Comparative Analysis of Daylight Performance in Atrium Spaces: A Study of Jamuna Future Park and Bashundhara City Shopping Complex, Dhaka

Natural daylight is an essential factor in creating comfortable, energy-efficient, and sustainable indoor environments in contemporary commercial buildings. Atriums serve as important architectural features that facilitate the penetration and distribution of daylight within large shopping malls, enhancing both visual quality and spatial experience. The design characteristics of an atrium, such as its size, shape, height, and skylight configuration, have a significant influence on the amount and quality of daylight reaching interior spaces.This study aims to comparatively evaluate the daylight performance of the atrium spaces in Jamuna Future Park and Bashundhara City Shopping Complex, two of the largest shopping malls in Dhaka, Bangladesh. The research investigates how different atrium configurations affect daylight penetration, illuminance distribution, and overall visual comfort within the surrounding circulation and retail areas. A combination of field observations, architectural analysis, and daylight assessment techniques is employed to examine the effectiveness of each atrium design. The comparative analysis focuses on key parameters including atrium geometry, skylight coverage, daylight availability, and spatial quality. The study seeks to identify the strengths and limitations of each atrium system and to determine which design performs more effectively in providing natural illumination within a large-scale commercial environment. The findings are expected to contribute to the understanding of daylight-responsive atrium design and provide practical recommendations for improving environmental performance in future shopping mall developments. Furthermore, the research highlights the importance of integrating daylight-oriented design strategies to enhance user comfort while reducing dependence on artificial lighting in commercial buildings.