Light Immission

Artificial light

The basic prerequisite for good vision is an adequate level of brightness – the so-called lighting level – geared to the visual functions. A consistently high lighting level leads to fewer accidents, increases the subjective feeling of safety and protects against crime in the dark. In addition, street lighting is also an essential element of urban design, accentuating space and squares and thus contributing to the quality of life.

However, following the Federal Immission Control Act, light is included in the sectors emissions and immissions: Light immissions from artificial light sources can cause considerable nuisance to adjacent residential buildings. Frequent sources of artificial light are illuminated advertising installations, object lighting systems or floodlighting of sports fields. They can lead to disturbing brightness or even glare.

Sources with changing or blinking luminosity are especially annoying.

Shading and daylight

In addition to the assessment of disturbing effects caused by artificial light, it is becoming increasingly important to assess whether there is an adequate supply of natural sunlight in given locations.

Urban space is characterized by very densely constructed, often towering buildings. As a result, apartments and offices can be affected by a lack of natural sunlight. Planning of a new building in such a dense area can therefore lead to additional shading for the surrounding neighborhood, resulting in insufficient natural lighting in existing buildings according to DIN 5034 in the future. Moreover, a sufficient supply of daylight, which is necessary for healthy living conditions, must also be guaranteed for your own planning. In close cooperation with the planning and client parties, areas of conflict are identified, solutions are worked out in order to achieve good living and working conditions with a natural light supply and to enable harmonization of planning in the neighborhood.

Glare

In addition to an adequate supply of daylight, glare caused by sunlight is a growing issue. In urban areas, a disturbing glare can be caused by the sun reflecting on glass facades, glass domes, chimneys made of shiny metals, etc., diminishing the quality of living and working. For planning of new buildings with reflecting facades and surfaces, we can check the compatibility of your planning with the protection requirements of the neighborhood as part of a survey on glaring elements.

While glare in recreation rooms can be disturbing, glare in road traffic represents a potential danger to road users. Solar parks with their reflecting panels and their large dimensions can have a particularly critical effect on roads. We support you in the planning of solar parks so that no glare occurs on nearby traffic routes.

Due to our experience with solar parks, glaring facades/surfaces and our in-house calculation software, numerous measures can be taken to solve any issues.

Within the scope of planning (feasibility studies, conflict analyses), development plan and permit procedures for facilities (commercial, leisure and sports facilities, infrastructure facilities), we provide consulting services which incorporate the forecast, dimensioning, assessment and optimization of artificial/natural light sources and their effects (shading/glare).