The incorporation of natural lighting into indoor atmospheres is also known as daylighting. It is described as “the art and practice of admitting beam sunlight, diffuse skylight, and reflected light from the exterior into a building to contribute to lighting requirements and energy saving through the use of electric lighting controls,” according to the Illuminating Engineering Society. 

 

Today, exploring this architectural phenomenon has gone global. Founded in 2014 by solar research organization SolarLits, the Journal of Daylighting is a peer-reviewed scientific journal that publishes new data on daylighting in buildings from researchers around the world.

 

The latest articles published on daylighting came from researchers in Iran, Italy, and Argentina.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Daylight Academy, created by the science foundation Velux Stiftung Initiative, hosts a global committee of scientists and architects interested in daylighting in fields like sociology and chemistry.

 

The relationship between natural lighting and the effect it can have on one’s life took a while to be accepted and was largely written off at one point in the world of architecture.

 

“People can be like ‘That’s woo-woo’ and write it off,” interior designer Gala Magriñá said.

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Gala Magriñá is the founder of New York City-based interior design firm Gala Magriñá Design. Her design firm takes a holistic approach to decorating, emphasizing a space that enhances mind, body, and soul wellness.

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Holistic architecture often includes the implementation of greenery, color psychology, and maximizing natural lighting.

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Magriñá cites her approach to interior design as one of the main reasons why nature-based architecture, including exploring the influence of natural light, was so pushed aside and still receives skepticism today.

 

“The whole fact is we’re so disconnected from nature and nature's rhythms and cycles and the sun affects our physiology,” the designer said.

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Susan Clayton is a psychology professor at the College of Wooster. As an environmental psychologist, Clayton leans on the psychology field to understand how people interact with the spaces around them. 

 

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“Natural light can help regulate our circadian rhythms and promote overall wellbeing,” said Emma Wilheim, project manager of glass company SageGlass.

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A common misconception when it comes to daylighting is that more light automatically means better light, leading to placing more windows and more skylights. “The downside to designing buildings with lots of natural light is that windows can introduce new problems like glare, excessive heat, and increased HVAC loads,” Willheim said.

 

Daylighting is about establishing a well-lit environment by maximizing the light already present in a space.

 

Lighting has always been a substantial part of architecture. From Chinese feng shui concepts to seaside coastal interior design, light is a design element in spaces that allows people to think about the functionality and spatial awareness of an area.

 

Margarida Xavier is a Brazilian-based interior designer. With specialization in the relationship between architecture and psychology — a budding field of architecture called neuroarchitecture — Xavier says that design elements like natural lighting have a bigger impact than people may know and moving forward, light’s visual influence will become more embraced. 

 

“I believe that from now on, everything that we would use for an outdoor space will be brought indoors, with the idea of bringing the outside world into the house. Organic shapes, soft color palettes for décor, furniture, and lighting,” Xavier said. “These elements represent biophilia and are a way of bringing external aspects into an indoor environment, which is no longer just for aesthetics.”

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