Daylighting has always been about more than lumens. At its best, it shapes how a space feels—how occupants experience time, comfort, and connection to the natural world. The challenge has always been execution: getting quality daylight deep into an interior without glare, without visual fatigue, and without compromising the design intent.
Solatube’s 2026 product updates address exactly that challenge. After attending Solatube’s National Sales Meeting in San Diego this February, our team returned with hands-on exposure to two innovations that we believe will meaningfully expand what’s possible for architects and specifiers working across our region.
Here’s what you need to know.
SoftLight Infinity Tube: Solving Glare at the Source
Glare has long been the friction point in daylighting conversations. A space can be perfectly daylit by the numbers and still feel harsh, uncomfortable, or visually distracting—particularly in environments where occupants spend extended time: classrooms, open offices, healthcare facilities, corridors.
The SoftLight Infinity Tube is Solatube’s direct response to that problem. Rather than delivering daylight as a concentrated, high-contrast point source at the diffuser, the SoftLight system redistributes and diffuses light more evenly before it enters the space. The effect is a calmer, more ambient quality of illumination—one that reads as natural without the visual discomfort that can accompany direct daylighting.
For environments where occupant wellbeing is a design priority—and increasingly, that’s most projects—this matters. Reduced visual fatigue means better focus in educational settings, improved comfort in clinical environments, and a more productive atmosphere in workplaces. The light doesn’t draw attention to itself. It simply makes the space better.
Specifiers who have historically been cautious about daylighting due to glare concerns now have a more compelling solution to put in front of clients and end users.
OptiView with Fresnel Lens: Daylighting That Communicates Place
The return of the Fresnel lens option within Solatube’s OptiView system addresses a different but equally important dimension of daylighting quality: biophilic connection.
Most daylighting systems deliver light. The Fresnel lens option within OptiView does something more nuanced—it allows blue sky tones to appear subtly within the diffuser itself. The result is a visible reference to the sky above, even in fully interior spaces. Occupants don’t just receive daylight; they perceive a connection to the outdoors and, by extension, to time of day and environmental conditions.
This isn’t a cosmetic feature. Biophilic design research consistently links perceived connection to natural environments with improved mood, reduced stress, and better circadian rhythm alignment. For wellness-driven projects—healthcare facilities, educational buildings, workplace interiors targeting WELL certification or similar frameworks—this kind of intentional detail can be a meaningful differentiator.
It’s also worth noting the design opportunity: a diffuser that visually communicates sky conditions adds a layer of experiential richness that purely functional lighting simply cannot provide.
The Bigger Picture: Daylighting as a Design Narrative
What these two innovations share is a common premise: that daylighting’s value proposition has expanded well beyond energy performance.
Energy savings remain real and relevant. But the conversation with clients and end users has shifted. Today’s specifiers are being asked to address occupant experience, wellness outcomes, and the qualitative character of interior environments in ways that weren’t prioritized a decade ago. Daylighting—done well—speaks directly to all of those priorities.
Solatube’s 2026 lineup reflects that shift. And for projects across Colorado, Wyoming, New Mexico, and West Texas, Powers Products is positioned to help you integrate these systems from the earliest stages of design.
Start with Design Assist
Our daylighting team engages early—providing daylighting studies, system selection guidance, and detailing support to make sure the solution performs as designed, from schematic through construction. If you’re specifying daylighting on a current or upcoming project, reach out to discuss what’s possible.