BAGULA MUKHI COLLEGE OF ARCHITECTURE

BHOPAL

DISSERTATION
ON
" DAYLIGHT ARCHITECTURE"

DISSERTATION SUBMITTED BY-

PALASH JAIN
0549AR131029

IN THE PARTIAL FULLFILLMENT OF THE DEGREE OF

BACHELOR OF ARCHITECTURE
SESSION 2016-17

COORDINATOR: MENTOR:
Ar. PURNA SHEOLIKAR Ar. G. SANJIV

RAJIV GANDHI PROUDYOGIKI VISHWAVIDYALA

(RGPV)

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 DECLARATION OF ORIGINAL WORK

I Palash Jain hereby declare that the work entitled Daylight Architecture is
my original work. I have not copied from any other published or unpublished
work except where due reference or acknowledgement is made explicitly in the
text, nor has any part been written for me by another person.

____________________ ________________________
Date submitted Name of the student

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 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

I am using this opportunity to express my gratitude to everyone who supported

me throughout the course of this dissertation. I am thankful for their aspiring
guidance, invaluably constructive criticisms and friendly advices during the
period of this work. I am sincerely grateful to everyone for sharing their ideas,
thoughts and views related to the project, above all for their valuable time.

I would like to thank my mentors Ar. Dinesh Belgaonkar, Ar. Purna Sheolikar
and Ar. G. Sanjiv for their patience and perpetual support. Special thanks to all
my friends and family for their undying guidance.

Thanking you
Palash Jain

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TABLE OF CONTENT

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT iii
ABSTRACT 2
SYNOPSIS 3
ABSTRACT 3
AIM 3
OBJECTIVE 3
SCOPE 3
LIMITATIONS 3
INTRODUCTION 4

DAYLIGHT 5

VISUAL COMFORT 5
TYPES OF GLARE 5
CONTRAST GLARE5

REFLECTED GLARE 5

DIRECT GLARE 6

TWILIGHT 6

LIGHT AND ARCHITECTURE 7

SENSE OF LIGHT 7
DAYLIGHT PHYCOLOGY AND PHYSIOLOGY 8
DAYLIGHT AND CARDIAN CYCLE 9

CASE STUDY 10

KIMBELL MUSEUM 10
CONCEPT 10
SPACES 10
LIGHT 11
INTEGRATION DAYLIGHT WITH DESIGNING 12
ORIENTATION OF BUILDING 12

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LIGHT AND MATERIALS 13
DIRECT AND DIFFUSE LIGHT 14
DIRECT LIGHT 14
DIFFUSE LIGHT 14
DAYLIGHTING CONSIDERATIONS 16
INTERVIEW BY FREDERIC NANTOIS 17

CONCLUSION 19

REFRENCES 20

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ABSTRACT

This work resulted from my lack of existing knowledge in the practice of using daylight as
an architectural element and the need to increase knowledge on the subject.

Humans evolved under conditions of natural light. The rhythms of the day, the cycles of light and
darkness throughout the year, and the fickleness of the weather and the ever changing skies have
all influenced our perceptions and offered new ways of

seeing. The sun, as the

source of daylight, is worshipped in many religions as the home of the gods or as a
manifestation of the divine.

Light is fundamental to plant life; but perhaps just as important is the effect daylight has on
certain organic functions in animals and humans, such as metabolic rates or
hormone regulation. Light is the life giving elixir and sufficient daylight is
necessary to maintain physical health, to enliven the mind, to bring joy and to
make us truly
appreciate
our

existence. (Koster, 2004)

This research talks about the physiological effect including

thermal comfort and visual comfort which should be attained using
daylight, and then the psychological effects daylight have on us, which will encompass
the hormonal changes and how our body reacts to sunlight.

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AIM
The aim of this study is to understand, how to enhance the quality of life inside a building using
daylight as an architectural element.

OBJECTIVE
To study,

- the physiological and psychological effects of daylight

- relation of human senses, daylight and architecture
- how to incorporate daylight as an architectural element

SCOPE
This research talks about the physiological effect including thermal comfort and visual comfort which
should be attained using daylight, and then the psychological effects daylight have on us, which will
encompass the hormonal changes and how our body reacts to sunlight. And finally how can the
daylight possibly used as an architectural element to create more of a experiential architecture.

