Jerram, V; (2006) Innovator or imitator: A critical review of Sir John Soanes's master of daylighting. Doctoral thesis , UCL (University College London).

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Abstract

Sir John Soane is widely regarded as a daylighting innovator and a master of top-lighting, yet many of Soane's contemporaries also used top-lighting. Historical research shows that top-lighting was a widely employed technique in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, both for aesthetic and functional reasons. While much has been written about the picturesque nature of Soane's top-lit spaces, there has been little analysis of daylight performance. His reputation appears to be based on dogma, rather than objective judgement. This report redresses the balance through examination of two of Soane's buildings, Dulwich Picture Gallery and the Court of Chancery. Computer models were constructed and used to measure daylight factors and predict sunlight penetration. Daylight performance over time was calculated from the measured daylight factors and the CIE IDMP diffuse illuminance probability data set for Garston, UK, based on a useful daylight illuminance range between 100 and 2,000 lux. These two case studies show that, as built, both interiors were underlit by today's standards, and justify contemporary complaints of inadequate light.

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