DAYLIGHTING - why is daylight important?

Meteorological events like clouds in front of the sun and fog or precipitation like rain or snow compromise continuous illumination with constant levels over the whole day.

This dynamic in the play of light and shadow is the big difference when compared with static illumination by artificial lighting. There is no better medium than natural daylight for the perception of our environment

At first illumination serves the purpose to have sufficient light to fulfill your visual tasks well. A balanced illumination to the work task, the work organisation and the work situation helps to optimize working conditions. The employees in the working environment require sufficient light as well to identify possible risks of danger early and to avoid accidents. More over illumination has an important influence to health and the performance of employees. A good illumination may result in avoiding errors, in preventing early fatigue and in keeping attention up.

Sufficient natural daylight improves the conduct of pupils both by increasing concentration and their social behaviour. Sufficient natural daylight especially from above, guided through roof lights into rooms improves according to several American studies significantly the learning efficiency of children in schooling.
Detailed studies in working life also demonstrate that on better illuminated work places appears less fatigue and therefore decreases the error rate rapidly, while the curve of work performance increases steeply upwards.

The installation of rooflights as individual or continuous rooflights has a lot of advantages especially for large area buildings:

• The perched high rooflight openings are available for supply of healthy natural daylight. Daylighting saves energy for illumination of rooms and the dynamic involved produces a good mood for human beings.
• In combination with openers as ventilation devices rooflights provide fresh air in offices and factory workshops and dissipate used air without energy costs.
• The installed individual or continuous rooflights can be used as smoke exhaust (Smoke and heat exhaust ventilation system = SHEVS) and for thermal relief (heat exhaust ventilation system = HEVS) in case of fire. SHEVS create a smoke free layer, which enables the self rescue, the third party rescue und a selective fire-fighting method of the fire fighters.

For further information please contact your national association.