Daylight as Design Discourse: Representation Strategies in Contemporary Architecture
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.31522/p.34.1(71).6Keywords:
architectural design, architect’s website, contemporary houses, daylight representation, grounded theoryAbstract
This paper introduces a framework for a qualitative study of factors influencing daylight considerations in the architectural design process. Following the Grounded Theory method, a five-step analytical protocol was adopted to first elaborate an abstract diagram of daylight design factors. This diagram was subsequently employed to analyse the architectural representations of thirty houses designed during the first decade of the 21st century. Applying multiple correspondence analyses to the results led to the identification of five distinct groups. Exploring these groups’ characteristics enabled the development of a representative model for the studied phenomena. The results reveal that daylight design was largely inspired by local daylight culture, the sites’ luminous characteristics, and the opportunities offered by digital mediation. The findings also indicate that the early and mid-decade contexts were marked by a successive evolution in daylight representation. Finally, this research serves as a basis for future studies on daylight in architecture, thereby contributing to the expansion of the knowledge base on qualitative daylight factors in design research.
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Copyright (c) 2026 Ahmed Motie Daiche, Azeddine Belakehal
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