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Case Study : Madison Fire Station # 14
For example , a fire station is , first and foremost , a civic structure . It also doubles as a workspace , home base , gym , indoor training facility and even a public polling place . When designing Madison , Wis .’ s largest fire station , the design team was tasked with addressing each of these program uses while meeting the city ’ s requirement for low energy use . Station # 14 also had to accommodate a specific site orientation for fire trucks leaving the station , which required the main façade to face west . City engineers and the architecture team wanted to introduce a glass wall for daylighting but were concerned about controlling solar heat gain and glare .
Their solution was 2630 square feet of Kingspan Light + Air ’ s UniQuad ® translucent wall panel system . This system allows for the controlled diffusion of natural light , mitigating glare and reducing solar heat gain . Combined with shading , glazing and canopy systems , it ensures the right amount of daylight enters the space , promoting mental well-being despite the challenging orientation .
Given that firefighters are three times more likely to die by suicide than in the line of duty and one in five struggles with behavioral health issues , access and exposure to interior daylight in the fire station may serve as a positive influence on firefighter emotional health .
Cognitive function and productivity
Daylight-filled environments not only boost mood but also enhance cognitive function and productivity . This is because when employees are fulfilled in their workplace environment , they are more engaged , produce higher-quality individual work and are much happier in general , which creates a more efficient and productive workforce .
For example , a Future Workplace poll for the Harvard Business Review surveyed 1614 North American employees and found that over a third of employees feel they don ’ t get enough natural daylight in their workspace . Furthermore , about 47 percent of employees admit they feel tired or very tired from the absence of natural daylight or a window at
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