The Effect of Geometry and Light-receiving Surface on the Daylight Characteristics of the Room in Residential Architecture of Qajar Period (Case Study of Traditional Houses Located in Oudlajan Neighborhood of Tehran)

The problem Statement: Despite various estimates that have been made about the effective strategies in creating natural light and visual comfort in the structure of traditional Iranian houses, a precise quantitative evaluation of their efficiency and quality has not been determined. Main question: What strategies were used in Qajar architecture to make the most use of natural daylight and how much was this important in traditional residential buildings of Tehran city due to the fluctuation of radiation intensity and the possibility of glare?

This research aims to investigate and identify the effective strategies on the desirability of benefiting from natural daylight and visual comfort in traditional houses of Qajar period in Oudlajan neighborhood of Tehran.

The present paper is based on a quantitative paradigm and a simulation strategy that uses Rhino software and evidence derived from reading the physical structure of traditional houses of Tehran city in Qajar period by non-random sampling for its calculations.

The results showed that the daylight autonomy of the space in the majority of the rooms under study was at an acceptable level (more than 50%) and therefore these rooms were well lit by natural light. In addition, the comparison of the data of these analyses shows that the ratio used in the light-receiving surfaces was about 19.20% of the floor area of the room and the dominant direction of the light-receiving was from the south front. Also, all the rooms are in the acceptable level of glare probability mentioned in the lighting standards.