Using as much natural light in buildings as possible has many advantages over using artificial lights, if its penetration is appropriately controlled, according to assistant professor Marilyne Andersen of MIT's Department of Architecture.
"Light is not only an amount of energy," said Andersen, who recently gave a Building Technology Lecture Series talk. "It also provides us with the means to reveal spaces and volumes and interact with our environment." Andersen and others in the Building Technology Program have been working on how to better incorporate natural light into building design. Their research takes into consideration the many positive effects of natural light, including the considerable financial savings in energy bills and the overall effects natural light has on well-being, as well as the challenges natural light presents.