As seasons change and sunlight hours grow shorter with the passing days, it’s important to ensure that you understand how to design with light to accommodate these changes. With the study of light in architecture, you can be sure to keep your space looking its best all year round, regardless of what may be happening outside. To make it even easier, we’ve compiled a list from top light masters so you can perfect how you design light in your space.
Sunlight Study Architecture & Daylighting
In the world of lighting, it is crucial to be aware of the natural light you can and want to work with. Even as the seasons change, sunlight can be an incredible tool to save energy and create a dynamic space. In fact, sunlight study architecture is all about making the most of natural light with specific strategies. Daylighting in particular is a principle in which sunlight is manipulated through architecture to improve internal lighting. For example, strategically placing windows to maximize daylight can do wonders to increase both light and energy efficiency in a space. In the northern hemisphere, a common practice is to add windows that face the sun to make sure those crucial daylight hours are maximized, especially in winter. As sunlight decreases in the fall and winter, these techniques do wonders for both light and heat to keep spaces comfortable.
In Praise of the Monitor
Utilizing the principles of light monitor architecture can take your natural lighting situation to the next level. Monitors, additional structures added to double-pitched roofs, have long been used as not only ventilation for buildings but additional light sources, typically through the additional windows placed along the sides. Monitors were popular before electricity was commonplace in buildings and continue as both light sources and architectural features in their own right. Today, adding a monitor to your project can visually enhance it in multiple ways.
The Benefits of Light Shelves
Another excellent option for adding natural light into the architecture of your project is to add light shelf architecture. Light shelves are design features that can extend inside a window, outside, or both. The design of light shelves is such that both heat and light pour into a space to truly maximize any daylight hours, which is ideal for shorter days. These shelves typically feature a reflective upper surface and matte lower, directing light into a building as the sun shines on it. They also help bring heat into spaces, making them a fantastic addition to more moderate climates that could do with heat boosting in colder months.
Artificial Options
While all of the above features do an incredible job of using architecture to capture natural light for its use in buildings, there is something to be said for more high-tech approaches as well. Whether you want to add interactive light surfaces to a room, circadian lighting cycles that will keep folks in tune with nature’s changes or lighting that can be controlled remotely, these more modern trends continue to be integrated in today’s architectural landscape and are here to stay.
Exploring options both natural and artificial with a team like Penney Design Group can help you ensure that your project will stand the test of time and stay bright no matter what. To talk about your next architecture or interior project, contact us here.