Transforming spaces into favourite places

Design with daylight and fresh air

Transforming spaces with daylight and fresh air for better health, well-being and productivity.

Building energy costs and people’s health are currently two highly relevant topics. How to keep warm with sky-high energy prices? How to prevent mould and related health issues in underheated rooms? And how to prevent airborne virus transmission? Part of the solution is to let daylight and fresh air into the building.

Today, people spend up 90% of the time indoors, and most of the time, during the day, we are outside our homes, in schools, offices, industrial workplaces, sport facilities or shops.

This makes a healthy indoor climate in commercial, public and industrial buildings more important than ever. When considering refurbishment or planning new build, skylights can make a true difference, transforming buildings into inspiring, healthy and productive spaces, by bringing in daylight and fresh air.

Several studies show that daylight can positively impact the working environment and even improve performance. The performance and productivity of workers in offices, industrial and retail buildings can increase by up to 15% with improved daylight conditions. On top of that, daylight and fresh air also create a more pleasant and enjoyable working environment, resulting in lower absenteeism.

Other studies present evidence that daylit environments can lead to more effective learning. In fact, students in classrooms with the best daylight conditions achieved up to 18% higher scores in tests than students with the least daylight.

When it comes to indoor air quality, major research studies on the mental performance of occupants in office buildings and schools have demonstrated how poor air quality reduces performance, while good air quality improves it.

Daylight as a key in recent office refurbishment

When the international engineering company Sweco planned their recent move into a new office in a refurbished factory building, access to daylight was a key design parameter. The project included a replacement of rooflights to optimise daylight and provide fresh air.

Improving concentration and learning with daylight

At the Grøndalsvængets School in Denmark, daylight and fresh air also played key roles in a recent extension and renovation project. The improved access to daylight and fresh air through vented skylights immediately made a positive difference to students and teachers according to the school’s Headmaster Kristoffer Gregerson.

At the Grøndalsvængets School, daylight through the roof and facade also meant less reliance on artificial lighting. At the same time, the built-in natural ventilation reduced the need for mechanical ventilation and helped lower the carbon dioxide levels. In this way, daylight and natural ventilation cut energy consumption and contributed to the school’s sustainability goals.