LIMITATIONS
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Since there is already a lot of work done in the field of daylight, so a very broad amount of
information is available. A lot of filtrations of the content have to be done to get the optimum required
content.

It is a focused topic on daylight architecture, in which have not touched the theories of great architects
on daylight, energy saving potentials of daylight, daylight as a building element.

INTRODUCTION
Light creates a feeling of emotions. The origin of light is natural light, which is also known as
daylight. There must always be space for natural light; even when people design artificial
light, they will want it to look like natural light.

Light controls people's behavior and emotions. It can make people even happier. When
people design light for space they need to put in position of people working in that space.
Even lighting seems very functional. For example when people in the park, the streetlight and
underground artificial light make people feel uncomfortable. But if it were natural light,
people would feel comfortable. Users will create a new space from the feeling, which
combines the comfort provided by natural light, and the users own feelings and emotions.

"More and more, so it seems to me, light is the beautifier of the building."

-Frank Lloyd Wright

Most of the architectures like to amplify use of natural light. Natural light makes architectural
more harmony between exterior and interior, nature and human. They think light work with
some element like colours can make space more dynamic and beautifier and it is a major
natural element in architecture design.

Some of architectures would regard light design as a matter of common sense and experience.
Understanding and use of light goes to the heart of the architecture plan. Vision is most
important sense through which we experience architecture, and light is the medium that
reveals space, form, texture and colour to our eyes. More than that, light can be employed
through design to evoke an emotional response to increased sensibilities. Light is related to
the visual experience of form and space. Architecture and light are close relation.

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Light work in space influence moods and emotions. In turns of colour, lines forms. It is very
sensitive to the balance of light. For example if your go into a space that is completely
equally light, it directly affects how you feel the space. Light can have a very positive
influence. It can be an emotional reaction and also about how people look in the space. That
evokes the emotion. It is the way light makes people look in that space. (The Relationship
Between Light And Architecture Philosophy Essay, n.d.)

DAYLIGHT
Daylight, or the light of day, is the combination of all direct and indirect sunlight during the daytime.
This includes direct sunlight, diffuse sky radiation, and (often) both of these reflected from the Earth
and terrestrial objects. Sunlight scattered or reflected from objects in outer space (that is, beyond the
Earth's atmosphere) is not generally considered daylight. Thus, moonlight is never considered
daylight, despite being "indirect sunlight". Daytime is the period of time each day when daylight
occurs. Daylight happens because the Earth rotates and either side the sun shines on is considered
daylight. (Daylight, 2016). For centuries, daylight was the only efficient source of light
available. Architecture was dominated by the goal of spanning wide spaces and creating
openings large enough to
distribute daylight to building interiors. Efficient artificial light sources and fully glazed
facades have liberated designers from these constraints of the past.

VISUAL COMFORT
Unpredictable influences on visual comfort to be taken into account by lighting designers are:
sensitivity to brightness, visual acuity and the color perception of the human eye. People have
differing degrees of optical perception, further accented by age and other factors such as
tiredness and mood.
The task of daylight systems is to enhance thermal comfort and improve visual comfort by
avoiding glare at workstations. Different kinds of Glarr can be dealt with by daylight
deflection systems.

TYPES OF GLARE
The term "glare", with regard to visual discomfort, is defined in DIN 5035. In daylighting
technologies the following danger areas are pinpointed:

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Background glare or contrast glare
This type of glare arises when, for example, a monitor is placed before an interior sunlit wall,
so that the worker's actual visual goal (the monitor) appears darker relative to the visual
surroundings.
Give an average luminance (brightness of a directly lit white wall) of up to 40,000 cd/m, and
assuming an average monitor luminance of 100 cd/m, the resulting contrast is up to 1:400.
For the user, this is unpleasantly high: a contrast of 1:15 between monitor and monitor
background is regarded as comfortable. The human eye has a natural tendency to wander in
the direction of greatest brightness, and it requires some effort to resist this instinct and
maintain concentration on the monitor screen. Excessive visual demands can lead to fatigue
over time.

