Evaluation of Daylight Quality, Visual Comfort, and Energy Performance in Nordic Museums: A Case Study of Malmö Konsthall

Sammanfattning

This thesis investigates daylight performance and energy use in museum environments using Malmö Konsthall as a case study. The aim is to evaluate daylight quality, visual comfort, artwork protection, and energy performance, and to explore how these aspects can be balanced through design strategies. The study combines field measurements, climate-based daylight simulations, energy simulations, and a visitor survey. Daylight performance was assessed using Daylight Factor (DF), Useful Daylight Illuminance (UDI), Spatial Daylight Autonomy (sDA), Annual Sunlight Exposure (ASE), Daylight Glare Probability (DGP), and annual average illuminance on artworks. Energy simulations were conducted to evaluate heating demand and the influence of building envelope and lighting conditions. The results show that the existing daylight conditions provide high daylight availability but result in excessive illuminance on several artworks. To address this issue, daylight improvement strategies, including partial skylight blocking and façade glazing modifications, were investigated. These measures reduced artwork illuminance levels and improved visual comfort while maintaining sufficient daylight within the exhibition space. The visitor survey indicated that the lighting environment was generally perceived as comfortable and visually pleasant, complementing the simulation-based analysis. From an energy perspective, building envelope improvements reduced heating demand by 16%, demonstrating the importance of integrating daylight and energy considerations in museum design. Overall, the study demonstrates that achieving a balance between daylight quality, artwork protection, visual comfort, and energy efficiency requires an integrated design approach. Although the study focuses on Malmö Konsthall, the findings provide broader insights into the challenges of balancing daylight availability, artwork conservation, and energy performance in Nordic museum environments.