ARCHITECTURE AND LIGHTING
(Daylight and Artificial light)
By: Anusha Singh Chauhan
4thSemester(2016), B.arch NIT Raipur
Email: i_anusha24@outlook.com
Abstract
The aim of this report is to highlight the importance of
light in all dimensions, both daylight and artificial
light, in relation to architecture and to insert this
debate in the field of architectural competitions. Here,
discussed the light in architecture and psychology of
light.Light plays a central role in the design of a
visual environment. The architecture, people and
objects are all made visible by the lighting. Light
influences our well-being, the aesthetic effect and the
mood of a room or area. Daylight provides a better
lighting environment than cool white or energy-
efficient fluorescent electrical light sources.A
sustainable building design will attempt to limit the
use of artificial lighting through the right choice of
lamp and integration with natural lighting.
1. Introduction
“Architecture is the skilful, accurate and magnificent
plays of volumes seen in light.” - Le Corbusier
The perception of space is directly connected to the
way light integrates with it. What we see, what we
experience and how we interpret the elements is
affected by how light interacts with us and with the
environment. Regarding architecture, in whatever
dimension it can be analysed, either as space, as
material or as colour, it is essentially dependant on the
lighting situation that involves both the object and the
observer.
The dynamic daylight and the controlled artificial
lighting are able to affect not only distinct physical
measurable conditions in a space, but also to instigate
and provoke different visual experiences and moods.
Due to the light, it is possible to perceive different
atmospheres in the same physical environment. Light
constitutes an element of fundamental relevance for
the design of spaces and therefore it plays a significant
role in the discussion of quality in architecture.
In architectural competitions, light has often been a
mentioned term in the jury’s comments; even if it has
not been a criterion of the program. Generally in form
of daylight, the generous use of both sunlight and
skylight in the spaces is considered positive; adding
tremendous value to the architectural object.
Furthermore, the importance of a well-designed
daylighting today is not only because of the
improvement it gives to the space or its benefits to our
health and well-being, but also because of the
ecological issues which are in debate today, since it
means less energy consumption for the artificial
lighting.
2. Light and Architecture
There is no need to define what natural light is, but we
do need to remember that this
light allows us to define what is around us, by day and
night: the changing perception of
the things or the bodies on which it impacts, and the
space that contains them. Light, or
absence of light, can also transform this space in each
season, each day of the year, each
hour of the day, each moment.
With regard to Architecture, What is Architecture?
Lao-Tse said that “architecture is not four walls and a
roof; it is also, and above all, the air that remains
within, the space that these enclose”. That is why
architecture and light, or light and architecture are
concepts that were interdependent throughout history,
to the point that one of Bruno Zevi’s most important
essays is called: “light as an architectural form”. Le
Corbousier went as far as saying that “architecture is
the wise, correct and magnificent play of volumes
collected together under the light”.
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This relationship between light and architecture
occurs inevitably; sometimes consciously, other times
unconsciously, and it does not matter whether we are
talking about educated or popular architecture. That is
why it is almost impossible to imagine the works of
the grand maestros without establishing a masterly
relationship with light. An example of all these, as a
synthesis, is the Pantheon in Rome. Etianne-Louis
Boullé claims that “the art of touching with the effects
of light belongs to architecture”, and he is right,
because, depending on how it is used, it can transform
the spatial context, creating agreeable or disagreeable,
sublime or mysterious sensations, the sensations of
enlarging a space or making it smaller, or simply
highlighting aspects of the space that interest us. And
above all, it makes the space more agreeable, more
comfortable, more habitable, more visible.
Painting too can move us with the play of light, as
David Madacsi made clear in his presentation in this
very conference. But light the light we see on canvas
is the representation of a specific and personal form of
interpreting it. Think about Velazquez, Vermere,
Rembrandt, or more recently, Sorolla, Van Gogh,
Munch.
Artificial light is quite different, invented light that
comes from a fixed and constant source of emission
and, therefore its effect does not vary and it obviously
implies consuming energy and, far too often, it also
involves visual “noise”.
When talking about Architecture, it is important to
distinguish between fashionable and avant-garde
architecture. Fashion and avant-garde are two
concepts that, at times, may be the same thing, but
have different, almost always contradictory meanings.
Avant-garde movements were always concerned with
essential aspects, which is why they break new ground
and always remain in time, enlightening us and
freeing us. Fashion or trends pay attention to
occasional, phenomenological, contingent, formal
aspects, and what they are really designed for is to go
out of fashion. Fashions in architecture enslave those
who follow them and even those who promote them,
the avant-garde, on the other hand, liberates.
Good Architecture has always identified more with
the Avant-garde than with Fashion. And as with good
architecture, good lighting, illuminates, clarifies,
stimulates. Bad lighting, like bad architecture, dazzles,
confuses and produces weariness.
Architects know, or we should know, that it is of
prime importance to get the lighting right, whether it
is natural or artificial light: the right light enhances
and improves a space, bad lighting degrades it. The
best lighting is almost always one that you do not
notice. You sometimes enter a place and you cannot
perceive it or appreciate what it contains, because the
light blinds you. Other times, you go to an exhibition
and the reflections of the poor lighting do not allow
you to appreciate what is on display. And we should
not forget what we were told in the cops and robbers
films when they wanted to interrogate somebody, they
shined a bright light in his face to weaken or destroy
his physical and mental defences and he would end up
confessing.
3. Psychology of light
3.1. Designing with light
The majority of the information that we receive about
the world around us comes through our eyes.Through
its intensity, the way it is distributed and through its
properties, light creates specific conditions which can
influence our perception. Lighting design is, in fact,
the planning of our visual environment.Good lighting
design aims to create perceptual conditions which
allow us to work effectively and orient ourselves
safely while promoting a feeling of well-being in a
particular environment.
Light plays a central role in the design of a
visual environment.
The architecture, people and objects are all
made visible by the lighting.
Light influences our well-being, the aesthetic
effect and the mood of a room or area.
It is light that first enables “what you see”.
Our perception of architecture will be influenced by
light:
o Light defines zones and boundaries,
o Light expands and accentuates rooms,
o Light creates links and delineates one area
from another.
3.2. Planning and process
The basis for every lighting concept is an analysis of
the project…
 the tasks the lighting is expected to fulfil,
 the conditions and special features of a space
or work surface.
A quantitativedesign concept can to a large extent
follow the standards laid down for a specific task.
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  standards will dictate how much light is 3.4. Emphasizing architectural features
needed,
 the degree of glare limitation, •Rooms can be given a visual structure by
 the source colour and colour rendering. illuminating the architectural features.

