Natural Day-Lighting guide for your next project.

07 Sketches
Jun 14
6 min read

Introduction:

In our everyday spaces, Natural light not only make rooms brighter but also saves energy and make us feel more alive. Designing with nature in mind improves comfort, reduces energy use, and connects us with the outdoors. This illustration beautifully shows how smart openings and thoughtful materials can work together to create a breathable and well lit living environment.

Imagine standing inside a cozy space where the air feels fresh and the sunlight gently fills the room. That is the experience this design creates.

At the top, small openings allow hot air to escape, helping to cool the room naturally. Just below, angled slats bring in soft and diffused sunlight, lighting the space comfortably without harsh heat.

A large glass window offers clear views of the outside world, adding visual connection and openness. Near the floor, lower shutters bring in cool air, creating a natural airflow that moves upward and replaces warmer air. It feels as though the space is quietly breathing along with you.

Here's the process broken down step by step:

Cool air enters from the bottom : At the lower part of the wall, shutters can be opened to let in cool air from outside. This creates a gentle airflow at the ground level, helping to lower the room’s temperature naturally.
Glass window provides views : In the middle section, a clear glass window allows people inside to look outside. It connects the indoors with the environment and brings in daylight while maintaining visual comfort.
Upper slats bring in diffused light : Just above the window, angled slats (or louvers) are designed to let in sunlight in a soft and filtered way. This ensures the room is well lit during the day without the glare or direct heat of harsh sunlight.
Hot air escapes through upper openings : As warm air rises, it finds its way out through specially placed openings at the top. This helps in maintaining a constant flow of air , fresh cool air comes in from the bottom, and warm stale air escapes from the top.

Anidolic Daylighting :

We’ve all been in rooms that feel a bit like dim, gloomy, and cut off from the outside world. That’s exactly what the top part of this illustration shows. Despite having a window, the sunlight barely enters the space. The narrow vertical opening fails to distribute light effectively, leaving the interior dull and poorly lit. You can see the discomfort in the scene, as one person even jokes about living in a cave. This kind of design not only affects how a space looks, but also how it feels to be in it. It relies heavily on artificial lighting and doesn't create a pleasant environment to relax or work in.
Now, look at the bottom part of the image. The mood completely shifts. Here, the same sunlight is being used more intelligently. An anidolic daylighting system is introduced, which uses a curved reflective collector above the window. As sunlight enters, it bounces along the reflective surface and is redirected deep into the room. The light is evenly spread out, creating a warm and naturally bright space that feels open and welcoming.
This system also includes double glazing to prevent heat gain and a roller blind to manage glare if needed. Together, these elements not only improve the quality of natural light but also help maintain thermal comfort. The room stays cooler, well-lit, and much more enjoyable to be in all without switching on a single light bulb.

Full Room Section with System in Use

Length of the System: The duct extends about 3.59 meters from the collector into the room, showing that even deep interiors can be lit naturally.
Double Glazing: On both ends (collector and room-facing), the glazing ensures thermal insulation while still allowing daylight to pass through.
Organic Glazing Below Duct: This layer diffuses the daylight softly into the space below, ensuring even and gentle lighting without glare.
Uniform Illumination: The duct distributes daylight to workstations up to 5 meters away from the façade, maintaining comfortable brightness.

This technical diagram illustrates how an anidolic daylighting system works using a thoughtfully designed curved light-duct and reflectors to bring sunlight deeper into interior spaces.

Detail Section of Anidolic Collector and Light-Duct

Curved Anidolic Collector: The large outer curve at the top acts as the collector. It captures incoming sunlight at various angles , even when the sun is low thanks to its 90° wide acceptance angle.
Light Enters at 55°: The section shows how light enters at a 55° angle and is guided into the duct. This makes it effective in various sun positions throughout the day.
Roller Blind: Positioned just above the collector, this is used to block excessive sunlight or glare if needed.
Reflectors Inside Duct: These ensure that the light bounces and travels efficiently along the duct, reducing light loss.
Light-Duct: A horizontal channel running under the ceiling slab. This is where light travels further into the space, guided by internal reflectors.

Benefits of Andolic Daylighting:

By combining a low-profile external collector, light duct, and internal diffuser, anidolic systems.

Bring natural daylight deeper into spaces .

Reduce artificial lighting energy use by ~30%.

Improve visual comfort thanks to more uniform light Perform well under both sunny and cloudy conditions

In the top part of the image , we see a kitchen space exposed to intense, direct sunlight through an unshaded window. The person inside appears visibly uncomfortable, shielding their eyes from the glare and suffering from heat exhaustion. The harsh summer sun beams straight into the room, heating up surfaces and making the space both visually and thermally unbearable. This is a common issue in many homes and workspaces that rely on large glass openings without proper sun control.

In the bottom part of the image after installing shading device at the window . The same space is now equipped with an external shading device that redirects and diffuses the incoming sunlight. Instead of direct rays pouring into the room, the angled shading reflects the light upward and outward, softly illuminating the interior without excessive heat. The person inside looks calm and at ease, and even a dog can comfortably occupy the cooler space. This design not only protects from glare but also maintains indoor thermal comfort, enhancing the usability and livability of the room.

for this purpose different types shading devices can be used .

Shading devices

A. Clerestory Window

Clerestory windows are elevated horizontal openings placed high on walls. They allow soft, indirect daylight to enter deeper into the space without letting in direct sun rays that can cause overheating. In this configuration, sunlight hits the upper wall or ceiling first, reflecting into the space in a diffused manner. This is especially useful in kitchens or workspaces where harsh glare and heat can be disruptive, much like in the earlier example where the summer sun caused discomfort.

B. Atrium

An atrium works like a light well. It brings natural light into the core of a building, often through glazed roofing or skylights. The structure shown channels sunlight through angled panels or louvers which bounce light down into interior spaces. This strategy creates a calm, well-lit environment while preventing heat accumulation ideal for larger public spaces or homes needing a central natural light source.

C. External Reflectors

External reflectors are fixed shading elements placed outside the façade. These surfaces catch sunlight and redirect it upward toward the ceiling, allowing the light to spread indirectly across the room. Like the shading canopy in the earlier image, they prevent direct solar radiation from entering, reducing internal heat gain and creating a more thermally comfortable space.

D. Reflective Blinds

Reflective blinds are adjustable elements that reflect sunlight away or redirect it toward desired interior surfaces. Depending on their tilt, they can either reduce glare or bounce light onto ceilings and walls for a diffused glow. This adaptability makes them suitable for dynamic climates, allowing control over light intensity throughout the day much like how external shading in the earlier image helped prevent overheating and glare in the kitchen.

All these shading strategies work toward the same goal as explained earlier like reducing heat exhaustion, improving comfort, and using natural light wisely. By diffusing sunlight through thoughtful openings, architects can design spaces that feel light-filled yet cool supporting human comfort while cutting down on artificial lighting needs.

Thanks for reading!