Most of the literature relevant to the subject of natural light in architecture falls into a few general categories. These include technical day lighting manuals, studies of effects of light (or lack of it) on people, or historical investigations of architectural elements.
Daylight and architecture have always been linked. Daylight has played an important role in the lighting of buildings since the very beginning. Daylight is vital not only for sight but also for effect it has on us and living environment. Looking at it from a biological point of view, daylight is for existence of all life. Humans are diurnal animals. Our circadian rhythm is governed by the alternating presence and absence of daylight.
When humans evolved to constructing early buildings, they sought to reinforce the connection with the outside world by positioning primitive openings and windows. These purpose-built apertures provided not only access to daylight and fresh air but also a symbolic interface between inside and outside. Furthermore, they attuned human dwelling habits to the daily rituals of living and to sleep-wake cycles, synchronizing the rhythms of light to the twenty-four hour cycle. Given this fundamental symbiosis between humans and daylight, the language of architecture has exploited the interplay between the built environment and the naturally-lit interior. Architecture has become adept at maximizing the comfort-giving qualities of light, emphasizing the visual focus and connection, whilst contributing to the sense of well-being. Architecture’s objective has been to capture, enhance and articulate daylight using the building’s components to filter, reflect, mediate and redirect light.
As human civilization has expanded from individually disper...
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...ium through which other visual information is brought to us. I mean, shadows, projection of image, images of landscape or whatever it may be – obviously light is always a component of that information transmission. Using light to create a different reality from what is actually outside the building is one of the things I am quite interested in. The window does not have to have a direct correlation to what is immediately outside it. There is a way to construct a view, and the perception of a different reality that exists outside the window. I think the key to connecting to nature in the built- residential environment is views or the way shadows and imagery can be actively brought into a living or workspace. Think of all the dark apartments and row houses in all the cities of the world that could benefit from this. And there will only be more of them in the future."
(Image taken from Tranchtenberg, Marvin, Isabelle Hyman. Architecture: From Prehistory to Postmodernity. Second Edition. Prentice Hall, Inc. New Jersey: 2002.)
the buildings. At this point it is hard to determine if the sunlight is actually
Time has taught humanity many things. From stone walls to wooden tree houses to glass homes. As far as creation is concerned, glass was and is necessary. Though some cities differ in the use of glass materials they are alike with some architectural aspects. From manufacturing companies for cars to your grandmother’s fine china; we’re talking about glass use of interior design. Some materials of glass are more expensive than others due to the use and weight of glass. With glass windows to windows to cars, glass has become a major factor in society without a doubt. Time has given us many things; stained glass for instance was even use as a symbol for religious purposes. Today we will discover three topics on how of an importance glass is in interior
As someone with a passion for writing, my final project will be an extended expository essay about the history of homebuilding from ancient to modern times. It will discuss the different types of dwellings throughout recorded human history from the perspective of how art and culture influences building design. This will fulfill my own curiosity to understand the different influences on homebuilding and design over the years and how people have dealt with these changes.
But these contrived differences give rise to esthetic difficulties too. Because inherent differences—those that come from genuinely differing uses—are lacking among the buildings and their settings, the contrivances repre...
Williams, B. 1999. A History of Light and Lighting. [online] Available at: http://www.mts.net/~william5/history/hol.htm [Accessed: 5 Jan 2014].
Frank Lloyd Wright and Le Corbusier are two very prominent names in the field of architecture. Both architects had different ideas concerning the relationship between humans and the environment. Their architectural styles were a reflection of how each could facilitate the person and the physical environment. Frank Lloyd Wright’s Robie House, is considered one of the most important buildings in the history of American architecture and Le Corbusier s Villa Savoye helped define the progression that modern architecture was to take in the 20th Century. Both men are very fascinating and have strongly influenced my personal taste for modern architecture. Although Wright and Corbusier each had different views on how to design a house, they also had similar beliefs. This paper is a comparison of Frank Lloyd Wright‘s and Le Corbusier ‘s viewpoints exhibited through their two prominent houses, Frank Lloyd Wright’s Robie House and Le Corbusier’s Villa Savoye.
Gehry’s additional design of the exterior has created an unconventional model form of house. The asymmetrical form characterizes the entire external side of the house. According to Goldstein, Gehry tried to slant the house roofline, create a false perspective and cause an absurd viewer’ perception or expectation (1979, 9). The complexity of the form might also produce a relationship with the house’s elements such as door, wall, and roof. For example, those elements, which linearly constructed, were hardly noticed since the distraction of geometric form around the exterior part of the house. It’s even barely hard to find the entrance of the house as a result of the salient angles of exterior.
Darkness is meant to conceal, light is meant to expose, and there is power intrinsically imbued in both of these. Murderers hide in the dark, waiting for their victims, and the atrocities of different countries are hidden in history and official memos and propaganda. At the same time, light exerts power because it illuminates, it discovers, it creates vulnerability on all it touches. These powers, however, do not simply exist; they are forged within every aspect of life, even the very structures that people live in. Low-income tenement apartments are built so that they are not seen, colored in a drab shade of gray or brick, build alongside one another so that they blend into the background. They have small lawns and even smaller windows so that people walking by cannot get a glimpse of the life inside; darkness is used to hide their sad reality. Victorian mansions, however, do not need to shroud themselves in darkness. Their almost treeless lawns, small front gardens, and large picture windows are meant to illuminate their wealth, showing it off for the entire world to see.
During the day the Barcelona Pavilion is completely naturally lit. It captures the light with its’ clear walls surrounding the façade. The overhang from the long roof blocks direct sunlight to soften its intensity. He “was replacing the visual dependence of architecture on effects of light and shadow by playing with reflections” (Kostof p.703). The reflective pools are also a way to play with light.
“Frank Lloyd Wright’s architecture was rooted in Nature; he called it Organic. At the heart of his work was simplicity, harmony, unity, and integrity” (Lind, C., 1992).
...reatment of light and shade draws on a tradition of discrete which is carefully positioned openings that captures and direct the regions intense sunlight to illuminate and animate these interior spaces. Objects are displayed within niches and on stone plinths that rise seamlessly from the floor.
The author explains architecture as an identification of place. Architecture starts with establishing a place. We define ‘place’ as a layout of architectural elements that seem to accommodate, or offer the possibility of accommodation to, a person, an activity, a mood, etc. We identify a sofa as a place to sit and relax, and a kitchen as a place to cook food. Architecture is about identifying and organizing ‘places’ for human use.
In prime location one could observe a magnificent mix of the natural world with the man made. In the evening one could observe the sunset and its radiant colors. Everything in Uron was artificial and decaying. My lone window was not a beacon of hope but a reminder of the prison I was inhabiting. So, I always covered it up to divert me from my reality.
Land use and building orientation also plays a critical role in green architecture. A green building is located to take advantage of its climate and surroundings. These conditions not only affect the efficiency of a building, but of the community and society as a whole.