Potential of innovative daylighting and passive cooling systems for achieving luminous and thermal comfort in commercial buildings

of innovative daylighting systems and passive cooling techniques implemented in a typical commercial building. The main objectives are the application of innovative daylighting and passive cooling systems to obtain energy savings and to provide thermal and luminous comfort conditions for the occupants. The case study building selected for investigation is located in Mexico City. Assessments of the occupants perception of the ambient conditions indoors were obtained through interviews and questionnaires, and conducted concurrently with a monitoring stage of the thermal and luminous conditions inside the building. A thermal simulation program was used to compare the existing and new conditions with the design alternatives implemented in the building. The daylighting design alternatives proposed for the case study were tested using 3-D physical scale models for evaluating their daylighting performance. The results indicated that these alternatives have the potential to reduce the use of electricity whilst providing luminous comfort conditions for the occupants, both quantitatively and qualitatively. For the thermal behavior, it was shown that the passive cooling techniques investigated can effectively reduce the use of air-conditioned systems whilst providing thermal comfort for the occupants. Therefore, the daylighting and passive cooling systems investigated can offer important benefits when applied massively and to provide also significant advantages, not only from the ambient comfort and economic points of view, but also for the benefit of the environment and the people, as they are aimed at the application of a healthier and sustainable approach in buildings and at the improvement of peoples quality of living.