Privacy Vs. Daylight: Evaluating the Acceptance of Daylighting Traditional Devices in Contemporary Residential Houses in Bahrain

Abstract

The needs and satisfaction of inhabitants with respect to daylight in Bahraini architecture is not well-established, where cultural norms significantly influence different aspects such as room division and door location. Limited consideration has been given to the needs and satisfaction of residents with respect to daylight in Bahraini architecture, where different aspects including room division and door location are influenced by cultural norms. Therefore, the study aims to assess the importance of visual privacy and daylight in the home through a survey questionnaire administered in Bahrain. The survey aimed to measure the trade-off between visual privacy and daylight at home and to explore current and traditional methods used to achieve visual privacy. Results give a clear indication of the contradictory relationship between the needed visual privacy and the desire for daylight in the space. Cultural and personal preferences are dominated by religious context. More than 95% of respondents considered visual privacy to be important; whereas, 92.07% of people considered daylight important. Moreover, 30.29% of people gave priority to the need for visual privacy over the need for daylight in the space. The visual and aesthetic aspects were clearly considered to be important factors for people.

The Effect of Different Specifications of Passive Spaces on Residents’ Satisfaction in Adjoining Spaces ‎within a ‎Hot Dry ‎Climate

“…The results indicate that 51% of responses were very satisfied, 23.5% were satisfied, 21.6% were neutral, 2% were unsatisfied, and only 2% were very unsatisfied. Although most respondents feel satisfied with the air shaft's visual privacy, it is important to conduct a deeper investigation to identify the defects that influence the unsatisfied respondents because visual privacy may be required for cultural, religious, personal, or psychological reasons [42]. At the end of this part, it is essential to develop the air shaft design to improve the visual environment, which will achieve the residents' satisfaction and comfort.…”

The Role of Orosi’s Islamic Geometric Patterns in the Building Façade Design for Improving Occupants’ Daylight Performance

“…Considering that occupants spend a major portion of their time in interior spaces, either office or home, the provision of adequate daylight is one of the main objectives of architects and engineers in the early stage of designing residential buildings [9][10][11]. Architects have attempted to approach this goal from different perspectives, including changing the façade structure, occupants' behaviors, or supplying lighting resources according to residents' requirements.…”