Daylighting as A Component of Sustainability in Contemporary Art Museum Design

Abstract

Daylighting is widely recognized as a sustainable design strategy in museum architecture, yet most existing studies focus on temperate climates where solar intensity is moderate. In tropical regions such as Rivers State, Nigeria, daylighting presents unique challenges due to high solar radiation, humidity, and glare, which can compromise both visitor comfort and conservation of sensitive artworks. This deficiency points to a pressing need for daylighting solutions designed specifically for tropical climates. This study proposes a set of climate-responsive strategies including diffused top lighting, external shading systems, and advanced glazing technologies to balance energy efficiency, visual comfort, and conservation requirements in contemporary art museums. The methodology combines literature review, comparative case study analysis, building audits, and semi-structured interviews with architects to assess daylighting performance. Performance was evaluated against conservation thresholds (200 lux for sensitive artworks), glare indices, and energy demand reduction. The comparative analysis indicates that diffused skylight systems combined with external shading can substantially reduce peak illuminance, maintaining average gallery lighting within conservation limits. Advanced glazing with UV-filtering coatings substantially reduces harmful radiation reaching artworks, while hybrid daylight-artificial lighting integration lowers artificial lighting demand relative to baseline models. This evidence confirms that daylighting solutions designed for specific contexts can considerably improve the sustainability of tropical museum design. By addressing the climatic challenges of Rivers State directly, this study contributes practical guidelines for architects and designers, showing how daylighting can be deployed not only as an environmental strategy but also as a cultural stewardship tool that protects artworks while enhancing visitor experience.