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What Students Actually Think About the Daylighting in Their Architecture School

Architects work with building owners to design great buildings for building occupants and communities. But here’s the challenge: it’s rare for architects to get feedback on the impact their design decisions have on the building occupants. We don’t often get to hear from the people who actually live, work, and study in the spaces we create.

Back in 2018, Laurentian University opened its new 55,000 sq. ft. building, McEwen School of Architecture, located in Northeastern Ontario, in the charming city of Sudbury, Ontario, Canada. It made its mark as Canada’s first new school of architecture in over 40 years—and it’s been a resounding success.

Daylighting studies in education facilities show natural daylight creates successful learning environments contributing to increased academic performance by up to 20%. Laurentian University and LGA Architectural Partners recognized the importance of including natural daylight in the building, and students have been reaping the rewards of their decision ever since.

We were fortunate to catch up with McEwen Architecture graduate Alexander Mayhew, who gave us feedback about the learning space and the impact of one element of the design: natural daylight.

The Design Challenge: Industrial Feel + Optimal Daylighting

LGA Architectural Partners worked with the university on the design, wanting to create an industrial feel of Canadian elements including cross-laminated timber, steel, concrete, and daylight. Integrating the new building seamlessly into the existing campus also included the significant renovation of two heritage buildings.

The Student Perspective: “No Matter Where You Decided to Work”

Alexander Mayhew, a graduate from McEwen School of Architecture’s Bachelor of Architecture Studies in 2018, was there during construction and transition into the new space when the building opened. The studio and library expansion opened in Alexander’s 3rd year of study in Fall 2016.

The studio building is home to 400 students enrolled in the bachelor and master of architecture programs. Learning and studying in a variety of classroom types and moving from an older space to a brand-new learning space, Alexander noted something unique about the new school expansion.

The biggest change he noticed in the several-story curtain wall design was consistent daylight. “The interconnected floor space allowed more daylight to enter into our learning environments and provides more continuous daylighting throughout the day,” says Alexander.

The Critique Space: Solera® + Vision Glass

The expansion features a student lounge at the bottom level, administration offices, a large gathering space with a hearth and heart of the school common to indigenous teaching.

The critique space on the northwestern corner of the campus is a sunken-in environment with step-seating surrounded by a mix of diffuse natural daylight from Solera® and view from vision glass.

This creates an inviting and comfortable “space for students, staff, and the community to hold academic presentations, lectures, conferences, and social gatherings including maker-markets, a range of performances, and events including a school dinner-dance,” continues Alexander.

The Lantern Effect: A Glowing Beacon at Night

Often the public walking along Elm Street will stop and watch activities going on within the school. At night, the Solera® creates a glowing lantern effect, showing the liveliness of the studio building as the Solera® glass units become a translucent glowing beacon.

The Takeaway: Occupants Notice (And They Care)

Laurentian University’s School of Architecture and LGA recognized the importance of including natural daylight in the building, and occupants are experiencing the positive impacts of their decision—with students finally graduating from their six-year study just last year.

Considering the occupants, and the impact your designs have on their day-to-day activities in your project is important, because they do care.

The McEwen School of Architecture Success Formula:

✓ **55,000 sq ft** new building + heritage building renovations
✓ **Canada’s First New Architecture School in 40+ Years**
✓ **400 Students** in bachelor and master programs
✓ **Industrial Canadian Elements:** Cross-laminated timber, steel, concrete, daylight
✓ **Solera® Curtain Wall System:** Innovative light diffusion properties
✓ **Daylight Modeling:** AGL consultation to select right solution
✓ **No Harsh Western Glare:** Optimal conditions for reading, drawing, 3D modeling
✓ **Consistent Daylight:** Well-distributed throughout the day
✓ **Interconnected Floor Space:** More continuous daylighting
✓ **Critique Space:** Mix of Solera® diffuse light + vision glass views
✓ **Lantern Effect:** Glowing translucent beacon at night
✓ **Student Validation:** “No matter where you decided to work” = optimal conditions
✓ **Up to 20% Academic Performance Increase** with natural daylight