Atrium Geometry and Luminous Environmental Quality: Elucidating the Link between Architecture, Light Physiology, and Emerging Evaluation Criteria

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 Architecture, Architecture and Urban Planning, Iran University of Science and Technology, Tehran, Iran

2 Assistant Professor, Department of Architecture, Faculty of Architecture and Urban Planning, Iran University of Science and Technology, Tehran, Iran

10.22034/ats.2026.2104321.1107
Abstract
Atriums are among the common architectural strategies for introducing daylight into the deeper parts of buildings. However, their performance has traditionally been assessed primarily through conventional visual metrics, such as the Daylight Factor and Daylight Autonomy, while recent advances in light physiology and the publication of CIE S 026/E:2018 have demonstrated that light influences not only visual conditions but also circadian rhythms, alertness, and human well-being through intrinsically photosensitive retinal ganglion cells (ipRGCs). This study aims to examine and integrate two relatively independent bodies of literature, namely architectural and computational studies of atrium geometry and research on light physiology, and to identify the connections between them within an integrated conceptual framework. The research is qualitative and fundamental in nature and adopts an analytical-interpretive approach to review and synthesize library and documentary sources across four dimensions: architectural, luminous, computational, and physiological. In addition, a basic explanatory model based on the geometric analysis of the solar path is presented to demonstrate the practical application of the proposed framework for determining the preliminary dimensions of an atrium. The findings indicate that although the relationship between atrium geometric parameters, including plan proportions, height, and well geometry, and daylight performance has been well documented, their relationship with non-visual light metrics, particularly Melanopic EDI, remains comparatively underexplored. This gap between the architectural and physiological bodies of literature constitutes a key research opportunity. Accordingly, the study proposes a five-level conceptual framework comprising architectural variables, light characteristics, visual performance, non-visual performance, and health-oriented interpretation for analyzing the luminous environmental quality of atriums. The findings provide a conceptual basis for future research on health-oriented atrium design and the development of integrated approaches for evaluating the visual and biological quality of daylight.

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Articles in Press, Accepted Manuscript
Available Online from 24 October 2026

  • Receive Date 29 August 2026
  • Revise Date 11 September 2026
  • Accept Date 21 September 2026
  • First Publish Date 24 October 2026
  • Publish Date 24 October 2026