Document Summary

Site Layout Planning for Daylight and Sunlight.

A Guide to Good Practice  (BR209).

This guide gives advice on site layout planning to achieve good sunlight and daylight within buildings and adjacent open spaces such as gardens. It includes methods that allow for the calculation of sunlight or daylight levels at 4 different latitudes within the UK and for different times of the year. An additional section discusses the subject of site layout and design for obtaining maximum solar energy. 

This guide supersedes the original Department of the Environment document Sunlight and Daylight.

BRE 209 has sections for the following:-

• Light from the Sky.
  • New development.
  • Existing Buildings.
  • Adjoining development land.
• Sunlighting.
  • New development.
  • Existing Buildings.
  • Gardens & open spaces.
• Passive solar design.
• Other issues.
  • View.
  • Privacy.
  • Security.
  • Access.
  • Enclosure.
  • Microclimate.
  • Solar dazzle.
• Appendix A. Indicators to calculate access to sunlight, skylight and solar radiation.
• Appendix B. A waldram diagram to calculate vertical sky component.
• Appendix C. Interior daylighting recommendations.
• Appendix D. Plotting the no-sky line.
• Appendix E. Rights to light.
• Appendix F. Setting alternative target values for skylight access.
• Appendix G. Calculation of sun on the ground.
• Appendix H. Definitions.

Site Layout Planning for Daylight and Sunlight (BR209).  A4 sized, 90 pages. ISBN 1 86081 041 1. Published in 1995 and available direct from the The Building Research Establishment.

See also summary for BS8206: Part 2 : 1992.

© 2000 Chris Skellern. AIE.    Home  | News | A-Z Index  | Resources  |  Contact AIE  |  Terms of Use