The architecture of light: architectural lighting design concepts and techniques. A textbook of procedures and practices for the architect, interior designer and lighting designer pdfdrive com

Figure16.4 In the northern hemisphere, the sun will reliably arc across the south sky, casting shadows to the north.
Seasonal Sun Angles
Daylight also has a predictable dynamic behavior over the course of the seasons in a year. The sun will ride higher in the sky in the summer months and will ride lower in sky over the winter months. This means that with a little studying, we can design physical overhangs and shading devices that affect daylight differently throughout the year.
Figure 16.5 A well designed overhang can shade high summer sun (left) and allow in low winter sun (right)
North Light / South Light
Living in the northern hemisphere means that the sun will always arc across the sky to the south. This means that south facing spaces have the potential for direct sunlight all day, while north facing spaces will receive exclusively skylight. (This principle is obviously reversed for those living in the southern
hemisphere.)
It is good practice to create a simple diagram of the project site in reference to the cardinal directions. This will give the designer guidance as to where he/she can use certain techniques and where to watch out for potential problems.
It is also helpful to draw the elevations of the project site in reference to
solar angles and the structures that may shade daylighting opportunities. Do some research on the solar angles that occur at the project latitude through the year to gain a specific understanding of the sunlight variance.
Figure16.6 A simple map of what types of daylight can be expected on a project in the northern hemisphere.
When it comes to actually implementing and designing daylight systems into a space, it pays to think the solutions and concepts through all sun positions.
Visualize not just the ideal situations, but every potential sun angle condition to
which the design will be subjected. Think the project through morning and night, sunny and cloudy, and winter to summer. Far too many daylight ideas are conceived in one dimension and are successful only on the one day a year when the sun and the project are perfectly aligned.