Re: Heliodon 2.7 03 License [2012]
Randolfo Rasberry
In the 1960s, a heliodon was invented by Gershon Fruhling in Israel, recorded by the United States Patent Office.[3] This heliodon consists of a platform created to hold a model of the building whose isolation is to be evaluated.[3] The horizontal platform can sway on a rotatable vertical shaft which can turn on its axis. The rotation allows horal and seasonal adjustments and swings the unit almost to its base.[3] The titling of the shaft enables the adjustment to various geographical locations on the latitude scale.[3] Any external light source along with the sun can be utilised and the placement of this light source can be kept stationary throughout the observations.[3] This heliodon is an accurate instrument that can make rapid and simple adjustments. And the requirement of providing a precisely located light source is not necessary.[3]
In the 1990s, modern heliodons with quicker simulations and a greater level of accuracy were invented. EPFL Solar Energy and Building Physics Laboratory LESO-PB in Lausanne designed a robotic heliodon to simulate direct light.[4] This heliodon is combined with a sky scanning simulator (artificial sky) to predict the light distribution in a building over the entire year.[4] The device can reproduce direct light at any location on Earth.[4]
After the 2000s, Prof. Norbert Lechner, an architect, LEED AP and an expert in energy responsive architecture has invented a manual Sun Emulator Heliodon.[5] He invented heliodons which were much easier to evaluate daylight simulation than the previous models.[5] The Sun Emulator Heliodon can precisely show all solar responsive design principles and strategies.[5] Although the device can hold only small architectural scale models, it is a great instrument for teaching solar geometry. This heliodon was manufactured by High Precision Devices and now an alternative device is Orchard Heliodon produced by betanit.com, with the approval of the inventor of the Sun Emulator Heliodon.
Since 2004, the Italian company betanit.com is developing various heliodons designed by architect Giulio M. Podesta for use in daylighting laboratories of universities and architectural firms.[6] The architect designed the Orchard Heliodon with similar features to the Sun Emulator heliodon (developed by Norbert Lechner). For more precise simulations, Orange Heliodon, an easy to use robotic heliodon with a fixed light source was designed and was launched in the market in 2007.[6] Moreover, the Orange Heliodon was used at Politecnico di Milano in the architectural design laboratory of the BEST department.[7] It used a computerized and automatic heliodon to reproduce the sunshade.[7] Furthermore, the architect designed Tulip Heliodon, a robotic heliodon with a fixed light source that is often merged with full dome artificial sky for collaborative design and presentation used for daylight studies.[6]
Kwok Pun Cheung, a professor and researcher at the Department of Architecture in Hong Kong University developed various heliodons. Cheung developed a simple tabletop heliodon and multi-lamp heliodon for use in architectural schools.[8] Moreover, a tabletop heliodon with a moving light source was developed for architect offices. A patented portable direct sunlight light-duty universal heliodon set up on a camera tripod was developed for evaluating the impacts of direct sunlight on small architectural models or building components.
Heliodons can mimic latitude, time of day, and date. They must also show a clear north-south direction on their surface in order to orient models. Some heliodons are very elaborate, using tracks in a high ceiling to carry a light across a large studio. Others are very simple, using a sundial as a guide to the adjustments and the sun of the day as a light source. In general, the date adjustment causes the most difficulty for the heliodon designer, while the light source presents the most problems in use. The parallel rays of the sun are not easy to duplicate with an artificial light at a useful scale, while the real sun is no respecter of deadlines or class hours.
