Introduction

Abstract

Most architects would agree that daylight is an important asset to the design of good architecture, but what aspects of natural light quantify or qualify the visual performance of a space? Perceptual qualities such as contrast and temporal variability are essential to our appreciation of architectural space; natural illumination adds depth to complex geometries and infuses otherwise static interior spaces with shifting compositions of light and shadow. And while architecture is greatly altered by the ephemeral and perceptual qualities of daylight, there is a lack of metrics that address these factors on a dynamic scale. This chapter will introduce the importance of perceptual factors in the visual performance of architecture.