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Moving Daylight

PENSACOLA, FLA. – Windows are a great way to bring light into the home, but unfortunately walls and doors stop that light from moving throughout the house. To continue daylight’s natural flow in the home, designer Sherry Mitchell, IIDA, recommends incorporating acrylic block panels, door inserts and partition walls throughout rooms in the house.

“Daylight adds energy and warmth to a home, so why stop it from penetrating the entire house?” says Mitchell. “I’ve specified Hy-Lite/U S Block Window acrylic block products for many projects when homeowners desire natural light in hallways and interior rooms. These lightweight products add a decorative style to the interior of the home while promoting the flow of light.”

In addition to brightening the interior of the home, moving daylight through the house can also help save on energy bills. The natural lighting coming into the home through energy-efficient windows can reduce the homeowner’s use of electric lights in the home’s interior, thus saving on energy costs.

Mitchell believes the addition of “positive diffused daylight” into the home can be achieved with acrylic block products that help reduce homeowner energy needs while also protecting the privacy of the home’s occupants. “You can have an acrylic block door insert in a home office that keeps the room private but allows the light to softly diffuse into the hallway,” says Mitchell. “I’ve also seen room dividers created out of acrylic block panels that provide a distinct barrier between the dining room and kitchen, but allows natural light to flow through.”

Lighting Up Commercial Projects
Moving daylight throughout commercial buildings can be more challenging than residential settings. However, many builders have discovered that incorporating acrylic block walls that create a “pass through” effect for natural sunlight can transform large,
cavernous offices.

In one unique project, Hollis Elliott, owner of Hollis Elliott Construction, “untrapped” light in a newly-built Cat Hospital in Oregon for veterinarian Dr. Elizabeth Colleran. “The light really flows from outside the building’s glass-front opening, through the desk and into the reception area creating a warm, comfortable feeling,” says Hollis. “In the examination rooms the Hy-Lite/U S Block Windows radius walls make the rooms feel bigger, lighter and more inviting. Overall, the acrylic products accomplished our goal of creating an openness to the building without being cost prohibitive or labor intensive to install.”

Hollis, who switched from heavy, individually mortared glass blocks to using acrylic blocks, installed three clear wave radius acrylic block walls in the Cat Hospital’s examination rooms that backed up to the waiting area. He also constructed a large reception desk in the lobby made of acrylic block units and a shorter radius wall. Response from the clients at the Cat Hospital? The setting is purrfect.

“We wanted some unique spaces with lots of light and privacy,” says Dr. Colleran. “The Hy-Lite radius walls from U S Block Windows fulfilled this need. This gives our entire office a very cohesive, contemporary look. Both my patients and their human owners seem comfortable in this setting."

Headquartered in Pensacola, Fla., Hy-Lite/U S Block Windows offers the widest selection of prefabricated privacy products in the industry. Product lines are offered under both the U S Block Windows and Hy-Lite Products brand names and include a variety of operable and fixed acrylic block and decorative glass windows. Additional product offerings include glass block windows along with an assortment of acrylic block shutters, accent panels, radius walls, partition walls, door inserts and shower kits. For more information visit www.hy-lite.com and www.usblockwindows.com or call 888-256-2599.
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