ROOFLIGHTS & ROOF VENTS
Lighten up to
optimise daylight
Scott Leeder, commercial director at VELUX Modular Skylights, looks at the patient and staff benefits of
natural daylight and ventilation in healthcare buildings
According to several studies
carried out over the years,
including the ‘Distinctive
Benefits of Glazing’ by
Visiting Professor at the Oxford Institute
for Sustainable Development, David
Strong, the levels of natural daylight
that we are exposed to have profound
implications on our health, happiness
and productivity.
As we spend over 80% of our lives
indoors, the amount of glazing on a
building can affect our quality of life. This
includes our happiness, ability to heal,
wellbeing, learning performance, as well
as productivity.
In healthcare, research findings
demonstrate that access to adequate
daylight provides a reduction in the
average length of hospital stay, quicker
post-operative recovery, reduced
requirements for pain relief, quicker
recovery from depressive illness and
disinfectant qualities. Beyond its health*
and wellbeing benefits, using daylight
to illuminate facilities can also reduce
energy use.
Critical to optimising daylight is the
amount of glazing, rooflights or skylights,
which are an effective method of meeting
this requirement. Rooflights can be
installed within a pitched roof or a flat
roof on new or existing buildings. Equally
important is the position and orientation
of the rooflight, and north facing
installations are usually preferred by
building designers because they provide a
balanced light source throughout the day
that is not affected by glare of the sun.
For that reason, “North Light” is often
considered as the best light for internal
spaces. The maximum amount of light in a
morning is provided by installing them on
an east-facing roof, whereas a west-facing
installation will capture sunlight from
early afternoon onwards.
Tree Top Village
An example of a care facility that has
utilised rooflights to maximise the level
of natural daylight is Tree Top Village
in Newcastle. The retirement village has
a central atrium that is lit from above
through extensive use of our modular
skylights. The award-winning ‘village’,
designed by Architects ID Partnership,
is the first of its kind in the UK and
is focussed on delaying the onset of
dementia, which adequate natural
daylight is proven to help with.
The Village provides 111 high
quality affordable accommodation
units exclusively for over 55s or people
with an assessed medical need. It also
includes four retail units, a multipurpose
room for GPs and other medical
professionals, and a reminiscence
museum containing familiar household
and consumer objects. The museum will
be used to help trigger memories for
Dementia and Alzheimer’s sufferers.
High levels of natural daylight are
achieved by the central four-storey atrium
being designed with a row of 60 VELUX
modular ridgelights. Complementing
this are 10 VELUX modular longlights
that provide additional illumination in
areas away from the atrium. All of which
were installed by Glazing Systems &
Installations, one of our key partners.
The longlights were specified because
they could be mounted against a vertical
wall, meaning their position was not
limited to traditional rooflight locations.
That meant they could be positioned
to maximise daylight in all areas of the
facility, not just the central atrium. Being
fully prefabricated off-site meant the
modules simply clicked into place in
minutes, minimising time spent on the
roof and ensuring a watertight seal was
achieved quicker, allowing internal fit out
to begin sooner.
Daylight roadshow
With building design having an impact on
health and wellbeing, and the benefits of
natural daylight now widely understood,
a growing number of building designers
are incorporating skylights into their
developments. VELUX Modular skylights
provide installers with a number of
benefits, principally because installation
can be up to three times faster than a
traditional installation and ensure a
quicker weathertight seal.
We believe that daylighting will grow
in importance as specifiers and clients
now have a greater understanding of the
positive effects adequate daylight and
good air quality can have, particularly on
occupants of buildings such as healthcare,
education, and commercial facilities.
Natural daylight and ventilation can
help people thrive and improve comfort,
health and wellbeing, which is why we’re
championing its potential and how it can
transform the lives of millions of people
across the world, through a series of
daylighting events around the UK.
To find out how natural daylight
can transform a building design into
something extra-ordinary, book your free
place at the next VELUX: Design a Brighter
Future Breakfast Event.
For more details on the event in
your region and to register, visit www.
Eventbrite.co.uk and search for “VELUX”.
* A study by Choi published in 2012 showed that
the average length of stay by patients in hospitals
was shorter in the areas of brighter daylight by
between 16%–41%.
w www.velux.co.uk
The Tree
Top Village
care facility
in Newcastle
utilised
rooflights to
maximise the
level of natural
daylight
58 www.rcimag.co.uk July 2018
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