Glare Control by Shading Devices of Wurster Hall
A Wurster Hall Snapshot
for Architecture 249X: The Secret Life of Buildings (Assignment 5)
Case Study conducted by: Cedric de La Beaujardiere, March 2005
Abstract
In this study, I sought to determine how well glare is prevented by Wurster Hall's shading devices. Given the multitude of examples we have seen lately of building features not performing as desired, I theorized that the devices would not work effectively, and that glare would be a problem in this building. To test this hypothesis, I studied the lighting levels in the 6th floor studio of Wurster Hall using a luminance meter. I found that the results were mixed, but better than I'd expected, and that some elements of glare were out of the architects' control. The principle sources of glare which could have been foreseen by the architects were the luminance of the window contrasted to that of the floor, the walls flush to the window, and the window sills. Other views controllable by the architect did not present glare, while some glare was introduced later, such as in the contrast between the window and the space partition walls.
