The relationship between the environment and health may not always be simple or direct (Lindheim, 1983). The assumption used to be that diseases were caused solely by a direct exposure to pathogenic viruses or microbes. More recently researchers have suggested that diseases are the result of a triangular relationship between the person, the pathogenic agent (virus or microbe), and the environment in which the person lives (Dubos, 1965; Cassel, 1976; Audy Duan, 1974) (Figure 1 ). The physical, social, and economic environment can influence the level of resistance to a given pathogenic agent and, consequently, exacerbate or lessen health problems.
[...]... terraced and set back formations that opened to the sky and the sunlight for winter heating, while the upper edges of the towering cliffs provided shade during the hot summer (Figures 1.14, 1.15 and 1.16) 1.3 SUN-INFORMED ARCHITECTURE OF CLASSICAL GREECE In other times and other parts of the world, a similar understanding of the benefits of the natural environment can be 15 16 Daylighting, Architecture and. .. associations were found between performance in the workplace and daylighting Although health and psychological benefits may become apparent only in the long term, they are nonetheless factual and should be taken into consideration Some experts Introduction 7 suggest that the case for daylighting would resonate more strongly if its health and psychological benefits were put at the forefront of the argument... solar principles according to their own environmental and geographical contexts and according to their own knowledge and belief systems Primitive human beings were primarily concerned with food and shelter and the imperatives of climate Caves were used as dwellings and provided protection from the enemy and the harsh weather Our interface with the sun and the natural environment can be traced throughout... history, sometimes on a mystical or religious level and sometimes more concretely in stone walls and built structures 1.1 THE SUN GOD The many points of light that fill the night sky have always mystified human beings, spurring feelings of wonder and 1 10 Daylighting, Architecture and Health: Building Design Strategies reverence For the Babylonians and many other civilizations, the symbol for God was... chimneys and doorways punctuating the hills (Figure 1.10), the cliff dwellings in the Dogon territory in Mali (Figure 1.11), 13 14 Daylighting, Architecture and Health: Building Design Strategies Figure 1.4 Machu Picchu, with building walls primarily facing east and south to capture and store the heat (courtesy of James P Warfield) the whitewashed houses hanging on the hills of the Greek island of Santorini... City (courtesy of Dreamstime) 4 Daylighting, Architecture and Health: Building Design Strategies between ourselves and the natural environment Modern socioeconomic forces require us to live and work in urban centers, and we often need to make a special trip, a separate experience from our daily lives, in order to come into contact with nature In the United States, and indeed in many places around... evaluations and surveys of office buildings indicate that workers prefer environments that have windows compared with those that don’t We feel energized, cheerful, and in a better mood when the sun is shining, but we feel grim, even depressed, during wintry or cloudy days We often add skylights to our homes just to 6 Daylighting, Architecture and Health: Building Design Strategies have more natural light Daylighting. .. carved architecture in accordance with their needs to survive wars and predators but also to be in harmony with the environment in which they lived Their awareness of the bounties of the sun was omnipresent They selected sites for their habitat and places of worship, shaped their dwellings and carved openings within their walls and sunken courtyards to optimize solar exposure and provide heat, cool and. .. ventilation, poor acoustics, and the presence of asbestos Biological contamination is also of concern For example, lack of sunlight combined with high humidity can trigger the formation of mold and mildew spores, airborne contaminants that may lead to 2 Daylighting, Architecture and Health: Building Design Strategies respiratory diseases Some symptoms of SBS may be acute and easily treatable; others... of heat, the Greeks believed the sun fostered good health The playwright Aeschylus believed that only ‘barbarians’ and ‘primitives’ lived in caves and places devoid of sunlight In Promethius Bound, he wrote: Though they had eyes to see, they saw to no avail; they had ears, but understood not … They lacked knowledge 21 22 Daylighting, Architecture and Health: Building Design Strategies Figure 1.15 Terraced . class="bi x0 y0 w0 h0" alt="" Daylighting, Architecture and Health Building Design Strategies This page intentionally left blank Daylighting, Architecture and Health Building Design Strategies Mohamed. and health 63 4.1 Sunlight and vitamin D 63 4.2 Sunlight and hypovitaminosis D 66 4.3 Bone disease and the role of sunlight and vitamin D 68 4.4 Heart diseases and the role of sunlight and. Multiple sclerosis and the role of sunlight and vitamin D 70 4.6 Cancer and the role of sunlight and vitamin D 71 4.7 Sunlight and diabetes 77 4.8 Windows and stress 77 4.9 Health and spectral