•As the design phase progresses, decisions are made •Grazing light accentuates individual elements or
regarding: –the lamps and fixtures to be used –the areas and brings out their form and surface texture.
arrangement and installation of the fixtures –any
•Grazing light can cause highly threedimensional
required electrical and control devices
features to cast strong shadows.
•The decision regarding lamp type can be made at the
•By using different levels of illuminance, different
beginning of a project or left until an advanced
parts of a room can be placed in a visual hierarchy.
planning stage
Because the sense of sight is contrast sensitive, the
•Lighting layouts (the plan) can be determined by the
brightness contrast of a space determines its
choice of a light fixture or could be the criteria for
emotional impact
fixture selection.
Emotional Impact:individual impressions of a space
•Lighting design process should be seen as a “back
are a function of brightness contrast –the relationship
and forth” check in which developed solutions are
of surfaces that are lighted to those left in the dark –
repeatedly compared to the predetermined goals and
the focus or foreground to the surround or
requirements.
background.
3.3TYPES OF LIGHTING
The degree of brightnesscontrast evokes emotions in
the same way as background music. It affects…..

•the performance of task, •influences the behavior of

people at work or play, and •Impact the amount of
containment and pleasure we experience.

The degree of brightness contrast establishes the

emotional setting, which either enforces or
Figure 1 DIRECT Figure 2 INDIRECT
LIGHTING LIGHTING
undermines the intended activity.

