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“Daylight in Urban Texture” by Natalia Sokol

551 views · Published 16 September 2015 · 14:48 · Indexed 18 October 2026

Channel: The VELUX Group · 2015 · Science & Technology

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Lecture from the 6th VELUX Daylight Symposium “Daylight as a driver of change” that took place in London on 2-3 September 2015. For more information visit http://thedaylightsite.com

ABSTRACT

Le Corbusier said that: “The history of architecture is the history of the struggle for light.” One might add that it is also the history of the struggle for a reasonable use of daylight. Good quality daylight is linked to visual performance and comfort of those who occupy the space. Daylight creates good conditions for seeing, supports task performance, fosters interaction and communication. It influences people’s health, stimulates moods and well-being. This paper reflects on the studies done in the area of daylight design methods and principles that can be applied for architecture and urban planning strategies. The paper discusses Polish building regulations in the context of daylight design. As well as the barriers for an application of new daylight design methods into urban planning and city regeneration processes. The results of the pilot study (the questionnaire) carried out among 50 participants with mixed backgrounds in architecture, urban planning and interior architecture show a growing demand for better daylight education and an urgent demand for a revision of the existing outdated lighting recommendations in Poland. The pilot conclusions also illustrate that daylight was considered as an element of natural resources needed in the sustainable approach into urban environment planning by the questionnaire contributors equipped with the basic daylight design knowledge. The urgent need of further case-specific studies was emphasized. As well as the belief that daylight and electric light projects should be integrated and a holistic approach to town light planning should be implemented.

This paper is a part of the PhD research on daylight design within the contemporary urban texture, which focuses on a growing role of daylight in creating more sustainable residential architecture. One of the aims of this research is to identify how daylight knowledge can help to reconsider contemporary urban planning in Poland, especially with reference to a growing number of residential areas. It discusses how daylight strategies may be implemented as design methods in architecture planning. The method may potentially offer new approaches towards the residential planning design frameworks. While discussing the role of daylight in residential buildings and areas, an emphasis is put not only on an energy optimization but also on the qualities related to inhabitants’ needs, preferences and behaviour patterns. Further questions asked are: what kind of daylight design methods could be applied in early phases of residential areas planning; what elements of daylight design strategies should be present in building regulations and what educational channels should be created to propagate daylight knowledge among professionals engaged in urban planning processes.

The final conclusions of the PhD thesis may illustrate that a role of daylight in urban planning is very complex, depending on the implemented filters of objectives, from social, cultural and psychological to energy optimization objectives. The author hopes to confirm that daylight studies are crucial in the early stages of residential urban planning especially while making decisions concerning urban density, buildings location.

Natalia Sokol is a PhD researcher at the Gdansk University of Technology, Poland at the Faculty of Architecture: Urban and Regional Planning Unit. In her research she explores a role of daylight design in the early stages of urban planning focusing on the residential areas. Since her graduation from the UCL MSc Light and Lighting course she has been promoting architectural lighting design through different areas of activity from commercial lighting projects, luminaire design through educational work. Before PhD studies she had been working as a lighting designer for a Swedish company and had helped to implement almost 40 lighting products on the market.

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