Reflected Glare
This type of glare occurs, for example, as a result of mirroring effects on the user's monitor
screen due to high luminance on a sunlit back wall. The excessively illuminated back wall
appears on the monitor screen.
Reflected Glare can also occur in light- deflecting construction components (mirror) or on the
colored surface coatings of louvered blinds (surface shine). An extreme form of reflected
Glare can sometimes be seen with retro-reflective interior systems on the inner side of
windowpanes. This will be examined in detail later.

Direct glare
This type of glare occurs on the face of the user when light densities are too high (e.g. with
direct sunlight), although the phenomenon is also possible with an overcast sky. When the
sun is bright, the closer the user's line of vision is to the sun's position, the stronger the glare.
The luminance of direct sunshine can be as high as 109cd/m. The luminance of the sky in the
direction of the sun - without viewing the sun directly - lies between 30,000-50,000 cd/m,
and represents a major source of glare. An overcast sky can also display high luminous
densities, leading to glare effects. EN 12464, 1988, sets limits for the average light densities
of luminaries, with a maximum value of 1000 cd/m. It is questionable if this standard can be
applied to daylighting situations.
Visual comfort can also be negatively affected by shadow. An impairment of normal vision
can result when, during direct illumination, large differences in light densities Arise in the
inferior, seen, for example, on a partly sunlit and partly shaded white partition wall.

Twilight
Twilight occurs, for example, on dull days, when natural daylight is insufficient to illuminate
an interior and artificial light must be switched on. A particular factor with regard to the
perceived comfort in twilight is the difference bin direction of the incoming daylight and the
artificial light.
Apart from so-called physiological glare, caused by a specific irritation in the eye and
resulting in reduced visual acuity, there is also psychological glare. This does not have a
direct impact on visual performance, but has a negative effect on comfort levels and worker
co concentration.

Further influences on visual comfort:

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Transparent areas have a large influence on visual comfort in their relation to room size.
Room proportions and the positions of transparent areas also affect comfort levels. While the
functions of the fanlight area are primarily to afford views from room depth and, of course, to
light these interior depths, the parapet area is not involved in room illumination; its sole
function is to create visual transparency.
The size and position of translucent areas in a room are generally defined by architectural
considerations the lighting designers can, however, exercise insurance on the design and
visual comfort by establishing transparent areas and construction elements, thereby
supporting the architectural design process with a pleasing lighting design. These areas will
overlap and may require mutual corrections.

Included in these processes are the following design possibilities and measures:
- specifying the transparency/translucency of the facade as determined by the glazing
construction and shading function,
- establishing the direction or distribution of incident light,
- possibilities for regulation/dimming of incoming daylight intensity using light-deflecting
measures,
- establishing the luminance of the window by using tracking louver systems, and
- influencing the transmitted light using controllable light-deflecting systems.

LIGHT AND ARCHITECTURE

Light is the soul of architecture design. Light allows us to see, to know where we are and
what around us. Beyond exposing things to view and feel, light models those objects to
enhance visual and to help us define the physical world. Nothing would be visible without
light, light also makes it possible to express and show to the mind's eye things that eludes the
physical one. Light helps us redefine the relationships of people with the environment and
with themselves. It is divided into natural light and artificial light.

Natural light is a gift of nature. Civilized man learns to use artificial light sources which free
him from total dependence on daylight, we also learn to appreciate the value of daylight and
become aware of its special advantages.

THE SENSE OF LIGHT

Light is an important parameter for humans to sense and perceive the spaces surrounding
them, and the character of the light in a given space can be seen to influence our mood and
wellbeing. Light describes our environments and light and shadow tell us about form,
materials, texture, rhythm and history. To design buildings is to work with form and light. To
work with a light aperture is to design not only the spaces lighting, but also its appearance
and atmosphere. The interior is the reverse side of the exterior and the place where the
atmosphere and character of the space is formed. A light aperture is not merely a
communicator of exterior illumination, but probably the single most important element in the
planning of a spaces visual environment.

