B. Angeli, F. Leccese and G. Tuoni

Department of Energetica “Lorenzo Poggi” — University of Pisa

Faculty of Engineering — Via Diotisalvi, 2 — 56126 Pisa (Italy)

e-mail: barbarangie@lcheapnet. it; f. leccese@ing. unipi. it; g. tuoni@ing. unpi. it

The results of a case study on the use of daylight for the lighting of reading and consultation rooms of a new library, being part of the Scientific Pole of the University of Pisa, are shown.

Introduction

In the last few years the growing electric energy consumption in non-residential buildings has required an accurate daylight analysis to reduce the demand for artificial light and improve the visual comfort of the indoors [1-2]. It is also well known that daylight conditions are able to improve the human life quality, the indoor comfort level and to raise the productivity at work places [3-4]. In order to understand the importance of well designed glazings (i. e. dimensions, exposure, glass properties), it will be enough to think that their subsizing involves an increase in the demand for electric energy due to the integrative artificial lighting, while an oversizing weighs on the energy consumption for cooling and heating.

In a recent paper [5] the authors have carried out an extensive daylighting investigation of a new covered market in La Spezia (Italy) using ADELINE Software Package and have achieved some useful directions since the beginnings of the preliminary design process.

In our country, the inadequacy of the library system and the need of its growth are often related to the theme concerning the recovery and the reuse of old buildings, localized in town central areas generally fully edified and realised at first for performing other functions. The Italian library system turns out to be, therefore, involved more and more often in this dialectic "old building — need for reuse”, in spite of the numerous reticences on this topic.

In this paper some of the results of a case study on the use of daylight for the lighting of reading and consultation rooms of a new library, being part of the Scientific Pole of the University of Pisa, are illustrated [6]. This library is now being built reusing the pavilions of the ex- “Marzotto’s Textile Industry” close to the town medieval walls and just a few minutes far from the town centre and the leaning tower. The use of Adeline has allowed studying the illuminance on the work planes both under overcast sky and under clear sky conditions and, then, choosing the best distribution of desks and furnishings (i. e. shelves for books), avoiding dazzlement phenomena and reducing to the minimum the use of artificial lighting during the library working hours.