Better Lighting – Lighting by applications

Applications

Office

During the working day, lighting supports employees in their work. The visual, biological and emotional effects of lighting should be considered. Modern lighting concepts make working easier: good lighting increases concentration, reduces fatigue, and is bright enough for all visual tasks, including tasks performed by aging employees. The minimum value for brightness at eye level should be met by a sufficient vertical lighting level. Higher lighting levels and the right spectrum composition help to maintain the performance for a longer period of time. A study by the real estate company CBRE in offices showed an improvement of 12% in task performance with circadian lighting (Healthy Offices, 2017).

Did you know?

Going outside for a short, 15-minute walk helps beat post-lunch laziness.

Even on a cloudy day, you can get up to 10,000 lux when outside, whereas in an office you will typically only get 500 lux.

Case Studies

Lighting quality: Visual, emotional and biological

Professional lighting design today encompasses three critical dimensions of lighting quality:

Visual Quality: High-quality lighting is crucial for clear vision and the accurate recognition of visual tasks. It enhances visual performance and significantly improves visual comfort.
Emotional Quality: Both daylight and artificial lighting play a vital role in shaping the ambience of architectural spaces and work environments. Proper lighting creates a welcoming atmosphere and fosters a sense of well-being.
Biological Quality: Light is essential for synchronizing human biorhythms, regulating sleep-wake cycles, and has a profound impact on health and performance.

AHMM Office, London. Photo: Martina Ferrera. ERCO

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Visual quality: Task lights at the desk can be dimmed individually.

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Emotional quality: The uniformly illuminated wall compensates for the lack of windows in the underground office space.

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Biological quality: Indirect lighting can be adjusted to daylight colour temperature from skylight.

Modulating lighting levels and vertical illuminance for a bright appearance

The lighting is designed to meet the various and changing visual needs of the people in the space. The lighting therefore creates a dynamic experience through modulating lighting levels and focuses on creating uniform lighting levels only where needed.

Wherever appropriate, the lighting levels are reduced to a minimum to create a perceptual pause and thus allowing for the areas with higher lighting levels to be highlighted without need for excessive illuminance. This also makes the space more visually appealing, and less tiring and dull.

All lighting fixtures are chosen and placed with a particular task in mind, thus eliminating the element of random light that only adds to the electrical bill without creating any form of value.

ÅF, Malmö, Sweden. Project by ÅF Lighting. Photo: Ulf Celender

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High uniformity and the right amount of illuminance on the assigned working plane.

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Individual task lighting, enabling personalised lighting levels.

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Spotlights on pictures between windows: highlighting the photos and adding colour to the appearance, creating a softer appearance of the luminant windows - daylight and electric light in harmony.

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All lighting fixtures offer: - a high level of visual comfort, free from unwanted glare. - an excellent colour rendering.

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Vertical illuminance on the back wall, creating a bright appearance.

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Greatly reduced amount of lighting solely intended to illuminate the floor.

Flexibility: Adjustable light of changing offices

Contemporary office work is no longer bound to specific locations and times, due to the digital networking of data and communication. Interior design responds to this transition by designing modern offices as hybrid spaces, and a combination of traditional office structures and comfortable atmospheres promotes collaborative work. Illuminated screens and both horizontal and vertical display surfaces move the focus and office lighting moves away from pure workstation lighting to differentiated architectural lighting with high visual comfort that assumes a variety of functions with a flexible infrastructure for lighting which can easily be changed.

Flexible solution with adjustable luminaires. USM. Bühl, Germany. Photo: David Schreyer. ERCO

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Differentiated lighting, with lighting accents and contrasts, is useful for informal meeting areas.

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Luminaires can be flexibly positioned for changing furniture layouts.

Dynamic office lighting for circadian rhythm

OXXEO is the first office building in Spain to deploy a dynamic lighting system that helps synchronise the circadian rhythm of the people to the daylight cycle. The building holds Platinum LEED and WELL certifications, with a special focus on the lighting.

GMP’ OXXEO building rented by Capgemini, Madrid, Spain. Architect: Rafael de la Hoz, Lighting: Lledó iluminación. Photo: GMP

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In the meeting rooms, the colour temperature is 4000K, and the initial lighting level of 400 lux can be regulated freely. There are also presence sensors.

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The lighting system incorporates a dynamic light that changes the light temperature throughout the day mimicking the natural daylight cycle to regulate the circadian rhythm of the people working in the building.

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All lighting systems were designed to guarantee the visual comfort of the users and the absence of the flickering and stroboscopic effects, with a Colour Rendering Index higher than 90.

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Early in the morning, the lighting colour is regulated to a cool 5500K. Late in the afternoon, a warmer 3500K is also programmed.

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There are daylight sensors regulating the electric light to obtain the minimum requirement of 500 lux at working plane to ensure good vision while still consuming less than 4W/m2. There are also presence sensors and manual switches to enable personal adjustments.

Attractive lighting for communication zones

Effective communication is crucial for productivity in the knowledge society, where teamwork and networking are essential. Experts estimate that around 80 percent of all innovations result from face-to-face communication. Consequently, employers are increasingly encouraging employee interaction by creating designated conversation zones, which currently make up about 30 percent of office space and are expected to increase. This trend has significant implications for office planning and lighting design. Lighting must be both emotionally appealing and functional to facilitate comfortable conversations. Different lighting scenes can stimulate communication, boost creativity, or promote relaxation.

Zaha Hadid Architects, London. United Kingdom. Photo: Gavriil Papadiotis. ERCO

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Objects can be staged as eye-catchers in the room using light and shadow.

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Accent lighting for the table creates a private space.

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Brilliant light gives pictures on the wall a high-quality appearance.

Light management for comfort and energy efficiency

Light management with sensors ensures that the right light is available in the right quantity at the right time and place. Intelligent systems offer four major advantages:

Easy adjustment of lighting to cater for different activities and individual lighting requirements
Energy and cost savings through presence control and daylight utilisation
Dynamic lighting control based on time of day and season for a greater sense of wellbeing
High flexibility

gmp Architekten, Hamburg. Germany. Photo: Frieder Blickle. ERCO