The character of daylight its intensity, direction, and colour influences how spaces and
objects are accentuated and perceived. These parameters are well know from nature, such as
when the sun changes direction, intensity and colour throughout the day. Most humans know
by heart how their surroundings change according to changes in lights character: for

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example, how spaces and objects shift character when clouds cover the sun, creating diffuse
daylight where shadows are dissolved in a second. Likewise, humans sense the dynamic from
the changing of light under dynamic weather conditions, and when, for example, a tree
canopy filter the sun and skylight to create a fluctuating dappled light. Humans sense these
changes foremost via the eyes and the brain and most often it reminds one of being close to
nature and origins.

The fact that people spend more and more time in artificially illuminated environments
makes it both worthwhile and essential to develop strategies that ensure such environments
can still positively stimulate our senses and enhance our feelings of living in connection with
nature. Here light plays an important role, and it is crucial that architectural ideas and
concepts employ strategies for the use of daylight and artificial lighting. A lighting strategy
should serve as a main, guiding concept that establishes a hierarchy between the daylighting
and the artificial lighting elements. A lighting strategy helps to integrate lighting into
buildings in natural ways so that in addition to meeting the functional needs the lighting helps
to clarify and refine the spaces, create inspiring atmospheres, and positively influence
experiences and comfort levels.

DAYLIGHT, PSYCHOLOGY AND PHYSIOLOGY

Daylight inspires, invigorates and has a positive influence on the body and the mind.

It is estimated that working people spend over 90% of their time I buildings with luminous
intensities of 300-500 lux and selective light colours distorted by glass coatings and
fluorescent lighting. Since human evolution took place under the open sky in the sun and
luminous intensities of up to 100000 lux of undistorted daylight, it is not surprising that light
deficits and the resulting contemporary help problems pose a growing problem.

Unfortunately, in light technology only visual tasks and fields of recognition are
addressed. A minimum luminous intensity, sufficient for a specific office task( i.e., computer
work) is not sufficient to provide a person with adequate light nourishment.

If visual comfort at the work station is viewed solely according to DIN standards and the
quality of the work station judged properly on the BAP- functionality, a persons inner ability
to emotionally experience situation degenerates and they begin to lose their creativity.

People placed under floor lamps with 3500 lux during tests generated the stress hormone
adrenaline. After exposing the control group to natural daylight over a 14-day period, the
adrenaline levels normalise.

Since the 1980s, the relationship between natural light deficits and diseases of depression has
been scientifically proven. In depressions caused by the light deficits, lethargy, melancholy,
desperation and fear are common. It is assumed that neuro-hormones in the brain are
influenced by light, which, intern affects moods and behaviour. Serotonin is produced in the
hypothalamus gland, which regulates mood, sleep patterns, metabolism and libido.

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Depression- caused by a deficit in serotonin production- is, according to the world health
organisation, the fourth most common disease. In the year 2020, severe depression will be the
second leading cause of deaths and handicaps.

It is easy to predict that, in the future, an adequate amount of natural daylight at the work
station will be a deciding mark of quality- not only for the building itself, but also in the
competition for gaining highly-motivated employees.

Solar protection is a play between light and material structures. Good architecture floods with
light to enhance not only the users perception and feelings and also to fulfil his inner desires,
hopes and visions.

DAYLIGHT AND THE CARDIAN CYCLE

The biological processes that regulate our sleepwake cycle make up our circadian system.
Primarily through the use of the neurohormone melatonin, our circadian system regulates our
patterns of alertness and sleepiness. Without exposure to normal 24-hour lightdark cycles, a
persons sleepwake cycle can stray by as much as two hours per day.

The cumulative effect of this can be significant. An imbalanced sleepwake cycle may
produce advanced or delayed sleep-phase disorders and lead to chronic sleep debt. In The
Benefits of Daylight Through Windows (2003), LRC investigators also noted that [p]eople
with chronic sleep debt feel permanently tired and are unlikely to work effectively.
Furthermore, in the 2006 longitudinal study Light at NightCancer Risks of Shift Work,
researchers from Thomas Jefferson University (TJU), in Philadelphia, and the Mary Imogene
Bassett Hospital, in Cooperstown, N.Y., found an increased rate of breast cancer in night-shift
workers that resulted from the suppression of the pineal glands production of melatonin.

