Lighting Design, Well-being and Educational Buildings

In this paper, lighting is discussed as one of the central parameters for improving the learning environment and the students’ academic performance. Since the early 70s, many studies have dealt with the influence that the specific features of natural and artificial lighting have on the well-being of students and teachers and on their cognitive performances at school and university during the activities of teaching and learning. In particular, these studies have investigated mood, mental performance, activity, alertness and cognitive functions along with the influence on psycho-physiological related behaviors and learning performances. This is a wide topic of study which ranges, through a variety of educational establishments, from early childhood nurseries and playrooms to university lecture rooms; all these studies focus on the stimulation of students to learn and interact and meanwhile on lowering energy use and maintenance costs.