Daylighting: Natural Light in Architecture

The Charioteer Statue, Archaeological Museum of Delphi

Architect AN Tombazis and Associates

Lighting designers London Metropolitan University
(Prof. Mike Wilson and Andre Viljoen, with Bartenbach Lichtabor)

Client Museum at Delphi

Many of the projects in this ‘Display’ section
of Case Studies, are concerned with the
display of a multitude of different objects;
from food in a supermarket to the natural
world; whereas in the case of the fifth century
bronze Charioteer Statue at the Delphi
Museum, the object of the exercise is to focus
on to a single most important Greek statue.
The statue, which dates from 478B.C.is of
the Attic period, and is clearly the work of a
major artist. The work has been housed in its
own room in the museum, and the purpose of
the daylighting design was to ensure that it
should be seen as far as possible in the ever
changing light of day, as the original artist
would have seen it while carving the stone.
The original ‘statue room’ was lit on both
side by clerestories, one of which was
obstructed by an adjacent cliff face, limiting
the daylight. The room was painted a light
green which had the effect of reducing the
impact of the natural verdigris on the bronze.

The impact of this was that the back of the

statue was poorly lit, and that the strong

vertical folds were poorly revealed.

Seventeen different roof configurations

were investigated and tested under an

artificial sky in order to find the optimum

solution, whilst complementary heliodon

studies indicated the need for shading devices

to eliminate unwanted solar gains.

The initial concept for the room consisted

of a circular rooflight located directly above

the statue, but it was felt that this solution

would not reveal the strong vertical character

of the statue and the folds of the bronze (the

David Statue in the Belle Arte Museum in

Florence is lit in this manner.Lighting Historic

Buildings, Architectural Press, p. 8.)

A number of the selected roof

configurations were tested in a 1:18 scale

model (the scale determined by available

Charioteer souvenirs!) to determine the most

appropriate means of daylight entry. The

chosen roof configuration incorporates a

pyramidal roof structure with light shafts at

60 degrees, broad openings at roof level, and a

2 m by 2 m solid wedge directly above the

statue itself. The daylight is diffused at roof

level by transparent ‘Okalux’ which both

diffuses the natural light and provides good

insulation. Fans are mounted in the light shafts

to extract unwanted solar gains.

A further development, which has proved

very successful is the introduction of vertical

screens in front of windows on three sides of

the room. These screens which conceal the

main window light, allow some indirect

daylight to add variety to the faces of the

interior walls, and provide a subdued framing

to the statue on entering.

During the day the room is well daylit

without any artificial light, with added

artificial light at dusk. The aim is always to

provide as natural appearance as possible.

170 Daylighting: Natural Light in Architecture

Cross section showing the chosen roof design

London Metropolitan University