Manual Tabletop heliodons are used for sun shading analysis at any given latitude and at any time. The model support platform is mounted on a conventional table or desk. It can rotate and tilt a scaled architectural model.[9] These heliodons are manually operated without the use of computers and provide good accuracy. The model stand, mounted on the table, is tilted for latitude and rotated to get the time of the day.[9] For replicating the time of the year, the single light source uses a ribbon marked with months of the year and attached to the edge of the door.[9] The device can be used in interior spaces with lamps and exterior spaces with direct sunlight for better accuracy. While using outdoors, a sundial controls the tilt and rotation of the model stand. The main advantage is its affordability and small size.[9] The heliodon is accurate when utilized by people who are already aware of solar geometry. But not good for learning solar geometry and the basic principles of solar responsive design.[9]
The manual heliodon consists of a flat table with a scaled model on top whereas the table lies stationary with only sun lamps in motion. The heliodon consists of a horizontal platform and seven rings that represent the sun path for the 21st day of every month which can be rotated to replicate the time of the day. It acts as a teaching tool for architects, planners, and developers.[5] The heliodon can be used to teach solar geometry and solar responsive design principles in science museums.[5] Without reliance on external sky conditions, it is simple to evaluate sun shading analysis at any latitude. This type of heliodon is very intuitive to adjust and operate.[10] This heliodon requires only limited training since it is easy to understand and operate.
This type of robotic heliodons is the most accurate sun simulator. It is used to evaluate scale models in a compact space with a fixed light source with the support of a robotic platform. It is an automatically operated heliodon in which a physical model is accurately positioned with the help of computers around two axes. The robotic heliodon can process frequent tests and evaluations on bigger and heavier models than the manual ones to produce precise results for experiments. They are used for daylighting studies in universities, research facilities and development laboratories for sustainable building designs.
Some robotic heliodons use a mirror to fold the light path and allow the installation in a small room. The room is normally kept dark without windows and the walls, ceilings and floors are usually in black.
This robotic heliodon is fully automated with a computer and has lights that go around the fixed scale model placed horizontally on the table. This kind of robotic heliodon is used separately or integrated with dome artificial sky for presentation, lighting design and research purposes. While in use with the artificial sky, the combined tool can replicate both the Sun and the sky for great accuracy and obtain results of the daylight study. The fixed scale model can be bigger and heavier models than the other types which allow the source to go around the model for obtaining evaluation results, conducting presentations and observation. The robotic heliodon allows people to move easily around and inside it for daylighting studies.
Illuminating Engineering Society (IES) publishes a lighting handbook that features the heliodon as one of the tools used for the evaluation of daylighting design.[23] The handbook is a globally well-known reference and a guide to allow lighting professionals and practitioners to understand the impact of light on human health and promote sustainability through efficient lighting study and design.[23] The heliodon is featured in the handbook as a lighting software tool that is used to study daylighting performance for physical scale models.[23] It is generally used by architects and engineers.
In addition to the Enscape sun position controls, sun position and geolocation can be controlled using the native Vectorworks Heliodon tool. For a full description of the scope of this tool and how to place a heliodon, please also reference the Vectorworks Online Help system.
While it is possible to insert multiple heliodons in one Vectorworks file, Enscape will only display one. If multiple heliodons are placed, Enscape will display heliodon which is alphabetically first.
A heliodon is a device that simulates the path of the sun. It is often used for glareanalysis to identify sunlight entering a room. Bright sun patches onwalls and computer screens are often the cause of glare.
Students at Texas A&M's College of Architecture now have an opportunity to see a 3-D representation of sunlight's effect on a building from in any location on earth, at any time of day, any day of the year, with the arrival this spring of a model 126 heliodon.
"Understanding how the sun moves is so difficult to visualize," said Liliana Beltrán, who was recently promoted to associate professor of architecture. "The heliodon is a perfect tool for students to easily see the sun's effect on their designs. It'll be a great help to determine a building's solar response."
"In a computer model, you see a 3-D object represented in two dimensions," she said. "With the heliodon, students can observe their design from more angles than in computer models. I like computer tools a lot, and I use them a lot, but for understanding solar geometries this tool is better."
Acting on a proposal penned by Beltrán, the college purchased the heliodon through funds gathered from Instructional Enhancement Equipment Fees, which are earmarked for improvements that enrich the college's educational environment.
Faculty members wanting to use the heliodon in their studios are welcome to contact Beltrán at LBel...@archmail.tamu.edu or 979.845.6545 for a demonstration or visit her website for more information.
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