Wilfried Pohl, Bartenbach GmbH, Aldrans (AT) “Visual comfort, well-being and health in daylit spaces”

The Future Envelope 12 final event 20-21 May 2019, BolzanoVisual Comfort, Well-being and Health in Daylit Spaces | Wilfried Pohl The Future Envelope 12 final event 20-21 May 2019, Bolzano
The Future Envelope 12
It’s all about performances
Visual Comfort, Well-being and Health in
Daylit Spaces
Wilfried Pohl
Bartenbach GmbH

Light and Humans
„Light is the medium of seeing and the soul.
It affects the rhythm of life, the mood and the
performance of the human.“
Prof. Dr. h.c. Christian Bartenbach

health
visual and
cognitive
performance
lighting with
natural
daylight
connected to
nature
comfort
Light and Humans

emotion visual response non visual response
• visual conditions
• mood / emotion
• mental performance
• physiological processes
• well-beeing/health
• most important Zeitgeber
Light is together with air and water a basic and
unreplacable nourishment of mankind and nature !
Light and Humans

daylight fire
daylight
fireplaces
torches
oil lamps
candles
gas
petroleum
electric
Light and Humans

Natürliche Rhythmen
spring summer autum winter
Day or night, summer or winter: light determines the rhythms of all life - including those of man:
In the course of evolution, he adapted to it and developed an internal clock.
Light and Humans

Die innere Uhr (circadianer Rhythmus)
Biological light effects
daytime nighttime
Daylight controls the internal clock
serotonin release
Sunshine and high vertical light
levels stimulate the production of
serotonin
Serotonin increases motivation
and affects well-being
Melatonin release
white light suppresses the release
of melatonin and thus disturbs
the sleep-wake cycle of humans
The hormone melatonin controls
sleep and regeneration
The internal clock controls physiological processes
which is responsible for the daily activation and regeneration.

Daylight controls the internal clock The internal clock controls physiological processes
which is responsible for the daily activation and regeneration.
CIRCADIANE RHYTHM
Humans have internalized the rhythm of day and night
Cortisol
Attention
Melatonin
Body temperature
Time of day
Circadian rhythm

clear sky with sunlight
cloudy sky
artificial light - office
Illuminances outdoor - indoor
Cloudy sky
Indoor illumination (norm)
Clear sky with sunlight
time of day (working hours)

Light-Therapy
z.B. 10.000lx - half an hour
Lack of light causes SAD

Neurophysiological background
Visual path
Non-visual path

Health effects
• Medical Science deals with deseases
• Health:
• absent of desease
• “Health is a state of complete physical, mental and social well-
being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.” (WHO)
• Cause > effect:
• no monocausal effects
• cause > effect relation
• replaced by risk factors (statistics)
• Technical & nature science:
• uses mathematical models (metrics)
• Lighting health effects:
• Mathematical model of health effects ?
• Metrics ?

factors:
harmful
substances,
trauma,
virus, light
Environmental factors,
protective factors (motion,
vitamine, living habits) age
sex
individual
biography
outcome-parameter
(e.g. illness)
Complex interaction of
1014 cells, organ systems
and just as much
microorganisms

Non-visual light impacts
• Night time approach:
Avoiding of harmful effects of light during
the night time
• Melatonin suppression
• Minimisation of the blue light
component
• Adjusted intensity at night time
• Preventing of long-term disturbance of
the circadian rhythm scientifically proven
• Day time approach:
Increasing the positive impacts of light in
the daytime
• Increased intensity at daytime
• Usage of cold white lighting
• Supporting the daylight
• Positive health impact is scientifically
only vague proven
"Health is a state of complete
physical, mental and social
well-being and not merely the
absence of disease or
infirmity.“ (WHO)

Physics
Psychology
Seeing is a mental process

Visual performance - contrast sensitivity

Contrast Sensitivity
Environmentluminance[cd/m²]
Infield luminance [cd/m²]
Visual performance - contrast sensitivity

Luminances in the field of view

Daylighting Requirements
Visual
▪ amount of daylight/daylight distribution:
guide daylight into the depth of the building
▪ glare protection:
provide visual comfort
▪ view to the outside:
allow a good contact to the outside
Non-visual effects:
▪ Sleepiness / Alertness (circadian)
▪ Cognition
▪ Mood
Energetic
▪ shade the solar heat in summer
▪ provide solar gains in winter

