The Peculiarities of Light as a Quality in Architecture

Abstract

This study focuses on the evolution of lighting, both natural and artificial, and its effects on space. The twentieth century is taken as a focal time period, which had witnessed great developments in lighting field that caused inevitable transformations on space and spatial concepts. The evolution of artificial light, the significant innovations in building technology, and the new requirements formed under the desires of a new society are examined in their relation to architectural context with respond to light and lighting in space.The research includes cases from architectural and artistic world, and tries to investigate the role of light in the built environment. These cases are examined in a comparative way, considering the psychical and experiential characteristics of light in order to define its meaning for space.The study consists of two parts. In the first part the process of the evolution of lighting in the twentieth century, its position today, and the social, cultural, and technological alterations are examined deterministically. The second part is a classification of cases under the guidance of some concepts, which defines the interaction of light and space.