Annual Dynamics of Daylight Variability and Contrast

1. Front Matter

   Pages i-x

   PDF

2. Introduction

   • Siobhan Rockcastle, Marilyne Andersen

   Pages 1-8

3. Research Context

   • Siobhan Rockcastle, Marilyne Andersen

   Pages 9-22

4. Architectural Context

   • Siobhan Rockcastle, Marilyne Andersen

   Pages 23-35

5. Defining New Metrics for Contrast and Variability

   • Siobhan Rockcastle, Marilyne Andersen

   Pages 37-51

6. Application of New Metrics to Abstract Spatial Models

   • Siobhan Rockcastle, Marilyne Andersen

   Pages 53-68

7. Application of New Metrics to Detailed Case Studies

   • Siobhan Rockcastle, Marilyne Andersen

   Pages 69-80

8. Conclusion

   • Siobhan Rockcastle, Marilyne Andersen

   Pages 81-83

Daylight is a dynamic source of illumination in architectural space, creating diverse and ephemeral configurations of light and shadow within the built environment. Perceptual qualities of daylight, such as contrast and temporal variability, are essential to our understanding of both material and visual effects in architecture. Although spatial contrast and light variability are fundamental to the visual experience of architecture, architects still rely primarily on intuition to evaluate their designs because there are few metrics that address these factors. Through an analysis of contemporary architecture, this work develops a new typological language that categorizes architectural space in terms of contrast and temporal variation. This research proposes a new family of metrics that quantify the magnitude of contrast-based visual effects and time-based variation within daylit space through the use of time-segmented daylight renderings to provide a more holistic analysis of daylight performance.

• Annual Simulation
• Architectural Lighting
• Contrast
• Daylighting
• Dynamic
• Light Rendering
• Metrics
• Spatial Perception
• Visual Effects

• ENAC-IA-LIPID, EPFL, Lausanne, Switzerland

  Siobhan Rockcastle, Marilyne Andersen

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