Daylight and productivity in a school library

Pniewska, A.; Brotas, Luisa

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Pniewska, A. and Brotas, Luisa (2013) Daylight and productivity in a school library. In: CISBAT 2013 International Conference Cleatech for Smart Cities & Buildings: From Nano to Urban Scale, 4-6 September 2013, Lausanne, Switzerland.

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Abstract

Artificial light is reliable and can be accurately estimated therefore is an easy approach to comply with building regulations and codes of practice. Daylight due to its variability requires much thoughtful design. Conversely daylight is a free light source and has a positive effect on the health and productivity of human beings. Moreover significant energy savings can be obtained in lighting and cooling loads. For these reasons daylight has become one of the primary topics in energy conscious design in particular for buildings with daytime occupancy. This is the case of offices and educational buildings.
This paper gives an overview of aspects associated with lighting design, its regulations and recommendations applicable to a library school. Constraints and opportunities associated with the use of daylight and its impact on the occupants’ productivity are addressed. Lighting design as a holistic approach can be beneficial for the occupants’ satisfaction and provide energetic and economic savings. However, several studies confirm that lighting design is not an easy process and involves many different elements, namely legal requirements, visual function and amenity, integration with architecture, energy efficiency as well as sustainability, installation, maintenance and cost.
Productivity can be assumed as an important aspect of sustainability. Daylight provides a less stressful environment, contributes to our sense of well-being and comfort and has proven to improve learning rates. Nowadays, staff salaries can be the highest cost in a company, up to 85%. Even small increases in workers’ productivity may induce more money savings than savings on energy.
A post-occupancy evaluation was designed to collect real data on the occupants’ behaviour in relation to the lit environment. The survey was done to 100 occupants of the library in the Learning Centre at London Metropolitan University. Simultaneous recording of the illuminance next to the subjects also allowed the judgement of the light conditions in regards to the lighting requirements.
Results showed a preference for daylight against artificial light, despite the satisfaction with the light levels (combination of both light sources). They also highlighted the importance of daylight to productivity in comparison to other factors such as temperature, ventilation, crowding and noise. Issues such as glare and user control were not significantly perceived as unsatisfactory to the respondents. This may be a result of the reduced range of illuminance recorded (average 633lx, maximum 1056lx and minimum 277lx). Suggestions for improving the current situation in the Learning Centre are presented.

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