Balancing Carbon Impact And Natural Lighting In Urban Residential Housing Project: Shanghai, China

Abstract

Under the circumstance of rapid development, problems like energy consumption, carbon emission and quality of living issues in China have emerged in recent years. Housing has demonstrated tremendous potential to play a major role in the reduction of carbon emission, to gain a balance between reducing carbon emission and meeting increasing demand. Good natural lighting is irreplaceable in improving the quality of housing and meeting needs of the residents. Thus, it is necessary and insightful to evaluate natural lighting of housing from the perspective of carbon emission reduction. The research approach includes five aspects: literature review, software simulation, questionnaire survey, empirical research and case study. This research aims to identify the role and significance of natural lighting of housing has on carbon emission, to establish a connection between them and to reveal their relationships to improve the overall quality of housing and realize energy-saving principles and carbon emission. This dissertation will prove that appropriate natural lighting of housing can achieve a balance in natural lighting quality, energy consumption and carbon emission. It is promising that this research can provide references and ideas for the governments, designers and developers to impact future decisions that will help to create high quality housing and reduce carbon emission at the same time.