In Copenhagen, during the 2024 UNESCO International Day of Light, The Daylight Award has announced Spanish architect and professor Alberto Campo Baeza as the laureate for the architecture category and German professor of chronobiology Till Roenneberg for his scientific research regarding the impact of daylight. The two categories create an interdisciplinary bridge between fields, grounding architectural thinking with high-level research. The two winners have been commended for scientific investigations into issues like circadian rhythms and dependencies in the case of Professor Roenneberg, and the poetic qualities obtained through the use of daylight in Alberto Campo Baeza’s architectural works.
The question, "How can we control natural light in interior spaces?" is fundamental in architecture. Unregulated direct sunlight can cause discomfort such as visual strain and undesirable heat gains. Therefore, it is crucial to control its entry effectively. Some design solutions include installing shading devices, planning spatial orientation, and building forms for indirect natural light. Window treatments like films or heat-reflective glazing can also be used.
However, there are innovative strategies to control natural light more efficiently through advanced glazing panels like the Kalwall 175CW. This translucent insulated glazing unit is compatible with most third-party curtain wall systems. By manipulating the translucency of the glazed material, it's possible to influence the visual and thermal comfort of spaces. At the same time, this can enhance the architecture of modern spaces, adding substantial aesthetic and emotional value.
Sloped terrain offers a tantalizing prospect for developers. With breathtaking views over either natural or urban landscapes, often without the realistic possibility of being overlooked by future development, a parcel of land on a slope provides a high reward. However, whether it’s the extra excavation involved to cut and fill or cantilever out on a flat surface, the complications of water drainage, or the loss of light and difficulty of access at the front of the property, building on sloped terrains is not without its difficulties.
But it’s not necessarily the angle of the site that’s most at fault, it’s the shape of the building. By splitting up a multi-story structure and repositioning – possibly even disconnecting – each level, projects designed to comply with the existing topography by applying multiple ground levels can reduce the amount of excavation required. The split floor plan can also help to improve access and natural light and increase both interior and exterior space.
According to the climatic conditions of each region and its implantation environment, exterior enclosures play a fundamental role in providing the necessary climatization and ventilation conditions to make indoor spaces habitable and comfortable. While there are various bioclimatic strategies and designs that can be applied to achieve energy efficiency, the determination of materiality, the choice of hardware, and the definition of opening and closing technologies contribute to the performance of facades, providing functionality and a high degree of adaptability to contemporary uses, among other factors.
The early 20th century marked a pivotal era in Brazilian architecture with the advent of the modernist movement. Architects like Oscar Niemeyer or Lúcio Costa introduced avant-garde designs characterized by sleek lines, reinforced concrete, and a focus on functionality. What's more: residential projects of the era, in particular, blurred the lines between indoor and outdoor, flawlessly merging interior and exterior spaces to reflect a lifestyle that harmonizes with nature. Fast forward to the present day, and contemporary architects and designers in Brazil continue to embrace the challenge of creating indoor-outdoor homes that nod to the country's tropical climate. These residences often feature open floor plans, expansive glass walls, and strategic positioning of courtyards, gardens, or terraces with a design philosophy that emphasizes natural light, ventilation, and the incorporation of greenery for increased well-being. We take a detailed look at four recently completed residential projects in Brazil that fuse contemporary architecture, sustainable living, and a deep appreciation for their natural surroundings.
Foster + Partners, led by Norman Foster, has revealed designs for a new “vertical creative office” campus on Sunset Boulevard in Los Angeles, overlooking Hollywood. Developed by real estate firm The Star LLC, the tower is wrapped in spiraling gardens, giving the project its distinctive image and introducing generous outdoor areas throughout. Dubbed “The Star,” the project strives to use active and passive design strategies to bring a welcoming and comfortable space for all future users.
As one of the smallest spaces in the home, shower rooms often find it difficult to get enough light. While bedrooms are given priority to choose the most favored spots alongside exterior walls – giving them access to the fresh air, natural light, and better views provided by windows – sanitary spaces are often left to feed from the scraps in the aftermath, afforded only a sliver of external wall, if any.
Due to issues with privacy and water damage, meanwhile, when a shower room does have the opportunity to add a window, it’s rarely positioned in the shower itself. But with many using an energizing shower to gently wake themselves up in the morning, and with steam making the shower an environment with extra high humidity levels, a window in the shower can make a big difference, adding natural light to the space itself, while keeping the entire room well-ventilated.
For most people, modern living requires spending most of the day in interior spaces - in fact, according to a report by the Environmental Protection Agency, the average person spends around 90% of their life indoors. As a result, this implies missing out on health benefits associated with sunlight exposure, such as vitamin D absorption, regulation of circadian rhythms, higher energy levels and even improved mood. Thus, one option is to increase the amount of time we spend outdoors. But because most daily functions are carried out inside buildings, it is crucial to incorporate and prioritize natural lighting in interiors.
