Introduction:
Imagine waking up every morning to your favourite view or a colourful sunrise, with the refreshing wind coming through your open windows. What a breath of fresh air! This is what happens when you have proper natural light and ventilation in your home.
The most practical way to achieve sustainability and green living, even in an urban environment, is through natural light and ventilation. Light and ventilation are two important aspects that one must consider before designing a house as they are essential for a healthy working environment. Natural light and air provide a good mental state to the occupants and save energy by reducing the number of artificial lights needed during the day.
The right amount of light can provide a warm, welcoming, and inviting atmosphere to the home. It is like natural lighting in entertainment facilities, where you can feel comfortable while sitting in the corner playing games or reading magazines. The wrong amount, however, can create discomfort and even fatigue in your eyes.
Light and ventilation are two important factors to consider when designing your new home. Below are 7 Important tips to ensure you have the proper light and ventilation in your home.
- Building layout
- Ground coverings
- Size and placement of windows
- Adding water elements
- Adding transitional elements
- Furniture placement
- Using lighter shades on the wall
Building Layout:
One of the most important things to consider when designing a home is the building layout. You want to make sure that the building layout provides proper light and ventilation. This means that all rooms should be oriented to face south, east, or west. You can also consider having additional windows placed where the sun will shine directly on these rooms at different times of the day.
The layout of your home is a key factor in determining how much light and ventilation it receives. Make sure there are no dead ends in your home, which will prevent fresh air from circulating freely throughout the house. Placing windows near sources of natural light (such as a window near a skylight) can help ensure that all rooms receive adequate sunlight.
Ground Coverings:
Ground coverings should also be carefully selected so that they complement each other without competing visually or acoustically. In general, harder surfaces reflect sound better than softer ones do, so carpeting tends to absorb sound rather than reflect it.
The flooring material is another element of lighting that can affect the feel of a space. For example, hardwood floors absorb light, making them ideal for rooms that tend to be dark or moody (like bedrooms). Ceramic tile absorbs light but reflects sound and helps reduce noise levels. You can also use plants or trees to add some greenery to your yard and draw more light into the house. Covering pavements and surrounding grounds with grass or other low heat-absorbing materials cools the surrounding atmosphere. By having lower plants create a ground cover, a more shaded area is provided which cools the air under the plants and ensures the flow of cool breezes inside your home.
Size And Placement Of Windows:
Proper sizes, as well as the orientation of windows in your house, can have a deep impact on natural lighting and ventilation. A Proper window design can help you reduce power consumption to a great extent. If you live in hot areas, avoid placing large windows in the direction of direct exposure to the sun’s path. Diffused natural lighting works best for hot and warm areas. If you live in a cold place, you can place large windows in the direction of the sun’s path to attract the maximum solar heat to make your new home naturally lit up and warmer.
Adding Water Elements:
Like landscapes, water is an important element. If you live in a hot and dry place, placing a water body or even a small water element in the direction of the wind flow can completely change the climate around the house. Fountains, small ponds, or swimming pools can act as transition spaces where the air is naturally cooled before passing through interiors.
Adding Transitional Elements:
Open transitional spaces such as courtyards, balconies, skylights, and indoor green spaces can act as a great source of natural lighting as well as airflow in your house. If you have enough space, placing a central courtyard is one of the best options to ensure proper cross ventilation as well as lighting in all rooms. Courtyards provide fresh air and improve oxygen supply. Courtyard ventilation also provides passive cooling effects during the night, which lowers the overall temperature of the house.
Furniture Placement:
Furniture in your home should be placed in such a manner that this does not end up obstructing the sunlight that comes through the windows in your house. Low-raised desks can be placed near the window so that we can work on the spot near the natural source of sunlight.
Using Lighter Shades On The Walls:
As light colours absorb a considerable amount of light, it is necessary to make sure that, the room where we usually work or spend the maximum time should be coloured in very light and pleasant pastel colours. Soft curtains or drapes are preferred to cover the bigger windows in your house rather than using heavy fabrics as they will disturb the sunlight from entering the room.
Importance of Improving Light And Ventilation:
Natural light has numerous advantages that can improve your physical and mental state. The importance of ventilation in the home cannot be overstated as proper ventilation keeps the surrounding environment and family health away from air pollutants. A house without any ventilation makes the air static, where bacteria and carbon accumulates, making the indoor air unsafe for occupants.
- Natural light boosts your immune system as it contains vitamin D, which fights against diseases.
- Electricity bills are rising month after month. Natural light and ventilation are simple solutions to high electric bills. Having a lot of windows can be helpful to those who are living in hot areas.
- Ventilation regulates humidity and helps to breathe properly. The airborne pollutants are eliminated when the room is filled with clean and fresh air. Adequate airflow also cools the room effectively.
- Proper light and ventilation keep you and your family safe from bad odours and irritating pollutants. Poor ventilation raises the risk of airborne diseases and causes allergies and nausea, and can also lead to serious health problems.
- Natural light increases the value of your home as it makes a space look bigger and more open.
Conclusion:
In the present day, a basic requirement for a home design is to give much importance to good ventilation & natural lighting for the interior spaces. The exterior design elements like the windows, vents skylights, etc. bring the proper amount of natural lighting and ventilation into our home. An effective design can reduce the usage of artificial lighting and air conditioning requirements which in turn helps in saving electricity by reducing energy consumption.
If you are looking to build a new house, make sure it has proper ventilation. It is important for health, efficiency, and sanitary conditions. Proper home ventilation is critical for the occupant’s health. It controls the interior air impurities and moisture. So keeping the house ventilated and lighted will help in the long run.