The general assumption about sustainability is that it is costly, difficult to maintain, and impractical. However, truly sustainable designed spaces are not all that costly or difficult to maintain, on the contrary, sustainable spaces and buildings can be achieved through “primitive” and simple passive elements. Sustainable spaces can be achieved through initially understanding the environmental and architectural elements that impact our psychology and physiology and their impact on the environment and resources.

When it comes to talking about shelter, one of the primary elements is access to natural light. Often overlooked, natural daylight has many benefits that can help us lead a healthy lifestyle. Regardless of whether we live in a hot or cold climate, we seem to somehow always gravitate towards sunny bright spots. Similarly, exposure to natural light (whether indoors or outdoors)has been proven to improve mood, enhance morale, increase productivity, and boost overall satisfaction of building occupants.

It is important to understand that it all begins in the initial steps of design and planning. It is also important to know that it is not just a case of letting light into spaces, it is just as important to plan carefully so that different spaces have enough daylight during proper times. For instance, natural light in the morning increases alertness, thus, helping users to start their day and increase their productivity. This also helps in regulating the users biological clock and the sleep/awake cycle. 

Natural light has many other benefits (health, psychology, economical, and environmental). Read along to find out more about how with correct and mindful design, you can live within healthy and nurturing spaces.