Daylight for Plants & Vegetation

Work whilst at Foster + Partners

Annual climate-based illuminance simulations were carried out across the planter locations inside the atrium to assess whether naturally available daylight would meet the photosynthetic light requirements of the proposed plant palette.

Simulated lux values were converted to photosynthetic photon flux density (PPFD) and daily light integral (DLI), and benchmarked against species-specific thresholds to identify areas of daylight deficiency. Where daylight alone is insufficient, supplemental electric lighting requirements have been quantified — expressed in photometric (lux).

Daily Light Integral: It is the total amount of photosynthetically active radiation (PAR) received by a surface over a 24-hour period, expressed in mol/m²/day (moles of photons per square meter per day). It’s essentially the daily “dose” of usable light for plant growth, calculated by integrating PPFD (Photosynthetic Photon Flux Density, in μmol/m²/s) over the hours of daylight (10 hours).

Architect: Foster + Partners
Client: Confidential