Sizing Skylights for Daylighting Landscaping in an Atrium

A major interior landscaping project is a central component of a proposed corporate headquarters. While interior landscaping is a significant part of many such projects, typical plant losses of 20-40 percent each year are not acceptable for this installation. The client is confident of their ability to control important factors to sustain plant growth such as soil, irrigation, and plant compatibility. Daylighting for plants remains as the element most difficult to predict and control in an integrated manner in the interior environment. The architect proposed two different skylight designs. The study provides a methodology based on physical model testing and computer simulation using California Energy Commission (CEC) climate data that resulted in the required illumination level data for the architect during the early phases of project development.