A lack of daylight inside a building doesnt necessarily spell doom for its occupants.
Exposure to bright light at the appropriate time of day and for the appropriate duration can
alleviate these disorders. Daylight just happens to be one resource that can provide this
exposure with the timing and duration that is most beneficial for humans. Darkness at night,
not just brightness during the day, is also critical to a healthy sleepwake cycle.

In order to minimize melatonin suppression, one should keep exposure to light at night as
short as possible, as dim as possible, and as warm or red as possible, says Steven Lockley,
an associate professor of medicine in the division of sleep medicine at Harvard Medical

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School and at Brigham and Womens Hospital in Boston. With this in mind, daylighting
design in spaces with sleeping quarters should also consider accommodating night time
darkness. (Wymelenberg, 2014)

CASE STUDY
KIMBELL ART MUSEUM
The Kimbell Art Museum is Kahn's final work which he saw the completion of.
Located in the middle of a park, the site of 3.8 hectares keystone of the museum
is located next to other prominent museums, notably the Amon Carter Museum,
designed by Philip Johnson and opened in 1961.

Concept
In particular, far away in another time and visible from the site, there was a grain silo, then
demolished. Ideologically, we can see and understand better than the overall shape of a grain
silo, which consists of a series of vaulted forms separated by a flat surface, which has been
conceptually deprived of their vertical and horizontal has been prepared in the landscape can
into the structure of the configuration of the roof-deck.

These forms cycloid, and are willing vertically or horizontally, are precisely the elements that
characterize and contextualize the Kimbell Art Museum in the Texan landscape to which it
belongs.

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Spaces
In addition to the galleries for exhibitions, installations include the museum's library, an
auditorium with capacity for 180 spectators, an art library, a laboratory for conservation of
works of art and a restaurant.

The spaces of the galleries do not delineates each individual vault shape but is flowing from
one to another as a result of the liberation of space achieved with the removal of walls.

Although the creation of a space within, through the light, is achieved by the particularity of
the roof to beam the light. This peculiarity has become the most popular of Kahn, distributors
of natural light through a small slot into the sky and along the concrete vault.

Inside the galleries the architect included three yards, created from the vaults of the court in
certain locations, which bring light and a piece of the outside world to the most "interior" of
the galleries.

The museum is surrounded by a forest and a pond that add a suitable environment to the
whole ambience of the place. (Kimbell Art Museum - Architecture of the World -
WikiArquitectura, n.d.)

Light

No space, architecturally, is a space unless it has natural light.

Louis I. Kahn

A persons experience of an architectural space is shaped by many factors, including its scale,
proportions, plan, and use of materials. In many buildings, and especially at the Kimbell Art
Museum, light performs a crucial roleilluminating the space and creating a mood. In his
teachings and designs, Louis Kahn constantly stressed the importance of light in relation to
structure. Natural light, dynamic, ever-changing, he preferred above all other sources of
illumination.

In order to allow light to enter the space without endangering precious artworks, Kahn
envisioned a metal reflector or shield that would be placed directly beneath the skylights
to reflect sunlight onto the smooth, gray, curved surface of the vault. As if by magic, the light
would transform the surface, creating a silvery luminosity that filtered down and filled the

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space below without harming the Museums collection. Lighting consultants worked with
Kahn to devise gull-wing shaped reflectors that are now installed in the Kimbell. These
natural light fixtures, made from pierced aluminum, were curved to simultaneously reflect
and filter the Texas sun. For works of art that require very low levels of light (drawings or
Asian scroll paintings, for example), black felt can be used to cover the skylights to further
reduce the amount of light reflected into the gallery.

Kahn incorporated slender lunettes at either end of each vault for more light. The lunette also
acts as an important element that separates distinct parts of the structure and is, in turn,
shaped by those parts. Its underside echoes the cycloid, while the topside is shaped by the
concrete shell that thickens at its apex. Therefore, the topside of each lunette expands at the
bottom and becomes thinner at the top. Light slots run along the entire bottom length of the
vault to allow indirect sunlight to enter Museum spaces. Kahn also designed three courtyards,
named after the kind of light that he anticipated that their proportions, foliation, or sky
reflections would give: Green, Yellow, and Blue Courts. Visitors can easily recognize the
Green Court, with its vine roofing, or the Blue Court, with a splashing fountain that reflects
sky and water off its travertine enclosure. The large Yellow Court is situated next to the
Kimbells conservation studio. (Light | Kimbell Art Museum, n.d.)

