The students had to follow a specific sequence of phases. The first was an on-site diagnostic, for which they visited Swissnex, took pictures and measurements of their spaces, and got a sense of the surroundings. Using what they had gathered from this, each team proposed an initial daylighting renovation. The ideas were then discussed with the entire class. Next, the students built physical models based on the feedback from the discussion. In the fourth phase, they used simulation tools to validate their approach, subjecting their models to overcast and full-sun conditions. Finally, after tweaking the designs based on what they learned from the physical models, the students ran their proposals through the battery of software programs mentioned above.
While most of the teams had to deal with mitigating exposure to too much light, perhaps the most interesting challenge was in the meeting area, the darkest space in the building, which featured a south-facing wall with multiple windows. Here the students had to figure out a way to bring in more daylight without opening the space to the full aggressive glare of southern sunlight. The group decided to replace the wall with a grid screen of self-shading cells. (They titled their project “Screening Light.”) The screen’s cells are oriented to block incoming sunlight during the summer and allow it inside during the winter. The cells come in a variety of sizes and geometries, favoring the most interesting views and adding visual interest to the space. They also added north-facing skylights to provide additional illumination.
The other groups developed proposals that fit their own projects’ orientations. Those who had northeast and northwest façades employed vertical fins or panels to try to let in light but only at certain angles or after being diffused by reflection on the fins. Those with the southeast or southwest exposures were mostly concerned with glare and potential overheating. They turned to slat- or louver-based systems: a retractable horizontal louver in one, a vertically rotatable and retractable louver that follow the curves of building in the other.
At the conclusion of the class, the students exhibited their work, displaying presentation boards, models, and audio recordings that documented their proposals. (This exhibition was a first for the Daylighting Lab.) The tenants of Swissnex, including the Swiss consul, came to see how the wiz kids of MIT would improve on their digs and were reportedly impressed, though they have no plans to implement any of the solutions. Besides, Andersen never intended her students’ work to be built. “I didn’t want them to be restricted by feasibility, cost-effectiveness, or winning acceptance from the town,” she says. “I wanted radical proposals.”
Details Class/Semester Daylighting, Delight in Greener Daylight, Fall 2009
School Massachusetts Institute of Technology, School of Architecture + Planning, Cambridge, Mass.
Faculty Member Marilyne Andersen
Teaching Assistant Jaime Lee Gagne
Students Bruno Bueno, Sam Cheng, Cristen Chinea, Shreya Dave, Justin Hipp, Kian Yam Hiu Lan, Juliet Hsu, Christelle Huberty, August Liau, Andrea Love, Alejandra Menchaca, Jie Qian, Siobhan Rockcastle, Jason Tapia, Mallory Taub, Kevin Thuot, Yang Yang, and Tea Zakula
Images Courtesy Marilyne Andersen