DAYLIGHTING Magazine issue 22 May/June 2020

Daylight design & planning: a picture is worth a thousand ‘nerdy numbers’

The SketchUp suite of 3D modelling software is a popular design tool used by architects, designers and planners all over the world. Uk based MBS Software offers a low-cost plug in for SketchUp, to make simple yet powerful daylight modelling and visualisation functions available to a wide user group. David Maltby explains the latest updates to the system...

MBS Software have recently updated their increasingly popular Daylight for Sketchup plug in which now allows users to test all the compliance metrics outlined in the document entiled “Site Layout Planning for Daylight & Sunlight – A Guide to Good Practice” written by Paul Littlefair and published by the Building Research Establishment.

This publication is commonly referred to as the “The BRE Guide” and provides the basis for compliance testing within the planning departments of most local authorities. The guide details what metrics need assessing for both the neighbour impact of new developments, and what to aim for to demonstrate good standards of daylight quality within those new developments.

Existing functions

Existing functions within the program include the calculation of the Vertical Sky Component (VSC) and Annual/ Winter Probable Sunlight Hours, 2 Hour Sunlight to Amenity Spaces, Façade Analysis and Transient Shadows

New additions

The new additions incorporate both Average Daylight Factor (ADF) and Daylight Distribution or No Sky Line (DD/NSL) calculations to complete the package by allowing for “light within” or “self test” studies.

Outputs from the program are both graphical and tabular, allowing designers to simply and quickly run many iterations of their proposed schemes, to understand both the external and internal impacts at an early stage. Cutbacks and re-runs using an intuitive visual “traffic light” system to show pass/nearly/fail results, provides further assistance to speed the process of getting to an optimum layout with the minimum of fuss.

Other improvements to what is a regularly updated program, include tools to allow users to define how the various outputs are displayed. These have proved extremely useful in presenting schemes to lay planning committees – where the old adage of “a picture being worth a thousand nerdy numbers” has never been more true.

A number of local authority planning departments have recently started asking for results to be presented in their own formats, in an attempt at allowing for more consistency when assessing and deliberating upon these issues. The clear and concise nature of the MBS outputs greatly simplifies the presentation process.

Support services

MBS provide simple video tutorials that allow for any competent Sketchup user to get up and running and producing reports very quickly. Coupled with their excellent technical support department, and “no fuss free seven day trial”, architects, designers, engineers and

sustainability consultants now have everything they need to deal with the daylight and sunlight requirements for planning and good design.

Founded in 1997, MBS Survey Software Ltd is a UK-based independent company specialising in providing bespoke software, expert analysis and training for professionals within the built environment. The company’s Waldram Tools software suite is well-known and used by planners, architects, developers, sustainability consultants and specialist right to light consultants to process calculations within an AutoCAD® environment.

For further information, email: david@mbs-software.co.uk

or visit: www.mbs-software.co.uk