Use of Daylight

Integrated lighting control scheme
Need for an integral control for day- and artificial light
Consideration of
• Visual and melanopic needs
• Intelligent sensor technology
• Interface human – machine
• Energy demands

Control specifications
Visual Criteria:
• mean window luminance ≤ 1000
cd/m²
• maximal window luminance ≤ 3000
cd/m²
• Illuminance at eye ≤ 1000 lux

Emotional criteria:
Evaluation of look through
(e.g. acc. DIN 14501 oder
Konstantzos et al., 2015)

0
1000
2000
3000
4000
5000
6000
7000
8000
9000
10000
11000
12000
0 200 400 600 800 1000 1200 1400
bewerteteTageslichtdosis[blxh]
Ev am Auge bewertet [blx]
Bewertungsmodell nichtvisuelle Taglichtwirkung
Tagesdosis unbewertet (Referenz) Tagesdosis Modell-bewertet
0
100
200
300
400
500
600
700
800
900
1000
1100
1200
0 200 400 600 800 1000 1200 1400
EvamAugebewertet[blx]
Ev am Auge [lx]
Bewertungsmodell nichtvisuelle Taglichtwirkung
unbewertet (Referenz) Modell-bewertet
Non-visual criteria:
• Vertikal illuminance at eye
evaluated with model
• Weighted light dose:
aim: D ≥ 5000wlxh
(weighted lux * hours)

6% to 18% better work performance
Memory test and test for mental functions
Work performance of office workers
(Heschong Mahone Group)
Standardized tests on students and pupils
performance
Reduction of breast cancer risk
In nursing and hospital area:
employee satisfaction increased and
patient rentention shortened
health and care
Daylight and quality of Life

Comfort Connected to Nature
Biophylia-Hypothese – attachment to nature
innate need to come into contact with
nature.
Daylight can support this need for closeness
to nature
Good daylight systems allow individual
adaptation of the amount of daylight to your
own preferences and needs
People with regular daylight exposure are
more optimistic, sleep better at night and
feel fitter
Daylight and quality of Life

Research @ Bartenbach

Smart/intelligent facade „Sonnenraum“
visual performance and window
transparency
Mental and cognitive load can be reduced
if there is the possibility to look (eye-
tracking analyzes)
Under dynamic light conditions (change
over the course of the day) better visual
performance is achieved than under
constant conditions

Distribution of the
Daylight
Window
Brightness
Right
Reaktions
Values of
Fatigue
Work Speed /
Mistake Score
Clear Window - enough daylight
- not evenly distributed - too high - - -
Conventional
Sunblind
- not enough daylight
- not evenly distributed - O.K. - - -
Non-Perforated
Redirecting Lamella
- enough daylight
- evenly distributed
- a little bit
too high
+ ++ +
Perforated
Redirecting Lamella
- enough daylight
- evenly distributed - O.K. ++ ++ ++
VDU-Analyzes – workstation analyzes
Non-visual Criteria
Determination of non-visual
criteria → melanopic factor
emotionale criteria
Evalutaion of „the look
through“ window (according
to DIN 14501)
VisErgyControl

Stadtbücherei Augsburg
Building Running Costs
Energy 1%
Operation/rent 9%
Salaries 90%

Stadtbücherei Augsburg

La Stafa, Wien

Messe Basel

ZVK Wiesbaden

Genzyme

Changi Airport

Kapelle St. Hedwig

Underground Spaces

Prototypes at Bartenbach / Aldrans
Panorama picture

Future Envelopes 12 |Visual comfort, well-being and health in daylit spaces Wilfried Pohl | Bolzano | 20.05.2019
Thank you for your attention!
www.interreg.net
Wilfried Pohl
Bartenbach GmbH
wilfried.pohl@bartenbach.com
FACEcamp is funded by European Regional Development Fund and Interreg V-A Italy-Austria 2014-2020.

Wilfried Pohl, Bartenbach GmbH, Aldrans (AT) “Visual comfort, well-being and health in daylit spaces”

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Wilfried Pohl, Bartenbach GmbH, Aldrans (AT) “Visual comfort, well-being and health in daylit spaces”