Daylighting in Buildings brings together research, publications, architectural examples and practical reference material. This page provides an overview of the site's content and helps you find the topics most relevant to your work or interests.
Choose your own path.
What is daylighting?
More than sunlight through windows.
Daylight is one of architecture's oldest materials, yet it remains one of its least understood. Everyone experiences daylight, yet few learn to design with it. Daylighting is the deliberate use and control of natural light in buildings. More than sunlight entering through windows, daylight interacts with building form, orientation, openings, surfaces and surrounding conditions to shape the quality, comfort and experience of interior spaces.
Explore
Find your way through the website and see how its research, publications and supporting resources are organized.
Home page
Discover how daylight helps architects make better-informed design decisions from the earliest stages of design.
Daylight Assessment
Compare design alternatives with objective daylight assessment methods throughout the design process.
Publications
Read publications that bring together research, teaching and professional practice in architectural daylighting.
Gallery
Discover buildings where daylight becomes an integral part of the architectural idea through observation.
Glossary
Understand the essential terminology of architectural daylighting through concise, practical explanations.
About
The research, publications and long-term aims behind the project.
Legal and privacy
Read the legal, copyright, privacy and licensing information that supports the long-term openness of this project.
Reference
Navigate the project's research, publications, architectural examples, assessment methods and glossary.
Discover
Explore historical and contemporary buildings through photographs and observations of how daylight shapes architectural spaces.
Shades in the light
Discover how solar protection improves daylight quality while becoming part of the architectural expression.
Light in harmony
Discover how generous daylight brings clarity and warmth to a large public interior.
Carved by hands, revealed by light
Discover how the relationship between landscape, material and sunlight shapes the experience of architecture.
Light reveals democracy
Discover how daylight redirection gives architectural transparency both functional and symbolic meaning.
Color deepens the light
Discover how surface colour can help distribute daylight through the depth of a building.
Light weaves through history
Discover how daylight and shade shape the character, comfort and experience of historic urban streets.
Poetry and precision
Discover how a responsive façade mediates sunlight and shapes the architectural experience.
An arcade of light
Discover how a glazed roof brings daylight into a covered public street.
White meets the light
Discover how surface reflectance and daylight control shape the experience of a museum.
Light anchors land to sea
Discover how daylight shapes circulation and the transition between city and waterfront.
Learn
Explore key questions about daylighting through research, explanations, architectural examples and practical guidance.
What is daylighting?
Discover why daylight is one of architecture's oldest and most valuable design materials.
Why assess daylight?
Learn about standardized assessment methods, design criteria, performance levels for evaluating daylight.
Daylighting publications
Read publications that transform research and professional experience into practical architectural knowledge.
Why observe buildings?
Learn how observing real buildings reveals the relationship between daylight, architecture and human experience.
Why terminology?
Learn how a shared vocabulary helps architects communicate daylight with greater clarity and confidence.
Evaluate
Explore methods for assessing daylight in buildings, including the assessment framework of EN 17037.
Daylight provision
Learn how architects and daylighting consultants evaluate whether buildings and spaces receive enough useful daylight.
Exposure to sunlight
Evaluate how much direct sunlight reaches interiors to improve comfort, well-being and quality of the indoor environment.
View out
Evaluate the quality of view out to assess the visual connection between buildings and surroundings.
Protection from glare
Evaluate the risk of glare and identify design strategies that improve visual comfort without sacrificing daylight.
Read
Browse research papers, presentations, professional articles, design guides and educational publications.
The early design stage
Learn how daylight performance can be evaluated during the earliest stages of architectural design.
Less is beautiful
Discover how traditional architectural principles can inform contemporary, climate-responsive design.
Lighting design essentials
Understand the principles of architectural lighting, from visual comfort and lighting quality to luminaire selection and layout.
BIM essentials for architects
Understand how Building Information Modeling supports design development, visualization, analysis and collaboration throughout the building lifecycle.
Designing with daylight
Explore the principles of daylighting, from initial design ideas to performance evaluation.
Climate responsive
Explore how computational design connects architectural form, environmental performance and design intent.
Daylight without windows
Discover daylight transport systems that bring natural light into interior spaces beyond the reach of conventional windows.
Coordinating building design
Discover how reference models and shared digital workflows help architects and engineers coordinate their designs.
Algorithmic design
Discover how computational design supports climate-responsive architecture from the earliest design stages.
Daylighting in buildings
Explore the design principles and EN 17037 recommendations for naturally lit buildings.
BIM for building services
Explore how BIM connects architectural design with building services engineering through shared models and coordinated workflows.
Daylighting deeper indoors
Explore hybrid daylight systems that bring natural light into interior spaces beyond the reach of conventional windows.
Rooflights and physical models
Discover how physical model measurements reveal daylight distribution beneath rooflights.
Sustainable design
Learn how early design decisions influence environmental impact and long-term building performance.
Model-based design
Learn how model-based design connects building information, design development and interdisciplinary collaboration.
Transparent matters
Explore architectural publications documenting the design and realization of an award-winning office building in Budapest.
Electrical essentials
Understand how electrical infrastructure requirements influence architectural planning from the earliest design stages.
Building energy performance
Understand how early architectural decisions shape long-term building energy performance.
BIG data and smarter cities
Discover how BIM, GIS and urban data help planners understand city systems and make better-informed decisions.