| Throughout history, naturally lighting a building has always been one of designers' main concerns. Architectural styles have been firmly established and buildings have been shaped seeking optimal access to daylight. Over the past years, new materials and technologies have expanded the possibilities for exploring old techniques in innovative ways. The task of transporting light from the source to a remote destination has migrated from research to real applications in the field of artificial lighting. Transporting daylight is a more complex assignment, due to its dynamicity and the intrusiveness of the guides on building design.; Gathering information about daylight availability and simulating daylight distribution using Radiance and the photon mapping algorithm, this thesis evaluates the capability of daylight guide systems through a parametric analysis. This analysis compares all transmittance variables that influence the aspect ratio of the guide. The resulting information is used as the basis for the construction of a decision-making model that allows designers to verify the potential of the daylighting systems. The model helps designers choose the optimal tubular configuration---based on daylight availability, physical properties of the guides, and internal space height---resulting in the daylight autonomy provided by the selected configuration.; Combined, the parametric analysis and the decision-making model are the basis for the verification of the impact tubular guides running inside a building have on design, examining their intrusiveness. This verification is introduced by a typological analysis of the daylighting systems in regard to their arrangement and distribution inside the building. In the same analysis, it is possible to verify the possible guide penetration inside a multi-story building and the possibilities of internal daylight distribution. |
