New daylight standard

BSI has published a new European standard for the provision of daylight in buildings that may be regularly occupied by people for extended periods.

BS EN 17037:2018 Daylight in Buildings applies to all such spaces, from offices to dwellings, and takes into consideration the variations in recommendations relating to the geographical and climatic differences across Europe.

Few people would dispute the benefits of natural light, BSI said. The positive effects of daylighting can be observed in how it supports the visual demands of building occupants, improves building performance and contributes to human health.

Daylighting refers to the use of natural light as the primary source of daytime illumination, whether from brilliant or overcast sunlight, to create an adequate impression of lightness indoors and provide an adequate view to outside.

This standard specifies the elements for achieving this. It also provides recommendations and defines the metrics used for evaluation, calculation and verification for the duration of sunlight exposure within occupied rooms and how to limit glare.

Nick Fleming, head of manufacturing at BSI, said: “There are many benefits in harnessing the power of daylight effectively in building design and usage: human health through a connection with outdoors, building performance, and electric lighting energy efficiency.

“This new European standard provides guidance to building developers, planners, architects and lighting engineers on daylight design in domestic and non-domestic buildings including how to use daylighting to provide lighting within interiors and limit glare.”