the lemmy.monster
  • Communities
  • Create Post
  • heart
    Support Lemmy
  • search
    Search
  • Login
  • Sign Up
reallykindasorta@slrpnk.net to Asklemmy@lemmy.ml · 3 days ago

Why don't we use mirrors to bring light into buildings more?

message-square
message-square
31
link
fedilink
46
message-square

Why don't we use mirrors to bring light into buildings more?

reallykindasorta@slrpnk.net to Asklemmy@lemmy.ml · 3 days ago
message-square
31
link
fedilink
alert-triangle
You must log in or # to comment.
  • jet@hackertalks.com
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    46
    ·
    3 days ago

    We do! Sky lights, fiber optic sky light extenders, etc. humans are always trying to light up their artificial caves with sunlight.

    Building architecture used to have amazing creative designs to capture this free lighting.

    However, cheap efficient indoor lighting removed this as a driving force, so newer buildings don’t have the same design constraints

    • frightful_hobgoblin@lemmy.ml
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      6
      ·
      2 days ago

      I have never seen fiber optic sky light extenders in real life

      • sunbeam60@feddit.uk
        link
        fedilink
        arrow-up
        11
        ·
        2 days ago

        Light extenders are fairly common in the UK - not fibre optic, but basically they look like if silvery tubes connected to a glass dome on the roof. Fairly common when a house extension leave a hall without a window.

        • SaveTheTuaHawk@lemmy.ca
          link
          fedilink
          English
          arrow-up
          2
          ·
          2 days ago

          They work on the principle of total internal reflection. Same as a fiber optic cable.

          But they eventually leak so cheap LEDs it is.

        • frightful_hobgoblin@lemmy.ml
          link
          fedilink
          arrow-up
          2
          ·
          2 days ago

          interesting

  • frightful_hobgoblin@lemmy.ml
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    16
    ·
    2 days ago

    We are not solarpunk enough

    • CmdrShepard49@sh.itjust.works
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      3
      ·
      2 days ago

      Not Indiana Jonesy enough.

  • FriendOfDeSoto@startrek.website
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    18
    arrow-down
    1
    ·
    3 days ago

    Did you hear about that curved building in London that reflected light so well you could cook an egg in the street a block away? I think you could make an argument for white surfaces to reflect light into buildings but full blown mirrors are probably a fire hazard.

    • SaveTheTuaHawk@lemmy.ca
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      5
      ·
      2 days ago

      20 Fenchurch. It melted car plastics.

    • CmdrShepard49@sh.itjust.works
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      2
      ·
      2 days ago

      I don’t think it would be such an issue witn flat mirrors. The curvature focuses light into a single point much like a magnifying glass.

    • pHr34kY@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      5
      ·
      2 days ago

      You’d want to run captured light through a diffuser anyway.

      • SaveTheTuaHawk@lemmy.ca
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        3
        ·
        2 days ago

        Which is what they did at 20 Fenchurch.

    • Krudler@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      2
      ·
      2 days ago

      Vegas had a death ray building too.

  • Skyrmir@lemmy.world
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    10
    ·
    2 days ago

    Clouds make it annoying and inconsistent. Also people need light at night regardless, so lights are always needed.

    • Nindelofocho@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      8
      ·
      2 days ago

      I like the idea of the lighting inside simulating the lighting outside you can have supplemental electrical lights to provide enough light to do stuff but if its bright outside it can be brighter and energizing inside when its overcast or evening it can be cozy and relaxing inside.

      Id imagine this helps the circadian rhythm a bit but also prevents getting flashbanged when stepping outside during the day and having to wait for the eyes to adjust as much when stepping outside during at night

    • melsaskca@lemmy.ca
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      4
      ·
      2 days ago

      If we invented mirror batteries, the mirrors could hold onto the sunlight long after the sun has set. /s

  • MonkderVierte@lemmy.zip
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    6
    arrow-down
    1
    ·
    2 days ago

    Guys, i think they mean interior decoration.

    I did this with a strategic mirror in the dark corridor. But the house entrance was also there, and in a long stretch between sleeping and living room with a window on either end.

