The human function: autonomous high-rise living through natural light

Abstract

The North-American tradition of multi-facade low-rise housing has identified the natural utilities required in understanding human needs. While the house has become accustomed to the flexibility these utilities provide, natural light has not been thoughtfully translated into high-rise, single-facade residential spaces. Spatial autonomy has been limited through the inconvenience of daylight access and therefore neglects the human understanding of their subjective way of life. This thesis asks, how architects can improve single-facade high-rise housing using flexible daylighting design to better interpret the home while meeting the utility needs each program requires to form an effective, autonomous living space. Reflecting on the instability of user retention in the residential tower, against contrasting low-rise homes, a re-evaluation of design thinking and the capacity of contemporary daylighting is needed to optimize the quality of life within tower communities.