Representations of light in design : light, computation and praxis

Abstract

Sophisticated computational tools for accurately representing both natural and artificial light are now available. These tools may serve to facilitate the designer's ability to understand the fundamental spatial and architectural experiences in a given design proposition. This thesis seeks to enunciate a design praxis that utilizes computer visualization as the primary exploratory method for understanding the relations of light to form. The design of a small library in Boston serves as the grounds for developing a critical understanding of such a design praxis. The library type provides a wide variety of circumstances demanding the control of light as well as a rich set of precedents in which the use of light is paramount to the spatial experience. Within the scope of the design problem, this thesis seeks to articulate a critical understanding of how design process may be facilitated by computational methods of exploration and representation. In particular it explores the relations of light to form in architectural design, and how decisions of space and form may be made based upon the desired qualities and effects of light.