Improved daylight management of historic showrooms: a methodology based on detailed recording and analysis

This paper describes a pioneering in situ study of the daylight characteristics of a historic house interior. A combination of lux measurements inside and outside a historic showroom and recording of sunshine hours have been used together with a log of the room blind operation to understand the daylight characteristics of the room under different weather conditions, blinds settings and season. Average lux, daily lux hour dose, time below 30 lux and daylight factor metrics have been derived to assess daylight conditions over a 10-month period for both conservation of light-sensitive collections and the viewing experience of visitors. Recommendations are made on how to improve daylight management for conservation and visitor experience.