How does daylight in a building affect the mental and physical health of people? And how could, or should, this influence design? AnneMarie Eijkelenboom, architect and researcher at EGM Architects, on scientific proof of the positive influence of daylight on the wellbeing of people and the EBD tool developed by the office.
The effect of daylight on human health is difficult to assess. That is why the Dutch Building Decree places just a minimum requirement on the amount of daylight in an interior. EGM Architects from Dordrecht, an architecture firm that currently employs some 110 people, has completed a large number of designs that make good use of daylight.
The architecture practice is convinced of the favourable effects of daylight and tries to make optimal use of it in its designs. Moreover, EGM Architects has created an EBD tool to provide insight into the relationship between health and environmental factors such as daylight and sound as well as the structure of a building. EBD stands for Evidence Based Design, a process in which design decisions are based on reliable, scientific research, so that the best health-related results can be achieved [The Center For Health Design, 2008].)
EBD tool
“Research findings prove that the influence of daylight on health, for example on biorhythm and wellbeing, is huge,” says Eijkelenboom. “Practical experience and various studies have demonstrated that people with a view of nature have better concentration, and sick people with a view of nature recover faster. Our experience teaches us that it’s better to consider the influence of environmental factors on health at the design stage rather than taking measures at a later stage. The decision to position openings in roofs is of a different order to the replacement of a floor covering.”
The knowledge that daylight is good for health is starting to gain a foothold, particularly internationally. That means that we have to consider how this can be applied in care institutions, among other places. Our EBD tool can play a role in this regard.
“This knowledge can be applied in care institutions, but also in office buildings or prisons. The aim of the EBD tool is to structure or understanding of the effect of a space on health, so that it can be deployed in practice. At the same time, a design is of course always more than the sum of scientific knowledge. After all, you’re still an architect. So it remains a matter of finding the right balance between the various factors that come together in a design.”
Balance
The last issue applies to all aspects of a design, even if you consider just the treatment of daylight in design. Eijkelenboom: “In the treatment of daylight in a building, one has to seek the right balance between various factors. Light is important and healthy, but too much light, for example because of the use of both glazed facades and glazed roofs, creates other problems.