Light up your life

Natural light plays an important part in comfort, health and mood; it is integral to the design of a building, it brings added value and can save you money too.

3 benefits of natural light in your building design

In this quick guide, we’ve looked at three of the biggest benefits of natural light. Whether you’re building a home or designing the perfect office or public building, natural light plays a major role in creating great living, working and playing spaces.

1. Spacious rooms

Natural light plays a major role in our perception of space. Spaces lit naturally tend to feel more spacious and expansive than spaces lit by artificial lighting.  Colours and textures look deeper, more natural, and far more pleasing to the eye when they’re lit by natural light.

See how the exposed brickwork in this recent kitchen re-modelling project responds to the natural light.

2. Daylight and views

Daylight and views to the outdoors are a powerful draw.  While most people spend the majority of their life indoors, we crave that connection to the natural world that sunlight brings.  It’s more than just vitamin D – the pull of a view outside and access to daylight is built into our psyche.

Bi-folding garden doors were used in this kitchen make-over to open up the room to light and garden views.

3. Lower expenses

Energy efficiency is a major focus of many clients and a well-daylit room can help.  A fabric-first approach to energy efficiency (such as Passivhaus) combined with careful window design allows the winter sunshine to heat the space, while using good daylight to reduce reliance on artificial lights.

Working with an architect that’s well versed in energy efficient design is a great way to build a healthier, more vibrant environment while also reducing the amount you spend on utilities and maintenance.

You can see the benefits of natural light in the images used here from in a recent project by Ruth Butler Architects.  We undertook a simple re-modelling of a light-starved Victorian mid-terrace house, opening it up to daylight, sunlight and views.

Please contact Ruth Butler Architects for more information on energy efficient building projects.