It’s said that there is no better lighting than sunlight. This has been known since medieval times, as is evident in the large windows of forts and castles of old. Today, entire buildings are made up of energy efficient glass in order to maximize natural lighting inside while also keeping the discomforting heat at bay.
Thus, even technology has become proficient enough to mimic the natural lighting through artificial means, as is the rage these days in many modern buildings, filtered natural sunlight remains ever so popular – all thanks to innovations in glass.
But why is natural lighting important?
- Better health
We have all studied in school how daylight is a vital source of Vitamin D. Given we spend more than 80% of our lives indoors, it is increasingly important to allow natural sunlight to reach us within our confines. Daylight improves recovery, sets the circadian rhythm and body clock, elevates the mood, and also improves attentiveness. Therefore, having large glass windows and facades is so important in homes and offices.
- Better comfort
So, while proliferation of adequate sunlight is crucial, for comfort, it is important to cut down on the thermal effects of this lighting. Thus, specialized heat reflective glass windows or retrofitted energy efficient glass in old windows help create a cool and comfortable environment for the occupants without cutting down on natural lighting. This way, glare can also be reduced for creating an undisturbed, serene ambience.
- Better environment
This is the era of green buildings, thanks to our society becoming more environment conscious. Energy efficient glass such as AIS Ecosense works towards reducing the building’s dependency on artificial lighting or cooling methods, thus invariably leading to reduced energy consumption. The more natural light inside the building, the greener it is.
- Better money savings
Taking heed of all the above points, it is easy to conclude that by allowing more natural lighting inside buildings through glass windows and facades, electricity bills can be brought down significantly. Merely tempered glass windows will not do in this case, as architects would tell you.
These far reaching benefits of natural lighting in our lives therefore point towards the rising popularity of green architecture. As homeowners and office-owners, we have the power to push our architects to construct, design or redesign our buildings in such a way that they maximize daylight and visibility while minimizing discomfort and energy consumption. In achieving so, glass windows and other applications like facades and skylights play an indispensible role.