Sky Access

The amount of the sky that can be seen from the ground without obstruction by surrounding buildings (in percent). Sky access is a useful tool for quantifying the thermal access and comfort of a district as impacted by the height and open space between buildings in dense urban environments.

Sky Access is measured by quantifying the amount of sky visible from a point on the ground. This is achieved by drawing a set of vectors from the sampled ground points and recording the number of vectors that intercept generated or existing buildings. The total number of unobstructed vectors is divided by the total number of vectors drawn to calculate the hit percentage at the site and sample point level.

A score of 30% or above suggests the sky access is adequate for a space to feel suitably open to sky and subsequent daylight. A score below 30% suggests that building setbacks should be increased or height should be decreased to allow greater daylight to reach the ground.