Daylighting

Lebanon Middle School, Banwell Architects

Architects and Business Owners rely on Light/Space/Design to optimize skylight specs and layout for daylighting results that save energy.

Civil Engineering Associates

Business owners who understand the value of daylighting in their workplaces also value the detailed control specifications provided by Light/Space/Design.

Banwell Architects

High grade light tubes, an innovation introduced many years ago by Light/Space/Design in commercial buildings, are designed into the Lebanon Middle School school library.

Light/Space/Design innovated light tubes with photosensor-dimmed lighting at Office Environments in South Burlington.

Light/Space/Design designed lighting layouts for National Life of Vermont using an innovative partition mounted lighting system that dimmed automatically with ample natural daylight.

Civil Engineering Associates

Light/Space/Design uses thoughtful daylighting to improve all working spaces.

Daylighting makes interior spaces more attractive to human habitation. Providing sufficient natural light indoors also can help maintain a healthy circadian rhythm, which has many important health benefits. See our blog topics for more on this.

Daylighting has also been shown in peer-reviewed studies to enhance learning in daylit classrooms as well as enhance marketability of goods sold in daylit retail space. (Daylighting in Schools, and Skylighting and Retail Sales – Investigations into the Relationship Between Daylighting and Human Performance, published in 1999 by Heschong Mahone Group, Fair Oaks, CA)

Following are important issues to keep in mind for successful adaptation of daylighting. It’s not as simple as adding windows or skylights!

Do:

Work with the lighting designer/daylighting consultant at the schematic development phase of a project. Opportunities for properly designed, effective daylighting are gained or lost at this early design stage.
Model architectural spaces for daylighting with physical models and/or computer models that include simulated electric lighting.
Understand the complex interrelationship between daylighting and glare. Interior/exterior sun shading devices are a critical part of daylighting.
Optimize daylighting for heating loads in cold climates and cooling loads in warm climates.
Understand that automated control of artificial light sources provides energy savings from daylighting.
Realize that health and wellness benefits far outweigh energy cost savings from good daylighting.

Don’t:

Expect to save energy from daylighting unless you follow the considerations outlined above.
Overwhelm spaces with daylight, particularly in workspaces. Direct light can be a hindrance to comfort and productivity in these instances.
Assume people will automatically turn out the lights when its bright outside. Daylight sensors do this automatically.