Daylighting performance in rural housing design: a comparative assessment

Purpose Daylighting performance in six common rural housing types in western Uttar Pradesh, courtyard, verandah, front open, rear open, side open and fully covered houses, was studied to evaluate how openness and spatial configuration affect indoor daylight quality. Design/methodology/approach A mixed-methods simulation-based strategy was adopted, incorporating field surveys, interviews with occupants and environmental simulations with DesignBuilder software. Thirty typical houses were examined using daylight performance measures like Daylight Factor, Illuminance (lux) and Useful Daylight Illuminance. The results were compared against benchmarks specified in the National Building Code (NBC 2016). Findings Rear-open and courtyard houses showed better daylight performance, and thus high visual comfort and minimum artificial lighting dependencies. The worst performance was shown by fully covered houses, which, in many cases, did not comply with the minimum daylight demands. Front-open, side-open and verandah types showed moderate but spatially unbalanced illumination. User opinions supported simulation results, highlighting the contribution of daylight towards visual comfort and energy savings. Practical implications The results highlight the importance of window placement and open-to-sky elements in improving daylight availability in rural houses. The findings can support evidence-based design guidelines and inform daylight-conscious planning for rural housing in similar climatic and socio-cultural contexts. Originality/value This study offers one of the first simulation-based, systematic evaluations of daylighting in Indian rural housing that connects vernacular typologies to quantitative daylight performance measures. It connects conventional spatial knowledge with evidence-based environmental performance analysis.