High ceilings and an underfloor air-distribution system allow hot air to stratify and condition lower spaces in the room. Daylighting and Windows Editor’s note: for more daylighting tips, see Part 1 in spring 2008. View the issue online at www.HPBmagazine.org. Daylighting has many benefits including saving energy, increasing productivity and improving health. These strategies have simple dollar paybacks ranging from two or three years to first-cost advantages. When selecting the most cost-effective strategies, choose air-conditioned spaces that are used frequently. In rooms that are to be sidelit with assistance from lightshelves, slope the ceiling from the top of the window down to the interior corridor wall. This maximizes the high clerestory glass areas uniformly across the exterior wall and allows for mechanical system components 10 HigH D i a g r a m 1 Sloped ceiling in classrooms bounce daylight to the back of the room and can reduce required glazing by 5%. close to the halls. The sloped ceiling approach increases daylighting performance and reduces glazing areas. It also can help eliminate the need to increase the floor-to-floor dimension in multistory buildings. See Diagram 1. Use clear, double glazing in glass areas that are integral to the dayfa l l 2 0 0 8 lighting strategy to maximize visible light transmission. Even using low-e glass in roof monitor areas or clerestory areas will hurt daylighting performance and increase overall design cost. Only use the minimum amount of glass necessary to achieve lighting Performing Buildings
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Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of High Performing Buildings - Fall 2008