Daylight solutions for office building designs

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.

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.

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?

By Koen Steemers, Professor of Sustainable Design and has been Head of the Department of Architecture at the University of Cambridge.

There are several factors that influence the success of commercial rooflight refurbishment projects. From choosing the correct daylight solution and getting the right technical advice through to installation support and ongoing service and maintenance. Schedules are often tight, so it helps to have the involvement of a rooflight manufacturer who can offer support, knowledge and technical expertise that can deliver a renovation project within a set time frame.

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.

We all know that the best antidote to the ‘winter blues’ is a break in a warmer, sunnier climate, preferably with white sandy beaches and clear blue waters.