Steps in the design process: 1. Define the activity that

will occur in the space 2. Determine the degree of
3.3. Forming functional zones simulation that will enforce the activity 3. Establish
the degree of brightness contrast that will yield the
•Large areas that on the whole are evenly illuminated necessary level of simulation
can appear rather monotone if they are not divided up.
Brightness contrast is established by developing patterns of
•Light can be used to emphasize individual functional light and shade –select which surfaces to receive light or
zones in an area, e.g. traffic areas, waiting areas, and leave other is darkness.
exhibition areas.
3.5. Subjective Impressions
•Zonal lighting with delineated beams of light visually
separates one area from another. Professor John Flynn’s studies in the 1970’s
established fundamental research about how the
•Different illuminance levels establish a perceptual distribution of light and resulting patterns of light
hierarchy and direct the viewer's gaze. effect oursubjective impressions subjective
impressionsof a place.
•Differentiated lighting of functional zones divide up
an area and improve orientation. In particular patterns of light on vertical surfaces,
because they are more noticeable, strongly influence
•The differentiation of light colors creates contrasts
our impressions of:
and emphasizes individual zones.

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  Spaciousness / Confinement available to a building. It is therefore, important to
 Visual Clarity / Haziness have a good awareness of the obstructions on the site
 Relaxation / Activation and the sky blockage they will create at locations on
 Private/ Public the fascades of the new buildings. To check if good
daylighting on an obstructed site is possible, a sample
The description of the light in space: assessment can be made by drawing section of the
new building and an existing obstruction. Draw a line
 level of lightness from a point 2m above ground level on the new
 spatial distribution of brightness building to the top of the obstruction and measure the
 shadows angles between the line and the horizontal, as shown
 reflections in Figure 3. If this angle is less than the critical
 glare obstruction angle h given in Table1 for various
 color of light latitudes then there is potential for adequate daylight
 colors of the new building.
4. DAYLIGHT DESIGN
Daylight design has to be an integral part of the
overall design process. A design strategy to ensure
good daylight conditions in a building should
consider:

 Daylight availability and skylight conditions

 The site and any obstructions
 The form of the building
 Interior planning and design
 Window and fascade design

 Innovative daylighting techniques

 Testing of the design strategy. Figure 3angle between obstruction line and horizontal line

The design sky for many parts of the world is ‘worst 4.2. The Form Of The Building
case’ situation of a grey overcast sky with no visible
The greater the surface area to volume ratio of the
sun. Such a sky will produce low levels of diffuse
building then, normally, the better the daylight levels
light and window openings(both in walls and
will be in the building. Consequently, a long and
roofs)will need to be quite large to bring adequate
narrow building(measuring say, 60m wide by 15m
amounts of daylight to interior spaces. These openings
deep in plan) is generally preferable to a square
are potential weak spots in the fascade for solar over-
building(measuring say, 30m by 30m in plan0 even
heating and winter overcooling, and so shading
though both buildings have the same floor area. If an
systems and energy efficient glazing systems are
atrium is formed in the core of the building then the
integral components of a daylighting strategy. For
daylight levels will be even higher. Before artificial
areas of the world where clear sky conditions prevail
lighting was available building designers were aware
then both the sky and the sun will represent sources of
of the need to keep building shallow for good natural
very bright light. Openings can be much smaller but
lighting and, a variety of such building forms were
the ingress of direct sunlight must always be
developed
controlled. For all sky types it is desirable to make
most use of south and north facing glazing for
daylight. Southerly glazing is relatively easy to shade
using horizontal devices that will not interfere with Table 1 Critical obstruction angles for diff. latitudes
the view out and north glazing will require no shading Latitude Critical obstruction angle h less than
and admit skylight.
Up to 40° 40°
40° to 45° 35°
4.1. The Site And Any Obstructions 45° to 50° 30°
50° to 55° 25°
Any obstructed sky, particularly for cloudy climates, 55° to 60° 22°
represents a potentially significant loss of daylight Over 60° 20°

