Sunlight Qualities in Dwellings: a New Computational Analysis Tool

"Architectural harmony with natural systems - including natural light - is essential to the wellbeing of building occupants'' (Shrum, 2017). A preliminary study of existing daylight recommendations in standards and sustainability certificates, applied in Denmark, revealed a neglectance of the importance of receiving direct sunlight in dwellings. The qualities of sunlight were defined through a modest qualitative analysis, resulting in five parameters: Sunlight Hours, Winter Sun, Morning Sun, Golden Hours and Magic Moments. These were defined as specific time periods supported by research on the visual and non-visual effects on well-being. The parameters were subsequently translated into a parametric analysis tool, using design application Rhinoceros 3D and elaborating on a new usage of the design software Ladybug Tools. This analysis tool is predicted to be of high use to identify problematic apartments in the architectural design phase, to compare different design proposals and to meet the individual needs of new occupants.