It is rather amazing to me that we need a study to verify that natural light makes people “happier, healthier and more productive”. Nonetheless, the Wall Street Journal article on natural lighting products remakes what is of course a logical conclusion.

This article raises two very interesting points that I have had to deal with on a number of LEED certified projects and plans. Specifically, that we cannot make a cost payback argument for using products that enhance natural daylight and notwithstanding this fact, it makes sense to invest in natural daylight.

The dilemma is really one of the value engineering problem. There is nothing wrong with looking at and containing costs in any project. The problem arises when we look only at dollars as a cost rather than the holistic value of the people in the building and how certain things, like natural light, have values that may not be quantifiable, but still have significant value.

The good news that I see in this article is that companies are fighting for market share and that forward thinking companies see a value in having their workers “…working in the most natural environment they can.”

Read the full article:
Finally: Sunlight in the Office Cubicle