Daylight Modelling for G7 Compliance
Ensure your building meets G7 Natural Light standards with daylight modelling.
This process helps assess how natural light is distributed across interior spaces, ensuring adequate lighting for occupant comfort and well-being.
By simulating different scenarios, you can determine if your design provides enough daylight, avoiding over-reliance on artificial lighting.
What is G7 Compliance?
G7 compliance refers to meeting the requirements of the G7 Natural Light Verification Method (G7/VM1) as outlined in New Zealand's Building Code.
This standard ensures that habitable spaces in buildings receive adequate natural light and maintain a connection to the outside environment, which is essential for occupant health and well-being.
To achieve compliance, buildings must meet two key criteria:
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Illuminance: Sufficient daylight levels must be achieved in habitable spaces.
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Awareness of the Outside Environment: Transparent glazing (e.g., windows) must provide adequate visual connection to the outdoors.
When Do You Need G7 Daylight Modeling?
You may require G7 daylight modeling for the following scenarios:
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New Builds: Ensuring natural light compliance for building consent applications.
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Renovations: Assessing compliance for redesigned or modified spaces.
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Complex Designs: Verifying compliance for irregular room shapes, borrowed light spaces, or multi-story buildings.
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Early Childhood Centers, Schools or Aged Care Facilities: Meeting the specific requirements for spaces used by vulnerable groups.
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High-Density Housing or Apartments: Demonstrating compliance in areas with limited external light access.
How Our Process Works
We provide a seamless, professional service to help you meet G7 compliance standards.
Initial Consultation
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Discuss your project requirements, building plans, and intended use of the space.
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Identify specific challenges such as complex shapes or borrowed daylight spaces.
Daylight Modeling
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Using advanced software we create a detailed 3D model of your building.
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Perform calculations to determine:
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Illuminance Levels: Using methods like Daylight Factor (DF) or Climate-Based Daylight Modeling (CBDM).
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Transparent Glazing Requirements: Verify that the glazing area meets G7 standards.
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Detailed Reporting
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Deliver a professional report demonstrating compliance with G7/VM1 standards for councils.
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Include key metrics such as minimum daylight factor, grid placement, glazing calculations, and recommendations (if needed).
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PS1 for local councils.
Support and Guidance
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Assist with submitting the report for building consent.
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Provide advice on design adjustments if compliance is not initially achieved.
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What is daylight modelling?Daylight modelling simulates how natural light enters and spreads within a building to ensure compliance with lighting standards like the G7 Building Code.
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What is the building code clause G7?Clause G7 of the New Zealand Building Code relates to natural light in buildings. It ensures that all indoor spaces are provided with adequate daylight to support the health, safety, and comfort of occupants. This includes meeting minimum daylight requirements for different types of rooms, such as living areas and workspaces. Compliance is typically demonstrated through daylight modeling to verify that sufficient natural light reaches key areas of the building.
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Do I need to model every room in my building?No, you don’t need to model every room in your building. Typically, daylight modelling is requested when a specific room is struggling to meet the G7/AS1 compliance requirements. We'll work with you to focus on the areas where natural light isn’t meeting the required standards, ensuring compliance without having to model every space in the building.
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What is the G7 VM1 verification method?The G7 VM1 Verification Method is a recognised approach for demonstrating compliance with the New Zealand Building Code's requirements for natural light (Clause G7). It provides a specific set of criteria and calculations used to verify that a building design delivers adequate daylight to its occupants, meeting minimum lighting standards for different spaces. VM1 includes various methods, such as daylight factor calculations and simulation techniques, to ensure that spaces like living rooms and work areas receive sufficient natural light.
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Why is daylight important in building design?Natural light improves occupant well-being, reduces energy costs, and meets regulatory requirements.
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How is daylight modelling performed?Daylight modelling is performed using advanced simulation software to assess how sunlight enters and distributes within your building. Factors like building orientation, location in New Zealand, surrounding obstructions, window placement, interior finishes (such as paint colors), and permanent fixtures (like stairs or kitchen cabinets) are considered. To ensure accurate results, we'll gather detailed information from you about the building’s design and environment during the process. This enables us to evaluate whether your spaces meet the required daylight factors for G7 compliance.
Our Recent Projects
We have successfully helped clients across various sectors meet G7 daylight requirements through our expert modelling services.
Some of the projects we’ve worked on include:
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Daylight Modelling Quote
Please complete the form to get a quote.