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the importance of office lighting
Source: www.fmxmagazine.co.uk
We clock up many hours sitting in offices, but how often do we take the time to consider the processes that go into creating the environment around us? asks Dave Warburton
A great many people have said a great many things about the reasons why office lighting is so important, but for me one quote sums it up perfectly. ‘What is the single most important thing for a company? Is it the building? Is it the stock? Is it the turnover? It’s the people, investment in people...’ The fact that this quote comes from Ricky Gervais’ officious alter ego, David Brent, is neither here nor there because it hits the nail firmly on the head. The most important elements of any office are the people in it. Therefore, the key aim when planning any office is to deliver an environment that is as conducive to the wellbeing and productivity of the staff who will occupy it as to the image it gives of the company.
The Chartered Institute of Building Service Engineers (CIBSE) LG7: Office lighting states: ‘We should aim for a scheme that not only provides the required light levels for each task but also provides an interesting and stimulating lit environment for people to work in.’ So with the desired result known, the question is how to design a lighting system that delivers an uplifting environment for staff.
A significant number of factors, covering everything from technical specifications through to aesthetic styling, needs to be considered. CIBSE provides invaluable guidance in this process thanks to LG3: Addendum 2001, the visual environment for display screen use, and the above-mentioned LG7. Both of these guideline documents aim to direct the designer towards best practice and the ultimate creation of enhanced lighting environments across different commercial settings.
Of course, every office project throws up different challenges and so it’s important to break the process down into different elements in order to ensure the correct path is being followed. This task is helped by the CIBSE guidelines, which highlight three vital areas of lighting design – technical specifications, maintenance and aesthetic aspirations.
From a technical point of view, the different illumination targets need to be identified and the type of lamps and means of control decided in order to ensure the system has the functionality to do the job. Maintenance concerns cover everything from the ease of cleaning through to the replacement of lamps; particularly important when you consider that certain systems are being designed with a projected lifespan in excess of 20 years.
Finally, the aesthetic aspirations tend to focus on the visual impact of the system, both in terms of the appearance of the fittings and the way they distribute light.
No uniform solution
A positive effect of this three-tiered approach is that it helps to underscore the fact that office lighting is not about providing uniform levels of light across an entire space, but rather the provision of uniform lighting for different task areas.
This is crucial in shaping the ideal office lighting solution. A standard office will have a variety of different areas that are used for different tasks. There will be everything from meeting rooms to receptions and workstation areas where staff will be based for the greater part of their working days. Clearly, different areas have different lighting requirements, and so need to be treated separately.
Take the workstation area as an example. In the past, lighting systems were based on the horizontal plane, which led to row upon row of lamps – generally fluorescent tubes – which created uniform and thoroughly uninspiring working environments.
This began to change with the increasing frequency of computer usage, which resulted in the development of LG3 in 1989. Aimed primarily at reducing the glare on these formative VDUs, which tended to have light text on a dark background, the guide was based on a complex formula of luminance levels and lighting angles and resulted in the creation of categorised lighting solutions. Unfortunately, there was a major downside to this development – it created gloomy, cave-like interiors.
Vertical surfaces
A 2001 addendum to LG3 helped resolve the issue by shifting the focus from lighting the horizontal plane to lighting vertical surfaces. What this meant in practice was that down-lighting, which created these oppressive spaces, was replaced by a three-dimensional approach that resulted in a greater percentage of light being thrown on to ceilings and walls.
From a lighting designer’s point of view this was one of the most keenly anticipated developments in the office sector, as it provided the scope to create the kind of visually interesting and stimulating environments that are conducive to staff wellbeing and productivity.
As a result, the last few years have seen a proliferation of new developments and trends in office lighting. Key among these has been the rapid increase in technologies that replicate natural light, developments based on the recognition that, due to the body’s natural circadian rhythms, human beings function better in daylight conditions.
This understanding of the relationship between human functionality and natural light has led to great improvements in the amount of daylight allowed into new buildings, and when tied in with the emergence of advanced solar and daylight-linked control systems, the transformation is truly staggering. However, not all buildings are geared up to maximising daylight and there are large numbers of properties where employees are still cut off from natural light for extensive periods. This is where new lighting technology can play its part.
Where previously the trend was for warmer white fluorescents, lighting designers are now putting an increasing emphasis on cooler, daylight temperatures and, in some cases, are adding more blue to the mix simply to better recreate natural light and provide employees with the benefits it is known to bring.
Perhaps the most exciting development in this area has been the emergence of daylight-simulation systems, allowing light levels to change as the day progresses. Operated from a central control system, different-temperature white fluorescent tubes or LEDs combine at varying levels of output to change the lighting from cool to warm white throughout the course of the day in order to reflect the changing quality of daylight outside. Some systems will even mimic the effect of a cloud passing across the sun, recreating another of the dynamic qualities of natural light.
Of course, an office lighting system doesn’t need to be this technologically advanced in order to do its job effectively. Rather, it needs to be well planned and well designed. And when you consider just how light, airy and interesting any space can be made to appear with the intelligent use of lighting, it’s certainly worth ensuring time is spent making the most of it.
For further information
Dave Warburton is senior product marketing manager for Havells Sylvania, global designer and supplier of lighting systems. For further information on Havells Sylvania’s products and services, visit www.havells-sylvania.com or call 0870 606 2030.
For more information on the CIBSE lighting guides go to www.cibse.org
