Daylighting in older people's housing: Barriers to compliance with current UK guidance

This work identifies barriers to compliance with current UK guidance on daylighting in the design of extra-care housing which provides older occupants with self-contained dwellings and access to communal facilities and care. Secondary analysis was made of data from a survey of 165 dwellings in 23 extra-care housing schemes in England. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 20 people involved in the design of extra-care housing. Findings suggest that financial constraints limit the feasibility of providing dual aspect dwellings and windows for every room. Architects' reluctance to undertake daylight factor calculations, and the need to reduce window size to prevent solar gain, meet planning requirements and minimise construction costs, could explain why some surveyed schemes did not comply with daylight factor recommendations.