Daylight, Shape, and Cross-Cultural Influences Through the Routes of Discoveries: The Case of Baroque Temples

Abstract

Baroque temples were developed in the context of cross-cultural influences through new territories where the climatic conditions were often opposed to those prevailing in Europe. The nature of weather differences could not be predicted with the knowledge of the era and consequently, a set of gradual and successive transformations in the typologies “imported” from Europe was produced. These adaptations were lengthy, intuitive, and not always recognizable by the Metropolitan culture. Although daylight requirements played an important role in this process and its quality in baroque temples is celebrated by architectural historians, very few daylighting simulations and on-site measurements have been developed. Therefore, a twofold result is produced: Daylighting’s beneficial effects can neither be transmitted nor reproduced in other new buildings. Consequently, we discuss in this article the results of a daylighting simulation program capable of analyzing complex baroque temples around the world and to show the implications of its environmental attitude.