energy design resources design brief SKYLIGHTS WITH SUSPENDED CEILINGS Summary A splayed modular skylight well Traditionally skylight wells in large low rise commercial is a cost effective and energy buildings have been custom designed and site built an expensive and labor intensive process This design brief explores the benefits of a better alternative splayed modular efficient way to introduce highquality daylight into schools retail skylight wells specifically designed for use with suspended ceilings These prefabricated systems which consist of a two stores offices and other low rise part light well with a throat and a splay are a relatively new design concept Although they are not yet commercially buildings with suspended ceilings available there is considerable market interest in these systems thanks to their potential to provide superior lighting quality increase energy efficiency improve occupant comfort and lower installation costs This design brief provides four conceptual examples of prefabricated skylight well systems Each of these proposed designs integrates suspended ceilings and traditional skylight systems to introduce daylight into commercial spaces with finished ceilings As a new concept splayed modular skylight wells can solve many issues faced by designers who wish to provide daylight in large low rise buildings The following key issues need to be addressed when designing with these systems Design to achieve the best light quality for optimal energy savings while working with conventional building systems construction processes and standards With each skylight well component satisfy minimum performance goals for illumination energy use fire safety structural integrity and assembly sequence contents Introduction 2 Design Criteria 5 Component Requirements 7 Skylight Well System Integration 14 System Design 18 Conceptual Examples 21 Glossary 24 Resources 28 Notes 30 The glossary at the end of this Treat skylighting design as an iterative process Refine the design brief provides definitions of skylighting design as other building systems are designed common skylighting terminology The skylighting design can start with simple assumptions and be fine tuned along the way using sophisticated design tools Introduction This design brief shows how a splayed modular skylight system can reduce skylight installation costs provide reliable performance and construction quality facilitate coordination with other building systems and make maintenance easier Architects and contractors as well as school district administration retailers and other building owners can benefit from such a prefabricated system that easily integrates with suspended ceilings and can be marketed and distributed through existing industry channels A number of manufacturers are currently developing modular skylight systems for the commercial building market in the meantime the content in this Design Brief will help reduce your time spent on creating effective skylighting designs What is a Splayed Modular Skylight Well System This relatively new design concept consists of a two part light well system with a throat and a splay The throat is the upper part of the well directly below the skylight Its primary purpose is to channel light efficiently through the plenum The splay is the lower part of the well that connects to the ceiling Its primary purpose is to allow the daylight to spread as widely as possible while reducing glare from overly brigh surfaces Thus a splay will improve light distribution and overall lighting quality in a space It can also reduce the cost of a skylighting system because fewer and larger skylights can be used to provide a given amount of daylight illuminance and energy savings Figure 1 shows a throat and splay for a basic modular skylight well PAGE 2 SKYLIGHTS WITH SUSPENDED CEILINGS Figure 1 Cut Section of a Splayed Modular Skylight Well The throat and splay with structural supports and connector system form the basic splayed modular skylight well Benefits of Skylights Daylight is often considered the highest quality light source It provides flicker free light and has excellent color rendering qualities There is increasing demand for daylight in low rise buildings such as retail stores office complexes and schools Skylights can bring daylight into the center of these buildings to provide better lighting quality and more reliable energy savings than daylight designs relying solely on windows Increased sales and performance A good skylight design provides relatively uniform illumination throughout a space while introducing pleasant variation in lighting quality over the course of a day and from season to season In retail stores daylighting may result in better color rendition and increased sales Two separate studies show that stores with skylights experienced higher sales that those without 1 Recent research also links daylight to improved occupant performance A study surveying the performance of elementary school students in Seattle Washington Fort Collins Colorado and Capistrano California showed students in classrooms with more daylight achieved higher test scores or made faster learning progress 2 Daylight from skylights serves as a reliable daytime lighting source resulting in increased building safety and reduced business risk in the event of electricity outages SKYLIGHTS WITH SUSPENDED CEILINGS PAGE 3 Industry names for suspended Greater energy savings Skylights combined with ceilings include finished ceilings photocontrols can dramatically reduce the need for electric T bar ceilings acoustic tile ceilings lighting during the day In a study of 12 retail stores in Southern and modular ceilings This design California a 27 percent average reduction of lighting energy brief uses the term suspended consumption resulted when skylights were combined with ceilings for all these systems lighting controls 3 When appropriately sized and specified skylights also reduce the cooling needed to counter heat gain from electric lights Reduced lighting and cooling loads substantially increase energy savings Why Suspended Ceilings The simple modular nature of a suspended ceiling system serves many architectural needs in commercial buildings A typical suspended ceiling consists of a structural grid of metal T bar runners that support lightweight detachable acoustic tiles The regular grid system allows several building systems to be easily organized with minimal coordination effort including
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