A new white paper, “Daylighting and Flooring: Don’t Overlook the Issue of Reflectivity,” issued by Armstrong Commercial Flooring, provides insight on leveraging the reflectivity of flooring for architects and administrators who are seeking opportunities to reduce energy consumption in commercial structures.
Daylighting is increasingly becoming a green building design strategy and LEED v4 now recognizes the benefits of high light reflectant flooring in the IEQ Lighting Quality Credit.
Research suggests that boosting the reflectance values of flooring will allow more light – from either artificial or natural sources – to bounce off the floor and enable the available light to illuminate the space more efficiently.
“It is an issue that most facility managers are just beginning to think about,” says Amy Costello, Sustainability Manager for Armstrong World Industries. “They realize that the flooring can have an effect on daylighting. It’s not the primary factor in daylighting, but it’s something to consider.”
Daylighting advocates have recognized the importance of the reflectivity of the interior surfaces of classrooms but tend to focus more on ceilings and walls because those surfaces provide more daylighting benefits. One of the studies cited, “Energy Saving Potential of High Reflective Flooring Material for Sustainable Interiors,” indicates that high-reflectance floor material can increase classroom daylighting levels, and where daylighting is not a factor, can result in more efficient distribution of artificial light. Either outcome would enable education institutions to reduce energy costs.
This study found when floor reflectance is changed from 10 percent to 60 percent, the luminance levels in a corridor could increase as high as 30 percent while the magnitude in an empty classroom space could be as high as 45 percent.
“When one considers the billions of square feet of space that schools and universities occupy in the United States, even a slight reduction in electricity consumption can make a difference in an education institution’s bottom line. High-reflectance flooring offers such an opportunity,” says Costello.
Download a complimentary copy of the white paper at www.armstrong.com/daylighting.  Written by Mike Kennedy of American School & University magazine, the paper is based upon the latest available research on daylighting in schools and recently completed (October 2014) research conducted by Dr. Richard Mistrick, Associate Professor of Architectural Engineering at Penn State University.
For general information on Armstrong Commercial Flooring, visit www.armstrong.com.
About Armstrong: Armstrong World Industries, Inc., a global leader in the design and manufacture of floors and ceilings is Inspiring Great Spaces™ each and every day.  Based in Lancaster, Pa., Armstrong operates 34 plants in eight countries and has approximately 8,700 employees worldwide. Armstrong is systematically reducing our environmental footprint and providing products and services that enable our customers to reduce the environmental impact of the buildings they create. For more information visit www.armstrong.com.