Daylighting in Senior Residences in Semi-Arid Areas: Analysis and Improvement Recommendations Based on a Case Study

Contemporary lifestyles lead the elderly to spend up to 80% of their time indoors. Research underscores the unique visual requirements of different types of spaces to enhance accessible design for aging populations. This paper aims to evaluate the daylight conditions of the interior spaces of a senior living facility in Algeria. Interviews and on-site illuminance measurements were conducted to investigate perceptions and preferences regarding these spaces. A geometric model was then created in Rhino 8 and Grasshopper to simulate the interior daylight environment over an entire year. The study reveals significant daylighting deficiencies in the investigated spaces, including insufficient illuminance uniformity, localized overexposure near window zones with a potential glare risk, and some underlit activity areas. Additionally, annual daylight simulations revealed marked differences between the two shading scenarios. With the existing shading devices, the north-west-facing bedroom (R1NW) achieved UDI of 87.09%, whereas the south-east activity room (AR1SE) reached only 13.78%; removing the shading increased acceptable UDI in all investigated spaces. However, annual glare analysis showed that this improvement in daylight availability was accompanied by a reduction in glare autonomy. These results support orientation-specific daylighting strategies that include optimized or adaptable shading devices, supplementary task lighting for underlit functional areas, and increased interior finish reflectance to improve daylight distribution while reducing glare.