What if the key to a healthier, happier life was as simple as the light built into your home and streaming through your windows?
For three decades Rhodes Architecture + Light has harnessed the transformative power of light to create spaces that nurture both body and mind. Our approach goes beyond aesthetics, focusing on how thoughtful daylighting and designed (manufactured) lighting can profoundly impact space we create and the well-being of building inhabitants.
Now considered an integral part of sustainable building design, the incorporation of natural light has been at the core of Rhodes Architecture + Light’s design strategy since our founding. Every home in our portfolio is designed with sustainable practices at the forefront, a few of which are 100% self-powered, 5-star Built Green homes and generate all of their own electricity–enough even, to power the electric cars in their driveways!
“Lighting, both manufactured and daylighting (the controlled admission of natural light into a building to promote wellness, reduce electric lighting and save energy), plays an important role in both a home’s energy efficiency as well as the way people feel within the buildings we design. When I founded Rhodes Architecture + Light 30 years ago, my vision was to create warm, human-centered spaces where people could thrive. Science has shown us that a thoughtfully lit home contributes to a sense of well-being, and common sense tells us that people feel great in good lighting (and when they see significant cost-savings in their energy bill). Whether or not we’re aiming to achieve a LEED or Built Green certification, every one of our homes are designed to harness the wealth of free energy available in nature. Any new construction, whether it’s certified “sustainable” or not, has a significant environmental footprint, and daylighting strategies help us reduce that impact and steward natural resources more responsibly.” –Tim Rhodes RA. AIA. Principal
Effective daylighting is a comprehensive architectural approach that encompasses far more than simply installing windows. It's a holistic design philosophy that considers the entire structure and its environment. Lighting design, the illumination of our inhabited spaces, can incorporate cheap utilitarian fixtures…or it can be thoughtfully designed to enhance our interior environments, support our tasks, and create drama and focal places for our families and communities to gather.
Energy + Architecture
Proper daylighting strategies can significantly reduce energy consumption by decreasing reliance on artificial lighting. Studies show that implementing daylighting techniques can lead to substantial savings, with energy reductions ranging from 24% to 80%. In commercial buildings, lighting typically accounts for over 20% of the total energy used, making it a prime target for conservation efforts. By maximizing the use of natural light, buildings can cut down on electricity costs, while reducing their carbon footprint.
Integrating daylight monitoring/control systems, which automatically adjust manufactured lighting based on available natural light, can further optimize energy efficiency in both residential and commercial spaces. These strategies not only contribute to sustainability goals, but can also result in up to 75% savings in energy used for lighting buildings while simultaneously reducing cooling costs.
Simply using well-placed windows and skylights to illuminate key core spaces has resulted in clients reporting to us that they prefer daylight (even in the cloudy Pacific Northwest) and tend to leave lighting fixtures off during most days. Daylighting offers more than aesthetic appeal; the natural light spectrum plays a crucial role in wellness, contributing to measurable reductions in seasonal affective disorder (SAD) and depression.
Designing for Wellness
According to the Environmental Protection Agency, a remarkable 90% of city dweller’s lives are spent indoors. This is why Rhodes Architecture + Light looks for ways to bring the outdoors, in. Deliberate and strategic lighting design–both natural and manufactured–is shown to promote wellness and improve the overall health and well-being of building occupants. Nowhere is the effect of wellness-centered lighting more noticeable than in the home environment where we raise our children, cook + entertain, unwind, work and even worship.
Seattle ranks among the cloudiest cities in the nation with about 60% of our days being shrouded in heavy cloud cover. For all of us here, the constant drizzle of our long rainy season can become physiologically taxing over time. Many PNW residents experience seasonal affective disorder (SAD), a form of depression occurring during the same season each year, typically in fall and winter when natural sunlight is scarce. Exposure to sunlight triggers the release of serotonin, and the absence of this important hormone can lead to a mood-altering dip over time. While Vitamin D supplements are a must-have in any Seattlelite's medicine cabinet, capturing as much natural light as possible remains essential for overall well-being. Natural light plays a crucial role in creating healthy, productive, and energy-efficient spaces. Exposure to natural light has been shown to improve our sense of well-being, boost vitamin D production, reduce depression, and enhance sleep patterns.