As the architecture industry shifts its focus towards greater sustainability and energy efficiency, many modern projects in the world’s hottest (and getting hotter) environments are unearthing more traditional ways to control temperature, light, and ventilation by learning from the past to save us from the future.
A historic symbol of the industrial age, the sawtooth roof is a lasting legacy of architectural history. Although a functional invention born from necessity nearly 200 years ago, the iconic shape is enjoying a renaissance in many contemporary projects.
Made up of many long, thin roofs with irregular pitches laid alongside each other, a sawtooth roof positions its steeper edges – filled with glass panels – away from the equator. This allows large buildings to control their solar gain by omitting direct sunlight, while still allowing uniform indirect natural light to fill an entire interior area.
Portrait from 1999 (from the long-time office of Vilhelm Helander, Juha Leiviskä Architects). Image Courtesy of Juha Leiviskä Archive
Juha Ilmari Leiviskä, one of Finland´s foremost architects recognized for his design of light-filled poetic spaces, passed away on November 9, 2023, at the age of 87. Born in Helsinki and educated at Helsinki University of Technology, Leiviskä developed a personal style throughout his six decades-long career, working with his own family of forms to design buildings with unique identities, yet unified by their treatment of light and geometry. His architecture has been praised for its serene, hones, and timeless qualities, earning him numerous awards and international recognition.
For over half a century, the open floor plan has remained at the cutting edge of interior architecture, with both new-build and renovation clients choosing to splice together rooms and their functions to bring more harmonious connectivity to their homes. Families, despite busier schedules, were able to cook, talk, study, and relax together, all at the same time.
As it can force users to share their space with competing sounds, smells, and ambiances, however, many are turning away from the open plan with new concepts such as the broken plan gaining ground. Another evolutionary route for the open-plan, meanwhile, is to move upwards. In combination with double-, triple-, or even higher-story living spaces, the open-plan is given the space it needs to breathe while staying connected to the rest of the home.
Architects such as Alvar Aalto and Tadao Ando showcase the ability of natural light to shape architectural spaces. Aalto's projects employ extensive glass elements, carefully positioned windows and skylights, harnessing the ever-changing characteristics of daylight. Meanwhile, Ando's Church of Light serves as a striking example of how light can hold profound spiritual significance within a space. Its concrete facade features a symbolic cross-shaped opening, which beautifully and symbolically illuminates the interior, creating a unique spiritual ambiance. In addition to being an essential element that enhances interior aesthetics, natural light profoundly impacts the overall quality of life, promoting better well-being and productivity. By taking advantage of the power of natural light, spaces can reduce their dependence on artificial lighting, leading to greater energy efficiency and a more sustainable design approach.
Not nearly as complex an architectural typology as the word suggests, a ‘clerestory’ is a simple – if lexically loose – a portmanteau of ‘clear’ and ‘story’. Denoting a section of the wall that contains windows or cavities above eye level. The word is often assumed to have a religious context. Clerestories historically appeared at the upper levels of Roman churches, Hebrew temples, and early Christian architecture after all. And the earliest references we have to the feature come from religious texts.
Today, religious structures are often typified by the light their high windows allow to stream in, both figuratively and literally, from a higher source. At the CES Chapel in Taiwan, for example, ‘light diffuses through the glass clerestory and brightens the apse throughout the day,’ explains JJP Architects & Planners, about an interior design concept driven by natural lighting, ‘the chapel is filled with a spiritual aura, with a bright cross projected deep into the space.’
In this fourth feature, we met with co-chairs ofdesign for Health architectArif Hasan, former Visiting Professor NED University Karachi and member of UNs Advisory Group on Forced Evictions, and architectChristian Benimana, Senior Principal and Co-Executive Director atMASS Design Group
As societies evolve, educational facilities also undergo continuous transformation processes to keep up. In terms of their design strategies, they must embrace modern approaches that respond to the changing needs of students and teachers. Including flexible, inclusive, and engaging spaces that seamlessly integrate technological advances, contemporary educational design aims to enhance learning and collaborative work, as well as comfort and wellbeing.
Kalwall focuses on developing forward-thinking solutions for human-centered design that address these evolving needs, while responding to a tight budget. Through a collaborative strategy with architecture and engineering projects, they focus on four ways to design optimal learning environments, including daylight design, energy efficiency, safety, and cost savings through renovation and installation.
Foster + Partners’ project for BENCH, one of the Philippines’ leading clothing and lifestyle brands, has started construction in Manila. The 24-storey headquarters building offers offices, design studios, event spaces, and the necessary amenities to create an enjoyable environment for the company’s employees. Located on the east-west axis in the Bonifacio Global City, the building opens up the ground floor to create a visual connection to the green space surrounding it.
