Optimizing Daylight and Visual Comfort in a Middle School, Rainier Valley, Seattle

Abstract

Daylighting in educational environments is not only a matter of energy performance but also a question of comfort, cognition, and well-being.Excessive glare, uneven illumination, and insufficient control over sunlight impact how students focus, learn, and thrive.This thesis investigates architectural strategies to enhance visual comfort through optimized daylight distribution and glare reduction using advanced performance simulation tools.Focusing on Aki Kurose Middle School in Seattle, WA,this research utilizes Climate Studio to simulate and evaluate Spatial Daylight Autonomy (sDA), Annual Sunlight Exposure (ASE), Useful Daylight Illuminance (UDI), and luminance section analysis.By integrating architectural elements such as, skylights, North-facing sawtooth roofs, and clerestories, the project offers a daylight-based school design with balanced lighting on user comfort.