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The air we breathe
To better understand the impact of indoor air on our health, we need to consider the amount of air we breathe per day. An average person consumes 2 kg of food and water per day – but breathes in 15 kg of air per day (12 000 litres). The health impact is thus clearly important*.
A key component in achieving good indoor air quality is the air exchange rate. To achieve an acceptable rate using efficient natural ventilation, it is necessary to create a cross-flow or stack effect. In medium-density areas, multi-story homes will often only be designed with windows to the front and rear facades. This often leaves bedrooms, particularly on the mid-level without any means for cross ventilation and often with poor daylighting conditions.
Light shafts utilising unused roof space above are a great way to naturally provide good airflow and indoor climate to these ordinarily, still, dark spaces.
*Source: Nilsson, C. (2008) Air, Swegon Air Academy
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The most important spaces for the future
Study spaces and kids’ bedrooms are often in the darkest, least ventilated area of a house - the mid-level. Several studies found that daylight can improve how quickly children learn and retain information by up to 18% and productivity has been shown to improve by up to 15%*.
Daylight and good indoor climate are two of the greatest design tools when it comes to helping improve the lives of a home's residents - particularly children. Improving the quality and amount of daylight exposure throughout the day can make a significant difference to a child's physical and mental well being, including their ability to learn.
*Source: Barrett, Zhang, Davies, and Barrett (2015) - Clever classrooms: Summary report of the HEAD project.
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