Redesign and Daylight Analysis of Old SHU MERI Building at Matilda street, Sheffield

1. Figure 6; Ground floor Plan showing spaces, natural light access and ventilation with
annotations
Figure 7; First floor Plan showing spaces, natural light access and ventilation with
annotations
Emergency exit on the north-east
façade of the building facing main
road. Closed with roller shutter
that can be rolled up to allow
natural lighting in
Window opening on the ground
floor covered by roller shutter that
is usually rolled up during work
hours to allow natural lighting in
and ventilation
Staircase to access upper floors
from the ground floor
Structural columns supporting
beam and first floor slab
Timber external door on the south-
west façade of the building and
entrance to building
Windows on the first floor to allow
natural and ventilation gain access
Natural ventilation due to steady opening;
usually window
Natural ventilation due to temporary
opening (door) and this is not adequate as
the doors cannot be left constantly open
PROJECT: Re-Design and Environmental Improvement of an Existing Building
LOCATION: MERI Building, Matilda Street, Sheffield S1 4QF
EXISTING BUILDING
Data Collection and Observational Analysis
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This building is the former Sheffield Hallam. It is located not too far from the
University's main campus, the city centre and the moor market which is a major
commercial centre in the city. The site is surrounded by buildings; north-east of
the site is the university technical college; the north-west side of the building is
attached to a building undergoing renovation. On the south side of the building,
there is a student accommodation building. And on the south-west side is the
rear of the building with an emergency steel stair case. This shows the variety
of building types in this area, and this building been converted into a community
educational art space, it will bring in more diversity to this area. The technical
college and student accommodation building are both modern designs and this
will be considered.Figure 3; showing north-east façade of the building and the fully
detached wall on the south-east façade in street view (sourcegoogle
maps)
Figure 4; showing the University technical College building on the north-
east side of the site
Figure 1; showing building location, surrounding buildings and road
access to the site.
Figure 2; showing building location, surrounding buildings and road access to the site, and solar
orientation and access to the building
Figure 5; showing the student accommodation building on the south-east side of the building
1
2
3
4
5
Natural sunlight obstructed
by solid wall, depriving
other spaces of adequate
lighting
Solar lighting gaining
access through windows on
the north-east façade of the
building
Natural sunlight obstructed
by solid wall, depriving solar
lighting access in to the
building through this side of
the building
6
6
6
3
Solar lighting gaining
access through windows on
the north-east façade of the
building
1
2
3
4
5
6
5
Natural sunlight obstructed
by solid wall, depriving
other spaces of adequate
lighting

2. Windows on the second floor to
allow natural and ventilation gain
from both north-east and south-
west façade access
Figure 8; Second floor Plan showing spaces, natural light access through windows and
roof light systems and ventilation with annotations
Figure 9; showing daylight analysis for the ground floor plan of the existing building (0-
1000lux) using Revit. With 0 lux as the worse daylight value
Figure 10; showing daylight analysis for the first floor plan of the existing building (0-
1000lux) using Revit. With 0 lux as the worse daylight value
Figure 11; showing daylight analysis for the second floor plan of the existing building
(0-1000lux) using Revit. With 0 lux as the worse daylight value
1400808
2000
2000
750
750
450
450 400 250 130
Figure 12; showing lux readings carried out for some spaces in the first floor of the
existing building (0-1000lux) using Revit. With 0 lux as the worse daylight value
Figure 13; showing lux readings carried out for some spaces in the second floor of the
existing building (0-1000lux) using Revit. With 0 lux as the worse daylight value
Figure 14; shows a dark space in the building that’s
only lighted using artificial lighting. This is due to
inadequate daylight access into that space
Figure 14; shows a space with adequate daylight access due
to roof light above and the use of transparent/translucent
partitioning material to divide the spaces.
Figure 14; shows dark stairwell in the building
that’s only lighted using artificial lighting. This
is due to inadequate daylight access.
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7
7
7
7
7
7
Solar lighting gaining
access through windows on
the north-east façade of the
building
Natural sunlight obstructed
by solid wall, depriving
other spaces of adequate
lighting
Solar lighting from gaining
access through roof lights
installed on the above roof
slab
7
Analysis from Figure 6, 7 and 8 shows that natural lighting is not
allowed adequate access into majority of the spaces on the
ground and first floor. But on the second floor roof lights and
translucent glass partition are used and this provided some
spaces with natural lighting. Spaces generally in the middle of
this building are dark including the stairwell. The daylight
analysis carried out on this existing building model using Revit
shows that due to the inadequate entry of natural light, most
spaces do not have the required amount of lighting required for
proper activity per space. (see figures 9, 10 and 11). Due to
inaccessibility and absence of openings, physical lux readings
for the ground floor of this building could not be carried out.
However, other floors were measured as shown in figures 12
and 13; this also goes further to show the inadequacy of daylight
in the respective spaces. At this point, it is important to note that
the daylight value in a room depends on different factors; size of
opening, glazing material, wall, floor and ceiling finish, and the
weather condition at the particular time the reading was taken.
This is to aid the correction obvious faults in the existing
building, considering all factors and thereby producing an new
design proposal that is daylight efficient and meets all
requirements.