While excessive direct sunlight can lead to glare and overheating in buildings, controlled natural light exposure has been linked to numerous health benefits for occupants. In fact, research indicates that individuals residing in regions with limited daylight hours may face a higher incidence of certain types of cancer compared to those living in areas with greater daily sun exposure. Studies have found that people living at higher latitudes, where sunlight is less intense and available for fewer hours per day, had higher rates of several cancers, including colon, pancreatic, and prostate cancer. Researchers hypothesized that this correlation might be due to the role of vitamin D, which is synthesized in the skin upon exposure to UVB radiation from sunlight.
Studies have also demonstrated that workers in offices with ample natural light experience fewer headaches, reduced eye strain, and improved mood compared to those in artificially lit environments. Moreover, increased exposure to daylight can lead to better cognitive performance, with one study finding that employees working near windows scored 42% higher on decision-making tests than their counterparts in offices with less natural light.
Did you know a light-filled home and workplace can help you sleep better? One might assume that a lack of sunlight would aid in sleep, but it’s quite the opposite; it can disrupt the body's circadian rhythms, which regulate sleep and mood. For example, the darkness does in fact trigger the release of melatonin, but for many of us that means crawling into bed at 7:00 PM during the winter months, and consequently staring at the ceiling at 1:00 AM. If your home is not oriented to take full advantage of the light we have on shorter days, it further limits our exposure to the great health benefits it can offer us.
Designing around natural light for wellness is a complex task that takes into consideration the visual and biological needs of occupants, energy efficiency, and overall comfort. At Rhodes Architecture + Light, we consider factors such as the building's orientation, window placement and size, glare control, and the integration of smart lighting systems that can control or supplement natural light when needed. We study and understand available window, door, and skylight systems, carefully examining manufacturers' offerings to optimize the materials, sizes, and placement of these exterior openings which can dramatically enhance interior daylighting. We also strategically employ sun shading techniques to reduce direct sunlight and enhance cooling during summer months, while simultaneously designing to increase direct sunlight exposure in winter—maximizing natural light and reducing interior heating requirements.
We account for seasonal variations in daylight availability and intensity, and we consider the specific requirements of different spaces within a building. For instance, areas designated for focused work may require different lighting strategies than communal spaces. Our goal is to create environments that not only reduce energy consumption but also promote occupant health, productivity, and well-being. This can involve daylighting strategies such as courtyards to maximize light penetration, as well as using materials and finishes that effectively distribute light throughout interior spaces. Ultimately, successful daylighting design requires a delicate balance between aesthetics, functionality, and human-centric considerations. At Rhodes Architecture + Light, we collaborate with our clients and think through how they use their homes–then design accordingly.
Passive Daylighting Strategies
Embracing natural light can reduce energy consumption while improving the well-being of inhabitants. Passive daylighting involves using a building's geometry, orientation, and materials to optimize natural light distribution.
Building Orientation: In the Northern Hemisphere, the sun arcs from east to west on the southern horizon. Homes oriented directly on the north south axis will have morning light on their east facing windows, mid-day sun on the south, until it sets to the west. The sun’s path informs how we orient and organize spaces with different uses. For example, someone who prefers natural light while they put on their makeup in the morning may want their bathroom windows facing east to pick up the day’s first light.
Windows: Depending on the size and location of windows, they will let in light at different times and intensities. We can craft how natural light enters spaces, considering the size and placement of windows. A full wall of glass lets ample light flood in unobstructed and fully light a space, while a sliver of a window placed against a perpendicular wall allows a soft glow to wash over the surface. Skylights and clerestory glass can illuminate with direct or completely indirect natural light.
Light Reflective Surfaces: Using light-colored finishes and materials on interior surfaces helps diffuse and distribute natural light throughout a space, while darker colors absorb light and contain it.
External Shading: Implementing awnings, sunshades, and brise-soleils can modulate daylighting differently in summer and winter, help control glare and heat gain while still allowing in a controlled amount of beneficial daylight in darker, colder winter months. These types of devices allow lower-angle winter sunlight to shine directly into space, while shading the higher-angle summer sun.
Advanced Daylighting Technologies
Modern architectural design incorporates various technologies to enhance natural light utilization. These innovative solutions range from advanced materials and smart systems to creative light-channeling devices.
