wells can solvemany issues faced by designers who wish to provide daylight inlarge, low-rise buildings. The following key issues need to beaddressed when designing with these systems: ■ Design to achieve the best light quality for optimal energysavings while working with conventional building systems,construction processes, and standards.■ With each skylight well component, satisfy minimumperformance goals for illumination, energy use, fire safety,structural integrity, and assembly sequence.energydesignresourcesSKYLIGHTS WITH SUSPENDED CEILINGSA splayed modular skylight wellis a cost-effective and energy-efficient way to introduce high-quality daylight into schools, retailstores, offices, and other low-risebuildings with suspended ceilings.design brief■ Treat skylighting design as an iterative process. Refine theskylighting design as other building systems are designed.The skylighting design can start with simple assumptions andbe fine-tuned along the way using sophisticated design tools.IntroductionThis design brief shows how a splayed modular skylight systemcan reduce skylight installation costs, provide reliableperformance and construction quality, facilitate coordinationwith other building systems, and make maintenance easier.Architects and contractors, as well as school districtadministration, retailers, and other building owners, can benefitfrom such a prefabricated system that easily integrates withsuspended ceilings and can be marketed and distributedthrough existing industry channels. A number of manufacturersare currently developing modular skylight systems for thecommercial building market; in the meantime, the content inthis Design Brief will help reduce your time spent on creatingeffective skylighting designs.What is a Splayed Modular Skylight Well System? This relatively new design concept consists of a two-part lightwell system with a throat and a splay. The throat is the upperpart of the well directly below the skylight. Its primary purposeis to channel light efficiently through the plenum. The splay isthe lower part of the well that connects to the ceiling. Itsprimary purpose is to allow the daylight to spread as widely aspossible, while reducing glare from overly brigh surfaces.Thus, a splay will improve light distribution and overalllighting quality in a space. It can also reduce the cost of askylighting system because fewer and larger skylights can beused to provide a given amount of daylight illuminance andenergy savings. Figure 1 shows a throat and splay for a basicmodular skylight well.PAG E 2 SKYLIGHTS WITH SUSPENDED CEILINGSThe glossary at the end of thisdesign brief provides definitions ofcommon skylighting terminology.PAG E 3SKYLIGHTS WITH SUSPENDED CEILINGSBenefits of SkylightsDaylight is often considered the highest quality light source. Itprovides flicker-free light, and has excellent color renderingqualities. There is increasing demand for daylight in low-risebuildings such as retail stores, office complexes, and schools.Skylights can bring daylight into the center of these buildings toprovide better lighting quality and more reliable energy savingsthan daylight designs relying solely on windows. Increased sales and performance. A good skylight designprovides relatively uniform illumination throughout a space whileintroducing pleasant variation in lighting quality over the courseof a day and from season to season. In retail stores, daylightingmay result in better color rendition and increased sales.Two separate studies show that stores with skylightsexperienced higher sales that those without.1Recent researchalso links daylight to improved occupant performance. A studysurveying the performance of elementary school students inSeattle, Washington, Fort Collins, Colorado, and Capistrano,California, showed students in classrooms with more daylightachieved higher test scores or made faster learning progress.2Daylight from skylights serves as a reliable daytime lightingsource, resulting in increased building safety and reducedbusiness risk in the event of electricity outages. Figure 1: Cut Section of a Splayed Modular Skylight WellThe throat and splay with structural supports and connector system form thebasic splayed modular skylight well.PAG E 4 SKYLIGHTS WITH SUSPENDED CEILINGSGreater energy savings. Skylights combined withphotocontrols can dramatically reduce the need for electriclighting during the day. In a study of 12 retail stores in SouthernCalifornia, a 27 percent average reduction of lighting energyconsumption resulted when skylights were combined withlighting controls.3When appropriately sized and specified,skylights also reduce the cooling needed to counter heat gainfrom electric lights. Reduced lighting and cooling loadssubstantially increase energy savings. Why Suspended Ceilings?The simple modular nature of a suspended ceiling systemserves many architectural needs in commercial buildings. Atypical suspended ceiling consists of a structural grid of metalT-bar runners that support lightweight, detachable acoustictiles. The regular grid system allows several building systemsto be easily organized with minimal coordination effort,including heating and cooling vents, luminaires, fire sprinklers,audio speakers, structural systems, and plumbing, electricaland mechanical supply.The modular nature of suspended
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