Daylight Simulation: Examining its place during Conceptual Stages in a CAAD Studio

This paper reports on our experiences using computer graphic visual simulations to encouragearchitecture students to examine daylighting aspects of their design solutions during conceptual stagesin undergraduate design studios. Using computers for conceptual design was the major thrust of theinvestigation of these studios where daylight was one of the issues students examined for a four-weekperiod. We present our experiences and student work with traditional CGI-based and physics-basedradiosity rendering techniques. Our experiences show that although radiosity based visual simulation iscapable of producing more realistic images, in the design process its success was limited to studyingclearly defined interior spaces. CGI-based visualization, particularly when used in conjunction withtraditional physical models, was more useful and effective in the design process, being closer to thefluid nature of the design process. Further work needs to be done to make the currently availableradiosity-based software suitable for use in the design decision-making process