Research and Education

EuroWindoor holds conferences on special occasions and topics like the conference “Daylight by EuroWindoor” which attracted great interest among the visitors of the fair glasstec on 21st September 2022. More than 40 participants in the open conference area of Hall 11 and a large number of viewers in the live stream followed the interesting presentations of the well-known experts on the topic of the importance of daylight in buildings.

Ms Verena Oberrauch (EuroWindoor President and member of the Board of Directors of Finstral AG) moderated the conference and gave a short introduction underlining the importance of windows admitting daylight for healthier buildings. Mr Leif Daniel Houck from the Norwegian University of Life Science in Ås, Norway illustrated why human need daylight and how to start to take daylight into account when planning. Based on a study of various schools, he explained that 12 meters of facade per class should be set as a requirement.

Afterwards Mr Peter Andres from Beratende Ingenieure für Lichtplanung in Germany reported news of daylight planning for workplaces by showing practical examples. By allowing direct sunlight into living and working areas, people also experience the normal daily cycle indoors. He advocates an economical approach to lighting planning by first optimizing the use of daylight and then only adding artificial light to the required amount.

The chairman of the Dutch Daylight Foundation, Mr. Lars Courage from COURAGE Architecten asked the provocative question “Are we going to live in the dark soon?” But despite constant improvement in the quality of artificial light, he sees also in the future daylight as elementary factor for the building culture and good living. In the Dutch Daylight Award winning examples he emphasized the particularly good lighting by using daylight from above and explained the positive effects of daylight up to light-flooded prisons for a better penal system.

The conference was completed by Ms Nelly Philipponnat from Saint-Gobain Glass Bâtiment represening the Union des Fabricants de Menuiseries Extérieures (UFME) by giving a practical view on how policy developments are enacted with the example of France. The new regulation with requirements for minimum openings of habitable surface, daylight provision with a target Daylight factor and minimum view out in a space are trend-setting for the legislators of other countries.

EuroWindoor would like to thank our sponsors Aluplast GmbH, Finstral AG, Saint-Gobain Building Glass Deutschland and VELUX A/S to make the conference happen.