Daylight evaluation for educational facilities established in high-rise housing complexes in Daegu, South Korea

• We evaluated daylight levels in schools established in high-rise housing complexes.
• High-rise housing complex can affect the amount of daylight exposure.
• Daylight influenced student's educational environment and learning performance.

This study conducted a daylight evaluation of schools established in high-rise housing complexes in a Korean city. This was accomplished through a daylight simulation test and a questionnaire survey on students' perception of and satisfaction with daylight in their classrooms. The simulation test showed that the amount of daylight to which a school was exposed could be affected by the surrounding high-rise housing complex, and that the distance between the complex and the school had an influence on the amount of daylight seen in classrooms. When the total daylight hours numbered less than four, or when the number of continuous daylight hours was less than two, students' satisfaction with daylight was low. According to survey results, most students felt that daylight had an influence on their educational environment and learning performance. It is therefore deemed necessary to fully consider the surroundings when designing education facilities.