Window, door and skylight glass Coatings: “Low-E” coatings, laminated glass and other glass coatings can allow daylighting to be modified, blocking heat and ultraviolet light where that is important, such as direct west-facing windows. Their use, effect, and specification of materials and placement are crucial for optimizing interior illumination while maintaining thermal comfort.
Dynamic Glazing: Electrochromic glass can adjust its tint in response to sunlight intensity, optimizing light transmission and heat control.
Light Tubes: These devices capture and channel sunlight from rooftops to interior spaces, illuminating areas far from windows.
Fiber Optic Daylighting: This technology uses fiber optic cables to transmit sunlight collected on rooftops to interior spaces, providing natural light even to windowless rooms.
Daylight-Responsive Lighting Controls: Automated systems adjust artificial lighting levels based on available natural light, maximizing energy efficiency.
Measuring and Evaluating Daylighting Performance
Although the practice of incorporating daylighting is centuries old, the growing focus on wellness and sustainability in the built environment has led to the development of metrics and tools for measuring daylighting performance.
Daylight Factor for example, is a measure for indicating the ratio of interior illuminance to exterior illuminance under overcast sky conditions.
Spatial Daylight Autonomy (SDA) is a metric that assesses the percentage of floor area that receives sufficient daylight for a specified fraction of operating hours.
The Annual Sunlight Exposure (ASE) measure helps identify potential glare issues by quantifying excessive direct sunlight.
These metrics allow Architects to quantify the amount of natural light that penetrates interior spaces, helping us create environments that not only meet aesthetic goals, but also support the well-being of building occupants. The use of metrics reflects a broader trend in the architecture and construction industries towards integrating sustainability into building practices, making natural light an essential consideration in modern residential architectural design.
Rhodes Architecture + Light also utilizes advanced building information modeling (BIM) to create buildings, materials and spaces, including windows, skylights and manufactured lighting in a detailed three-dimensional model. Spaces, lighting and daylighting can be accurately modeled and the effects seen in additional rendering software such as Enscape. The actual sunlight penetrating spaces we create can be seen at specific times of the year accurately at our latitude + longitude.
Steps You Can Take Now
Even if you're not embarking on new construction, there are several ways to increase the amount of natural light in your home or business. Additional and improved doors, windows, and light-capturing + shading systems can be added to any building, and there are even simpler methods like strategic interior design techniques and color choices that can immediately enhance the perception and distribution of available natural light throughout a space.
Declutter light pathways. Reassess your window treatments, opting for lighter fabrics or retractable options that allow easy light control. Reposition furniture and objects that may be blocking windows.
Choose reflective surfaces. Consider how flooring and furniture finishes impact room brightness. For instance, light-colored or natural wood floors reflect more light than darker alternatives.
Clean windows thoroughly. Remove and store screens during colder months, as they can obstruct valuable daylight. Perform a bi-annual deep clean, inside and out. Starting winter with pristine panes can significantly brighten interiors.
Install overhead light sources. Skylights can dramatically increase natural light, even on overcast days. However, be mindful of potential heat gain in summer – consult professionals for optimal placement, especially in regions where steeper roof installations perform better.
Choose light-reflecting hues. Consider repainting walls in warm white or neutral tones to instantly brighten your space. Incorporate color through accents like furniture and accessories.
Strategic window placement. When possible, add windows to multiple walls for balanced, orchestrated daylighting. Consider the overall balance of south-facing windows, providing the most direct light, and north-facing windows providing indirect diffused light with east, morning lit windows and controlled direct western light.
A Sustainable Design Philosophy
Optimizing natural light and integrating nature into architectural design is not just a trend, but a fundamental shift towards creating more sustainable, healthy, and inspiring built environments. By employing a combination of passive strategies and advanced technologies, Rhodes Architecture + Light works to create spaces that enhance well-being, reduce energy consumption, and cultivate a stronger connection between occupants and the natural world.
For 30 years, Rhodes Architecture + Light has been focused on creating warm, light-filled spaces that focus on the well-being of the people using the buildings we design. Our commitment to innovative design is evident in our ability to create environments that not only look beautiful, but also enhance quality of life. By seamlessly integrating natural light, lighting and sustainable practices, our team strives to make the spaces we design sanctuaries promoting both physical and mental well-being.
We would love to learn your wellness goals and demonstrate how architecture and light can help you achieve them holistically.
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