Investigation of natural lighting in mass housing in continental climate zone; Elazığ example

Daylight plays an important role in both human health and psychological states. Inadequate exposure to daylight can cause various health problems and negatively affect people's moods. The use of daylight saves energy needed for artificial lighting, while allowing people indoors to visually connect with the outdoors and monitor weather conditions. For these reasons, it is crucial that indoor spaces are illuminated by daylight as much as possible. Public housing projects are growing rapidly in Turkey and are increasingly preferred for their various economic benefits, social amenities and safe living spaces. In line with this increasing demand, public housing projects should be designed to make the most efficient use of daylight at the settlement, building and volume scales. The effective use of daylight in public housing projects has a positive impact on both the physical and psychological health of occupants, while providing significant energy efficiency benefits. At the settlement scale, the orientation of buildings, the distance between them, and the consideration of environmental factors ensure that daylight reaches each unit equally and sufficiently. At the building scale, the architectural design of buildings, facade features, and materials used play a role in the effective distribution of daylight to interior spaces. At the volume scale, factors such as room layout, window size and placement, interior color and material choices ensure the most efficient use of daylight in interior spaces. The aim of this work is to model the Yemişlik 2nd Stage Public Housing Project, which was built by TOKİ after the 2020 Sivrice, Elazığ earthquake, in the DIALux Evo Pro lighting program and to examine and evaluate the living and sleeping volumes in the settlement in terms of "Daylight Illumination" according to the EN 17037 standard. Within the scope of the study, 8 blocks of 3 different types belonging to the Yemişlik 2nd Stage Housing Project in Elazığ were considered and the daylight illuminance levels were calculated for a total of 168 volumes consisting of living rooms, kitchens, master bedrooms and bedrooms. The calculations were evaluated based on the criterion of ≥300 lx provided that the areas are ≥50% in the reference plane and ≥100 lx provided that the areas are ≥95% in the reference plane. By evaluating the results obtained as a result of the research, determinations and suggestions are presented that will contribute to the architectural design process of mass housing projects planned to be built in the future.