Lighting Design and Simulation Knowledgebase
Many systems exist that are integrated into double glazings, some of which have only been developed recently. This principle of construction eliminates all maintenance costs, but offers many design challenges due to the limited space available. As a consequence, there are many very different products to chose from.
Metallic profiles built into double glazings are quite traditional products by now. Symmetric systems have the advantage that very much of the incident light is redirected to the interior ceiling.
Asymmetric profiles can reflect parts of the incident light, usually from high angles. This helps to avoid some of the heat impact in summer, while more light enters the room in winter.
This technology is relatively new, and is very effective in redirecting direct as well as diffuse daylight. Care must be taken to keep interior luminances under control to avoid glare.
This is a very traditional method of sun protection. The surface normal of the element should be as close to the solar angle as possible for maximum effect.
Some of those systems are actually manufactured without the use of a laser, but the name sticks well. In practise, the cavities are slightly curved to reduce color seperation effects. This element type gives a fairly unobstructed view, though this also allows some direct solar impact.
