Chapter 6—Daylighting

Abstract

To talk of architecture is to talk of light, and above all of natural light. It is not just a physical means enabling us to see the exterior and interior material form of buildings; rather, it provides architecture with its main energy component, necessary for the existence of a rich, integrated duality of matter and energy which, beyond mere usefulness, generates an aesthetic sensation in the users. It is for this reason that great architecture has always been associated with natural lighting, generating it with and within itself. From the categorical eloquence of the single opening of the Pantheon to the magical complexity of the Germanic baroque, via the increasingly finely wrought Gothic cathedrals, natural light has been a deciding factor in the quality of space. In spite of this, the role played by light in architectural aesthetics is often ignored, great works being analysed with parameters that are concerned purely with style and geometric form. In the narrower sense of architectural quality, the aesthetic power of light is what differentiates architecture from mere construction when we visit a building. Such it has been described by the great commentators on architecture, from Vitruvius to Bruno Zeni, when they speak of light with the enthusiasm that art alone can arouse. Yet when we attempt to analyse the role of light in contemporary architecture, we find a huge vacuum. Todays representative buildings almost totally neglect the important part natural light could play in their interiors. Excessive use is made of artificial systems, and architecture is conceptualized as glass geometry, with paradoxical curtain walls that instead of communicating with the exterior, create impractical barriers. A point is thus reached where the interior environment, which is theoretically controlled, frequently becomes more inhospitable than the exterior. In such cases, architecture works worse than the climate. Today, it is essential for the architectural profession to recover the systematic use of natural light. To this end, designers should be made aware of how spaces work in conjunction with light, and the best way to do this is not by way of elegant or sophisticated technical solutions. It is sufficient to be acquainted with certain basic principles, which can be divided into two well-defined areas: the physics of light and the physiology of vision. These basic principles can lead to the practice of natural light in design with greater efficiency than would be the case with the technology of particular solutions and systems. The physics of light allows us to understand how this electromagnetic radiation behaves in architectural space. By knowing its basic laws and its interaction with the surfaces that reflect, absorb and transmit it, we can control the effect of light on buildings and its distribution in interiors. The physiology (and psychology) of vision facilitates understanding of human reactions in lit spaces. By knowing the basic principles of perception and comfort, as we design buildings we can control the relationship between light and the users of their exterior and interior environments, and in this way define the lighting aesthetically and functionally from the very start of the project. Finally, providing a building with natural light is more than just the solution of a problem of energy consumption; more, even, than an aesthetic resource easily incorporated into the architecture. Natural light in architecture must be part of a more general philosophy that reflects a more respectful, sensitive attitude in human beings towards the environment in which they live.