Health Benefits of Daylight Design

Daylight benefits our health in a multitude of ways, so it is paramount that it is considered in the architectural design process. Exposure to natural light helps people improve bone strength, reduce blood pressure, enhance cognitive function and improve sleep patterns. The two leading causes of death and disability globally are heart diseases and depressive disorders. How natural light in architecture helps:

• Heart Health: The leading cause of death in 2020 was predicted in the 1990 Global Burden of Disease to be ischemic heart disease.⁽¹⁾ Put simply, ischemic heart disease, also known as coronary heart disease is a thinning of the major arteries and their blockage which leads to heart attacks and strokes.⁽²⁾ Sunshine naturally expands blood vessels and improves blood flow. Studies show that it is not vitamin D that causes this health benefit, but exposure to daylight.⁽³⁾

• Mental Health: Hand-in-hand with heart disease were depressive disorders in the 1990 predictions.⁽¹⁾ Daylight strengthens and protects the central nervous system. Through melatonin and retinal sensors, it keeps our circadian rhythms in check.^{(4, 5)}

 

The 2017 study⁽⁶⁾ of the Global Burden of Disease shows the 1990 predictions are on track to being accurate. With 2020 just around the corner, reducing the prevalence of these diseases have become top health priorities.

 

 

Daylight Design with Danpatherm^® Enhances Health

Design Example – French Cardiovascular Rehabilitation Clinic

The health benefits of daylight design and the use of natural light in architecture are often discussed separately. At the Cardiocéan clinic in France, the two have come together to enhance the health of patients, staff and visitors.

Jean-Luc Cortella was the lead architect on the two extensions at the clinic in Pauilboreau. Cortella. He initially incorporated Danpal’s Danpatherm^® double glazed panels as an aesthetic design choice, with the health benefits of daylighting being an additional welcomed bonus.

The extensions of the clinic included two buildings; a two storey health office spanning 330m² and a day clinic spanning 240 m².⁽⁷⁾ Danpatherm^® was used as an alternative to building the walls with conventional materials. In using the double glazed polycarbonate panels, Cortella was able to provide health benefits to occupants and improve:

• Shape – The building is curved creating a dynamic offset against the square buildings already on site.⁽⁷⁾
• Insulation – The double glazed Danpatherm^® system have additional transparent insulation inside the cavities, further increasing their existing insulative properties.⁽⁸⁾
• Light diffusion – The transparency of the panels provided a sleek, luxurious contrast to the stark, traditional materials used on other buildings on the site and reduced energy demand inside thanks to natural lighting.⁽⁷⁾
• Acoustics – Danpal products such as Danpatherm^® provide superior acoustic properties (up to 27 dBa). They are ideal for public buildings including concert halls and sports centres.⁽⁷⁾
• Fire rating – Danpatherm^® met the criteria for European thermal insulation (RT 2000) and fire ratings (M1).⁽⁷⁾

 

Danpatherm^® is one of a suite of products from Danpal which are used in building envelopes around the world. Whether chosen as a design choice, specifically for daylighting benefits, decreasing energy demand, fulfilling thermal or fire ratings or green energy requirements, Danpal has become a reliable, long-lasting brand to turn to for architects, designers and consultants.

 

 

 

REFERENCES

• The Global Burden of Disease The Harvard School of Public Health on Behalf of the World Health Organization and the World Bank; 1996.
• Health Direct. Coronary Heart Disease and Atherosclerosis Haymarket, NSW: Health Direct; 2019
• Weller R. Sunlight Has Cardiovascular Benefits Independently of Vitamin D. Blood Purification [Internet]. 2016 6 Jun 2019; 41(1-3):[130-4 pp.].
• Smolensky M, Sackett-Lundeen, LL & Portaluppi, F,. Nocturnal light pollution and underexposure to daytime sunlight: Complementary mechanisms of circadian disruption and related diseases. Chronobiology International [Internet]. 2015 6 Jun 2019; 32(8):[1029-48 pp.].
• Kent S, McClure, LA, Crosson, WL, Arnett, DK, Wadley, VG & Sathiakumar, N,.
• Effect of sunlight exposure on cognitive function among depressed and non-depressed participants: a REGARDS cross-sectional study. Environmental Health [Internet]. 2009 6 Jun 2019; 8(1):[34 p.]
• GBD 2017 DALYs and HALE Collaborators. Global, Regional, and National Disability-Adjusted Life-Years (DALYs) for 359 Diseases and Injuries and Healthy Life Expectancy (HALE) for 195 Countries and Territories, 1990–2017: a Systematic Analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2017. The Lancet [Internet]. 2017 18 jun 2019; 392:[1859-922 pp.].

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