3. Table 1; shows the ground floor plan of the first design proposal, showing
spaces and their floor areas in square meters
Table 2; CIBSE lighting schedule for required spaces
Figure 17; shows the cross section of the building with natural lighting and ventilation
coming through the south-east façade
Figure 18; shows the cross section of the building with natural lighting and ventilation
coming through the north-east and south-west façade as well as through the skylight
above stairwell and toilet
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BRIEF
The aim is to re-design the internal space to create a community
educational arts space, to include:
 An art studio of sufficient size to accommodate at least 10
Artists, with materials and equipment storage. This will be a
quiet space.
 A large sculpture studio (Where artefacts are sculpted). With
materials and equipment storage. This will be a noisy space.
 A reference library with IT facilities for 10 Persons. This will
be a quiet space.
 Generous and welcoming reception area and circulation
space which doubles up as a gallery where sculptures and
artwork can be displayed (functional circulation with gallery
space).
 An office space with integral or adjoining reception desk
area.
Other conditions include;
 You may remove all internal floors and partitions.
 You may create new mezzanine floor space and/or maintain
existing floors. (No more than three levels allowed)
 Current roof structure can be removed and replaced with a
design of your choice.
 External roof area(s) can be used for amenity space.
 You cannot extend the wall perimeter outwards, but can
move/ indent walls inwards.
The building should be made fully accessible for wheelchair users
and users with mobility issues
Design Zoning
Space Zone Designated floor
Sculpture studio noisy
Groundfloor
Reception noisy
Office noisy
Artist Studio for 10 artists quiet
FirstfloorReference Library quiet
toilets quiet
Natural Lighting requirement (CIBSE lighting schedule)
Space Required
Illuminance
(lux)
Limiting
glare
Minimum
colour
rendering
Number of
Occupants
Sculpture
studio
500 19 80 10
Reception 100 19 80 10
Office 300 19 80 5
Artist
Studio
500 19 80 10
Reference
Library
300 19 80 10
toilets 100 25 80 5
CONCEPT AND INITIAL DESIGN
In other to create the ideal design to meet these requirements as
stated in the brief, space, natural lighting and ventilation are the
key factors to consider. All the internal walls of the existing
building will be taken off entirely as well as the second floor slab.
After meeting the space requirement for the respective spaces, a
third floor is not need. However, this will give the designer more
head room to design around if need be without going to high. This
is economically effective by way of proper space planning and
analysis. Spaces with the highest requirement of daylight will be
positioned at the north-east and south-east side of the building;
this is where maximum daylight can be achieved. Sky lighting from
the stair hall and hollow risers are used to allow daylight gain
access to the inner part of the building. The toilet area on the first
floor has a roof light and this is also to let daylight into the building
on the far end. The large reception which opens as a gallery space
as well opens into the office space and this will permit more light
access into the office.
Figure 15; shows the ground floor plan of the first design proposal, showing spaces and their floor
areas in square meters
Figure 16; shows the first floor plan of the first design proposal, showing spaces and their floor
areas in square meters

