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Key contribution
Thanks to its complete range of high performance glazing, derived from sustainable materials and varying in terms of colors, selectivity, light transmission and size, Saint-Gobain Glass increases occupants’ views to the outside and helps to regulate the circadian rhythm.
Aim
To support circadian health by setting a minimum threshold for daytime light intensity.
Detailed requirement
Part 1: Melanopic Light Intensity for Work Areas
At least one of the following requirements is met:
- Light models or light calculations (which may incorporate daylight) show that at least 250 equivalent melanopic lux is present at 75% or more of workstations, measured on the vertical plane facing forward, 1.2 m [4 ft] above finished floor (to simulate the view of the occupant). This light level is present for at least 4 hours per day for every day of the year.
Part 2: Melanopic Light Intensity in Living Environments
In all bedrooms, bathrooms, and rooms with windows, one or more fixtures provide the following:
- 250 or more equivalent melanopic lux as measured facing the wall in the center of the room 1.2 m [4 ft] above the finished floor. The lights may be dimmed in the presence of daylight, but are able to independently achieve these levels.
- Evening lights provide not more than 50 equivalent melanopic lux as measured 0.76 m [30 inches] above the finished floor.
Part 3: Melanopic Light Intensity in Breakrooms
Workplaces where employees spend most of their time in spaces with light levels limited by work type (such as restaurant servers or hospital ward workers) have break rooms which meet the following requirement:
- Lights provide a maintained average of at least 250 equivalent melanopic lux as measured on the vertical plane facing forward at surfaces 1.2 m [4 ft] above finished floor.
Part 4: Melanopic Light Intensity in Learning Areas
At least one of the following requirements is met:
- From early education to adult education for students under 25 years of age: Light models (which may incorporate daylight) show that at least 125 equivalent melanopic lux is present at 75% or more of desks, on the vertical plane facing forward 1.2 m [4 ft] above finished floor. This light level is present for at least 4 hours per day for every day of the year.
See detailed requirement for Circadian Lighting Design
Our contribution
Daylight is the most natural light source and by far the most important factor in setting and maintaining our natural daily rhythm, the so-called “circadian rhythm”. This has been shown to affect mood, quality of sleep, alertness and focus. Glass windows and facades are the most efficient way to increase occupants’ light exposure within a building and to create work areas with at least 250 equivalent melanopic lux.
What does daylight have that electric lights do not? It is:
- Dynamic: ranging from complete brightness to darkness; and
- Variable: from incredibly clear blue skies to sunset, daylight provides bright and blue light in the early morning that delivers an alerting message to wake up, while in the evening, low-level light prepares bodies for a period of rest.
Saint-Gobain offers a complete range of high performance glazing, varying in terms of size, light transmission, color, neutrality and reflection, as well as solutions for glare control to improve visual comfort.
Through the color neutrality of some products in the range (high Ra, color rendering index), Saint-Gobain Glass avoids any distortion in the light spectra, meaning that colors appears exactly as they are and a blue sky remains a blue sky for example. Below you will find some solution configurations and their associated performances that we can provide:
To maximize daylight, it is possible to increase the average glazed surface by having lighter fixing systems, such as SPIDER SGG POINT S and SGG POINT X, or by having bigger glass panes either with stronger laminated glass, STADIPBUILDER, that can be used as a construction product requiring less structure, or with the new over-length panes of up to 18 x 3.21 meters.
