Why do we want real sunlight?
People stay indoor 90% of their time
People worry about the health effects of sunlight exposure – Google Trends show us how every year the (English speaking) world worry about this. Put simply: of course, people want the sunlight, but they are worried about side effects. And so most of them should be, which is why basically all doctors and dermatologists recommend limited sunlight for all ages and types of complexions.
Daylight produces serotonin, the so called ”happiness hormone”, which prevents depression and seasonal affective disorder. At the same time it improves the exposed persons sleep quality and general mood as well as productivity and learning. The numbers are clear: students exposed to a healthy amount of daylight get higher test scores and learn faster, workers become up to 18% more productive are a lot less absent. Working in retail environments with proper daylight is a real difference for both employees well-being but also for sales: research show up to 40% increased sales between equal stores in artificial versus real daylight.
Cities are getting denser
Countries where you keep the sun out
Large building sight great depth and stories below ground as well as small houses with poor natural light at ground floor.
New possibilities for growing plants indoor with natural light.
Buildings of cultural value, sport arenas, subways, retail & hospitality, hotels & hospitals, garages
Natural vs artificial light for growing plants
References links / further reading:
CNN:
“We ultimately need to be thinking about a revolution in lighting […] It is in our best interest to have not only light that's adequate for vision but light that's also optimal for our biology and behavior.”
PubMed:
Report describes the impact of windows and daylight exposure on overall health and sleep quality of office workers.
“We suggest that architectural design of office environments should place more emphasis on sufficient daylight exposure of the workers in order to promote office workers' health and well-being.”
BMC
Study of sunlight exposure on cognitive function among depressed.
“The study found an association between decreased exposure to sunlight and increased probability of cognitive impairment.”
EHP
Report: “This sunlight ‘can have a major impact on melatonin rhythms and can result in improvements in mood, energy, and sleep quality.’”
Time
“If you find yourself in the doldrums after hours at your desk, it might not hurt to get up and look for some light”