Daylight as a Metaphor for Architecture

Abstract

It is the premise of this paper that the influence of daylight on the very conception of architectural space and form is as essential as the presence, in spaces, of daylight, itself. We may study daylight and measure it with remarkable accuracy and valuable consequences. However, the value of daylight to the inhabitant and the designer runs deeper than quantification, simple navigation, or assigned symbolism. Daylight instigates good design decisions and generates architecture, and the way daylight operates may be considered to have a metaphorical relationship with architecture.