Light Through Windows | Build It Green

Instructions

Have you ever noticed how light in a room changes throughout the day?

Press the play button and closely watch what happens to the light coming through the classroom window over the course of a school day.
You can move the time slider (or even the sun), to slow down the animation and take a closer look.
Using the window orientation drop down, change the direction the window faces. What happens to natural light in the classroom now?

Time of Day

Use the slider (or sun) to adjust the time of day

Window Orientation

Select which direction the window faces

About the Data

This simulation uses version one of our data showing the relationship between solar and window positioning. You can find more information about the simulation data by visiting our web site.

This model calculates sun angles for a school classroom located in Missouri, using the spring equinox (March 20) as the reference date. On the equinox, day and night are roughly equal length, making it a useful middle-ground point for comparing how window orientation affects light throughout the year.

This is a simplified model. Models are limited because they cannot represent everything that exists in the system. For this model, we focused on how the sun's position changes over the course of a single day, and how window orientation affects the amount and angle of natural light entering the room. Notice that the model does not account for seasonal changes, cloud cover, or nearby buildings and trees that could block sunlight. If you accounted for a different season, how do you think the light pattern would change?