Inhabiting with Daylight - From prison to everyday living
Yiqi Lu
Royal Danish Academy – Architecture, Design and Conservation
This project explores the adaptive transformation of the former Vridsløselille Prison into housing, with daylight as the primary design driver. Through analysis of the radial prison wings, the proposal develops two spatial strategies and three apartment typologies in response to differing orientations and the existing cell structure. The design operates across three connected scales, from the prison complex to the wing and apartment unit, using daylight to shape housing layouts, circulation, shared spaces, and window interventions. Physical models and daylight studies were used throughout the process to test spatial qualities and refine the proposal, adapting the historic fabric for contemporary living.