Define daylighting autonomy and its relation to visual comfort.

• A. Achieving sufficient natural light without glare to support comfort and productivity through controlled daylighting strategies
• B. Maximizing daylight without considering glare
• C. Eliminating daylight entirely
• D. Relying solely on artificial lighting to control glare

Answer: (A)

Daylighting autonomy is about a space meeting a meaningful portion of its lighting needs from natural daylight during the occupied hours, while keeping comfort high by avoiding glare. The best choice describes delivering enough natural light to support comfort and productivity through controlled daylighting strategies. In practice, that means using design tools like appropriate window size and placement, shading devices, light shelves, glazing with good optical properties, interior finishes, and intelligent controls to harness daylight for tasks and reduce reliance on artificial lighting. Visual comfort comes from balancing adequate illumination with glare control and even daylight distribution, so occupants can see clearly without brightness or contrast that distracts or hurts the eyes. Choices that push for more daylight without addressing glare, or that rely only on artificial lighting, don’t achieve the same balance of natural light and comfort.