BREEAM Visual comfort Daylighting
 Aim and benefits
Natural light has been always present in people's lives and is a source not probable to cease in the near future. However, the daylight levels humans are exposed to indoors nowadays are changing because of the diversification of buildings, social activities and a higher need of being indoors. Although it is possible to function without the presence of daylight, studies have proven that natural light is significantly important for the health of the occupants. It can affect humans psychologically and physiologically while it may also improve the mood, reduce stress levels, lower the fatigue and eyestrain. In addition, daylight can improve the performance of students and employees, while a view out of the room has been affirmed to positively affect the well being of occupants.
Daylight is also a way to minimise the electricity used for artificial lighting and can furthermore influence the heating and cooling loads. In office buildings for example, artificial lighting can account up to 45% of the total electrical load. Since daylight is the most affordable energy saving technique with the shortest payback time when compared to others, it makes it one of the easiest and cheapest energy efficient measures to implement. Therefore, to achieve the highest possible savings in assets and energy, full advantage of the natural source of light needs to be taken.
 When to consider
This issue should be considered for all types of buildings as the value it gives to the occupants is very important for the health, mental wellbeing and productivity. An extra focus should be given to daylighting when it considers buildings mostly used in daytime, like office or educational buildings.
 Questions to ask while seeking compliance
 Tips and best practice
 Typical evidence
 Applicable Schemes
The guidelines collated in this ISD aim to support sustainable best practice in the topic described. This issue may apply in multiple BREEAM schemes covering different stages in the life of a building, different building types and different year versions. Some content may be generic but scheme nuances should also be taken into account. Refer to the comments below and related articles to this one to understand these nuances. See this document for further guidelines.
BRE Global does not endorse any of the content posted and use of the content will not guarantee the meeting of certification criteria.
--Stefani Erika Papadaki 16:45, 20 Nov 2017 (BST)
 Related articles on Designing Buildings Wiki
- Artificial lighting.
- BRE Expert Collection 6 Daylight and shading.
- BREEAM Internal and external lighting.
- BREEAM Reduction of night time light pollution.
- BREEAM Visual comfort Glare control.
- CIBSE Case Study Hepworth Gallery Lighting.
- Daylight factor.
- Daylight lighting systems.
- Extra-low voltage lamps.
- General lighting v task lighting.
- Human-centric lighting.
- Health and wellbeing impacts of natural and artificial lighting.
- Light pollution.
- Lighting and energy efficiency.
- Lighting and health infographic.
- Types of lamp.
- Types of lighting.
- Use of lighting to improve health and wellbeing.
Issue support documents
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Issue support documents are written for named BREEAM Issues or sub-issues. More info. (ac) = awaiting content
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- BREEAM Sustainability champion
- BREEAM Environmental management
- BREEAM Considerate construction
- BREEAM Monitoring of construction site impacts
- BREEAM Aftercare support
- BREEAM Seasonal commissioning
- BREEAM Testing and inspecting building fabric
- BREEAM Life cycle cost and service life planning
- BREEAM Stakeholder consultation (ac)
- BREEAM Commissioning (ac)
- BREEAM Handover (ac)
- BREEAM Inclusive and accessible design (ac)
- BREEAM Post occupancy evaluation
 Health and Wellbeing
- BREEAM Visual comfort Daylighting (partly ac)
- BREEAM Visual comfort View out
- BREEAM Visual comfort Glare control
- BREEAM Indoor air quality plan
- BREEAM Indoor air quality Ventilation
- BREEAM Thermal comfort
- BREEAM Internal and external lighting (ac)
- BREEAM Indoor pollutants VOCs (ac)
- BREEAM Potential for natural ventilation (ac)
- BREEAM Safe containment in laboratories (ac)
- BREEAM Acoustic performance
- BREEAM Safety and security (ac)
- BREEAM Reduction of energy use and carbon emissions
- BREEAM Energy monitoring
- BREEAM External lighting
- BREEAM Low carbon design
- BREEAM Passive design
- BREEAM Free cooling
- BREEAM LZC technologies
- BREEAM Energy efficient cold storage (partly ac)
- BREEAM Energy efficient transportation systems
- BREEAM Energy efficient laboratory systems
- BREEAM Energy efficient equipment (partly ac)
- BREEAM Drying space
- BREEAM Public transport accessibility
- BREEAM Sustainable transport measures
- BREEAM Proximity to amenities
- BREEAM Cyclist facilities
- BREEAM Alternative modes of transport (ac)
- BREEAM Maximum car parking capacity
- BREEAM Travel plan
- BREEAM Home office (ac)
- BREEAM Water consumption
- BREEAM Water efficient equipment
- BREEAM Water monitoring
- BREEAM Water leak detection (ac)
- BREEAM Hard landscaping and boundary protection
- BREEAM Responsible sourcing of materials
- BREEAM Insulation
- BREEAM Designing for durability and resilience
- BREEAM Life cycle impacts
- BREEAM Material efficiency (ac)
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- BREEAM Functional adaptability (ac)
 Land Use and Ecology
- BREEAM Site Selection
- BREEAM Ecological value of site
- BREEAM Protection of ecological features
- BREEAM Minimising impact on existing site ecology
- BREEAM Enhancing site ecology
- BREEAM Long term impact on biodiversity (ac)
- BREEAM Impact of refrigerants
- BREEAM NOx emissions
- BREEAM Flood risk management (ac)
- BREEAM Surface water run-off (ac)
- BREEAM Reduction of night time light pollution (partly ac)
- BREEAM Reduction of noise pollution
Once an ISD has been initially created the '(ac)' marker can be removed
This particular index is based around the structure of the New Construction and RFO schemes.