Background and aims: Apart from visual effects of daylight it has observed to elicit powerful non visual effects. It controls the circadian rhythm of hormone secretions and body temperature with implications for sleep/wake states, alertness, mood and behavior. In this study new metrics called "Daylight Autonomy" and "Useful Day light Illuminance" were calculated utilizing south facing vertical illuminance values for industrial parks of Tehran province.Methods: Measurement of south facing vertical values was carried out between 12 July and 1 August 2007 in three measuring stations (Hamadan, Eshtehard and Kerman). Synchronically calculation of corresponding values was performed using method of Illuminating Engineering Society of North America (IESNA, 2000). Once aproper model was fitted between measured and Calculated values, prediction of south facing verticali lluminances was under taken for 11 industrial parks of Tehran in a working year. Consequently metrics of "Daylight Authonomy" and "Useful Daylight Illuminances" were estimated for an assumed work place in industrial parks.Results: Minimum, maximum, mean and standard deviation of predicted values for total data found to be 5, 88.32, 50.14 and 23.35 Klux respectively. Values of "Daylight Authonomy" and "Useful Daylight illuminances" were found to be 56% and 56%-100% respectively.Conclusion: There is high potentiality for daylightv availability and energy conservation in Industrial parks. The maximum external illuminance was found 88KLux for all industrial parks. This value could produce internalilluminaceexceede630 Kluxwhich could not make glare and discomfort for occupants.

To achieve sustainable, low-energy buildings, it is required to further emphasize on accurate evaluation of daylight performance. To this end, over the last few years, researchers have considerably developed more advanced dynamic metrics to overcome the limitations of static metrics. Nowadays, Daylight Autonomy (DA) and Useful Daylight Illuminance (UDI) metrics and those metrics developed based on these two are the most well-known dynamic daylight performance metrics, which do not have the same credit in terms of efficiency among different experts. The present study aims to compare the abilities of these metrics to be used in evaluating daylight performance in educational buildings. To this end, a parametric analysis is performed through simulation in Grasshopper software using Ladybug and Honeybee plugins. This analysis is performed to show the relationship between UDI, sUDI, DA, sDA, cDA metrics by examining the effects of the variations of Window-to-Wall Ratio (WWR) on them in a typical Classroom of an elementary school in Tehran. The results show that the lack of a high limit for DA and DA-based metrics, i. e. sDA and cDA, eliminates their correlations with the components related to the occupant comfort. Among various daylight metrics, UDI, due to its correlation with glare and energy consumption, can indicate the propensity for the occurrence of occupant discomfort as well as the energy consumption. Also, among UDI-based metrics, sUDI needs to increase the density of sensor points in the grid to achieve the same accuracy as UDIavg, significantly increasing the computation time. Therefore, the UDIavg metric is more suitable to use for small spatial units where the number of sensors is quite limited.

Yazd is located in a hot-dry region with harsh weather conditions. Houses with an iwan were suitable for establishing comfort conditions in the past. An evaluation of the visual comfort conditions in residential courtyard buildings in Yazd city was carried out by investigating the effects of the depth of the iwan and the ratio of the adjacent rooms' openings.  Research is currently being conducted on an optimal model of the iwan in an effort to facilitate sustainable development and increase the use of such a model in contemporary housing. The effect of the parameters was investigated by simulating models containing different proportions of the iwan and sizes of the window in the Design Builder software. The results indicate that the proportion of the iwan and Window Wall Ratio of the adjacent room's window significantly affects the daylight that penetrates into the rooms. For the purposes of this study, climate-based daylight metrics (CBDMs), such as Useful Daylight Illuminances (UDI) with thresholds of 100–3000 lux and Spatial Daylight Autonomy (sDA) over 300 lux. In models with an iwan depth of 1.5 and above, windows from 20% to 60% WWR have the ability to bring a suitable amount of light into the room. This means that by using the iwan, wider windows can be designed without having glare and adding extra thermal load to the building. Results obtained from this research will provide new insight into the concepts of iwan. Furthermore, findings of this research help architect to design spaces with the utilization of daylight.

