LET THE SUN SHINE IN

'Dayism' is a term used in building to describe putting daylight to work. People are choosing natural light because it is aesthetic pleasing, can cut heating costs and have impressive health benefits. Health benefits were proven from the natural light through the retina in the eye effecting the pineal gland, the hormone gland that effects mood, making us happier. In schools where natural light sources were implemented, improvements in student attendance, attention span, and even growth from the additional vitamin D from sunlight, were observed. Heat gain and loss were an issue with the old fashioned skylights.

Today glass is specifically designed with small dots placed on the glass, called fritting. Fritting keeps the sunlight from heating up an area too intensely, allowing heat to escape in colder months, and fading furniture. The glass is part of one of America's largest LEED projects, a massive skylight at the terminal of the Indianapolis Airport.

For your home, there are Sun Tunnels, and Sun-Domes which are tubular skylights that provide maximum effectiveness for balance against heat loss or gain. Both sun-dome and Sun Tunnel offer instructions on how to install tubular skylights yourself. They install in a day, and cost from 150-600 dollars depending on size.