As Autumn moves inevitably toward Winter and we experience fewer hours of sunlight each day, it becomes more and more problematic to take daylight and its benefits for granted. As the natural light each day dwindles, it is crucial to make sure that space users take advantage of their opportunities to work in the Sun’s glow (glare-free).
The positive effects of working in natural light have been well established by scientists. When our indoor workplace is naturally lit without glare on computer screens, etc., our mood improves, and being in a better mood has been tied to enhanced problem solving, creative thinking, and getting along with others, for example – all of which are almost always useful at work. Research has also directly linked working in natural light to enhanced cognitive performance.
Most designers are, by now, familiar with the research noted in the previous paragraph and are firmly committed to developing interiors bathed in natural light – but space user behaviors sometimes complicate efforts to support naturally lit work.
It’s important for users to feel like they have some control over the spaces in which they work; control boosts performance and wellbeing. Regularly, workers can manipulate window coverings of some sort, often with the objective of keeping glare on computer screens in check, sometimes to regulate temperature in an area. After window treatments are moved to block glare or uncomfortable temperatures they are rarely moved again – carefully conducted studies show this is the case, as do our own experiences in places. So, many workplaces have a gloomy basement-like aura about them, even when sunlight-related “threats” are no longer present.
Glare and undesirable temperatures are indeed the enemy, as they degrade the wonderful moods that sunlight makes more likely. They are stressors; stressors divert our mental processing power from whatever we do that adds value to our organizations. Design that makes either less likely, because of the way seats are oriented to windows, for example, is important. Window treatments that are automated or window glass that changes color based on known movements of the sun can help create desirable work conditions that continue to optimize workplace experience throughout the day.
Sunlight is precious, it’s a nature provided “vitamin” that helps our brains work well. Developing workplaces that don’t require humans to take multiple steps to continue to harness its power throughout the day is better for the wellbeing of both workers and their employers.
Sally Augustin, PhD, is the editor of Research Design Connections (www.researchdesignconnections.com). Research Design Connections reports on research conducted by social and physical scientists that designers can apply in practice. Insights derived from recent studies are integrated with classic, still relevant findings in concise, powerful articles. Topics covered range from the cognitive, emotional, and physiological implications of sensory and other physical experiences to the alignment of culture, personality, and design, among others. Information, in everyday language, is shared in a monthly subscription newsletter, an archive of thousands of published articles, and a free daily blog. Readers learn about the latest research findings immediately, before they’re available elsewhere. Sally, who is a Fellow of the American Psychological Association, is also the author of Place Advantage: Applied Psychology for Interior Architecture (Wiley, 2009) and, with Cindy Coleman, The Designer’s Guide to Doing Research: Applying Knowledge to Inform Design (Wiley, 2012). She is a principal at Design With Science (www.designwithscience.com) and can be reached at sallyaugustin@designwithscience.com.