Daylight and Energy Performance Relationship of Classrooms and Office Spaces: Comparative Study of Istanbul Ticaret University Kucukyali Campus Building

Natural lighting is important for human comfort and should not be ignored in architectural design. Natural light allows students and instructors to establish healthy visual communication with each other and their surroundings and is known to affect physiological and psychological health. In this study, the architectural design workshops of the Istanbul Ticaret University Kucukyali Campus Building, which was transformed from a leather factory into an educational building, and the office spaces used by the lecturers of the architecture department are examined in the context of natural lighting. In the fall and spring semesters of the 2023–2024 academic year, measurements were made with a lux meter on December 21 and March 27, when suitable sky conditions were provided, and the radiation-based Designbuilder program was used for daylight simulation analysis. In four different interior spaces, illuminance level measurements were made. The illuminance measurements of the volumes were calculated at 12:00, 14:00, and 16:00 for December 21, 2023, and at 10:00, 12:00, 14:00, and 16:00 for March 27, 2024. By evaluating the data obtained, the general lighting conditions of the space and the access status of the users to these conditions were revealed. It was determined that the presence of fixed horizontal shading devices placed in the building without paying attention to orientation significantly affects the amount of illumination in the volumes and increases energy consumption. It is recommended to increase the level of illumination by making the shading devices movable with an automation system according to the effect of sunlight on the facade and painting the volumes with materials with high reflection multipliers.