The advent of

Daylighting – the use of natural light to illuminate a building – has come into its own as designers learn how to take advantage of the suns benefits while minimising the drawbacks.

Such assertions are made in online resource Glass On Web, which notes that renewed emphasis has been placed in sustainable building and Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design certification.

The website explains that good daylighting provides a diffused, even spread of light to all rooms in a building, whether they have external windows and sky lights or not.

"From jails to shopping malls, nearly every human environment benefits when the element of natural lighting is introduced. Morale, productivity, concentration and health all show signs of improvement," it is noted.

Meanwhile, the Times recently reported that Jacques Herzog and Pierre de Meuron – the designers of the new Olympic stadium in Beijing – hope that their glass edifice will embody notions such as freedom.