St. Landry democrat. (Opelousas, La.) 1878-1894, 1888-07-14
LIGHTING OF HOUSES.

LIGHTING OF HOUSES.
Have the Bedroom Windows So AS to Re-
ceive the Sunlight.
That a healthy room is usually, II
not always, light room, and that
there is some connection between dark
ness and disease, in addition to the tact
that both words begin with the same
letter and that they therefore sound
well together, are generally admitted.
When, however, we come to consider
the principles or rules which either DO
Or should guide the architect IN his
plans for either natural or artificial
illumination, it will BE found
that they are rather empirical
and are not always or even
frequently followed. M. Trelat's def
milton of well-lighted room is that 1t
is one in which light has been intro
duced in sufficient quantity and has
been so distributed that objects in any
part of it are clearly seen without
special effort. This is much too vague
poses. Must we require that a room
shall be so light that one can in any
part of it without trouble see clearly
the eye of fine cambria needle? That
might be proper requirement In
watch factory, but is unnecessary to
demand it in living rooms.
On the other hand, it seems prob
able that to keep a living room healthy
it needs not only the diffused light OF
day, but the entrance of the direct
| rays of the sun-that is, we want sum
ming as we'll as lighting. If we have
an isolated house in this latitude, its
east, west and south sides will be well
summed, while it's north side will not.
| For such a house the rules for window
height and area, from sanitary point
| of view, are that for rooms having
windows upon but one side the areaof
the openings should be at least one
wall in which they are placed and the
distance from the window to the OPP
| posite wall should not be more than
| one and one-half times the height OF
the top of the window from the floor.
If we speak Of houses in a city we have
to take into consideration the shadows
cast by other houses and the width
of the street in its relation to
the height of the houses upon
it. The theoretical rule is that the
height of buildings on a street should
never exceed one and a half times
the width of the street. Although, as
stated above, the north side of the
| house is less summed, yet north win
dows give q very agreeable light.
They are preferred by those who work
| Immediately in front of windows. as
microscopes, draughtsmen, ETC., and
are strongly recommended for the main
source of lighting of school rooms,
| though in this case they should al
ways be supplemented by windows in
| the east Or west walls. For bedrooms
south windows are preferable.
In the lighting of school rooms the
chief point as to direction is that the
| principal light should come from the
| left of the scholars, and that they
should never face the light. So long
as these rules are observed there can
not be too much light in school room
and there need be no fear about cross
| lights unless the room is to be used
as drawing school, and even then it
| is easy enough to cut off
the light from one side. In
living rooms, and more especially
in drawing-rooms and parlors, the full
benefit of the windows is, as rule, not
obtained. They are more Or less OBJ
| scured with curtains and draperies
which are SO arranged as to cut off
precisely that part of the window
which is most important for illuminat-
ing purposes the top. Careful
housekeepers do not want sunlight in
their parlors, and SO long as this is the
case, it is probable that they will not
have it, sanitary reformers to the con-
! trary notwithstanding In planning
dwelling, therefore, we should try to
give the windows of the bedrooms such
! an aspect that they will receive the
sunlight, and the same should be done
for the room which is to be the chief
sitting and living room, while the
apartments of state can do very well
without much natural illumination. :
Engineering and Building Record.
|