48 May 1, 2014 2014 SPRING HOME AND GARDEN “OUT OF THE ORDINARY” LINCOLN DAILY NEWS.COM
Skylights, sky windows and sun tunnels
And let there be light:
A
t some point in our history, our ancestors
came in out of the cold and took up
residence indoors, and after living in the
dark for a short time, discovered that indoor living
required indoor lighting.
The first choice was to light with flames: a pit
fire, later candles and gas lamps. These means of
illumination lacked the intensity to adequately
light an area for activities such as reading and
studying, and were generally found to be a fire
hazard.
Illumination by flame was still in practice until
Edison devised the electric light bulb, which was
put into distribution circa 1850, thus changing
the world. Even with the wide variety of artificial
lighting available today, including fluorescent,
incandescent, halogen and LED bulbs, and even
candles and oil lamps, people recognize that
natural lighting from the sun is superior, and
daylight positively affects physiological and
psychological well-being.
Our bodies respond better to natural lighting.
Studies have shown that natural lighting is a better
quality of light, with quantifiable performance
benefits, including:
• Better student performance. A 1999 Heschong
Mahone Group study of 44 schools in the
Capistrano, Calif., school district found that
student performance on standardized tests was
20-26 percent higher for students exposed to
natural light through skylights than for students in
classrooms with artificial light.
• Faster recovery after illness or operations.
• Prevention and recovery from “short-day depression
Continued on page 49
By Jim Youngquist
