The quantity and quality of light people experience determine how well they see, work and live. Light can affect an individual's health and comfort at home, and their safety, morale and productivity at work.
Daylighting can increase comfort and aesthetics, and connects people to the outdoor world. It also reduces the need for electric lighting, a crucial design factor as energy savings becoming increasingly important for both households and businesses.
Daylighting must come from an integrated design process — it is not a technology that can just be installed once a building is complete.
The newly revised BS 8206-2:2008 Lighting for buildings. Code of practice for daylighting gives recommendations regarding design for daylight in buildings. It also includes recommendations on the design of electric lighting when used in conjunction with daylight.
Recognizing that the aims of good lighting go beyond achieving minimum illumination for task performance, BS 8206-2 describes good practice in daylighting design and presents criteria intended to enhance the well-being and satisfaction of people in buildings
As a code of practice, BS 8206-2 takes the form of guidance and recommendations, not specification. The aim of the standard is to provide better guidance to architects, engineers, builders and others who carry out lighting design.
The 2008 revision of BS 8206-2 has been prepared to take account of the publication of BS EN 12464-1 and BS EN 15193. In particular, a new annexe on climate-based daylight modelling has been added, along with information on how daylighting can impact upon and even improve health.
To read more about the code of practice, visit www.bsigroup.com/bs8206-2.