Natural light “sells.” Whether in an office or education environment, people will always perform better in the presence of natural light.

We’re also seeing natural light play a bigger role in our projects, from both a productivity and an energy savings perspective. “Daylight harvesting” is the idea of using natural light to offset energy consumption. While this can be complex, like the proprietary lighting systems that work in tandem with skylights, it can also be more organic, like incorporating larger windows at the design stage. No matter how it plays out, I do think the natural light is a win-win for everyone involved.

At our place, large windows in every office allow natural light. While we use watt stoppers as controls, some choose to override these switches and work without the overhead lighting from the start, which is just fine by me.