Facilities

Daylighting LaboratoryA 400 square feet research facility that houses a fabrication shop for making scale models and daylighting systems, an equipment storage room, and restrooms.  Instruments are also permanently mounted on the roof to record solar radiation and daylight resources for Raleigh, NC.
Daylight Climate Data Collection StationAn IDMP Research Grade station (complies with CIE108-1994) are established on the roof top platform of the existing Daylighting Research Lab to collect daylight climate data.
Scale Models Monitoring StationEight scale models (1/2” = 1’-0”) of typical wall-based and roof-based daylighting systems have been constructed and monitored in the close proximity to the climate data collection station. The models are grouped in a cluster and are protected from weather by a clear acrylic dome with a visible light transmittance of 95%.
Scanning Sky SimulatorThe device is designed to represent one-sixth of the sky dome based on Tregenza’s model of 145 sky patches. Starting with a sixth of a hemisphere (constructed with 25 light sources), the whole hemisphere can then be rebuilt by a six-step scan.
Mirror-box Artificial SkyA simple and low-cost mirror-box artificial sky is an extremely useful tool to study daylight models and analyze design proposals.  The artificial sky has a brightness distribution that closely approximates to the standard overcast sky and provides a way of testing scale models both quantitatively and qualitatively.
Rotating ApparatusMounted on four sets of tandem wheels, this 240-ft2 test cell can simulate spaces about two-thirds of full scale. It is equipped with a moving ceiling and its two end walls can be switched out for testing various wall daylighting systems.  By rotating around the center axis, it is able to simulate different solar positions under clear skies.
Outdoor Testing FlatformA concrete staging platform is located between the above facilities, on which a heliodon is permanently mounted for testing scale models under various solar and sky conditions.

Other Equipments

  • Data loggers – Three 8-channel and six 36-channel data loggers are available for collecting daylighting and solar data.
  • Normal Incidence Pyrheliometer (NIP) – Two NIPs for measuring the direct (or beam) component of solar radiation at normal incidence
  • Precision Spectral Pyranometers (PSP) – Three PSPs for measuring total solar radiation.
  • Photometers – Approximately 200 photometers for measuring illuminance
  • Luminance Meter – for measuring luminance and assessing light quality
  • Nikon camera – used for High Dynamic Range photography, with a range of lenses from fisheye (185 degree field of view) to telephoto, facilitating wide-field and detailed luminance mappings of interiors and full-sky.
  • Sky Scanner (EKO-MS321) – for measuring sky luminance distribution.
  • Temperature/Humidity sensors – for measuring indoor/outdoor temperature and relative humidity.
  • Power Tools for fabricating scale models
  • Autodesk Ecotect & Design Builder Interface – for building daylighting and energy systems simulation