VISTA, CALIF. — With one of the largest single-building daylighting installations on record, Bal Seal Engineering has incorporated 436 Solatube Daylighting Systems into its new 155,000-square-foot facility in Colorado Springs, Colo. The Solatube units are installed in the company’s offices, common areas and manufacturing spaces, providing its 250-plus employees with abundant natural light in the working environment. Bal Seal, a technology manufacturer with offices worldwide, also included amenities such as a picnic area, playground, fitness trail and park, as well as purified air throughout the facility. According to architect Gregory M. Friesen, FAIA, with CSMA Architects, several principles served as the foundation for all design and engineering decisions made on the Bal Seal Engineering project: Equality, Transparency, and Flexibility. The principle of Equality included a focus on health and comfort: clean air, an acoustic environment, outdoor views for everyone and natural lighting. “Solatube Daylighting Systems were used to bring natural light into all parts of the building—offices, conference rooms, restrooms, storage rooms, even technology equipment closets—since to provide natural lighting for everyone it must be introduced wherever people work. The experience of interior spaces flooded with natural lighting was at first surprising, and then it matured into awe over how dramatic the difference was between artificial and natural light,” Friesen said. “Use of Solatube units throughout the Bal Seal Engineering building has not just raised the bar for workplace expectations but raised the standard for this type of facility. It has affected recruitment in a positive way: All things being equal, given the choice between an employment offer to work every day in a cave lit by artificial light, or an environment focused on health and comfort drenched with natural light from the Solatube units…that’s an easy choice to make.” About Bal Seal Engineering Founded in 1958. Bal Seal Engineering, Inc., is a global provider of custom-engineered sealing, connecting, conducting and EMI shielding solutions for industry worldwide. The company’s products employ unique Bal Seal Canted Coil Spring® technology for enhanced equipment performance and reliability. For more information about Bal Seal products and services, visit www.balseal.com. About Solatube International Solatube International, Inc., widely recognized as the daylighting industry innovator, has earned worldwide acclaim for its unrivaled ability to transform interior spaces with natural light. Based in California, the company is the leading manufacturer and marketer of tubular daylighting devices (TDDs) for all types of residential and commercial applications, and it continues to innovate with groundbreaking products that increase energy efficiency and light output, such as the award-winning Smart LED System and the high output SkyVault Series. For more information about the company and its related products, visit www.solatube.com or call 888-SOLATUBE.