Natural Light’s Role in the Formation of Spatial Identity: A Study of Aga Khan Award-Winning Buildings

Abstract

This study aims to analyze the relationship between spatial identity and natural light through projects that have received the Aga Khan Award for Architecture, and to determine which role of natural light is more effective in creating spatial identity. Within the scope of the study, the roles of natural light in creating spatial identity were determined under 4 main headings – functional, semantic, aesthetic, and psychological roles – with 12 criteria, through literature analysis and synthesis. In the field study, a total of 8 buildings were selected, one public building from each award cycle from 2002-2004 to the final award cycle of 2023-2025; restoration and conservation projects were excluded from the scope of the study. The projects were examined spatially and contextually through jury reports, architectural documents, and visual data. The buildings were classified into three groups – ‘effective’, ‘partially effective’, and ‘ineffective’ – based on their compliance with the criteria in the analysis table, using the parameters determined within the scope of the study. This study established a general assessment of the use of natural light in buildings; it observed that the semantic aspect of natural light is relatively more dominant in relation to spatial identity and is an effective factor in buildings receiving awards. Projects that successfully interpreted and incorporated the criteria reflecting the semantic impact of natural light on spatial identity into their designs were deemed successful by the jury, as determined by examining jury reports. Projects that successfully interpreted and incorporated the criteria reflecting the semantic impact of natural light on spatial identity into their design were found to be successful by the jury.

The authors' abstract, as published at the source. Journal of Daylighting, 2026 · DOI ↗