Kingspan launches daylighting design guide and hub for architects

Kingspan Light + Air North America and Solatube International have launched a new digital design guide and Daylighting Hub to help architects and specifiers use natural light in new construction and retrofit projects. The resources focus on building performance, energy savings and occupant well-being as daylighting becomes a bigger part of low-carbon design. Why it matters: - The new resources are aimed at architects and specifiers trying to cut lighting energy use while improving occupant health and building quality. - The guide frames daylighting as a tool for meeting carbon-reduction goals, certification targets and design expectations at the same time. What happened: - Kingspan Light + Air North America and Solatube International launched a digital design guide titled “The Benefits of Daylighting in Architectural Design.” - The companies also launched a dedicated Daylighting Hub for ongoing daylighting resources and professional development. - Both resources are available online now. The details: - The guide covers daylighting solutions and materials including polycarbonate, glass and fiberglass-reinforced polymer, or FRP. - The guide addresses translucent facade systems, skylights and tubular daylighting systems. - The material was developed and reviewed with daylighting and building specialists. - The guide uses research, industry standards and case studies to support its recommendations. - Integrated daylighting strategies can reduce lighting energy demand by up to 40% to 80%, while improving occupant health, productivity and spatial quality. - The guide explains how to balance natural and electric light to improve materiality, spatial rhythm and overall building quality. - The guide covers glare control, solar heat gain, orientation, layout and material selection. - The guide also looks at integration with rooftop photovoltaics. - Key metrics in the guide include spatial daylight autonomy, or sDA, annual sunlight exposure, or ASE, and useful daylight illuminance, or UDI. - The guide links daylighting to LEED, WELL and Fitwel certification frameworks. - The guide includes U.S.-based case studies from new construction and retrofit projects. - The guide highlights early-stage planning, including orientation, layout and facade design. - The guide also points to Climate-Based Daylight Modelling, or CBDM, and BIM integration as design tools. - The Daylighting Hub offers architects insights, educational resources and professional development opportunities related to daylighting design and building performance. - Kingspan Light + Air says the resources are meant to support architects working on modern buildings and retrofit applications. - Kingspan Light + Air says the guide is intended to be an evidence-based toolkit for integrating natural light. Between the lines: - The launch shows daylighting being positioned as both a performance strategy and a design-quality issue, not just a code-compliance exercise. - The emphasis on metrics, modeling and certification suggests a push to make daylighting decisions more measurable and easier to defend in the design process. - The pairing of a guide and a live hub signals an effort to keep architects engaged beyond a one-time download. What’s next: - Architects and specifiers can use the guide and hub during concept planning and later design stages. - The resources are likely to support more daylighting-focused decisions in projects that are balancing energy targets, occupant comfort and building standards. - Kingspan Light + Air and Solatube will likely use the hub to keep adding daylighting education and updates over time. The bottom line: - Kingspan is betting that daylighting will be treated as a core design strategy for healthier, lower-carbon buildings, not an afterthought.