A LACK OF DAYLIGHT CULTURE by Ulrike Brandi
Speakers
Ulrike Brandi
Founder and director
Ulrike Brandi Licht GmbH
Daylight and its dynamic qualities are fascinating! Natural light is a fundamental factor in architecture. It affects the visual appearance of a space and has strong impact on aspects like health and energy efficiency. Still there is a lack of awareness for the potential of natural light.
Thinking about sustainable design most clients and architects are not aware that energy consumption for artificial light can add up to 75% of the overall consumption (Brandi 2005: 16).
The goal is to improve communication about daylight and to plead for the integration of daylight aspects at an early stage of the design process. Most often the design focus is on adding artificial light which results in higher energy consumption. The first thought though should always be on daylight. That means to find the right amount, direction and places for daylight to penetrate the building. This subtractive approach must always be the first step before adding more and more artificial light. Daylight design is not only the optimisation of glass façades, but also about aspects like considering the rooms’ depth and its type of usage.
To raise awareness means to improve the communication about daylight in design and spread the knowledge about its relevance. Good daylight design is not always about complex calculations but rather about early thoughts on it! It is crucial to let as many clients and architects as possible know that using rules of thumb at an early stage can already strengthen their design to save resources and money by saving energy.
Ulrike Brandi was born in 1957 in Bad Bevensen. A student of industrial designer Dieter Rams, Ulrike Brandi’s work is rooted in problem solving. She is the founder and director of Ulrike Brandi Licht GmbH. The design and consultation services provided by Ulrike Brandi Licht cover five areas: artificial lighting design, daylight design, luminaire design development, masterplanning and event/show lighting. Special services include the design of lighting concepts in close cooperation with architects and clients, which furnish buildings and open spaces with a distinct mood. Experience gained in over 600 worldwide projects is applied during the design process and finding technical solutions.
