dpa were commissioned by Architects Abbey Holford Rowe, to undertake a daylight study for a new building for Leeds College of Art & Design. The building was to house new design and gallery spaces – areas where sufficient controlled levels of daylight were desirable.

A scale model of the building was used within an artificial sky in order to assess the likely levels of daylight penetration into the studio areas. A large rooflight was proposed which allowed daylight into the atrium core of the building.

By performing a series of controlled measurements within the artificial sky, the effect of internal fenestration on daylight penetration into the studios from the atrium could be assessed.