Completed in July of 2019, it’s no surprise the Harris Academy Sutton School’s ambitious sustainability and livability goals would find a home in this community. The school stands just a 25-minute bicycle ride from the internationally recognized BedZED Ecovillage, completed 17 years prior. While meeting the rigorous challenges required to achieve Passive House certification in such a building, a significant focus in the design was to improve the well-being of staff and students’ daily lives. Air quality, thermal comfort, and natural light play a significant role in providing an optimum environment to study, learn, and grow.
The building was designed by Architype with the 1,275 students and 95 members of staff in mind. The well-insulated and exceptionally airtight building provides ideal indoor temperatures quintessential to Passive House buildings. Through the use of LAMILUX skylights, the building provides an abundance of natural light. Daylight has been shown to improve concentration and performance, creating an organic and inspiring learning environment. The fresh air provided by the ventilation system, coupled with the exceptional use of wood and light, give the sense of being outdoors even in these architecturally modern spaces.
Artificial light and daylight in learning environments
The full light spectrum can only be found in daylight, which is why even low intensity natural light provides enough visibility as compared to electric light. Fonts are easier to read and colors easier to distinguish in daylight than in artificial light. As a result, there is less strain on the eyes. The white light color of the midday sun or an overcast day is cool and provides a clear and unfiltered color perception and continues to be superior to so-called daylight bulbs that have become better at mimicking certain aspects of daylight’s spectrum in recent years.. However, these light sources cannot be compared with daylight because they lack the necessary intensity and natural dynamics.
In England's famously overcast weather, it becomes even more important to extend the amount of exposure children have to daylight, not only to lift spirits and improve mental health by helping the body produce vitamin D, but also to boost visibility and productivity.