OPTIMIZING DAYLIGHTING IN HIGHRISE COMMERCIAL DEVELOPMENTS IN SE ASIAAND THE USE OF COMPUTER-PROGRAMS AS A DESIGN TOOL

The consensus of the '92 Rio summit was that all development should ai m for non-depletion of the earth's resources. The major growth region for the next decade is SE Asia and particularly the cities of South Ch ina for which Hong Kong is a role model with its dense urban construct ion Recent Hong Kong energy legislation addressed the thermal transmis sion of the envelope without integrating building services energy cons umption while planning legislation determines plot ratio but does not restrict overall building height in most areas of Hong Kong. A recentl y constructed high-rise commercial building has been analysed and prop osed modifications computer modelled to evaluate options to extend day light deeper into the space using extra interior height, alternative g lazing and an external lightshelf. The commercial programme Lightscape , recently developed, is being assessed as a design tool to visually s imulate the interior lighting, the illumination levels and daylight fa ctors verified against scale physical models.