Modelling daylight for preserving identity : Simulation of daylight levels for successful intervention in historic
buildings

Almaiyah, S; Elkadi, HA; Aygen, Z

Abstract

Historical listed buildings have their own unique cultural identity, which is one of the criteria used by
decision mechanisms for their statutory protection. The identity of many of these buildings is often related to their
tangible features/components, such as period characteristics (geometry, size, colour, form, and shape), materials and
construction. Daylight is one of the in/tangible elements that have contributed to the distinctiveness of many historical
buildings; yet when constructing preservation schemes of historical buildings, daylight is rarely introduced or
considered as one of the components that shape the character of buildings. One of the reasons is the limited number of
credible simulation studies that identify such interrelationships. As many of these buildings were originally designed
to accommodate different activities to today’s requirements, maintaining the quality of daylight that originally
contributed to their visual identity can be a very challenging task; especially if the building is to be adapted to
accommodate a different activity. In this paper we will discuss the conflict between maintaining the original visual
identity of historical buildings and meeting the visual requirements of restored buildings. The paper discusses the
visual performance of a traditional bathhouse (Hammam) in the city of Bursa in Turkey. The change in the visual
performance of the selected case study will be discussed in terms of daylight conditions. The paper explores the
possibility of maintaining the original daylight conditions of renovated historical buildings while meeting the visual
requirements of the new use.

Citation

buildings. Presented at Passive and Low Energy Architecture (PLEA) 2013 29th Conference : Sustainable Architecture for a Renewable Future, Munich, Germany

• Presentation Conference Type: Other
• Conference Name: Passive and Low Energy Architecture (PLEA) 2013 29th Conference : Sustainable Architecture for a Renewable Future
• Conference Location: Munich, Germany
• Start Date: Sep 10, 2013
• End Date: Sep 12, 2013
• Publication Date: Sep 1, 2013
• Deposit Date: Jul 22, 2015
• Related Public URLs: http://www.plea2013.de/conference/
• Additional Information: Event Type : Conference; Funders : Funder not known