INTEGRATING DAYLIGHT WITH DESIGNING

While daylight is a variable, often unpredictable, light source with a spectrum that depends
on solar position and sky conditions, it is also rich in the short-wavelength portion of the
visible spectrum found to support both alertness and circadian sleepwake entrainment. As a
result, daylight in buildings may support human health and well-being, particularly for people
in northern latitudes who occupy areas near a window or other daylight sources. But
regardless of latitude or exposure duration, daylight may support human alertness and
productivity. At the same time, it is important to remember that it is the dailyand possibly
the seasonalvariation associated with the daynight light and dark cycles that supports
human health. Lighting manufacturers, for one, have jumped on the bandwagon and
attempted to mimic these cycles through electric light sources and lighting systems.

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Designers can glean two points from this trove of research. First, daylit spaces hold the
potential to yield substantial benefits, including increased energy savings, increased revenue
in retail applications, and improvements to human health and productivity. Second, several
important factors ranging from design to installation and operation must be carefully
addressed in order to realize these benefits.

Many resources are available to guide decision-making in daylighting design, but three tasks
that are critical to a successful daylighting installation are: the control of direct sunlight at
visual task areas during all occupied hours; the provision of balanced luminance on interior
surfaces, particularly between perimeter windows and key vertical surfaces within the interior
volume; and the provision of sufficient ambient daylight illumination for visual tasks.
Modeling and testing design decisions with the increasing selection of daylighting software
tools are also important.It is the seasonal variability of interior daylight illumination,
Heschong says, along with views to the outdoors that provides important stimulus to the
circadian system, [and] along with making any space more pleasurable and interesting for its
occupants. If Thoreaus belief about Wildness is true, then we should take the opportunity
to introduce the wildness of daylight into our structures. It can be difficult to tame, but its
presence in our buildings is important for the preservation of the rhythms of human life,
connecting people more closely to place, and revealing local ecology in our built environment

ORIENTATIONS OF BUILDING
Building orientation is an ancient problem, In the last hundred
years many new developments have occurred as the direct result of specific
scientific investigations. Many years ago, people knew enough to design
their houses facing towards the south or south-east and west, or to use
the skylight in order to get more sunlight. But nowadays, with the aid
of science, we can use different observations and the result of experiments
or calculations to find out the most suitable orientation for different
kinds of buildings.
The principles of orientation are different for different
climate. In the tropics where the sun is generally very bright and hot,
the preferable orientation is away from the sun and in the direction of
prevailing breeze.
In temperate zones buildings should be designed for two distinct
climates: tropic in summer and sub-arctic in winter. To meet both
conditions is a problem of northern architecture.

LIGHT AND MATERIALS

Light and materials are mutually dependent on each other. Materials are key to understanding
light in architecture because they directly affect the quantity and the quality of the light. Two
qualities of materials their finish and their color are most important in this regard.
Specular materials, such as glossy finishes, reflect light as a mirror does, which can result in
reflected images of the light source being visible on the surface. Matte surfaces, such as
natural stone, wood, and plaster, reflect light diffusely equally in all directions. Of the three
aspects of color hue, value, and intensity value is the one that determines how much light
is absorbed and how much is reflected.

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 A white wall reflects approximately 82 percent of incident light, a light yellow
wall 78 percent, and a dark green or blue wall 7 percent. 1 Colored surfaces lend some of
their hue to light that is reflected.
A change in materials can alter the feeling of a room and the level of illumination as well.
The cheapest wad to increase the amount of light in a dark room is to paint the room surfaces
white. A dark room, on the other hand, can be created either by using little light in a white
room or through dark surfaces.
With dark surfaces, a room will look dark during both daytime and at night. With light or
white surfaces, however, the effect changes depending upon the light sources used. This
effect can be exploited. For example, the interior surfaces of the chapel of Notre Dame du
Haut at Ronchamp are white, but due to the
small quantity of daylight admitted, perceptually the surfaces grade horn light gray to dark
gray.