4. Strategy Effective Depth Relative to
Floor Height
Single sided, single opening 2 x floor to ceiling height
Single sided, single opening 2.5 x floor to ceiling height
Cross flow 5 x floor to ceiling height
Stack Ventilation 5 x floor to ceiling height
Atria 10 x floor to ceiling if
centrally located
Table 3; shows the ground floor plan of the first design proposal, showing
spaces and their floor areas in square meters
Fig 19; daylight analysis of initial ground floor in lux (Revit render)
Fig 20; daylight analysis of initial first floor in lux (Revit render)
Fig 21; shows reception and gallery space with office integrated
Fig 22; shows clear glass view of reception and gallery space from the
sculpture studio
Fig 23; shows 3d view of reference library
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This Art studio has too much daylight coming through
the north-east side; this should be controlled using
solar shades to reduce daylight reading to 500lux
needed. This is achieved in the centre of this space,
while the rear needs more daylight. To evenly spread
the daylight around this space, reflective wall finishes
will be used.
The reference library has adequate lighting on the
south-west side, but lighting on most of the desk tops
is too much and this will cause discomfort. Solar
shades will be used to control the amount of daylight.
The image also shows that there are spots in this
library with insufficient daylight and this will be
resolved using a more refractive wall finish, and/or
roof light directly above the affected area.
Roof light allow adequate daylight in the toilet space. The lobby connecting
the toilets to other spaces is dark and has no daylight at all. Natural light will
be allowed into this lobby through the stair well by using translucent wall
materials to let daylight come through these spaces
This north-east side of the building is too bright as
shown in the image above (1000-921 lux).The required
daylight for this reception and gallery area is 300-
500lux. The amount of sunlight gaining access will be
reduced so as to avoid glare and thermal discomfort in
this space by using solar screens
The sculpture is receiving too much lighting on the south-
west side of the building. This should be controlled using
solar shades to avoid discomfort and glare. Although the
daylight reading at the far end of this space is adequate.
This office north-east side of the building has opening from the reception
area and also natural lighting from the sun which gives the space 370-280
lux which is adequate for an office. It is important to note that there is a
solar shade over the window at the exterior of this space and this helps to
control the amount of daylight that enters the space. The rear end of this
space is below 190 lux. Light refracting wall finishes and higher windows
will be considered in solving this problem

5. The reference library is situated at the rear of the building, positioned
well to gain sunlight from both the south-west and south-east. This
however can be disadvantageous because too much sunlight can
cause glare and discomfort and from the thermal image above, we
can see that the lux values on the top of the reading desks are quite
high. Special attention will be given to this space in terms of adequate
daylight and proper ventilation.
Fig 23; shows 3d view of reference library with lux readings Fig 24; shows 3d view of reference library annotating glare from south-west
façade of the building
REDESIGN
To check the areas with low amount of daylight, a skylight light is put
on the roof slab. This skylight is slanted at an angle of 330o
, this is to
allow maximum daylight access. This would however bring too much
daylight in on its own, so a reflector is also incorporated into the
design to stop direct sunlight and distributed it around the space.
On the south-west and south0east façade, louvre blades are used to
as solar shades to reduce the amount of sunlight entering that area.
Although longer blades are used on the south-east façade due to
more intense sunlight coming in from that side of the building.
Fig 25; shows 3d view of skylight slanted at angle 330
o
over reference
library to allow adequate sunlight in
Fig 26; shows 3d view of louvres on the south-west façade and sunlight
reflector reducing and distributing direct sunlight
DETAILED DAYLIGHT ANALYSIS OF SELECTED SPACE (REFERENCE LIBRARY)
820
The daylight in this area of the
library is inadequate. Roof light
will be introduced and/or a more
reflective wall finish on
surrounding walls
Too much lighting on the
top of the desks and this
will cause glare and
discomfort. Solar shades
will be used to control the
sunlight coming in through
the south-west façade of
the building
Inadequate day light in this
area as a result of blank wall,
window will be allowed to run
through to allow sunlight
access the space evenly
Too much lighting in this part and
this will cause glare and
discomfort. Solar shades will be
used to control the sunlight
coming in through the south-west
façade of the building
370
190
820
Excess sunlight
causes glare and
discomfort

6. Fig 27; shows daylight analysis of reviewed design of the reference
library on first floor (in lux)
Fig 28; shows thermal 3D of reference library after design modifications
to achieved adequate daylight distribution
FAÇADE STUDY
The images below show us the solar analysis of the building and its façade. The building will be gaining maximum amount of sunlight from the north-
east, south-east and south-west façade. After running daylight tests on the building and also analysing the façade and orientation of the building,
solar shades are required in order to control the amount of sunlight that gains access into the building, and in some areas, distribution of this sunlight
is also considered.
JUNE 9AM, SUMMER SEPTEMBER 9AM, WINTER
JUNE 12PM, SUMMER SEPTEMBER 12PM, WINTER
JUNE 4PM, SUMMER SEPTEMBER 4PM, WINTER
Intense direct sunlight through skylight
but obstructed, reflected and distributed
by reflected hanging 600mm underneath
the opening
Adequate daylight is achieved on top the
reading desk. Intense sun coming from
south-east and south-west façade is
reduced by use of louvre blades on both
sides of elevation
370
280
370
On the north-east
façade, overhanging
solar shades are
used to reduce the
amount of sunlight
gain into the building
On the south-east and south-west façade,
louvre blades are used to control the amount
of sunlight that enters the building so as not to
cause discomfort and glare. However, longer
blades are used on the south-east elevation
because the sunlight from this elevation is
more intense.

7. FINAL DESIGNS

8. Jude C. Ndikanwu
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