by Hester Hellinga, TU Delft – Delft University of Technology, The Netherlands

Daylight and View – The Influence of Windows on the Visual Quality of Indoor Spaces (PHD – Thesis)

Windows are important for a comfortable and healthy indoor environment. In this PhD thesis the influence of windows on perceived visual comfort is investigated. Two variables play an important role: daylight and outside view. To be able to improve the visual quality of indoor spaces, one needs to have insight in how daylight […]

By Coralie Cauwerts, Université Catholique de Louvain (UCL), Faculty of Architecture, Architectural Engineering and Urban Planning (LOCI), Architecture et Climat, Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium

Influence of presentation modes on visual perceptions of daylit spaces (PhD thesis)

Virtual renderings are increasingly used in the architectural design process and in lighting quality research to assess the visual appearance of indoor environments. Thanks to imaging technologies continuously in development to improve the “realism” of these images, pictures can nowadays be presented in various ways. Regrettably, to date, few […]

By Apiparn Borisuit, EPFL Solar Energy and Building Physics Laboratory, École polytechnique fédérale de Lausanne EPFL, Switzerland.

The Impact of Light Including Non-Image Forming Effects on Visual Comfort (PhD Thesis)

Visual comfort at workplaces has often been considered in terms of discomfort glare, luminance distribution and task visibility. Besides visual effects, the lighting environment has also impact on human physiology and behaviour. These effects of light are transmitted via a novel class of photoreceptors in the mammalian retina, which was discovered only a […]

By Steffen Petersen, ALECTIA and Technical University of Denmark, Denmark.

Simulation-based support for integrated design of new low-energy office buildings (PhD Thesis)

This thesis reports on four years of research with the aim to contribute to the implementation of low-energy office buildings with high quality of indoor environment and good total economy. The objective was to enable the energy expert of the building design team to generate a useful input to the overall building design process prior to any actual form giving of […]

By Petteri Teikari, Université Claude Bernard and Stem Cell and Brain Research Institute, INSERM U846, France

Spectral Modulation of Melanipsin Responses – Role of Melanopsin Bistability in Pupillary Light Reflex (PhD Thesis)

In addition to the canonical photoreceptors, rods and cones, a novel melanopsin-expressing retinal ganglion cell (mRGC) was recently discovered. The novel photopigment melanopsin in the human retina has been shown to express invertebrate-like bistable properties both in vitro and in vivo. In bistable photopigment systems, light elicits photosensory responses and drives […]

by Jakob Strømann-Andersen, Technical University of Denmark and Henning Larsen Architects, Denmark.

Integrated Energy Design in Masterplanning (PhD Thesis)

This PhD thesis considers urban structure and buildings in an energy correlation and use the knowledge to design energy- and comfort-optimized cities and buildings. The parameters are: the structure of nature, the city and the landscape, both in terms of geometry and interrelationships and in terms of opportunities and limitations with regard to light, shade, sun and wind.

The aim is threefold: (1) to unfold the […]

by Barbara Gherri, University of Parma, Department of Civil Engineering, Environment, Land and Architecture, Parma, Italy.

Natural Light and Daylight Assessment. A new framework for enclosed space evaluation (PhD Thesis)

The multiple ways by which natural light can be enhanced to define a room can be improved by the conscious use of daylight, involving several topics that concur in outlining the role of natural light as a matter of fact, space and representation. This thesis explores the spatial qualities of built environments through […]