DAYLIGHT CONTROL USING BUILDING ENVELOPE FOR KUNSTHAUS ZURICH

Abstract

Generally and in most cases for museums, daylight is an integral part of interior illumination. This is due to daylight’s full spectrum and its ability to showcase the arts’ story, meaning and emotions. Moreover, depending
on the museum’s location, the availability of daylight varies greatly and this impacts the experience of seeing art. Various forms of art collection require different level and intensity of daylight for optimum viewing at any angle. For paintings especially, daylight plays a crucial part but also comes with some consequences. No paintings are immune to infra-red and ultra violet which are part of the daylight’s spectrum. This research will focus on Kunsthaus Zurich in Switzerland as the author’s case study. Originally designed with the same façade design for all elevations, this research will attempt to elaborate a new façade design with regards to its specific elevation and the building programs it will ultimately enclose. Different building elevations’ orientation requires different treatment and the outcome of this research will be comprehensive applications in each building elevation in responds to the daylight movement throughout the year.

Keywords: daylight, museum, building envelope, computer simulation