Access to daylight inside buildings makes for healthier and more comfortable occupants—and is also linked with greater productivity. When designed with proper glare control and minimized solar heat gain, daylighting provides high-quality light while significantly reducing energy use for lighting and for cooling. Increased daylight through increased vision glazing can help projects earn EQc8.2 for access to views. Realizing the benefits of daylighting requires a collaborative design process.

Balance other design goals

Keep in mind that daylighting strategies must balance with other design goals. For example, you will want to provide enough glazing area for daylighting, plan for open spaces that allow for light transfer, but not at the expense of too much heat gain, glare, or loss of privacy. Incorporating daylighting goals into the early planning stages will help project teams avoid design conflicts at more advanced stages. Daylighting goals should be laid out explicitly in the Owners Project Requirements document required for EAp1: Fundamental Commissioning.

Documentation can be cumbersome

This credit is can be easier to achieve for projects with large windows, open floor plates, and with most occupied areas near the perimeter.  However, the documentation may be cumbersome and time consuming for some large projects, depending on the chosen compliance path.