Natural light is a key component of biophilic design, which is a design approach that aims to incorporate natural elements into built environments to improve human well-being. It can help to connect indoor and outdoor spaces by bringing in views of the surrounding landscape and changing natural patterns.
Natural light is an essential element of a healthy and sustainable building, and it should be considered from the earliest stages of design. Moreover, provide a variety of lighting intensities and hues that fluctuate throughout the day to promote visual comfort and support our natural circadian rhythms.
6 Tips on how to incorporate
Incorporating natural light into our built environments is a key element in creating healthy, sustainable spaces that promote human well-being. Natural light not only delivers significant health benefits, but it may also increase the aesthetic quality and energy efficiency of the space. Here are several ways to incorporate natural light into our built environments:
- Maximize window placement
- Consider the placement and size of windows when designing or renovating a building to maximize the quantity of natural light entering the area. Wide, south-facing windows may let in plenty of natural light throughout the day, while skylights and clerestory windows can let in even more light from above.
2. Use light-colored materials: Light-colored walls, floors, and ceilings can reflect natural light and distribute it evenly across space. This reduces the need for artificial lighting and makes the space feel brighter and more open.
- Remove obstructions: Materials such as furniture, curtains, and blinds can prevent natural light from entering a space. To optimize natural light, consider eliminating or rearranging these materials.
- Use reflective surfaces: Mirrors and other reflecting surfaces may help bounce natural light around a space, making it feel brighter.
- Consider daylighting strategies: Daylighting is a design concept that illuminates a space with natural light. Light shelves, which reflect natural light deeper into the space, and light tubes, which route natural light from the roof to the inside of the structure, are examples of such approaches.
- Use shading devices: Consider installing shading devices such as exterior shades, interior blinds, or curtains to reduce glare and heat absorption. These may be changed throughout the day to control the quantity of natural light that enters the space.
You don’t want to miss this, because we’ll talk about the BENEFITS OF NATURAL LIGHT in our next blog.