Text by Marietta Millet

Light and materials are inseparably connected, indeed they actually determine each other:
neither is visible to the human eye until the two come together. For this reason, great
architects have always also allowed themselves to be directed by the light in the choice of
their building materials. They use light to draw out contrasts between different materials and
they use materials that allow them to create a very specific distribution of light in a room.
Light emphasizing materials Emphasis on materials is grounded in the interaction between
light and material. Highlights arise from glossy materials reflecting discrete points of light.
Definition of surface texture comes from grazing light.

But the architects who design spaces today have lost their belief in natural light. By making
themselves dependent upon the pressing of a switch, they are settling for the use of static light
and forget the eternally changing properties of natural light that can transform one space into
another at any second during the day.
-Louis I. Kahn

DIRECT AND DIFFUSE LIGHT

Direct sunlight

The sun, which is effectively a large radiator with a black

body temperature about 60000 C, transfers a lot of radiant energy to the
universe, The amount of the energy which reaches the surface of the earth

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is only 0.5 x 10-9 of the sun's output. Fig. 1-4 shows that the distribution
of radiant energy at the earth's surface as a function of wavelength
is very non-uniform. The maximum energy is between the wave-length from
380 to 770 millimicron in the visible part of the spectrum. Visible
radiation constitutes S2~ of the total solar radiant energy.

Diffused skylight

Diffused skylight results from the multiple reflection of

sunlight by small molecules of water vapour and dust floating in the
atmosphere. Therefore, both the quantity and type of clouds in the
atmosphere have a large effect on the diffusing illumination. (B-9)
The various kinds of cloud are determined by their shape and
composition. They are divided into high clouds composed of ice crystals
and low clouds formed from water vapour.
The quantity of cloud is measured visually by specifying the
number of tenths of the sky covered by cloud. Eleven classes of cloud
quantity exist ranging from 0 for a clear sky to 10 for overcast conditions.

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DAYLIGHTING CONSIDERATIONS
It is important to appreciate that the daylighting design process involves the integration of
many disciplines including architectural, mechanical, electrical, and lighting. An awareness
of basic visual acuity and performance issues is essential to an effective daylighting design.

Veiling Reflections: Veiling reflections of high brightness light sources off specular (shiny)
surfaces obscure details by reducing contract. They should be avoided, particularly where
critical visual tasks occur.

Distribution: Introduce as much controlled daylight as deep as possible into a building

interior. The human eye can adjust to high levels of luminance as long as it is evenly
distributed. In general, light which reaches a task indirectly (such as having bounced from a
white wall) will provide better lighting quality than light which arrives directly from a natural
or artificial source.

Glare: The aim of an efficient daylighting design is not only to provide illuminance levels
sufficient for good visual performance, but also to maintain a comfortable and pleasing
atmosphere. Glare, or excessive brightness contrast within the field of view, is an aspect of
lighting that can cause discomfort to occupants. The human eye can function quite well over
a wide range of luminous environments, but does not function well if extreme levels of
brightness are present in the same field of view.

Variety: Some contrast in brightness levels may be desirable in a space for visual
effectiveness. Dull uniformity in lighting can lead to tiredness and lack of attentionneither
of which is compatible with a productive environment. Often times a good daylighting
solution will integrate a "blast" of beam daylight in a circulation area for visual interest and to
help lead occupants through a building. The human eye is naturally attracted to this bright
area and can be useful in guiding people down an otherwise banal corridor.

- Good daylighting requires attention to both qualitative and quantitative aspects of

design. Make sure the combination of natural and artificial sources provides adequate
light levels for the required task.

For office spaces, the U.S. General Services Administration has interpreted the IES method
to recommend a minimum of 50 footcandles on an imaginary desk-height horizontal "work
surface." Nevertheless, when used in conjunction with indirect an ambient lighting system
and direct task lighting, a high-quality daylighting design can be achieved wih ambient
lighting levels of 30 footcandles or less.

3. To be effective, daylighting must be integrated with electric lighting design. In particular,

daylighting must be coupled with efficient electric lighting controls if net energy savings are
to be realized.