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 envelope are as important for good daylighting as the
size of the glazing elements. Windows should be
4.3. Interior Planning And Design placed high on a wall and, if feasible, ceiling heights
should be raised to accommodate this. The number
Open plan spaces are advantageous for daylighting
andseperation of skylights needed to provide good
and any partitions, for example, for acoustic privacy,
light levels in a space can be expressed as a multiple
should be made from light-transmitting
transmitting materials such
of the height of the space. Any side windows will
as glass blocks. Non light-transmitting
transmitting partitions
reduce the number of skylights required
should be positioned perpendicular to t the window
wall,
l, be light coloured and as low as possible. Work A similar approach is adopted for clerestory and
and activity areas should be positioned in locations sawtoothwindows
appropriate to the level of lighting task. Large areas of
dark colour should be avoided, and surface finishes
should have high reflectances in the range: ceiling >
80 per cent; walls 50 per cent to 70 per cent; floors 20
per cent to 40 per cent and furnitures 25 per cent to 45
per cent. Surfaces should have matt rather then gloss
finishes to ensure good daylight distribution and avoid
reflected glare.

Figure 4 forms of building for good natural lighting

4.4. Window And Fascade Design

The area of a room that can be usefully daylight by a

window is frequently overestimated. Daylight levels
fall rapidly with distances from the w
window wall, as Figure 6Adequate daylight
shown in d

Adequate daylight penetration for typical ceiling

heights will only be approximately equal to 1.5 times
the distance from the floor to the top of the window
for north facing glazing or overcast skies(Figure
skies(Figuren 6).
In general,, window area should be around 20 per cent
of room floor area to avoid excessive overheating in
summer and excessive overcooling winter.

The position
sition and shape of opening in a building’s
Figure 8 clerestory window

Figure 12 light shelf

Figure 7Daylight levels fall rapidly with distances

from the window wall

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Figure 5 daylight penetration

Figure 9 skylight
Figure 10 sawtooth
Figure 211 clerestory, monitor, sawtooth, skylight respectively
5. INNOVATIVE DAYLIGHTING
TECHNIQUES
A major design problem with using daylight is the
rapid decrease in daylight levels with distances from a
window, leading to the parts of the room not close to
the window appearing gloomy to try and overcome
this basic problem a number of innovative daylig
daylight
techniques have been developed that attempt to
redirect more daylight to the back of a room. These
techniques include the light shelf, mirrored systems,
prismatic glazing and light space.
5.1. Light Shelf
A light shelf is a light coloured horizontal or nearly
horizontal baffle that is positioned inside and/or
outside a window and which reflects light via ceiling
to the back of a room, as shown in Figure
Fig 13. It can
also serve as a solar control device. Light shelves
must be carefully positioned and sized if they are not
to act as obstructions to light. They need to be placed
above eye level, both to preserve the view and to
prevent reflected glare. As a rule of thumb, for south
facing windows in a room up to 8m deep the optimum
shelf tilt would be given by:
Light shelf tilt= 40° - (0.5 x latitude of site)
5.2. Mirror Systems
Mirror systems are normally a series of mirrored
louvers positioned above a window or set within a
double glazed unit. They are usually placed in the
upper section of a window to avoid glare and view
obstruction problems. Mirror systems can be effective
for reflecting the daylight from a low altitude sun into
rooms
oms via ceiling reflection and for solar control by
reflecting solar gain from a high summer sun away
from a room (see Figure 14 & 15)15
5.3. Prizmatic Glazing
Prismatic glazing systems use optical principles to
redirect light either into a room (low sun) or o away
from a room (high sun).The he prismatic elements are
applied to the upper part of a window either as a part
of the glazing or as a film that is attached
attache to the glass
surface
5.4. Light Pipes
A light pipe system can direct light deep into a
building or even underground. It consists of a light
collection aperture, the light pipe itself and a diffusing
cover to emit the light. In a passive system skylight
and sunlight are collected by a transparent dome and
reflected downwards via a metal tube into room.
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 models can be readily used to assess either lighting
levels or visual appearance. The easiest way is to put a
model outside and take measurements or photos.
Provided that details such as surface colour,
reflectance and texture in the model are similar to the
real space then reasonably accurate results
resul can be
obtained Figure__ shows a typical arrangement.

