Light +Health in K-12 Environments

Light + Health in K-12 Environments

The +Health series will highlight the impact of environmental quality such as lighting, acoustics, and thermal comfort in K-12 facilities. This document serves as a short brief that outlines the history and overview needed prior to diving into a more robust, action-oriented document.

As you read this document, I invite you to imagine how the lighting in learning environments impacts me and millions of other students around the world. As children grow and learn in K-12 schools, we experience visual and non-visual impacts of light, which influences how well I see the board, my quality of sleep, or my alertness in class. Insufficient light caused by windowless classrooms, flicker from light bulbs or glare from uncontrolled windows can adversely impact learning and performance. Since I was born, research has emerged highlighting the different impacts light has on K-12 occupants.

Our learning environments need a balance of electric light and daylight. Research shows us that kindergarten students learn better in brightly lit spaces and that overall health is enhanced when daylight is prioritized. Children of all ages respond positively to well-lit classrooms, and good lighting is linked to improved behavior outcomes and lower feelings of stress and anxiety.

This Light + Health research brief is your morning snack before lunch. This short document will highlight the history of interior lighting and daylight and how daylight and indoor electrical lighting can complement each other to make a healthier learning environment.

This guide will inform school decision makers with:

• History of lighting and daylight in buildings,

• different ways daylight and indoor electrical lighting can complement each other to make a healthier learning environment, and

• an understanding of the diverse impacts of lighting on human and building performance.

Hi there, Sincerely, Riley

I’m Riley, an imaginary - but very real- student.

Why light?

Constantly and largely without effort on our part, light helps us experience the world around us by illuminating the finer details or signaling information to regulate our hormone balance, body temperature, mood, cognitive function, or alertness. The average age of a K-12 facility is 50 years old. When first constructed, we did not fully understand the impact of lighting on energy and health. The solutions and innovations in lighting were limited compared to today’s lighting control and capacity. Emerging evidence shows an incredible range of how light affects both our mental and physical health. We spend 90% of our time indoors, and light impacts our bodies throughout the day and year. As we modernize our K-12 building portfolio we have an opportunity to better serve our pupils, educators, communities, and future generations.

Light has two key impacts on human health: visual and non-visual.

• Visual impacts occur when the rods and cones in the retina of the eye receives light and sends a visual signal to the brain allowing people to perceive their surroundings. This allows people to adapt at night or experience discomfort from glare when light is too bright.

• Non-visual impacts occur when light is received by melanopsin, cells in the retina that are especially sensitive to short wavelength blue light. Non-visual impacts influence human alertness, melatonin levels, sleep and circadian rhythm.

Why K-12?

Children’s susceptibility to light requires a tailored design approach. Students from Kindergarten to 12th grade are simultaneously preparing for their academic and economic future while rapidly growing physically and socially. This document is a starter guide to a health-focused lighting design discussion that accounts for electrical lighting and daylight impacts on K-12 school building occupants. Defining “good lighting” requires a holistic perspective.

• Temporality: When are students exposed to daylight or circadian lighting? Teenagers’ circadian rhythm creates a natural tendency to go to bed later at night and sleep later in the morning. Their higher melatonin levels in the morning limits student focus, alertness, and attention when they arrive at school.

• Uniformity: How even is the distribution of daylight in a classroom? Uniform electric or daylighting is needed to prevent visual strain.

• Space-Specific: Not all spaces require the same lighting. For art students, students with ADHD, older students, the warmer color temperature has been shown to have a more stable, relaxing, calming effect.

• Controllability: Not everyone or every lesson will require the same light level. The ability to dim and control glare is essential to optimize teachers’ control in the classroom.

• Age Appropriate: Students are rapidly growing physically, cognitively, and academically. Younger children may require higher color temperature for task switching and adjusted calculation for floorcentric and lower desk activities.

• Balanced: Consider diverse lighting metrics to holistically support light’s visual and non-visual effects. Light intensity should be accounted for, not just color wavelength because the two characteristics in differing amounts can trigger a healthy circadian or biological response.

How does Light Impact Health?

At the heart of healthy decision-making is K-12 institutions who maintain and operate our school buildings. Through purchasing, investment and education, these decisions impact the environment and the millions of people who occupy these spaces every year. Light is a significant part of the human experience.

• Environment & Climate

• Human Health

• Institutional

125,000 BC

Earliest control of fire by humans. This is an early step by humans to control the environment to extend our productive time through light and temperature control.

17,500 BC- c. 3,000 BC

Oil lamps and candles are put into use. A source of portable artificial light, these assisted task specific activities.

1792

Gas lighting is developed by William Murdoch, a Scottish inventor. This new bright light increased accessibility and changed nighttime culture.

1856

Florence Nightingale revolutionized hospital design with large windows for cross-ventilation and abundant daylight for the betterment of patients.

//

Human Existence

1890s

The incandescent light bulb is put in many cities as a safer, cleaner, brighter, and more efficient alternative to gas lights.

1900 1850 1800

Time without electrical light

We’ve come a long way.

1927

Oleg Losev creates the first LED. These LEDs use 90% less energy and last longer than incandescent lights.

1930-1940s

Rural areas in the U.S. receive electricity, allowing most homes to have permanent and accessible lights throughout.

