A Framework for Luminous Storytelling Claiming the Nocturnal Identity of Copenhagen's Heritage Architecture.
Author
Jahan, Nusrat
Term
4. Term
Education
Publication year
2026
Submitted on
2026-05-26
Abstract
This thesis develops a sustainable, context-aware approach to illuminating the exteriors of historic buildings and cultural heritage monuments. Context-aware here means the lighting responds to the particular building type, its architectural features, and its urban surroundings. The work sets up a clear system to classify façade types; to document the shape and decorative details of façade elements, individually and in groups; and to organize procedures that offer different lighting options for those elements. To explore how light interacts with architecture, the thesis uses experimental digital lighting simulations, which let effects be tested and compared before anything is built. The study addresses a common urban dilemma: how to celebrate heritage at night without disturbing the neighboring city. As a design response, it proposes a balanced concept based on a gentle vertical gradient of light—a gradual change in brightness across the height of the façade—that respects and reveals the architecture without overwhelming it.
Afhandlingen udvikler en bæredygtig og kontekstbevidst tilgang til udvendig belysning af historiske bygninger og kulturarvsmonumenter. Kontekstbevidst betyder her, at belysningen tager højde for bygningstypen, de arkitektoniske træk og de bymæssige omgivelser. Arbejdet opstiller et klart system til at klassificere facadetyper; til at dokumentere facadens formmæssige og dekorative elementer, både enkeltvis og i grupper; og til at tilrettelægge procedurer, der kan tilbyde forskellige belysningsmuligheder for disse elementer. For at undersøge, hvordan lys og arkitektur påvirker hinanden, anvender afhandlingen eksperimentelle digitale lyssimuleringer, som gør det muligt at afprøve og sammenligne virkninger, før noget realiseres. Studiet tager fat på et udbredt bymæssigt dilemma: hvordan man kan markere kulturarven om natten uden at forstyrre den omkringliggende by. Som designmæssigt svar foreslås et balanceret koncept baseret på en blid lodret lysgradient—en gradvis ændring i lysstyrke hen over facadens højde—der respekterer og fremhæver arkitekturen uden at overdøve den.
[This abstract has been rewritten with the help of AI based on the project's original abstract]
Keywords