For a more controlled luminous environment it is

possible to place models inside artificial skies. These
consist of either a mirror lines box with a light
diffusing ceiling or a white hemisphere onto which is
shown light from lamps (Figure__). Both types can
create CIE Overcast Sky luminance distribution. More
advanced artificial skies are available which consist of
arcs of lamps which can be computer controlled
Figure 14 mirror louvers individually to create many different ttypes of sky
luminance distribution(for example, a clear sky).

In recent years advances in lighting computer software

mean that it is now possible not only to predict
lighting levels but also to generate photorealistic
images of interiors which convey a reareal sense of how
a space might look.

Figure 15 prizmatic glazing 7. ARTIFICIAL LIGHTING

PRINCIPLE
Although daylight and sunlight are excellent and
desirable sources of illumination for buildings there
are occasions when they are not sufficient. The most
obvious time is at night, but there will be situations
where a rom is too big to be naturally lit, where w
controlled levels of illumination are required or where
tasks require a specific minimum and consistent level
of lighting. In these circumstances artificial lighting
must be used to supplement or replace natural light.
However, artificial lighting is expensive to use,
requires electricity generated by fossil fuels and lamps
can contain environmentally harmful materials such
mercury. Therefore, a sustainable building design will
attempt to limit the use of artificial lighting through
the right choice of lamp and integration with natural
lighting.
Figure 17 light pipe

6. TESTING THE DAYLIGHT DESIGN 7.1. Artificial Light Sources

STRATEGY  Tungsten and tungsten halogen filament
lamps;
indaylight model testing there are no scale  Low and high pressure mercury lamps;
effects(because of the speed of light) and so physical
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  Low and high pressure sodium lamps;
 Metal halide lamps;
 Light emitting diodes(LED). 8. References
7.2. Common And Recommended Light
[1] S. R. (n.d.).Natural light
Levels Indoors
&illumination(Rep.).
The outdoor light level is approximately 10,000 lux on
[2] Smith, P. F. (2010).Environment,
a clear day. In the building, in the area closest to
windows, the light level may be reduced to
Technology and Sustainability. Abingdon, NY:
approximately 1,000 lux. In the middle area its may be Taylor & Francis.
as low as 25 - 50 lux. Additional lighting equipment is
[3]Recommended Light Levels. (n.d.).
often necessary to compensate the low levels.
RetrievedMarch 24, 2017, from
https://www.noao.edu/education/QLTkit/.../Saf
ety/LightLevels_outdoor indoor.pdf

Table 2 Aguide for recommended light level in different [4]Light In Architecture and Psychology of
workspaces Light. (n.d.). Retrieved March 24, 2017, from
Activity Illumination www.rsltg.com/.../ArchID_-
(lux, _Light_in_Architecture_and_Psychology_of_Li
lumen/m2) ght.pdf
Public areas with dark 20 - 50
surroundings [5]Energy Efficient Lighting Design. (n.d.).
Simple orientation for short visits 50 - 100
Retrieved February 19, 2017, from
Working areas where visual tasks 100 - 150
are only occasionally performed www.teriin.org/ResUpdate/reep/ch_4.pdf
Warehouses, Homes, Theaters, 150
Archives [6]Fontenelle, C. %. (2008). The importance of
Easy Office Work, Classes 250 lighting to the experience of architecture .
Normal Office Work, PC Work, 500 Retrieved February 19, 2017, from
Study Library, Groceries, Show https://www.kth.se/polopoly_fs/1.176688!/Men
Rooms, Laboratories
u/general/column-
Supermarkets, Mechanical 750
Workshops, Office Landscapes content/attachment/1%20Ciro%20Fontenelle%
Normal Drawing Work, Detailed 1,000 20-Lighting_in_architecture.pdf
Mechanical Workshops,
Operation Theatres
Detailed Drawing Work, Very 1500 - 2000
Detailed Mechanical Works
Performance of visual tasks of 2000 - 5000
low contrast and very small size
for prolonged periods of time
Performance of very prolonged 5000 - 10000
and exacting visual tasks
Performance of very special 10000 - 20000
visual tasks of extremely low
contrast and small size

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