  • agentTeiko@piefed.social
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    13
    arrow-down
    2
    ·
    3 days ago

    We tried but it causes alien’s to come down and pick up their stones and lady friend.

    • grue@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      5
      arrow-down
      1
      ·
      2 days ago

      Aziz, light!

      • teslekova@sh.itjust.works
        link
        fedilink
        arrow-up
        3
        ·
        2 days ago

        Thankyou Aziz.

  • Switorik@sh.itjust.works
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    4
    ·
    2 days ago

    Money. Solar tubes are not cheap to buy or install. The longer they have to go, the more expensive they become.

    • Anarki_@lemmy.blahaj.zone
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      4
      ·
      2 days ago

      Access Denied

      You don’t have permission to access “http://www.homedepot.com/b/Doors-Windows-Windows-Skylights-Solar-Tubes/N-5yc1vZc5f2” on this server.

      Reference #18.60ec1702.1783606539.203f040

      https://errors.edgesuite.net/18.60ec1702.1783606539.203f040

      • Switorik@sh.itjust.works
        link
        fedilink
        arrow-up
        4
        ·
        2 days ago

        Its a link to solar tubes on the home depot website. I’m not familiar with this error.

        • Aganim@lemmy.world
          link
          fedilink
          arrow-up
          1
          ·
          2 days ago

          Same error here. I can’t access their home page either, so it’s probably a geoblock.

          • black0ut@pawb.social
            link
            fedilink
            arrow-up
            4
            ·
            2 days ago

            Yeah +1 on the geoblock theory. Usian websites have a lot of trackers and spyware, which are illegal in a lot of other places (like the EU). Instead of fixing the sites, it’s cheaper to geoblock those areas. At least they’re not lying about their compliance and spying without permission…

        • Anarki_@lemmy.blahaj.zone
          link
          fedilink
          arrow-up
          1
          ·
          2 days ago

          I figured. Oh well.

    • reallykindasorta@slrpnk.netOP
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      1
      ·
      2 days ago

      Ohh that’s cool

  • MantisToboggon@lemmy.world
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    10
    arrow-down
    1
    ·
    3 days ago

    It Can start a fire.

    • axh@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      7
      ·
      2 days ago

      Only if they focus the reflected light

  • TribblesBestFriend@startrek.website
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    3
    ·
    3 days ago

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jnZN4u01Ftk

    • Zephyr@sh.itjust.works
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      1
      ·
      19 hours ago

      Dang, beat me to it.

Asklemmy@lemmy.ml

asklemmy@lemmy.ml

Subscribe from Remote Instance

Create a post
You are not logged in. However you can subscribe from another Fediverse account, for example Lemmy or Mastodon. To do this, paste the following into the search field of your instance: [email protected]

A loosely moderated place to ask open-ended questions

Search asklemmy 🔍

If your post meets the following criteria, it’s welcome here!

  1. Open-ended question
  2. Not offensive: at this point, we do not have the bandwidth to moderate overtly political discussions. Assume best intent and be excellent to each other.
  3. Not regarding using or support for Lemmy: context, see the list of support communities and tools for finding communities below
  4. Not ad nauseam inducing: please make sure it is a question that would be new to most members
  5. An actual topic of discussion

Looking for support?

  • [email protected]
  • [email protected]
  • [email protected]

Looking for a community?

  • Lemmyverse: community search
  • sub.rehab: maps old subreddits to fediverse options, marks official as such
  • [email protected]: a community for finding communities

Icon by @[email protected]

Visibility: Public
globe

This community can be federated to other instances and be posted/commented in by their users.

  • 93 users / day
  • 1.56K users / week
  • 4.44K users / month
  • 11.2K users / 6 months
  • 1 local subscriber
  • 54.9K subscribers
  • 7.42K Posts
  • 299K Comments
  • Modlog
  • mods:
  • Evan@lemmy.ml
  • mekhos@lemmy.ml
  • tmpod@lemmy.pt
  • OrangeSlice@lemmy.ml
  • BE: 0.19.15
  • Modlog
  • Legal
  • Instances
  • Docs
  • Code
  • join-lemmy.org