Projects
The Daylighting of the Stave Church of Borgund, Norway
I have always been intrigued by descriptions in the art history literature of the atmospheric effects of daylighting in sacred buildings. For example, Norberg-Schulz in his book Nightlands: Nordic Building describes the interior of a stave church thus
the weak light is split by roof work and sinks like a dim atmosphere into the room.
The stave church of Borgund, Norway | (www.wondermondo.com/Norway.htm [CC BY-SA 2.0])
In a study of the daylighting of the stave church of Borgund in Norway, I claim that the true spirit of Nordic lighting is to be found in the original medieval church and attempt to characterise the quality of daylighting that was achieved. The work was presented at the Nordic Lighting Conference 2012 and can be found here.
Towards the end of the paper I consider how modes of appearance concepts may assist interpretation of the field of view—concepts which I consider undervalued in assessment of daylighting quality in interiors.