1959

The dimmer switch was invented in New York City. Dimmers offered the first option to control amounts of light exposure from a bulb or fixture beyond on or off.

1978

The Environmental Protection Agency bans use of PCBs, a probable human carcinogen, in lighting ballasts. After almost a century, possible negative health effects are being examined.

2008

1991

Phillips invents

fluorescent bulbs that lasts 60,000 hours. This technology is more efficient and uses less energy than previous lighting systems.

2000

The Scientific Committee on Emerging and Newly Identified Health Risks (SCENIHR) reviews connections between indoor lighting and human diseases. The magnitude of connections beyond carcinogens to human health becomes a conversation.

2014

The Nobel Prize for Physics is awarded for the invention of blue LEDs, which leads to white LED light, an alternative energysaving light source.

2017

The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine is awarded for the discoveries of molecular mechanisms that control circadian rhythm and physiological systems.

Electrical light becomes prevalent in homes

Research on visual impact of light

Finding the right balance between daylight and electrical light.

The Lighting Conversation Starter

In a school building, our students are trying to learn, our facility managers are trying to save energy and maintain our buildings, and our teachers are trying to engage and inspire future generations. To help these school stakeholders achieve their goals, balancing the benefits of daylight and electrical light is critical.

This table provides a quick overview to equip different K-12 decision makers with the vocabulary and understanding to strategize and advocate for proper lighting across K-12 environments.

DAYLIGHT

Definition

What is it?

The controlled use of daylight, direct sunlight, and diffused skylight into a building.

Energy Impacts

Design Considerations

Analysis needed for proper implementation

Daylighting can reduce energy costs associated with lighting, however, without proper design strategies, may require additional cooling or energy expenditures.

Consider existing features or newly designed features, such as windows and their size and spacing, access to sunlight per room, ceiling heights, surfaces, wall and furniture colors and materials.

HYBRID ELECTRICAL LIGHT

This approach is a mix of electrical light and daylight. Using technological advancements, modeling, innovation in daylight control sensing, and smart design can holistically illuminate a space throughout the day.

By using efficient lighting fixtures and controls, minimal energy can be used to sustain lighting needs.

Lighting or illumination through electric sources such as bulbs, and the surrounding fixtures and systems. It can be powered electrically from multiple sources.

Integration and controllability directly impact efficiency and energy costs.

Benefits

To occupants and operation cost

• Lower energy costs for lighting

• Activate circadian rhythm

• Restorative views of outdoors

Both electrical lighting and day lighting design must consider spatial design and elements. Modeling daylight and electrical lighting schemes with highlight gaps in balance.

Consider existing or planned powering sources and electrical systems, operations and maintenance limitations, as well as budget constraints early in the process, whether it be for a renovation or newly constructed space.

Challenges

To implementation, occupants, and cost

• Heat gain from uncontrolled sunlight creates thermal comfort issues and can increase energy costs.

• Glare from inescapable direct exposure can cause headaches, discomfort, and loss of attention.

• Circadian benefits can easily be blocked by users (e.g., pulling shades/blinds).

• UV impacts on sensitive individuals.

• Supporting biological and academic needs while controlling energy use and building efficiency.

• A hybrid approach can improve health, behavior, mood, performance.

• Provides light where/when daylight is not available

• Support safety by increasing wayfinding and visibility

• Provide direct task lighting

• Ability to be controlled and customized for a range of individual needs

• Using electric lighting systems and daylighting requires early planning, collaboration between design teams and engineers and budgeting.

• Education is required to optimize use and promote health-focused lighting decisions.

• Higher energy costs if lighting inefficiently planned or implemented.

• Flicker and humming from broken or low-quality systems or fixtures have a range of adverse effects on individuals.

Controllability

In classrooms by teachers and staff

Controllability is dependent on building orientation, region, geography, weather. Controls must be design around these factors, for example, shading or light shelves.

The highly customizable controllability of electrical lighting systems complements proper daylighting. This creates an optimal healthy environment for individuals, buildings, and environment.

Integrated controllable systems include dimming, zone control, timers, use sensors, and remote accessibility to support a sustainable design solution.

Team

Jen James is Director of Strategy and Sustainability at CMK. She is a strategic designer and design researcher trained in design thinking, evidencebased design research, and sustainability. Jen has specialized in strategic design in architecture and the AEC industry as an advisor at the connection between user, product, and venture. Her research focuses are evidencebased research in the built environment, sustainable design and behavior, and human centric health in design.

Dr. Erika Eitland is the Director of the Human Experience Lab at Perkins&Will. Erika received her doctorate from the Harvard Chan School of Public Health in Environmental Health where she authored ‘Schools for Health: Foundations for Student Success’ report. Erika advises on national policy for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, as a member of Children’s Health Protection Advisory Committee.

Rachael Dumas is the Research Knowledge Manager for the K-12 education practice at Perkins&Will. She manages a network of researchers and designers that examine the connection between the built environment and K-12 education. She strives to create a strong connections that are rooted in innovation and sustainable discourse and is skilled at preparing information that offers strategic insights to our clients.

Jen James, CMK Director, Strategy and Sustainability

Rachael Dumas, Perkins&Will K-12 Research Knowledge Manager