Daylight and Health – Designing Buildings with Natural Daylight in Mind

Nobu Hotel, Warsaw, Poland. Applied systems: MB-Skyline Type-R, MB-86 ST, MB-SR50N EFEKT, MB-SR50N EI EFEKT, MB-SR50N OW, MB-78EI, MB-86 SI

In 2022, one in four Belgians reported symptoms of depression or anxiety. Over the past five years, the number of people with depressive symptoms has nearly doubled. And while there are many causes for this condition, limited exposure to natural light, a consequence of our lifestyle and the places we spend time, does not help.

What impact does access to natural daylight have on physical and mental health, and how can architects and designers actively help increase access to the natural world, which in large cities – especially for office workers – has become a scarce commodity?

Health Tied to Natural Lighting

Light deprivation and its impact on physical and mental health are of interest to many scientists, so there is a very wide range of research on this topic. Regardless of the methodology chosen, the results of each study show a link between light exposure and variables such as:

• quality of sleep and insomnia,
• level of physical activity,
• cardiac rhythm,
• productivity and concentration,
• mood and perceived stress levels,
• overall well-being,
• symptoms of burnout,
• body weight regulation.

Many of these variables are interrelated. For example, poor sleep quality translates into lower productivity or a drop in mood, but it is clear that deprivation of natural light is harmful to people.

Phoenix, Brussels, Belgium. Applied systems: MB-Slimline.

– In countries like Belgium, where the weather doesn’t pamper us and we have around 200 rainy days a year, it is even more important to ensure that the amount of available natural light is as high as possible – explains Emmanuel Gregoire, Managing Director at Aluprof Belgium NV. – Among other things, this very possibility of light exposure, regardless of the weather outside, guided us in designing the MB-120 Pergola and aluminum sliding systems, such as MB-OpenSlide, which allow daylighting in virtually any weather – adds the expert.

Open Sky 120 Pergola

Glazed sliding doors and pergolas are not the only options available to contemporary designers who want to ensure better daylighting in the buildings they design.

Designing with daylight in mind

Exposure to natural daylight for city residents is significantly lower than for those living in rural areas. The denser the city, the greater the building density. On average, city dwellers spend 1–3 hours a day outside of buildings, with part of this time spent commuting (including by metro) or shopping in windowless shopping centers. As a result, 88% of life unfolds without daylight unless the spaces they occupy have designers who have seized every opportunity to bring light into their lives.

This includes, among other things:

• the use of large-format glazing in building structural elements,
• designing glazed doors not only inside the building but also as exterior doors – on the ground floor and at retail and service points,
• reducing light losses by using slim profiles,
• installing glazed loggias and pergolas, and enclosing balconies in a way that allows year-round use, not only in summer under sunny skies but also on rainy autumn mornings or early winter evenings,
• seeking every opportunity to invite daylight into the interior of the building through skylights and roof glazing.

The growing demand for structural elements that provide better access to natural light for the occupants of these spaces has led Aluprof, a leader in aluminum window and door systems, to several interesting innovations.

– In the MB-Skyline Type-R sliding door system, whose narrow profiles enable minimalist glass constructions, we recently introduced a static post with a width of only 42.7 mm. Used in fixed glazing units, it maximizes daylight penetration into the interior. The second innovation in the system is a slim handle that protrudes beyond the frame line by just 27 mm. Both solutions enable glass, ultra-minimalist façades with operable doors – describes Emmanuel Gregoire.

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Nobu Hotel, Warsaw, Poland. Applied systems: MB-Skyline Type R, MB-86 ST, MB-SR50N EFEKT, MB-SR50N EI EFEKT, MB-SR50N OW, MB-78EI, MB-86 SI

Let’s build a better future

The denser the development, the more we must fight for every opportunity to bring daylight inside. Although sustainable construction is increasingly focusing on designing in harmony with human physiology and needs, it is only through the joint work of architects, designers, and engineers – and the availability of solutions that enable buildings to be created according to their concepts – that this fruit can be harvested.