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Health
Daylight is vital to many aspects of healthy living.
Daylighting has a profound effect on stimulation and regulation of the human body:
- The human eye turns daylight into electrical impulses, triggering the release of the chemical serotonin.
- Serotonin is essential for emotional well-being.
- Lack of daylight can lead to Seasonal Affective Disorder.
Daylighting improves the body’s health:
- Ultraviolet light from the sun creates Vitamin D through our skin.
- Vitamin D produces calcium for healthier bones & teeth.
Learning
Generating healthy levels of serotonin:
- Students’ stress levels & attention spans are positively affected
- School libraries with good daylight levels are used up to 50% more frequently
- Higher attention, alertness and learning capacity
Research from America shows a uniformly positive link between daylighting and better exam results:
- Of the 21,000 students’ studied: maths results improved by 20% & reading by 26% under natural daylight.
Workplace
Research has shown daylight increases productivity and reduces absenteeism.
These results are supported by Regulations and Government Guidance:
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"Every workplace shall have suitable and sufficient lighting, which should be by natural light"
Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992, Regulation 8.
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"Most people prefer to work in natural daylight, therefore it is important to make full use of it"
Health and Safety Executive Document HSG 38 - "Lighting at Work".
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