Behavior of the natural and artificial luminance and illuminance in an interior space of the academic project distrit U-Cowork

This project consists of an exploration and evaluation of the lighting performance of an internal space using digital simulation tools and measurements in a scale model. The evaluated space is part of a project carried out by last year students, belonging to the Design Workshop of Tropical Architecture, where a disused heritage building was taken as a starting point, with the purpose of adapting the use of the space and transforming it into a collaborative work site called ^Distrito U Cowork^, in the city of Montes de Oca, San José, Costa Rica [1-2]. The main goal of this exercise is to analyze the behavior of natural and artificial light, taking into consideration the type of lamps, the materials of the surfaces and the original design of the openings. Subsequently, the necessary modifications were made to optimize the behavior of the light in the internal space [3-4].The analysis was carried out through a parallel process of construction of digital models with two free softwares for light evaluation, VELUX and DIALux evo. In addition, a scale model was made with materials as similar as possible to the real ones used on the building, to make measurements with a lamp and natural light. In the study of natural light, the model worked as a tool that allowed free experimentation and easy visualization. On the other hand, the simulation in VELUX offers the possibility of quantifying the different levels of lighting that reach the space in specific days and hours...