What is a light shelf?

Light shelves is an architectural element that is designed to distract natural light into the room, reducing the need for artificial lighting. The bright shelves also provide a shadow near the windows, reduce glare and keep the rooms cool when temperatures rise. This design function can be integrated into the building when it is designed or added later to increase energy efficiency. Along with things like skylights and light tubes, light shelves are considered "daylight", which means they are designed to limit the use of artificial lighting during the day.

To make light shelves effective, the ceilings in the room usually have to be high to provide a lot of space for light. The shelf is located above the eye level in the window and can be placed either inside or out. On the upper surface, the light shelves are covered with reflective material so that when the light interferes, the light reflects and the ceiling hits and pushes the light deep into the room. When the tackow is painted in paleColors, these bright colors combined with a light shelf are often sufficient to illuminate the space without the need for a lamp.

In the northern hemisphere, light shelves are usually placed along the southern edge of the building, so that they will be able to capture the most sunlight. This is perverted in the southern hemisphere, where the light shelves need to be placed on the north side of the building for maximum exposure. In both cases, the light shelves must be regularly maintained to ensure that there are as much reflections as possible to continue to be effective.

The main disadvantage of the light shelves is that it only works on sunny days. When the sky is overcast, the light shelves will be able to distract some light, but it is not enough to change significantly, and it will usually be necessary to supplement with artificial light. These architects can be designed to fit into the appearance and feeling of a building so that they are not disturbing even if they are certainly visibleE. When the shelves are installed inside, people must be reminded not to store or show objects on the shelf, as it can interrupt the flow of light.

In addition to increasing energy efficiency by removing the need for artificial light during the day, light shelves can also be beneficial to the health and mental well -being of people who use the spaces that illuminate. Natural light seems to be very beneficial, especially when it is in contrast to the possibility of lighting, such as fluorescent lighting, and can also make space more pleasant, thus increasing workers' satisfaction.