Presentation given on October 10, 2016 at Technical University of Denmark as part of a project on the value of indoor climate. By Jens Christoffersen and Peter Foldbjerg

1. IMPACT OF LIGHT ON HUMAN WELL-BEING
AND PRODUCTIVITY
Jens Christoffersen and Peter Foldbjerg, VELUX
Presented for the InnoByg project “Indeklima & totalværdi” at DTU on October 10, 2016

2. 2
Sleep, Work, Live
- Healthy Living Around the Clock
The environment in
the bedroom has a
huge impact on our
health and
wellbeing
SLEEP, WORK,
LIVE
- Healthy Living
Around the Clock
Healthy light is
linked to healthy
darkness at night
Human well-being
relies on regular
exposure to light
and dark each day.
The daily light dose
received might be
too low.
Our biology
responds to light
intensity,duration,
timing, and
spectrum
The environment
can positively
influence
productivity and
well-being
In 2004, CIE promulgate five “principles of healthy lighting”
(CIE, 2004/2009), and the same report also suggested that
these principles should lead to a renewed emphasis on
architectural daylighting

3. 3
Natural light is the single most important
attribute in a home, with over 60% of
respondents ranking it as important1
WHO’s report that residents with inadequate
natural light in their homes have greater risk
for depression and falls2
1The Way We Live Now, RIBA and Ipsos MORI, 2012
2Brown, M. J., & Jacobs, D. E. (2011). Residential light and risk for depression and falls: Results from the LARES study of eight European cities. Public Health Reports, 126(Supplement 1), 131-140.
DAYLIGHTING AT HOME

4. View of nature have restorative benefits1
Having nature elements in the view was important to
residents’ satisfaction2 and well-being3
Studies show that improved mood4 and reduced stress5
are consistent benefits of living in close contact with
nature
4
VIEW AT HOME
1Veitch, J. & Veitch and Galasiu, A. (2012) The Physiological and Psychological Effects of Windows, Daylight, and View at Home: Review and Research Agenda, NRC-IRC Research Report RR-325
2Newsham et al (2009) Linking indoor environment conditions to job satisfaction: a field study. Building Research and Information, 37(2), 129 - 147.
3Kaplan, R. (2001) The nature of the view from home: Psychological benefits. Environment and Behavior, 33(4), 507-542.
4Grinde, B., and Grindal Patil, G. (2009) Biophilia: Does Visual Contact with Nature Impact on Health and Well-Being? International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. September; 6(9): 2332–2343
5Ulrich, R. S. et al. (1991) Stress recovery during exposure to natural and urban environments. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 11(3), 201-230.

5. Sunlight provision is essential for any interior spaces.
Sunlight provide light and warmth and also having a
therapeutic, health-giving effect1.
5
SUNLIGHT AT HOME
1P. Littlefair (2001) Daylight, sunlight and solar gain in the urban environment, Solar Energy 70(3):177-185 · December 2001

6. 6
Key principles
Live in balance with nature - A house in balance with nature allowing the
occupants to live with and follow the daily and seasonal cycles of the outdoor
environment.
Adaptability - A house whose space and occupants can adapt to changing
conditions (daily, seasonal) and needs.
Sensibility - A house that provides protection against harmful substances which
humans cannot sense and allow freedom to control parameters that can be sensed
CIRCADIAN HOUSE
PRINCIPLES AND GUIDELINES FOR HEALTHY HOMES
Circadian House, Principles and Guidelines for Healthy Homes. (2013).

7. DAYLIGHTING IN SCHOOLS
The study included 2,837
children (9-12 years old)
in 148 classrooms from
54 schools across Europe
Maesano, C., & Annesi-maesano, I. (2016). Impact of Lighting on School Performance in European Classrooms. In Clima2016 (pp. 1–14). Aalborg.

