Architects 4: 15 Years of Predictable Daylight

The Daylighting System Architects Stop Guessing About

For more than 15 years, Architects 4 has returned to the same daylighting-and-modelling approach across schools, a university library, and a corporate office. The reason is not brand loyalty. It is predictable, usable daylight in the places where conventional glass would create glare.

Portfolio Details Architecture Firm Architects 4 Region Atlantic Canada Relationship 15+ years of repeat specification Featured Projects Schools, university library, corporate office Daylighting Solera® with daylight modelling Applications Gymnasium, cafeterias, upper lights, high windows Approach Vision glass for views; Solera® where controlled daylight matters most

Crandall University: the featured library project in Architects 4’s long-running daylighting portfolio.

The Challenge: Daylight Can Still Be a Liability

Architects are often asked to make interiors bright, connected, and comfortable. But a large opening can also introduce direct sun, glare, excessive contrast, and heat gain. When occupants respond by lowering blinds, the building loses the daylight it was designed to provide—and the architect inherits the performance problem.

The Alternative: Design the Light Before You Build

The team did not treat Solera® as a stand-alone material decision. They paired the product with daylight modelling to evaluate veil combinations and visible light transmittance before construction. That made daylight performance something the team could see, discuss, and tune—not a surprise to solve after occupancy.

Featured Proof: Crandall University

At Crandall University, the portfolio approach is visible in a higher-education setting. Vision glass provides connection and views where they matter, while Solera® upper lights are used to moderate the strong summer sun entering through the large exterior wall.

Crandall University’s daylit student lounge and atrium.

Views Where They Matter. Controlled Daylight Where They Do Not. This is the central decision behind the Architects 4 approach. A space does not have to choose between a clear connection to the outside and a comfortable interior. The right mix assigns vision glass and daylight diffusion to the locations where each makes the building work better.

Four Projects, One Repeatable Approach

Over time, Architects 4 applied the same strategy in different building types. The technical question changed with the space, but the principle stayed the same: use daylight where it improves the environment, and control it before it becomes a problem.

Proof in the Gymnasium and the School Day

At École St. Thérèse, the original question was direct: bring daylight into the gymnasium without blinding players. The completed space demonstrates why that level of control matters in active environments, where a bright room still has to remain easy to use.

École St. Thérèse gymnasium: a bright activity space designed to avoid the direct-sun distraction players do not need.

A bright learning environment inside the school.

The approach also carried into the cafeterias at École le Galion and École Arc-en-ciel, where the objective was even, deep light distribution without dark areas or harsh visual contrast.

École le Galion des Appalaches: one of the primary-school projects in the Architects 4 portfolio.

Vision Glass Has a Job. So Does Solera®.

Architects 4’s experience demonstrates that the better decision is rarely all one material. Vision glass belongs where people need a clear view. Solera® belongs where direct sunlight creates a glare problem and no view is required—especially in high windows, clerestories, and skylights.

The Result: Confidence That Carries Forward

A repeat relationship is the strongest proof of performance. For Architects 4, each project reinforced the same lesson: when daylight is modelled, controlled, and assigned to the right opening, the design team can deliver bright spaces without asking occupants to manage glare after the fact.