Power of the Sun
The maximization of sunlight is becoming an increasingly important environmental consideration in urban planning. The evaluation of shadows cast by tall buildings in urban areas is required in many municipalities and is often included in guidelines established by City Planning and Development Departments. Most urban developments have established minimum sun penetration criteria for sidewalks, parks and recreation areas.

Testing
The laboratory at Theakston Environmental contains a specially designed Heliodon. A powerful parallel light source illuminates the model, creating shadows that are photographed for analysis. The Heliodon includes a 24-hour clock turntable so that the angle of the sun can be adjusted to simulate any geographic location, time of day and season.

The model is photographed under lighted conditions and the photographic record indicates the month of the year, time of day and day of the month for all hours of daylight. These photographs from a sun/shade study using the Heliodon provide an excellent indication of the location and duration of the shadows for the existing and proposed scenarios. Theakston Environmental also conducts computer generated analyses for the required sun/shadow information when digital information for the site is available.