Daylight is the cheapest and most beautiful material in any building. The trick is getting it into the middle of the plan without overheating the edges.
Clerestories
A band of high windows lets light deep into a room while keeping walls free for furniture and art. Facing north, it gives soft, even light all day.
Skylights
Roof glazing brings in up to three times the light of a wall window of the same size, but needs shading on south and west slopes to avoid summer glare.
Borrowed light
Internal glass, open stairs and light wells let rooms share light with each other. A glazed door at the end of a corridor can change how a whole floor feels.