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 As part of a daylighting design, consider the use of continuously dimming fixtures
controlled by luminous sensors. 1

Interview by Frdric Nantois

I believe that in order to find the meaning
of any concept, we should consider the language
of ordinary people, the way they feel
and talk about things. People dont use the
word space; thats a bit of architects professional
jargon. For example, imagine a
marvellous place. When ordinary
people walk into such places, they say Oh!
What beautiful light, they never say what
an extraordinary space. An architecture
critic might say that.
For me, it is not the opposite of volume. It
is not a void, and a void without light is not
a black space. It is not sufficient to make
a hole in the envelope of a void to turn it
into space. It is the light coming in through
the hole that turns the void into a space.
Because the space is the light. To me, space
and light are synonyms. The way light is
seen is the way that space is perceived and
felt. Of course, in the organization of a building
there are other concepts like sequences,
transitions, and many others. But even spatial
sequences can be seen as sequences of
light, and of transitions of light.

-But here you are discussing natural light,

whereas in building we often use artificial
light.

-There is no such thing as artificial light. We

could call it fabricated light. The way it is
fabricated it can be another dimension of
light. For example there are transitions in
space and there are transitions in light, and
fabricated light can enforce these transitions.
So this is another aspect of light. And
just as we dont say natural space, why
should we say natural light? I would rather

1 (Ander, 2003)

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use the terms outdoor space/outdoor light
and interior space/interior light.

-Do you see cultural differences in the

way architecture enters into a dialogue
with light?

-Light is architecture, and architecture is

light. There is an existential force, in the
sense of dwelling. Dwelling is existential.
Of course there are different communities
at different economic levels, and their dwelling
patterns vary. But if we ask the basic
question: What is light, and what is space?
then we realize that we share the same light,
appropriate part of it and redefine it. I dont
use the word creation for this process. If
there is any creation in it, we can call it recreation.

-Is architecture a way to create shadow?

-We dont create shadow, as we do not create

light. By using building materials one way
or the other, we orient and control light, we
let it come inside or not. Using surfaces and
volumes, we create filters and obstacles for
light. But light is there, it enters into a dialogue
with surfaces. By doing so it becomes
part of our being, of our joy or sadness.
Architecture is light and shadow. Shadow
and light are two sides of a coin. You cant
define light without shadow. Here, architecture
works as a kind of mediator, it creates
the condition where light and shadow work
in harmony. Both light and shadow, in turn,
condition our living: shadow creates intimacy
in order to find silence, whereas light brings
people together in order to share life.
Architecture is a synthesis of light, space,
and structure. In a dynamic way, we
conceive architecture as a succession of
transitional spaces where shadow meets
light on different scales from the architectural
to the urban scale.2

2 (Shades #7 -Daylight and Architecture magazine, n.d.)

25
 REFERENCES
Koster, H., 2004. Dynamic Daylighting Architecture: Basics, Systems, Projects, 1 edition. ed.
Birkhauser Verlag AG, Basel; Boston.
The Relationship Between Light And Architecture Philosophy Essay [WWW Document], n.d.
. UKEssays. URL https://www.ukessays.com/essays/philosophy/the-relationship-
between-light-and-architecture-philosophy-essay.php (accessed 1.15.17).
Daylight, 2016. . Wikipedia.
Wymelenberg, K.V.D., 2014. The Benefits of Natural Light [WWW Document]. Architectural
Lighting. URL http://www.archlighting.com/technology/the-benefits-of-natural-light_o
(accessed 2.7.17).

5. Kimbell Art Museum - Architecture of the World - WikiArquitectura [WWW Document],

n.d. URL https://en.wikiarquitectura.com/index.php/Kimbell_Art_Museum (accessed
1.17.17).
Light | Kimbell Art Museum [WWW Document], n.d. URL
https://www.kimbellart.org/architecture/kahn-building/light (accessed 1.17.17).

Shades #7 -Daylight and Architecture magazine [WWW Document], n.d. . issuu. URL
https://issuu.com/da-magazine/docs/da07?reader3=1 (accessed 1.15.17).

Ander, G.D., 2003. Daylighting Performance and Design. John Wiley & Sons.

7.http://www.archlighting.com/technology/the-benefits-of-natural-light_o (accessed 1.10.17).

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