Velux Stiftung Daylight Fellowships: Daylight in Sustainable Urban Design

Picture by Chuttersnap | unsplash

By 2050, up to six billion people are expected to live in urban areas, accelerating urban growth and increasing densification. The challenges here are the reduction of open and green spaces, the creation of so-called heat islands in urban areas, and sensitive vertical densification.

The integration of daylighting aspects – which is essential for our health and well-​being when living and working – into future urban design is becoming imperatively more relevant. In this way, the cities of tomorrow could offer higher standards of environmental sustainability and enhanced liveability.

At the Department of Architecture at ETH Zurich, Dr. Arno Schlueter, Professor of Architecture and Building Systems, and ETH Wohnforum, have launched a project that forms a cross-institutional and interdisciplinary group from architecture, engineering and social sciences to explore the multiple challenges and opportunities of daylight in urban design using concrete examples.

Using case studies in Sarajevo and Singapore, among others, the project investigates how sustainable urban design and innovative energy technologies can better incorporate aspects of daylight to support human well-being, living comfort, and health.

The project provides a platform for professionals from architecture, urban planning, engineering, data science, social science, and policy. The overall goal is to contribute to more sustainable urban design solutions: through critical analysis and creative reflection on the importance of daylight, as well as the design of the built environment from architectural, urban planning, planning, and health perspectives. This is implemented in prototypical case studies for integrated and active approaches to urban design.

Fellowship Program
The research project has two fellowship positions for outstanding post-​doctoral researchers. The architect Victoria Eugenia Soto Magán, as well as the graduate engineer (architecture) Lars Oliver Grobe are conducting research on the topic of "daylighting" for 18 months each. Their activities will strengthen the exchange and cooperation at the Department of Architecture. In addition, the research program will be incorporated into the curriculum of the Department of Architecture.

External links:
ETH Wohnforum - ETH CASE
Velux Stiftung