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Prism Glass Windows Making a Comeback

Posted by timothy on from the thinly-veiled-ix dept.

Steve Daley writes "Prism window glass like Luxfer was big back in the 19th century, but now it seems to be making a high-tech comeback in Japan, where several companies are commercializing similar technology that gets enough natural light into factories and offices to do away with electric lighting. It's easy on the pocket and the planet."

8 of 89 comments (clear)

  1. Neat, it is very much like... by clonan · · Score: 4, Interesting

    A Window!

    1. Re:Neat, it is very much like... by Dr.+Eggman · · Score: 2, Interesting

      Except windows can create odd, non-uniform lighting situations in rooms with irregular geoemetries or furnature which my obscure the window from potions of the room. This setup is more like a skylight coming from the wall.

      --
      Demented But Determined.
    2. Re:Neat, it is very much like... by srmalloy · · Score: 2, Interesting

      It's a good idea, and a pity that it's so expensive. Hopefully the cost will come down again in time. The article also doesn't mention whether this is the cost to install such a system during construction, or to retrofit it to an existing building. I expect that costs to pipe light into the interior of multi-story buildings will be significantly higher because of the difficulties in installing light pipes down through several floors of existing office space, while planning for such pipes in an architectural job would lower the cost.
    3. Re:Neat, it is very much like... by sjames · · Score: 2, Interesting

      Actually, I have seen studies showing that varying light levels through the day can enhance productivity. The fiber optic piped sunlight will come from controlled points in the room, so glare on monitors will be no worse than with overhead fluorescent lights.

      The other questions remain to be answered. The probable answer is that it makes sense sometimes.

  2. Re:Slightly better than a window, for 10x the pric by moderatorrater · · Score: 4, Interesting

    There are a lot of advantages of natural light over fluorescent in terms of productivity and employee satisfaction. I don't know if you're talking $10,000 worth of advantage, but it is a factor.

  3. 150 year old house by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Gee... I knew I loved this old house for some reason :) lots of glass windows and tall ceilings. No Luxfer prisms, but lots of stained glass and multiple large windows per room. Effectively we use almost no artificial light during daylight hours (except in the kitchen - tacked onto the house in 1910 or so). Similarly, we don't need air conditioning well into late June here in Illinois due to the way the house was built (and creative use of basement and attic doors).

  4. Re:Yeah right this will save money by Evets · · Score: 2, Interesting

    Natural lighting typically produces significantly less heat than electrical lighting, so you generally see a reduction in electricity costs related to air conditioning as well as for lighting (in commercial facilities where there is a lot of electrical lighting, these costs are measurable). I don't know about heating costs increasing in the winter time - but I would imagine the same phenomina is reversed.

    http://natures-lighting.com/products.php?pid=2100

    I imagine there's no way around the need for augmented lighting during the dark times, but having a central distribution point for lighting leaves your options pretty open. You could have one high powered central light source to shine directly at your collection point - and you could charge that light via solar power and augment it with good old fashioned coal. Alternatively, you could wire up each room for direct lighting, but that sort of defeats the purpose.

  5. Daylight is specifically good... by MsGeek · · Score: 2, Interesting

    ...for patients in hospitals. When the City of Hope had their new hospital, the Helford Clinical Research Hospital, designed, one of the goals was to maximize the amount of natural light in the hospital. Lots of windows, skylights, and lobbies on all floors that are almost half glass and show a spectacular view of the Sierra Madre mountains. The result is something less clinical and alien, and something more like a hotel instead of a hospital.

    I would think that heating and cooling a hospital with that huge amount of glass would be a difficult thing to do, and certainly not the most energy efficient. But the decision was made, and certainly the patients, doctors and nurses feel the difference. If a more energy efficient way can be found to bring daylight into the design of a hospital, that would be so much better.

    --
    Knowledge is power. Knowledge shared is power multiplied.