Living with the sun - An investigation in natural light and multi-sensory design

Abstract: The aim of this thesis is to explore the relationship between natural light and the built environment, by designing a mountain cabin without the use of any artificial lighting. How is it possible to make a house livable and functional without the use of any light sources besides the sun? The thesis digs into the fundamentals of natural light. Why to use it and how to use it in architecture, with the help of lighting typologies and daylight simulations. To make the cabin livable even in the darkest hours of the day and year, multi-sensory design and design for low-vision are also investigated and implemented into the proposal. To further explore how light and shade can be simulated and represented, the thesis applies a perception based evaluation method in the form of real-time rendering. This also brings an interactivity to the proposal where it is possible to move around freely and experience the building through different hours of the day and season. The result is an interactive simulation of the proposal.