From the Archives, 1961: Letting natural light into Sydney’s ‘canyons’

VISITORS to Sydney from other capitals have already begun to refer to the “dark canyons” of our streets.

The Sydney City Council and the Heights of Building Committee of the Chief Secretary’s Department, who commissioned the work, lost no time in acting on the findings. Last month the council adopted the code and defined the area to which it will apply. The main boundaries are Sydney Harbour, the Domain, College Street, Railway Square and Darling Harbour.

Another important aspect that had to be considered by research workers at the building station was the psychological impression given by a gloomy city. O’Connell Street, which was picked for the experiment, had the dubious reputation for a level of daylight as low as the authorities thought desirable. The street is narrow, its buildings are high, it is in the heart of the city. Perfect for their purposes.

All was ready. The model was placed on a wooden platform under the station’s “artificial sky.” A battery of 64 fluorescent lights blazed from their reflectors at the 24ft dome. The needle of the light meter flickered and gave its first reading. The mock sun at the peak of the white dome began to hum slightly as the exhaust fan it concealed sucked out the hot air.

So good shade to prevent heat islands then.

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