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Daylighting in design

Daylighting in architectural design is the controlled use of natural lighting in a working or living environment in order to reduce or eliminate the need for electric lighting. Historically, before the electric light was invented, designing buildings so that daylight could enter interior spaces was a necessity yet, despite a long history of using daylighting as a design strategy, building owners, architects, engineers and lighting designers are only just learning how to use it effectively and new glazing technology is opening up a wealth of opportunities in these areas.

The art and science of good daylighting design today is not so much how to provide enough daylight to an occupied space, but how to do so without any undesirable side effects. It is a careful balance between heat gain and loss, glare control and the variations in daylight availability. The increased use of glass in building design combined with innovative technological advances in glass and glazing could reduce the cost of energy whilst reducing carbon emissions and our individual carbon footprint.

Why the renewed interest in daylighting?

1. The high cost of fossil fuels
2. The realisation that sources of electricity have a finite life

A good daylighting design can save up to 75% of the energy used for electric lighting in a building. Additionally, electric lights also generate significant heat in a building and, in summer, savings can be made in the energy used to cool a building. The use of solar control and low emissivity glass can help to reduce capital outlay, running costs and the associated carbon emissions of a building. Solar control glass is used to minimise solar heat gain by rejecting solar radiation and help to control glare. Low emissivity glass can reduce heat loss while allowing high levels of free solar gain to heat buildings with no significant loss in natural light.

3. Human factors - daylight contributes to a feeling of well-being

We have a natural human desire for change which is brought about by the seasons, the weather and the time of day. The direction of natural light provides shadow patterns which give objects and surfaces the appearance that we associate with the natural world. Sunlight has a therapeutic effect and lifts our spirits as does a view from a window. Natural colour may vary throughout the day but it is the standard by which colour is judged. Have you ever worked in an office with no natural lighting – what affect did it have on your productivity and your enjoyment of your working activity? Do shopping centres devoid of natural lighting make you feel disorientated and confused about the passage of time?

The Code for Sustainable Homes awards points for good daylighting design under category 7, Health and Well-Being. As a national standard for use in design and construction, The Code for Sustainable Homes is an environmental assessment method for rating and certifying the performance of new homes and through this standard aims to encourage continuous improvement. There are three points available, one awarded for an average daylight factor of a least 2% for kitchens, one for an average daylight factor of a least 1.5% in living rooms, dining rooms and studies and the final point is awarded if at least 80% of the working plane in these rooms receives natural light. For further information go to http://www.planningportal.gov.uk/uploads/code_for_sustainable_homes_techguide.pdf

Whilst windows and doors are the most obvious method used for daylighting, other devices such as skylights, rooflights, clerestories and light tubes can provide light which penetrates deep within the building.

Six Business Reasons To Employ An Apprentice

1. IMPROVING PROFIT MARGINS:  In a recent survey* the majority of employers’ interviewed said that apprenticeships helped them to improve productivity and to be more competitive. Training apprentices is more cost effective than employing skilled staff and they can be trained in skills that meet the particular business needs. It is rare that we employ skilled staff with the perfect skills set and, in the past, we have found that it has taken six months to a year for new staff to gain the versatility required of a bespoke joinery manufacturing and installation company such as Parsons Joinery Ltd.

2. MOTIVATING THE WORKFORCE: Apprentices themselves tend to be eager, motivated and loyal because they have been given the opportunity to train in their chosen career. Additionally, the rest of your staff will be motivated by your commitment to training and that you value their skills enough to want them to transfer them to a younger generation. In our experience, of the apprentices that we have employed over the past 13 years, two have completed their apprenticeships and still work for the company several years after qualifying. Our current apprentice has successfully completed his first year of study.

3. FILLING SKILLS GAPS:  Apprenticeships help my business to develop the specialist skills we need to keep up with the latest technology and working practices within our sector. Our staff range in age from 66 years to 21 years with most of them falling within the middle bracket. Most of our staff trained 20 or even 30 years ago so our apprentices inject fresh approaches whilst benefiting from the experience of older members of staff.

4. INCREASING SALES:  81% of consumers favour using a company which takes on apprentices and most appreciate companies who show a commitment to funding training and development within their workforce.

5. GAINING FUNDING:  Employers who take on 16-18 year old apprentices only pay their salary with the Government funding their training.  For those in the construction industry who pay the CITB levy, they
will receive an additional grant toward their costs through the ConstructionSkills Apprenticeship Programme.

6. SECURING THE FUTURE:  ConstructionSkills have warned that the construction industry faces a ‘workforce timebomb’ and risks a serious skills shortfall due to its ageing workforce. The increasing age profile is more pronounced in the manual workforce. Personally, I have always endeavoured to achieve diversity in the workforce by employing staff who represent a range of ages as this secures the future survival of the company and more closely reflects the range of our varied customer base.

*Apprenticeships, survey conducted by Populus on behalf of the Learn and Skills Council, February 2009

Ten Good Reasons to Choose Wood

Wood is a good thermal insulator and it can, therefore, help to reduce your heating costs.   Wood has the best thermal insulation properties of any mainstream building material.

Forests contain diverse forms of life.  Over 90% of the wood (hardwood and softwood) we use is sourced from European forests and these forests are growing by 661,000 ha every year - an area greater than three football pitches every hour of the day and night.  Greater use of wood products will stimulate further the expansion of Europe's forests.

Timber products are biodegradable.  When timber products finally come to the end of their useful life they can be disposed of by being burned or by rotting naturally.

Waste products can be recycled into other materials such as particle boards and MDF or used for heating, therefore reducing the need to use other fossil fuels.

Growing trees absorb emissions and forests are often referred to as carbon sinks.  Sustainably managed forests are run with respect for the planet, people and prosperity.  Great care is taken with the choice and mix of species, harvesting at maturity, natural regrowth and planting, respecting the ecosystems on which local flora and fauna depend and the way of life of people who depend on the forest.

Wood is carbon neutral.  The substitution of wood for other materials can result in reduced CO2 emissions as the carbon dioxide stored by the forest and in the timber product outweighs any carbon dioxide created during the production of the end product.  Each tonne of timber used instead of other building materials (like steel, brick or concrete block) saves around a tonne of carbon dioxide.

Wooden joinery can be renovated and repaired.

Wood is durable.  A good quality wooden product should, with care and maintenance, last a lifetime.  Many Victorian houses still have their original wooden windows, doors and floors.

Wood is naturally beautiful and adds warmth and character to your home.  It usually adds value too.

Wood is highly versatile and can be moulded into many different designs and forms