Daylight

While the science of well-being is relatively nascent, the UK Government’s ‘Foresight’ project sheds a great deal of light on five factors that have a proven effect on well-being¹, leading to the definition of the Five Ways to Well-Being (connect, keep active, take notice, keep learning, give).² The question remains, though, how do we design buildings that can positively influence these five factors?

The new European standard for daylight design in buildings, EN 17037, has been written so that it can be applied to any building.

The new European Standard for daylight design covers four different areas: daylight provision, assessment of the view out of windows, access to sunlight, prevention of glare.

The new European Standard EN 17037 deals with daylight in buildings. Published at the end of 2018, it is the first Europe-wide standard to deal exclusively with the design for, and provision of, daylight.

Daylight solutions for airports and railway stations represent a challenge to designers. But it is one that has excellent rewards for people who often use these crowded spaces. In airports or train stations commuters often feel frustrated or overwhelmed. But these emotions can be positively affected by good daylight design.

Brick and mortar stores competing with online buyers need to maximize customer experience. Retail spaces with natural daylighting deliver a fuller shopping experience for customers; good daylight also creates an enjoyable environment for employees. Natural light creates a comfortable space that is inviting to spend time in. Roof glazing solutions can be cost-effective and have the potential to reduce artificial energy consumption.

Daylight solutions enrich the recreational experiences people have when using sports facilities. Natural light in a well-being environment assists in keeping users comfortable when exercising. Communal facilities are better utilized when your building has evenly distributed illuminance levels, and lots of fresh air. A connection to the outside is proven to improve mood and the overall well-being of people.

Incorporating daylighting into healthcare building design has several benefits. Good daylighting canassist with patient recovery and connects people with the outdoors. This is particularly important for patients spending long periods of time recovering from treatment or operations. But it also helps employees to feel more comfortable in demanding roles. In the winter months, people suffering from (SAD) can improve mood by maximizing natural light exposure. Windows and roof glazing can play an important role in positivity, health and productivity.

Realizing the potential of daylight in hotel and conference centre projects has several benefits. Guest and visitors can experience better time spent in more natural communal spaces. While staff have shown improved happiness and an increase in productivity.

Maximizing your industrial buildings daylight has several operational benefits. Good daylight provisions increase the comfort, health and productivity of your employees. Good daylight design can also help you to make safety an operational priority. Whether a warehouse, factory or HQ-VELUX Commercial can help you select the safest solution.

Daylight solutions help to create quality, attractive, and comfortable spaces to spend time in. A range of rooflight solutions are available to maximize natural light exposure in public buildings. Public buildings are freely available to the public and accessible for use by all citizens. Community spaces such as town halls are also considered to be public buildings.

Daylight solutions can improve productivity, comfort and the well-being of office employees. Daylighting is also energy-efficient and cost effective, reducing reliance on artificial lighting. Check out our eBook: Designing daylight solutions for commercial buildings for a closer look at the impact of daylight on occupants in commercial buildings and incorporating daylight into building design.

Outside of our homes, most of our time is spent at work. Since the digital age began workplaces have made the move into office-based settings. But it is still possible to maintain a connection with the outdoors with good daylight design.

Did you know that well-designed classrooms make a significant difference to academic performance? Studies have found that improved physical characteristics can boost the learning abilities of students. In this article, we dive into what daylight and electric light mean to the equation.