The top floor apartments of their latest village, The Poynton, located in Takapuna on Auckland's North Shore, were selected as ideal areas for incorporating daylight. The architectural team working on the project assigned HomeTech Solatube to design a natural daylighting solution.   

A Solatube Daylighting System model was selected for best daylight input through areas including the kitchen, bathroom and ensuite zones.

A Solatube 290DS with Vusion diffuser was installed in the kitchen, while a Solatube 160DS was installed in the ensuites and bathrooms. Both products provide natural light to areas that would otherwise be reliant on electric lighting all day.

"These apartments are often occupied for most of the day so it makes sense to light them with daylight," explains Mike Cullen, HomeTech's National Technical Sales Manager.

"There are benefits in energy savings from reduced reliance on electric lighting but more importantly, the incorporation of daylight has true benefits to residents’ health and feeling of wellbeing and contributes to a high quality living environment."

Studies have shown that a living environment lit predominantly with natural daylight improves people's sleep patterns, circadian rhythm and mental health. Healthcare providers overseas have also found exposure to daylight decreases length of stay in hospital, lessens agitation among dementia patients and helps to ease pain.* Solatube Daylighting Systems are also significantly more thermally efficient than traditional skylights so they do not allow heat loss in winter or heat gain in summer, so there is also a long-term cost benefit.

Peter Kerrigan, Metlifecare's Development Manager, says retirement villages will continue to use Solatube Daylighting Systems as they consistently produce great results.

"Metlifecare have been designing for daylight optimization in our villages for over 15 years. Solatube Daylighting Systems allow us to light up darker interior spaces, even the hard to reach spaces where traditional solutions won't work – such as internal bathrooms," says Peter. "Many new villages will be designed with them and when existing villages are upgraded they are likely to be retrofitted with Solatube Daylighting Systems."