Natural Light, Pure Comfort

Natural light is a key element in ensuring a good level of well-being and comfort in the home.
Well-designed windows can transform any room in the home, making it brighter, cosier and more spacious. This article explains how window profiles can contribute to a brighter home.
Why greater natural brightness is so important
When planning the construction or renovation of a home, it is essential not to neglect any of those elements that contribute to more natural light entering the house.
Natural light certainly has a very high aesthetic value: it immediately makes the house more comfortable, ‘warm’ and pleasant to live in. Rooms that are too dark and with windows that do not allow easy access to the outside are certainly less welcoming. But the advantages of a house with more natural brightness are certainly twofold.
Positive effects on psychophysical well-being and living comfort
Numerous studies have now sampled how natural light has beneficial effects on those who regularly expose themselves to it.
Some of these effects are:

• improved mood and reduced stress: natural light stimulates the production of serotonin, the ‘feel-good hormone’. Living in well-lit rooms helps one feel more energetic and relaxed, reducing stress and the risk of depressive states;
• regulation of the circadian rhythm: exposure to natural light even in the home is essential to keep the sleep-wake cycle in balance. Well-lit rooms during the day promote deeper, more restorative sleep at night;
• increased productivity and concentration: natural light reduces visual and mental fatigue, making it easier to perform those activities that require concentration and attention. For this reason, it is important to ensure a high level of natural light intake in environments where people study and work, such as home offices but especially offices;
• well-being for physical health: Natural light is the main source of vitamin D, which is essential for strengthening bones and the immune system, as well as giving the body a general feeling of well-being.

Improving efficient energy use

In addition to the psychophysical benefits, a room well-lit by natural light also provides another very important advantage from the point of view of practicality and efficient energy use.
In fact, windows that allow in more natural light reduce the need to use artificial lights to illuminate rooms during the day. This leads to greater energy savings, as less electricity is needed to light the rooms.

Installing thin profile windows that maximise the entry of natural light

When it comes to the entry of natural light into the home, windows play a fundamental role. They must therefore be chosen carefully to ensure greater psychophysical well-being and efficient energy use.
The window is usually made of two materials:

• what is used to make the frame and structure of the window (the most common are aluminium, wood and PVC);
• glass, the main transparent material responsible for the entry of natural light into the home.

It goes without saying that, in order to maximise natural brightness, care must be taken to achieve the largest possible glass surfaces. This can be achieved by choosing windows and doors that have very thin frame profiles, so that the majority of the window element consists of glass.
This will allow more sunlight to enter the house during the day, favouring those advantages seen earlier in the article, but not only. In fact, windows with thin profiles are also extremely more pleasant because they increase the perception of a greater correlation between internal and external environments, providing a wider and less fragmented view of what is outside the window.
This allows a sharper and more uncluttered view, thus enhancing the occupants’ psychophysical well-being and living comfort.
In addition, windows with thin profiles allow natural light to enter the house in a diffuse, even and homogenous manner. Thus, annoying contrasts between areas of the room that are too bright and others that are too dark are avoided. This again benefits residents by reducing visual fatigue and promoting an overall sense of comfort.

Thin aluminium window profiles

Looking for windows with slim profiles is therefore the aim of those who want to maximise the entry of natural light into the home. From this point of view, the material of choice for windows and doors is undoubtedly aluminium.
Aluminium is a material that, due to its extraordinary resistance to atmospheric agents, remains very light, flexible and versatile. This makes it possible to create aluminium windows with very slim frame profiles and slender lines. Thanks to the mechanical resistance typical of this material, aluminium windows can also be very wide, because aluminium is able to support large glass surfaces even with such thin and light profiles. It is no coincidence that aluminium is the material mainly used in curtain walls1.
In other words, the thin aluminium profiles create the feeling that the window almost seems to ‘disappear’, emphasising the external view and promoting maximum natural lighting. All this, of course, without compromising steadiness or thermic insulation or soundproofing.

Thin aluminium profile windows: sustainability, value and aesthetics

Installing aluminium windows with thin profiles is a real investment for one’s home, a smart choice for living in a more comfortable environment.
One can consider this investment from three points of view:

• reducing the ecological footprint: as seen above, more natural lighting promotes energy savings. But consuming less energy for lighting also means producing fewer CO2 emissions, thus achieving a home that is environmentally sustainable from a point of view;
• added value of the property: modern, high-performance windows and doors with slim profiles fit perfectly into houses designed to make the most of natural light. Houses of this type are immediately more attractive on the market, increasing the overall value of the property when sold;
• aesthetics and design: aluminium windows and doors minimalist windows and doors with thin profiles are true , ideal for an increasingly popular furnishing trend. In a minimalist home, thin window profiles contribute to creating environments characterised by concepts of harmony, balance and elegance.

Elements to be combined for maximum efficiency and brightness

Maximising the glazed surface without sacrificing strength or insulation, aluminium windows with thin profiles are the ideal result of combining functionality and design. In order to maximise the entry of natural light into the home, they can be placed beside other elements that are effective for this very purpose.
One of them is definitely glass. There are many types of glass to choose from for windows, but in the case of natural light entry, one can opt for the latest generation of glass, such as low-emissivity and sunlight-controlled glass. Maintaining their transparency, they guarantee light transmission but filter out harmful UV rays; this helps maintain an ideal micro-climate inside the house (reducing, for example, the ‘greenhouse effect’ typical of warmer seasons) and improve the well-being of tenants.
The window system itself can then be combined with effective shading and shading systems, sometimes even integrated directly with windows and doors. Some of these systems, such as high-performance aluminium sunblades, make it possible to modulate the intensity of light during the day, preventing rooms from overheating.

Aluminium windows with thin METRA Building profiles

Customising window profiles is not just a matter of aesthetics, but an opportunity to improve living comfort by increasing the brightness of rooms. Thanks to aluminium windows and doors and their strong yet subtle profiles, light becomes the real protagonist, transforming every space into a welcoming and pleasant place to live.
In order to increase the effect of communication effect between the interior and the exterior, thanks to the properties of aluminium METRA Building also offers windows of large dimensions, so as to increase the glazed surface without compromising the steadiness and essential functions of the window.
In addition, visual tricks can also be useful, for example applying light colours to the window and door frames to make the window look larger than it is. From this point of view, aluminium can be customised with a wide range of colours and finishes to meet any aesthetic and design requirement. The slender profiles of aluminium windows instantly make any room look more refined and contemporary, thanks to their ‘clean’ and essential lines. They are therefore perfect for houses furnished in a modern, minimalist or industrial style; but with the right adjustments, they can adapt to any architectural style.
Not to be forgotten, METRA Building aluminium windows have many other properties, thanks to all the advantages this extraordinary material brings. In fact, aluminium is a resistant material that makes the house safer and does not corrode or change shape over time. It lasts twice as long as PVC and wood; thanks to its thermal break, it provides high thermic insulation (and also soundproofing) for maximum tenant comfort and proven energy efficiency.
Finally, it is non-toxic and 100% recyclable for an infinite number of times, making it ideal for anyone who cares about living in eco-sustainable homes.