THE DOGRUN

We recently hosted a two day daylighting workshop with Shepley Bullfinch, the UW Integrated Design Lab, and, Clanton and Associates to tune, hone and test the large six level day-lit atrium space at the heart of the new Austin Central Library design. Our good friends at the Integrated Design Lab brought down cameras, light meters and lots of knowledge to help guide us in this process. For the workshop we constructed a large 1/4" scale working model of the atrium space as well as interchangeable architectural elements we wanted to test against one another. After settling on what we wanted to test, the model was then transported by pickup truck a few blocks away from the office to Travis Park where it was put through its daylighting paces. Coming out of the workshop the 'cowboy hat' roof monitor shape was refined, the south facing saw-tooth skylight was reduced, and we now know the importance of the large reflector walls on the interior of the atrium. The model has been a great tool for design as well as for daylighting. Want to hone daylight on your projects without constructing a time consuming giant model? Check out the IDL's Daylighting Pattern Guide for honing daylight on your own projects.