DAYLIGHT PLANNING IN DENMARK’S RESIDENTIAL ARCHITECTURE
OCTOBER, 2 2015
B: It’s always, traditionally, been very important in Denmark for around a century. I guess we’ve kind of set -- our architects and design are very focused on lighting. And yes, it probably has to do with the lack of light in certain times of the year. But that’s set, it doesn’t mean that it can’t in some cases be overlooked. But at the same time, we also have some regulations again about what we can and cannot do. But in general I think that most Danish architects would say that they always do consider daylight an important factor. C: Well, in Denmark we don’t have that much light so that´s why we are working quite a lot with daylight. But again, I think that it quite depends on the project if you can kind of overlook other things or other design features and I think it is very much about which project you are looking into. I think that´s overall for any architectural project that there is a hierarchy of what is the most important, but the daylight issue is something very well integrated into projects also, sometimes when you don´t realize it, but it´s something that is within the building culture and it´s very close related to the architectural program. Again, it’s difficult to say if daylight should actually be overruled, depends on the project and the concept. Question 3: Considering the amount of daylight hours available during the winter time in Denmark are the physical and psychological benefits of daylight taken into account when designing a new concept? A: Yes, definitely. As an aspiring lighting designer we are taught to always be critical and think about the end user. It is important that research continues to be done into circadian rhythms because there are vital information in how to design with light. B: Always, yes. Again, depending on what kind of project you’re doing. It will always be taken into consideration and in pretty much every project there will also be some legal regulations that you have to apply to. C: I would probably say in most projects that they are not, but I would also say yes again, because there is a lot of research concerning the benefits of getting daylight indoors and in some projects it is used. You can see that in hospitals where they are actually open very much to get the daylight in. You also see it in office spaces, where we have to have at least 2 or 3 % of daylight factor but it´s not only because of the physical and psychological benefits, it’s also for saving energy and other things. There’s a lot of research that we could look much more into.
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