Daylight is one of the most influential parameters of visual quality, especially in spaces like art exhibitions. Skylights are proper choices to provide daylight, improve visual comfort, and reduce artificial lighting energy consumption. In this paper, the effect of the main design parameters of skylights on the visual quality is studied using DesignBuilder software. An 81 m2 exhibition area is assessed as a test case. The design variables are the skylight form, orientation, location, glazing type, and splay angle. Also, luminance uniformity, spatial daylight autonomy (sDA), and useful daylight illuminance (UDI) are used as evaluation metrics. The north-oriented curved skylight leads to the best visual quality among the studied cases based on the results. Installing the skylight on the north side of the exhibition roof is better to provide the best luminance uniformity. Besides, the results showed that triple Low-E glazing provides the most uniform and the least maximum luminance. However, it may slightly reduce sDA. Finally, although the effect of splay angle on the visual comfort indexes depends on the intended time, 45° to 60° angles work satisfactorily.

For years, research on daylight in work environments with different climates has been important for researchers to distribute light evenly in the indoor space in order to create a healthy work environment and visual comfort. This study examines the effect of horizontal and vertical shading devices, the depth and distance of louvres on daylight with the aim of increasing DLA (daylight autonomy) for Abrisham tower in Tabriz, Iran. As input parameters the depth of louvres was considered 5 and 15 cm and their distance were considered 150 and 200 cm. Modeling was performed in Rhinoceros software and the Simulation was done in Grasshopper plugin to control the geometric parameters and with the help of ladybug and honeybee plugins. The multi-objective simulation tool, octopus was used to optimizing. Results show that vertical louvers caused more light reduction. Furthermore, the simulation effects of shaders parameter's include depth and distance being examined and analyzed, it seemed that the distance between louvers in this case and in Tabriz is more important variable and moreover, using reflective material or coating on louver’s surface as there are many weeks are overcasting theirs in Tabriz can help and improve internal light autonomy. The optimal cases that were obtained for north façade windows are horizontal louvres with a depth of 5 and a distance of 190 cm and vertical louvres with a depth of 15 cm and a distance 200 cm. In south facade are horizontal louvres with a depth of 13 and a distance of 161 cm and vertical louvres with a depth of 14 cm and a distance of 153 cm.

Daylight studies on office buildings are very important due to the use of artificial lighting and their energy consumption during daytime hours and also providing visual comfort in working spaces. In compliance with the National Building Code of Iran, it is mandated that office spaces possess access to natural light and ventilation through one or more windows, constituting at least 12.5% of the total glass area in relation to the floor space. This research is devoted to the investigation and assessment of the appropriateness of this ratio in diverse climates across Iran. For this purpose, the index of Daylight Autonomy (DA), Useful Daylight Illuminance (UDI) and also Annual Sunlight Exposure (ASE) metrics were used on an office space in 5 cities of Isfahan, Mashhad, Chabahar, Tabriz and Ahvaz, in Grasshopper software and Honeybee and Ladybug plug-ins. The analysis underscores a robust, direct correlation between the ratio of glass surface area to floor space and the levels of natural illumination. Notably, the intensity of light radiation, as indicated by DA, is most favorable in Isfahan and Mashhad, and least favorable in Ahvaz. Furthermore, UDI values exhibit a proportional relationship with light behavior in the environments of Isfahan and Ahvaz, respectively. Chabahar city emerges with the most favorable ASE values. The findings underscore that the current prescribed standard may not be across the country applicable or optimal across all climates. It is advised to make climate-specific adaptations to this standard, providing designers with increased assurance in its use throughout the design process.

Postmodernism represents skepticism toward metanarratives and universal ideologies that dominated the modernist era. The study focuses on three key postmodernist concepts - alternative assessment, process syllabi, and self-directed learning. Alternative assessment emphasizes evaluating the learning process over summative testing. Process syllabi focus on the learning experience rather than rigid outcomes. Self-directed learning enables student responsibility in setting learning goals and processes. This paper examined the effects of postmodernist educational concepts on improving Iranian EFL learners’ autonomy. A quasi-experimental pre-test/post-test design was utilized with 60 intermediate level Iranian EFL students divided into an experimental and control group (n=30 each). The experimental group received instruction utilizing the three postmodernist concepts over 14 weeks, while the control group received traditional modernist instruction. Autonomy was measured using a validated questionnaire before and after the intervention. The results showed the experimental group demonstrated significant increases in autonomy compared to the control group. Paired sample t-tests revealed significant differences between pre-test and post-test autonomy for the experimental group across all three postmodern concepts - alternative assessment, process syllabi, and self-directed learning. This suggests postmodernist concepts that decentralize instruction and emphasize student process over outcomes can enhance Iranian EFL learners’ self-direction and responsibility for language acquisition. The study implies EFL syllabus designers and instruction should transition to postmodern models centered on individualized assessment, flexible syllabi, and student-guided learning to boost autonomy. Further research can expand sample sizes and explore additional postmodernist concepts across diverse demographics.

