Saynatsolo Town Hall Library, Saynatsolo, Finland

Designed by Alvar Aalto, the Town Hall in Saynatsolo, Finland exemplifies the Nordic desire to capitalize on the limited natural light.Particular attention is paid to both the daylighting and electric lighting of the space. The large south-facing windows take full advantage of the daylight, and light-sensitive collections are kept in the back of the library away from the sunlight.

As you can see in this photo of the children's reading area, the large vertical mullions serve to direct and control the light throughout the day. This image also shows the detailing in the placement of electric lighting, which is lower in the children's area to accommodate the height of that space's users.

The electric lights give off a warm light, which is a nice contrast to the direct sunlight. Because the lights are also designed by Aalto, they are specific to the nature of the space and and encompass all that would be necessary for finding and reading books.

Bev's Ice Cream

Bev's Ice CreaminCarytown uses a combination of daylight and electric lighting to create a bright space befitting of the icecream experience. They also use the materiality of the space to reflect some, but not too much, light.

This first image shows the light that enters from the large north-facing window that looks out onto Cary street, in combination with the electric pendant lamps.

The pendant lights are made from molded translucent plastic. I would say that they light that they give off is diffused and warm. As you can see in the below photograph, the room also has track lighting, which I would assume is used at night or on days when there is very little light coming in from the north-facing window because they were not on when I visited the space.

In my opinion, the materiality of the greatly contributes to the perception of brightness in the space. The white walls and white ceiling are reflective, and to a lesser degree so is the wood plank floor. The tables are also light wood, which adds luminosity and thus increases the perception of brightness.

Sprout, RVA

Sprout, a new restaurant in Richmond, has several spaces that a ripe for examination of different daylighting techniques. The restaurant has two skylights, one in the entry/market room, and one in the rear dining area. The below photo shows the skylight in the dining area. It consists of a two angled panels that are West and East facing, so the skylight receives direct sunlight throughout the day, and the room is quite warm because of it.

This next image shows the path of the light from this skylight as it falls on a wood panel and some chairs at about noon.

This image shows the light from the sunlight in the market room. The light from this sunlight is more diffused for a couple reasons. First, this sunlight has patterned glass, which serves to diffuse the light. Secondly, this sunlight is deeper and more recessed than the one in the rear dining area. However, this sunlight is lined with copper (as opposed to wood), which is a more reflective surface, so the light from this sunlight kind of bounces around the room. In my opinion, this sunlight is more effective than the one in the back dining room because the light is less direct, intense, and hot.

Finally, the front dining room, while it does not have a sunlight, has interesting daylighting of its own. Although I have never eaten in this room, I think that the daylighting may be more effective as it is less intense and direct. This room (pictured below), is lit by clerestory windows. The copper ceiling serves to reflect light into the room, but not in a way that is harsh or produces a glare. The west facing clerestory windows are shaded by landscape on the outside, which keeps them from receiving too much direct sunlight, and the other clerestory windows in the room are north-facing, so they don't receive direct sunlight. So, in my opinion, this room has the most effective daylighting of the three. I will say that few electric light fixtures are on during the day, which makes the space inviting and comfortable and connected to nature.

Nickolai Børne Kulturhuset, Kolding, DK

The top floor of the Nickolai Kid's Culture House in Kolding, Denmark contains a unique lighting situation. A skylight is carefully positioned over a glass-bottomed ball pit. Daylight enters through the skylight and lights the top floor playroom. Then, the light travels through another layer of glass to add some daylight to the art room on the floor below. These diagrams show how the light enters the space.

The ball pit serves to diffuse the daylight so that the art room does not receive direct light. In this photograph, one can see the glass of the ball pit, as well as the art room below.

Bagsværd Kirke, North Copenhagen, DK

Jørn Utzon's Bagsværd Kirke in North Copenhagen is an excellent example of thoughtful lighting. The sanctuary is light mostly by daylight that enters through large clerestory windows.

The light from these windows is softened by the white concrete curve of the south chapel wall. Thus, the daylight that enters the space is indirect and subtle but still able to light the majority of the sanctuary. The light through these clerestory windows also serves to define the shapes of the poured-in-place concrete.

Because the daylight is the focus of the space, the need for electrical light is minimized. However, the daylight is supplemented by strips of electrical bulbs. These lights serve to delineate the side aisles of the sanctuary, as well as give the church a warm light in the evenings.