Comfort and well-being

Why dynamic solar shading - The Human Factor

90% of our time is now spent indoors.

By preserving the full spectrum of daylight and diffusing light where required, dynamic solar shading enables an indoor climate where occupant comfort is prioritized - adding up to improved health, well-being and productivity.

This is particularly important when we look at the varying needs of the occupants, dependent on building function; for example, in offices or hospitals. Visit our sector pages to find out more about the importance and benefits of managing daylight for specific environments.

Let’s take a closer look at the impact of daylight on our well-being and how important it is to achieving a comfortable indoor environment in our living and working spaces.

Daylight control for well-being and comfort

Light, ventilation, temperature and humidity determine our welfare and well-being

The fundamentals

Well-being (noun)

the state of being comfortable, healthy, or happy.

Light, ventilation, temperature and humidity determine our welfare and well-being. However, because our bodies use natural light in the same way as water and food, getting sufficient quantities of the full spectrum of light is essential for our metabolic processes. Enough natural daylight every morning is vital for resetting our circadian rhythm, shifting between Cortisol and Melatonin as we otherwise will experience a light version of “jet-lag” with a negative effect on our well-being.

The amount of light we have access to also has a major influence on temperature regulation and therefore our thermal comfort (which is ideally between 18-25⁰ C).

Visual comfort is the final element - which is essential for visibility when performing certain tasks and activities.

Visual comfort

To fully harvest the benefits of daylight, it needs to be controlled. This is vital to create indoor environments that avoid both high visual contrast and severe glare. Glare is caused by direct sunlight falling on objects with high exterior luminance values and can be highly disruptive.

So, managing light effectively ensures our working environments achieve the optimal balance between natural daylight and visual comfort.

What research tells us

Several studies have proven the importance of visual comfort, some of our favorites are listed below:

• 3.75% median productivity increase [CMU]

• 20 to 25% less health complaints [Hartkopf]

• 15% reduced absenteeism [Thayer]

• 10 to 25% better performance on test of mental function [Heshong]

• 20 to 26% faster progress of students [Heshong]

The indoor climate

When we are dazzled by glare, or we lack natural light or when the temperature is not adapted to our needs, it causes discomfort and make us less effective in our daily tasks.

Thermal comfort

We all know that being too hot or too cold affects how we feel, however, it can also impact our performance. Therefore, at work, achieving the optimum indoor environment is a key factor contributing to occupant well-being and productivity.

Thermal comfort in the workplace

A study by Helsinki University of Technology and the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, states that performance rates at work increase when temperatures are around 21°C-22°C, and productivity is at its highest at 22°C.

In a research study carried out by the FMJ (Facilities Management Journal) in the UK in 2014, 29% of workers estimated they spend between 10 and 30 minutes each day not working due to an uncomfortable office temperature, while 6% said they spend more than half an hour each day not working efficiently for this reason.

The result suggests that around 2% of office hours are wasted due to the temperature alone, potentially costing the UK economy more than £13 billion annually*.

*Assuming an average wage of £26,500; 29.84m UK employees and a 228 day working year.

Solar shading is an important enabler of daylighting as it controls the flow of both direct solar radiation and diffuse radiation. There is no artificial full spectrum source of light that approaches the luminous efficiency of natural daylight, in other words - we need the real thing.

Get in touch with your local team to find out more.