8. Research has identified benefits of daylight and sunlight
as well as view for worker health and well-being
People believe that working under natural daylight is
better for health and well-being1 than electric light
Working in environments with natural elements are
reported to increase level of well-being, productivity and
creativity
DAYLIGHTING AT WORK
NRC, COPE
1 Veitch, J. A., and Gifford, R. (1996) Assessing beliefs about lighting effects on health, performance, mood, and
social behavior. Environment and Behavior, 28(4), 446-470
2Human Spaces. (2015). The Global Impact of Biophilic Design in the Workplace.

9. Higher satisfaction with the view if natural scenes than man-made
scenes (Christoffersen et al., 1999)
View to the outside give:
• higher environmental satisfaction (Newsham et al., 2009)
• better mood (Grinde and Grindal Patil, 2009)
• job satisfaction (Newsham et al., 2009 )
• recovery of surgical patients (Ulrich,1984)
• seating preference (Wang and Boubekri, 2010, 2011)…..
10
VIEW AT WORK
Satisfaction with view as function of actual scene
-40 -20 0 20 40 60 80 100
Industry
Parking lots
Other
Low buildings
Traffic, streets
Sky
Landscape
Responses (%)Dissatisfied Satisfied
Tall buildings
Trees, plantation
Courtyard

10. WORKPLACE PRODUCTIVITY
Call center workers with outdoor views processed calls 6% to 12% faster and
performed 10% to 25% better on mental function and memory tests than workers
without views *
12 studies linking improved lighting design with up to a 23% gain in productivity
related to light levels matched to task, glare and brightness control, and the power of
views **
13 studies linking the access to the natural environment through daylight and
operable windows to individual (up to an 18% increase) and organizational
productivity (such as increased retail sales) **
* Heschong Mahone Group (2003) Windows and Offices: A Study of Office Worker Performance and the Indoor Environment
** Loftness et al, 2003 Linking Energy to Health and Productivity in the Built Environment. Evaluating the Cost-Benefits of High Performance Building and Community Design for
Sustainability

11. 12
Human Spaces. (2015). The Global Impact of Biophilic Design in the
Workplace. Retrieved from http://humanspaces.com/resources/reports/

12. 13
World Green Building Council. (2013). THE BUSINESS CASE FOR GREEN BUILDING.

13. THE LINK BETWEEN PHYSICAL CONDITION
AND OVERALL JOB SATISFACTION
Physical
Conditions
Courtesy of NRC COPE

14. 15
Patients on the sunnier side of a cardiac intensive care ward
showed lower mortality rates1 than those on the less-sunny side.
Indications that the amount of daylight in a patient's room have
impact on patients' length of stay2
Patients with a view of green spaces, as opposed to a brick wall,
recovered more quickly from surgery and required less post-
operative pain medication3.
DAYLIGHTING AND VIEW IN HOSPITALS
1Beauchemin K. and P. Hays (1998) Dying in the Dark: sunshine, gender and outcomes in myocardinal infarcation, Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine 91 pp352-4
2AR Joarder and ADF Price (2013), Impact of daylight illumination on reducing patient length of stay in hospital after coronary artery bypass graft surgery, Lighting Res. Technol. 2013; 45: 435–449
3Walch, JM et al. (2005) The effect of sunlight on postoperative analgesic medication use a prospective study of patients undergoing spinal surgery, Psycosom Med 2005 Jan/Feb. 67(1):156-63

15. SLEEP, WORK, LIVE
- HEALTHY LIVING AROUND THE CLOCK
“Proper light at proper time” are essential in maintaining key
aspects of our overall health1
2Light in the morning increase our levels of alertness, allow increased performance
at the beginning of the day.
From mid-morning to early evening, high levels of daylight, allow us to maintain
sufficient level of alertness, performance and mood.
Reduced light levels in the evening and a dark bedroom promote sleep at night.
1 CIE Position Statement on Non-Visual Effects of Light, June 28, 2015
2Mardaljevic, J., Andersen, M., Roy, N., Christoffersen, J. (2012) Daylighting, Artificial Lighting and Non-Visual
Effects Study for a Residential Building

16. CONTACT INFO
FIND US HERE
Peter Foldbjerg
Peter.foldbjerg@velux.com
VELUX A/S