Health & Wellness Benefits of Daylighting
The resources below are intended to act as a library of published information, including summaries and research papers, on the human impact (non-visual) of daylight and exterior views.
Note: these resources are intended for information purposes only and do not reflect the entirety of information available on the subject of daylighting; they further do not reflect the views or opinions of the NGA.
- Biophilia and Glass: Supporting a Connection to Nature (Vitro Architectural Glass)
- Increase Daylight and Reduce Energy Consumption with Acid-etched Glass (Walker Glass Company, 2019)
- High Performance Building Facade Solutions (Berkeley Lab, 2018)
- Daylighting (WBDG, 2016)
- IES-Approved Daylight Metrics AIA presentation (2014)
- Tips for Daylighting with Windows (Berkeley Lab, 2013)
- Daylighting Glass Technical Paper (NGA, 2019)
- What you need to know to build with light (SunGuard, Guardian Glass, 2008)
- A Literature Review of the Effects of Natural Light on Building Occupants (LBNL, 2002)
- Daylight in Buildings (LBNL and IEA, 2000)
- The Impact of a View from a Window on Thermal Comfort, Emotion and Cognitive Performance (Elsevier, 2020)
- Why Windows are Critical to Human Health (Walker Glass Company, 2019)
- Light and the circadian rhythm: The key to a good night's sleep? (BBC.com News, 2019)
- Thermal Comfort: Why Windows Matter (Technoform, 2019)
- Health Benefits of Urban Nature (American Institute of Biological Sciences, 2015)
- Wood as Restorative Material (2015)
- The Housing Well-Being Inventory (VELUX Group, 2015)
- Daylighting: the Benefits of Illuminating Buildings with Natural Light (Bendheim, 2014)
- Impact of Windows and Daylight Exposure on Overall Health and Sleep Quality of Office Workers
(Mohamed Boubekri, Ph.D, 2014) - Health, Wellbeing and Productivity in Offices (WorldGBC, 2014)
- Benefits of Glass: a Literature Review on the Qualitative Benefits of Glass on Building Occupants (Univ. of Michigan, 2012)
- The Distinctive Benefits of Daylighting (David Strong Consulting, 2012)
- ASHRAE Daylighting and Human Performance summary (2002)
- Applying the Benefits of Biophilic Theory to Hospital Design (2018)
- Climate-Based Daylight Modeling
- HMG Studies website + Daylighting in Schools report (2003)
- The Economics of Biophilia (2012)
- Sunshine Helps Kill Germs Indoors (2018)
- Daylight Exposure Modulates Bacterial Communities Associated with Household Dust (2018)
- Visual Delight in Architecture: Daylight, Vision, and View (Lisa Heschong, 2021)
- Chasing Daylight (Window + Door, 2019)
- The Green Building Maze (Glass Magazine, 2019)
- Looking Beyond Thermal Efficiency (Glass Magazine, 2019)
- Evolution of Green (Glass Magazine, 2018)
- Built for People: Interior glass maximizes health and performance (Glass Magazine, 2018)
- Glass for Healing (Glass Magazine, 2018)
- Many Offices Are Not Built to Benefit Employees (Glass Magazine, 2016)
- Let There Be Daylight (Glass Magazine, 2016)
- Looking at Nature... (Washington Post, 2015)
- The Benefits of Natural Light (Architectural Lighting Magazine, 2014)
- Healthy Buildings (The Guardian, 2014)
- Windows Add to Well-being (Health Day, 2013)
- The New Era (Glass Magazine, 2013)