Research shows that we not only prefer daylight but actually heal faster when we have access to it. Healthcare providers report higher job satisfaction when they have access to daylight. Daylight can also contribute to extended passive survivability after a catastrophic event. Increased daylight penetration into our patient rooms is better for the patient and better for the staff. Six to eight room configurations will be evaluated in this presentation. Daylight analysis of each room under cloudy sky conditions will be performed and presented. The analysis will look separately at view glazing and daylight glazing in conjunction with multiple ceiling heights.

Shading is critical to patient confort and limiting heat gain. The location of the tower and it's orientation can rarely be optimized on what is often a very tight site. Given that rooms will face multiple orientations for any single facility, direct sun penetration must be evaluated and addressed. For the same six to eight rooms, direct sun penetration will be evaluated and sun shade analyis for each will be demonstrated. External shading options limit heat penetration but can be complicated and costly. Can their benefits be quantified? How do they compare with internal shading options? Internal shading devices must be evaluated in the context of performance within the room, ease of patient use, cost, maintenance onsiderations and infection control considerations.

Electric lighting is ideally developed after daylight contribution is understood. Balancing the patient's desire for residential quality lighting and the staff need for higher light levels for some procedures will be discussed. Can controls bridge the gap between patient and staff needs? How much of the time is it reasonable to assume that daylight will be sufficient without electric light? Lighting layout options for patient zone, staff zone and family zone will be illustrated and compared to how they overlap the daylight zone.

Finally, controls are the design element that makes the connection between electric light and daylight. Patient satisfaction is directly related to ease of use. Maintenance personnel want something bullet proof and infection control wants something that will not attract dust or be difficult to clean. Patient bed paddle control of lighting with dimming and window controls will be presented. Preset options for controls are another consideration to maximize energy savings and make the rooms easier for staff to use. If the building is intended to last 50 or more years, what can we do to build in flexibility so the room can change over time?