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A sidebar to the feature article Biophilia in Practice:
Buildings that Connect People with Nature
A 10’-diameter (3 m) Luminous 360 SkyCeiling at the CyberKnife Radiosurgery Center of Iowa in Des Moines helps reduce stress among patients undergoing treatment.
When it’s not possible to put people in actual contact with nature, the next best thing may be to provide an illusion of nature that achieves similar calming benefits. For such applications, The Sky Factory, based in Fairfield, Iowa, has just the system: the luminous SkyCeiling™.
The SkyCeiling is a ceiling-mounted, backlit grid of translucent acrylic panels with high-resolution photographic transparencies mounted on a modular grid of aluminum extrusions that simulate skylight framing. Full-spectrum (6,000 Kelvin) fluorescent lamps above the SkyCeiling turn the system into a realistic view of the sky, often with some tree branches showing at the edges. “We convince the mind that there’s a real skylight up there,” company founder Bill Witherspoon told EBN. “Once the mind is convinced, it triggers a psychophysiological response . . . a powerful sense of ease and well-being.” He notes that this input can be received even through our peripheral vision; we do not have to be looking up at the ceiling to benefit from it.
Introduced in 2002, close to 2,000 SkyCeilings have been installed to date, with roughly 70% going into healthcare facilities, according to Witherspoon. “It’s kind of a no-brainer,” said Witherspoon. “We have people who are captive observers of ceilings, and they’re under tremendous stress.”
The benefits of such a view do come with an energy penalty. While the fluorescent lamps are high-efficacy T-5s, the translucent panels block a significant portion of the light. Just how much light is blocked depends on the photo; Witherspoon guesses 30% to 35%. The system uses one lamp (56 watts) for every 8 ft2 of luminous SkyCeiling, or 7 watts per ft2 (75 W/m2). “This is not considered sole-source lighting,” said Witherspoon.
The cost is about $95 per ft2 ($1,000/m2), not including installation, according to Witherspoon. For a typical 6’ x 8’ (1.8 x 2.4 m) system for a hospital laboratory room, the cost will be about $4,600, plus installation. Installation is straightforward and compatible with standard ceiling grids and standard wiring.
A relatively new feature is the integration of dimmable and programmable controls. Luminous SkyCeilings can be programmed to brighten and dim on a daily cycle and vary seasonally. This feature can be important in patient rooms, where the benefits of circadian rhythms are beginning to be understood.
The company also produces luminous Virtual Windows™ for walls. These are 1-3/4”-deep (44 mm), edge-lit, wall-mounted panels that look like clear windows looking out on attractive natural scenes. The Virtual Windows are commonly installed in pairs with some separation between, which helps to simulate binocular, three-dimensional vision.
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