Solar access in architecture and the city. Historical approach

This article examines the concept of solar access in architecture and the city through various historical examples and applications. The first part of the article establishes the importance of access to solar energy; it also defines the concept of solar access, while describing and establishing its determinants. The second part offers a historical review of the concept of solar access in architecture and the city; to this effect, four great periods have been established, which present the diverse relationships among architecture, city, and sun in different historical periods. The first one, the ancient period, is closely related to the orientation and passive use of solar energy. The postindustrial period links people's health to enjoying sunlight. The third period-geometric approximations-emerges as a response to the energy crisis of the 1970s; this period links together the concept of solar envelope and the concept of quality of life. Finally, the period of quantification of solar access focuses on ways of quantifying solar access in a unified method that brings together two parameters of measurement: direct radiation and diffuse radiation.