+IMPACT Magazine Issue 25

INSIGHT
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The LIGHTING QUALITY credit will challenge project
teams to be more innovative in how lighting is selected. This
is according to task team member, sustainability consultant
and building physics modeller at WSP, Alex Varughese.
The credit aims at optimising daylight, minimising the
glare from natural and artificial lighting, and ensuring that
artificial lighting is of high quality. By having performance
glazing, enough daylight, and decreasing electricity usage
with high-quality light fittings, Varughese believes energy
usage can be reduced even further.
The category consists of three parts:
LIGHTING COMFORT will be informed by various lighting
and colour-rendering indexes to set the minimum and higher
standards. Project teams will also have to consider certain
technical aspects of light and colour rendering. Glazing is
an important element, and although Varughese says the
know-how is there, the high cost for bigger projects remains
a hurdle. However, he believes this credit might help to drive
market change. “A few years back they asked for a certain
certificate for paints without any volatile compounds. At
the time it wasn’t available, but as the GBCSA rating system
came through, it became readily available.”
GLARE FROM LIGHT SOURCES challenges teams to
limit the glare provided by light sources, and obscure direct
light from the viewing angles of the occupants. “We need
to make sure that light doesn’t reflect too much off desks or
certain flooring types, by fitting bare light with louvres, or
using translucent diffusers in the ceiling designs,” he says.
Project teams aiming for this credit should ensure that
building is providing DAYLIGHT access to building
occupants. Certain levels of daylight have to be obtained
throughout the different seasons of the year and these
criteria are still being finalised. To measure and prove these
The indoor environments that we’re
in for so many hours a day shape
our physical and mental health.
levels, simulation software or other measuring systems
would be required.
A word of advice to project teams: “This credit isn’t more
difficult to achieve than it was before. It’s very easy to apply
to a project, but project teams just need to apply themselves
a bit more,” says Varughese. He hopes these credits will
deepen project teams’ understanding of the available
technology, beyond the existing general understanding.
“I would also like to see a lot more automatic controls
for lights, such as motion sensors or timers, which would
just decrease the usage of that space when it’s not fully
occupied, or after office hours.”
Avoid sick building syndrome with the CLEAN AIR credit.
It’s all about air quality, because, says task-team member
Alana Shuttleworth, “the single biggest expense for many
building owners who employ a lot of people is on salaries,
and if indoor air quality is poor, there’s a high chance that it
will affect the productivity of the building occupants.” People
want to know that the air they are breathing is healthy and
not contaminated or stale. Getting this credit right can also
bring down energy levels and save owners money, she says.
The credit comprises three criteria, guided by local and
international standards: a high level of fresh air is provided;
pollutants entering the building are minimised; and levels
of indoor pollutants are significantly reduced.
The task team still needs to consider the impact of the
revised SANS 10400 Part O regulations, recently released
for public comment, on the benchmarks for this credit’s
fresh air rates.
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POSITIVE IMPACT ISSUE 25
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