Daylight campaign launched in UK Parliament
Experts meet with MPs, calling for better policy on daylighting in buildings
Experts have called for greater awareness of daylighting in buildings at the launch of campaign in the UK Parliament.
The call comes as the UK government presses on with ambitious plans to build 1.5 million new homes in England during the current parliament, yet there are no mandatory requirements for daylighting in buildings.
The #DaylightChampion campaign has been seeking to raise awareness of the importance of daylighting in buildings for the health and wellbeing of both people and planet. Research also shows the benefits of daylight in schools, offices and hospitals in terms or learning, productivity and health outcomes.
The event took place in the House of Commons this week and experts from academia and industry put forward their key arguments in favour of better policy. It was hosted by Richard Baker MP who spoke of the importance of daylight for good health outcomes.
Neil Freshwater, Public Affairs Lead of VELUX GB & Ireland said:
“The policy drivers are about increasing housing supply, cutting energy bills and tackling climate change. These are crucial. However, we spend 90% of our time indoors and in recent years, policy has squeezed the really important elements that consider the health and well-being of occupants – or Indoor Environment Quality (IEQ). Daylight is a key part of this along with indoor air quality, thermal comfort and noise prevention.
“Since July we have been contacting parliamentarians to try and get them to think more consciously about daylighting and to consider championing standards in policy debates which address planning, building and design policy.”
Dr Jens Christoffersen, Lead Daylight Specialist at VELUX and chair of the European Standardization (CEN) committee on Daylight added:
“There is a wealth of research that shows just how important daylight is for human health and well-being, and its impact on productivity at home, school and the workplace. So the case is well made. The UK has some of the greatest experts of daylighting within industry, design and academia, yet it is surprising that, aside from minimal requirements in Scotland, there is little mandatory guidance on this topic.
“The Daylight Standard [BS EN 17037] however provides a basis for adopting standards in local legislation and we have seen this successfully adopted in a number of other jurisdictions across Europe and elsewhere”.
VELUX was joined by experts from across industry, who all addressed the audience:
- Professor Florence Lam, Fellow of Lighting Design at ARUP and visiting professor at University College London (UCL)
- Professor John Mardaljevic, Chair of CIBSE Daylight Group, daylighting consultant, and emeritus professor in daylighting at Loughborough University.
- Dr Cosmin Ticleanu, Principal Daylighting Consultant at BRE and lecturer at UCL.
- Dr Ruth Kelly Waskett, Project Director at Hoare Lea and past-president of the Society of Light and Lighting, and visiting lecturer at UCL.
Parliamentarians who participated included:
- Richard Baker MP
- Graeme Downie MP
- Sadik Al-Hassain MP
- The Lord Best OBE DL
- Alan Gemmell MP
- Katrina Murray MP
- Office of Julia Buckley MP
ENDS
VELUX roof windows have been bringing daylight and fresh air into peoples’ homes around the world for more than 80 years, creating better living environments. We offer a range of products including roof windows and modular skylights, decorative blinds, sun screening products, and roller shutters, as well as installation and smart home solutions. They help create bright, healthy, and energy-efficient places for people who live, work, learn, and play under the roof. We work globally – with sales and manufacturing operations in 37 countries and around 11,900 employees worldwide. The VELUX Group is owned by VKR Holding A/S, a limited company owned by the Villum Foundation and members of the Kann Rasmussen family. In 2023, the VELUX Group had a total revenue of EUR 2.91 billion while VKR Holding had a total revenue of EUR 3.97 billion. The same year, the Villum Foundation and the VELUX FOUNDATION donated a total of EUR 184.6 million in charitable grants.
For more information about the VELUX Group, visit velux.com