Natural Light: A Challenge And An Opportunity In Commercial Spaces

Aman Aggarwal, Principal Architect, Charged Voids, gives the correlation between natural light and architecture through five channels

Light is an ephemeral yet crucial ingredient that shapes architecture. It holds the power to drastically change perceptions based on its source and quality, among other characteristics. The identity of a space is often inextricably linked to how much and in what manner it receives natural light, thereby enhancing or diminishing the spatial experience.

The apertures in a building can be manipulated to modulate natural light in order to highlight material texture, animate the interiors and affect moods. We can understand the correlation between natural light and architecture through the following five channels.

Light can build time

The size, direction and positioning of the fenestrations in a building determine when and how we receive ‘solid light’, or direct natural light. If entering through a regular 5-feet high glazed window, it will look quite different than through a patterned jaali. The way in which these light patterns move within a space is in tune with the time of day, helping us perceive the passage of time. The oculus at the centre of the dome of the Pantheon in Rome hits a distinct recess of the many recesses carved into the interior walls as the day progresses and the sun moves in the sky.

Along with time, light is able to make us experience the season as well. Daylight in winter has a different quality than that of the summer sun. Similarly, natural light in one corner of the world will feel different than the other, pertaining to the specific atmospheric conditions that it passes through.

Light can defy scale