DAYLIGHT as an architectural and atmospheric quality in Swedish domestic housing

Abstract: In the real experience of a space, light and space are inseparable. Light describes the space, it’s shape and structure, as well as the space and its material tells about the nature of light. As described in Christian Norberg-Schulz’s work on housing, it is the architecture that makes the residence something more than the satisfaction of a practical need. According to Peter Zumthor, there is an interplay between sensory experiences, imagination and memory to create a certain atmosphere, and that we can quickly determine if the experienced atmosphere is something we like or not. But what exactly is this atmosphere?  The aim of this thesis is to investigate what soul and atmosphere in domestic Swedish housing is consisting of, and if it can be measured or concretized. Based on previous literature research a study with two apartments from different periods of time were carried out. Observations, calculations, as well as questionnaires were made to try and find a connection between the comprehensible and the immeasurable, the atmosphere in a space.