PLEA2011 - 27th International conference on Passive and Low Energy Architecture, Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium, 13-15 July 2011
The table indicates the values recorded and shows its close proximity towards the actual required. 5.
COMPARATIVE STUDY BETWEEN ASSEMBLY AT CHANDIGARH AND CHURCH AT FIRMINY –FRANCE.
For the better understanding of the daylighting design strategies used in the Assembly, a comparative study was carried out between the Assembly and the Church at Firmny, France. The Church was completed in the absence of Le Corbusier and the building interior is mainly artificially lit which may not be Le Corbusier‟s original design intent. The results of the daylight analysis were categorised into different times of the selected days to understand the exact behaviour of the two light sources on the roof, the east and west windows and the peripheral openings. Morning Light, The “Orion” effect is seen to work when the sun is on East. The small star like apertures on the surface of the wall help achieve the effect. The alter shines on till 11 am in mornings and becomes dark after noon time. This effect seems to fade much earlier in winters and on equinox. Mid day Light, The two cannons start to emit light at noon time, lasting until 3pm. The focus is targeted towards the cone and gives a diffused lighting effect at the floor level. The design of these two cannons is similar to the skylights at the assembly, but they are insufficiently sized to illuminate the church interior. Evening Light,. The west Window plays an important role of keeping the focus on the altar. This focus gains importance on Christmas, Easter and St. Peter‟s day. This light is similar to the ceremonial light in Assembly at Chandigarh. Daylight factors from Artificial sky testing showed that the light levels in the Church at Firminy are too low for the visitors to rely on natural light. The lux levels drop from 15 to almost 8 lux at certain places compared to 1300 lux or more outside. The Daylight Factor is hence below 0.01% and the Uniformity Ratio is 0.06% which shows low luminosity and uneven light distribution. The low illuminance level inside the church makes the use of artificial light necessary during the day. The windows with the slope pointing downwards do not benefit the luminous environment of the church. The windows have same sun shading device on all the sides which does not allow the light penetrating into the interior. The Church at Firminy even though has similar daylighting strategies as the Assembly, its aperture sizing and design does not provide adequate daylight to the interior of the church. Le Corbusier‟s improvisations as seen in the assembly building where he sculpted the roof of the building in order to allow selective solar ingress is seen absent in Church at Firminy.
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6. CONCLUSION The success of the design of the luminous environment inside the assembly lies in the visual delight that has been achieved. The use of light as a element to illuminate the space in order to create various impacts on the users is evident from the study of the fenestrations and its designs. The light dramas created by the collective impacts from the balanced light, discrete light ceremonial light and the reflected light inside the assembly further enhance the visual environment. Le Corbusier designed the roof as a solar clock to allow the light to enter the area at particular dates and times and illuminate the speaker‟s area. This interaction between the occupants and the sun movements was sourced from traditional Indian architecture in which the deity is highlighted with sunlight beam on certain days inside the temple. These lighting technique used heightens the poetics of light in the Assembly. Although some areas tend to get dark during the day, it can be concluded that the emphasis on keeping the area cool from the scorching heat and using artificial light as a supplementary light due to the function was the priority. By comparing the luminous environments of Assembly and the Church at Firminy, unlike Ronchamp or Monastery of Le Tourette, the Church at Firminy does not evoke the poetic sensation. The lack of adequate daylight illuminance inside the church does not allow the luminous environment to be well daylit. Since the interior of the church is mainly artificially lit, the church looses the Le Corbusierian identity. By comparing these two buildings, it is evident that the drama created by natural light cannot be recreated by artificial light. Learning from Le Corbusier, It is important for design professionals to understand the solar geometry, trajectory and the effects of light on architectural forms and to use natural light as form giver in architecture.