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Three Advanced Daylighting Technologies: Potentials in Private Office Workplaces Glenn Sweitzer The Royal Institute of Technology, Architectural Lighting, Sweden Abstract The parade of daylighting technologies that evolved in the wake of the energy crises of the 70s has closed ranks. Variously-coated low-emissivity insulating glazings have emerged as the leaders and currently enjoy widespread market penetration and user acceptance. Several less-conventional examples, including light pipes, prismatic panels, and electrochromic glazings, are meanwhile still undergoing developments in order to overcome barriers concerning architectural integration, cost, and user acceptance. These barriers were considered for each of the above three developing technologies in the context of a daylighted private office workplace (that includes display unit tasks) and an adjacent corridor. The lighting control strategy for each case includes both automatic and manual controls, including window, room, and task lighting controls from the display unit operator position. Assumptions concerning manual switching of room lighting are based on a recent study of daylighting potentials in similarly-sized and -furnished office workplaces. Office and corridor ceiling heights, configurations, and finish surfaces appear to be critical to both architectural integration of and light distribution from light pipe and prismatic panel systems. Integration of electrochromic glazings meanwhile appears to be limited by wiring needs and glazing appearance in its reflective (colored) state. The costs for each of these technologies remain high and cannot at this time be justified by electricity savings alone. It appears however that electrochromic glazings, which are expected to be commercially available within two to three years, hold the greatest potentials for both personal control of lighting and thermal conditions in addition to electricity savings. Occupant response to these technologies, however, has not been adequately assessed. Back to Right Light Proceedings startpage Top of page