Daylight Impact
Overview
Fundamental to the sustainable development of cities is the efficient use of resources. Amongst the resources that need to be considered land use is central. By activating the land which already exists within the city, instead of its periphery, the foundations are laid for neighbourhoods where needs are met locally, where attractions concentrate and where services are easily delivered.
Gv8 works to support the activation of underutilised sites by helping to identify optimized development envelopes. Using a testing framework honed over ten years of practice, GV8 is able to identify development envelopes that strike an appropriate balance between the need to maximise land use efficiency and the need to protect the daylight amenity available to neighbouring properties.
By adopting a rigorous and transparent approach in all testing Gv8 produces daylight assessments which can be confidently relied upon by all parties involved in the planning process. Paying close and careful attention to the requirements set in daylight standards and planning policy, Gv8 produces daylight reports capable of withstanding the highest levels of expert scrutiny.
Crucially however Gv8 also recognises that there are occasions where it is necessary, in the pursuit of efficient land use, for conventional daylight standards to be challenged and for professional judgement to be exercised. In circumstances where it becomes clear that rigid regard for conventional testing would lead to a site’s underutilisation, Gv8 will make the case for matters to be considered in greater detail. By running supplementary analysis at higher levels of resolution, Gv8 is often able to highlight the limitations of conventional impact testing. By quantifying these limitations Gv8 provides decision makers with the information they need to make fully informed planning decisions.
Key Tests
In Ireland and the UK daylight impact assessments are carried out in accordance with the test methods detailed in a guide published by the Building Research Establishment (BRE). The Guide is called ‘Site Layout Planning for Daylight and Sunlight – A Guide to Good Practice’ and its most recent edition was published in 2022.
Within this guide three primary tests are recommended for testing the degree to which a proposed development could impact on the light levels available to neighbouring properties.
- The assessment of skylight impact to neighbouring windows; tested with respect to a measure called Vertical Sky Component (VSC).
- The assessment of sunlight impact to neighbouring windows; tested with respect to a measure called Annual Probable Sunlight Hours (ASPH).
- The assessment of sunlight impact to neighbouring outdoor recreation spaces; tested with respect to a measure called Sun On Ground (SOG).
Additional Services
To assist with the investigation of daylight impact GV8 can also offer the following services:
- Maximum permissible envelope studies
- Pre-Acquisition Feasibility Studies and risk assessments
- Transient shadow casting diagrams
- Rapid form finding using real-time conformity feedback.
- Spatial Daylight Autonomy testing of neighbouring accommodation.
- Significance analysis of base VSC, APSH and SOG results
- 365-day testing of sunlight to neighbouring recreation spaces
- Environmental impact reporting
Let's Talk
Book a Site Appraisal
Are you at the early stage of a sites development? GV8 has the expertise and tools needed to quickly identify the design outlines that your site could support. Please get in touch at any stage to book a free preliminary, no strings attached, consultation.
Book a Presentation
Having specialised in this field of practice for over ten years GV8 has a deep understanding of daylight standards and their interaction with planning policy. Please get in touch if you would like GV8 to deliver a talk to the members of your organisation.
