Under the theme “Healthy & Climate-Friendly Architecture - from Knowledge to Practice" the symposium presented 39 speakers from research and architectural practice, calling for more evidence and common sense in architectural practice.
A total of 360 participants from around the world witnessed in Berlin, 3-4 May 2017, presentations on groundbreaking daylight research and indepth lectures related to daylight in architecture by leading architect offices from Europe, Canada and the USA.
One of many conclusions were that research and architectural practice are increasingly approaching each other. The use of tools, simulations and virtual reality technology can establish a common understanding of the importance of daylight for us as humans – as we spend most of our time indoors.
Architecture starts where daylight hits the wall
Stefan Behnisch from Behnisch Architekten (DE) presented the first keynote lecture of the Symposium, named “Daylight as a qualitative aspect and driving element in developing architecture”, and shared how, as an architect, he appreciated the sensation of light in space.
He quoted Louis Kahn, by saying: “architecture appears for the first time when the sunlight hits a wall. Even if a building is fulfilling all technical specifications, you will have no guarantee for the quality of the light when it hits the wall”.
He illustrated his speech through examples of his work, where reflective and translucent surfaces were crucial for the sensation of daylight.
One big architectural narrative
According to Omar Gandhi, listed as one of the world’s top 20 young architects by Wallpaper* magazine, the role of daylight in the creative process was also unquestionable.