The Light Gets In
- By Shannon O'Connor
- 07/01/19
Who remembers “sick building syndrome?”
In the 1970s, during the first energy crisis, steps
were taken to reduce energy consumption in new
facilities (as well as existing ones). Buildings
were designed with smaller windows or windows
that couldn’t open in order to minimize loss of
heated or cooled air. There was also the theory
that if students couldn’t see to the outside, they
wouldn’t be distracted and would be more likely to focus on what was
being presented to them in the classroom, improving outcomes.
This closing off of educational spaces didn’t have the effect it was
predicted to have, at least not on student performance. It may have
saved a few dollars on energy costs. Fast-forward to today, and facility
design is opening up learning spaces to natural light, with expansive
(albeit energy-efficient) windows and movable and glass walls that
allow light to penetrate deep into the interior of facilities. Various
studies show that classrooms with the most amount of daylighting
are associated with better student performance and outcomes. Other
studies have shown that students with a view of some green space
outside a classroom window performed better on tests requiring
focused attention, and also recovered better from stress.
Two of the feature articles in this issue of CP&M talk about letting
the light in: “Trends 2020” (page 13) and “Science on Display”
(page 31). It is mentioned in other content in this issue as well. While
editing these articles and thinking about the benefits of natural light
penetrating the buildings in which we learn, work, and live, the lyrics
of Leonard Cohen’s song “Anthem” came to mind:
Ring the bells that still can ring
Forget your perfect offering
There is a crack, a crack in everything
That’s how the light gets in
Today’s campus administrators have a lot on their plates, from
actual cracks in their campus facilities (see the article on deferred
maintenance on page 24) to declining enrollments, a perceived public
push-back on the value of higher education, shrinking funding, rising
costs, and much more. Some naysayers are predicting the end of
higher education as we’ve known it. That’s OK. Colleges and universities
have always been on the leading edge of creativity and innovation,
constantly reinventing themselves… and they will continue to
do so. That’s how the light gets in.
This article originally appeared in the College Planning & Management July/August 2019 issue of Spaces4Learning.