Natural light has been an important element in Iranian architecture and shaped interior spaces of monuments.During different historical periods, the presence of light in various Architectural works, have always been under focus from spiritual religious aspects in addition to the functional aspect. The incentive towards light direction during worship has existed in different religions and still exists. Daylight has always had a special place and value in Islam and the Islamic worldview. With emerge of Islam, usage and application of light in architecture increased especially in mosques as the most important monuments of Islamic architecture.Daylight, in addition to functional aspect, is considered as a mystical symbol and a sign of God's presence in the mosques, which raises the human sense of reverence and humility in front of God. To this end, for centuries, Iranian architects have been trying to use traditional architectural elements and day lighting solutions to improve the deployment of natural light in their designs.This study attempts to investigate and evaluate the application of light-catching elements in Iranian mosques, particularly in mosques and mosque-schools from Qajar period. We use a descriptive and analytical research method and our study is mainly on the basis of resources and the literature available in Iranian libraries. After describing the theoretical foundations of our research, we analyse a number of common light-catching elements through research’s selected mosques. Although a multitude number of studies have been done on the concepts of light and its role and function in the traditional architectural monuments, particularly mosques and homes, little study has been done on light-catching elements in mosques of a specific period as done in this research.Structural elements which have been used in Iranian traditional architecture for utilization of daylight are studied from two directions. In the first direction, light-catching elements often have the task of transmitting light into the interior space. In the second direction, light controlling elements adjust the entered light through the building (similar to canopies). The subject of this research is in line with the first direction. We only study light-catching elements and we chose thei common elements such as door and window, Shabak, Horno, Rozan and Roshandan. Although these elements are different in term of material, type and location of application in the building, all of them are used for light-catching even though some of them are also containing ventilation application. We chose 10 mosques and mosque-schools of Qajar period in Tehran. The examined mosques and mosque-schools in this research were selected based on the following criteria: first, all the selected mosques and mosque-schools are located in old and valuable regionof the city and they are tourist attraction. They have architectural values and are well-known among people and experts. Secondly, the buildings of selected samples reflect prominent features of Qajar’s architecture.Also the sufficient information (including maps and images) are available for these monuments. We chose 5 mosques and 5 mosque-schools among Qajar’s architectural works. Then, the usage and the application rate of light-catching elements in these buildings are evaluated quantitatively and qualitatively by the use of maps and the available visual data. Quantitative analysis is based on the approximate numbers of elements used in these mosques which have been extracted from the available images and maps. To qualitatively evaluate the application rate of various methods of light-catching in these mosques, we specify four levels of usage: "insignificant", "low", "medium" and "high". We provide the results of quantitative as well as qualitative analysis in this paper.Our analytical studies indicate that although door and window, Shabak, Horno, Rozan and Roshandan had been considered as innovative lighting elements inside mosques of Qajar period, architectures of this period still mainly used door and windows as the main lighting elements. Next to doors and windows, Rozan stands at the second place, Horno in the third place, and then Shabak and Roshandan. The utilization rate of doors and windows among considered mosques and mosque-chools has been similar. Nevertheless, the usage of Horno as a lighting element in mosques has been more than mosque-chools. Rozan and Shabak have yet been used more in mosque-chools rather than mosques. Roshandan has been barely used in the mosque schools, and only few samples could be found within some mosques of this period.

As a clean sustainable source of lighting, daylight is currently the subject of rigorous studies. It has been demonstrated that daylight is not only a source of lighting, but also important in physiological and biopsychology of human beings. Although current knowledge on this subject is at its prime, there are still some design recommendations to achieve adequate daylight in buildings.

The complexity of the design and the abundance of aspects that must be considered simultaneously by designers make it necessary to pay attention to different variables, which leads to the optimization of different functions. Other results of studies in this area are the identification of different variables. This study aims to investigate the effects of the dimensional variables and the ratio of area to volume of the classroom on the visual and thermal comfort of the users. For this purpose, the performance of the model in terms of the variables of and thermal comfort was investigated based on the weather data of Tabriz city using the simulator plugins Honeybee and Ladybug and the optimization plugin Octopus based on the evolutionary algorithm. The results of the survey show that the area-to-volume ratio of desired classrooms ranges from 1.16 to 1.69. The outcomes deemed optimal for the objectives of glare probability and daylight autonomy suggest that the most favorable solutions lie within the lower range of the surface area-to-volume ratio. Conversely, concerning comparative thermal comfort, the optimal solutions are found within the upper portion of the aforementioned range.