How does lighting affect companies' office environments and business revenue?
The workplace environment is continuously evolving to attract great talents and inspire people to do great work so that businesses can grow and increase their revenue. An average person spends one-third of his/her life working; therefore, the quality of the workplace environment (either in the office space or a home office) plays an essential role in people's everyday lives.
How can natural lighting help?
A lot of research has proven that natural light has a tremendous effect on our physical and mental well-being. It affects our mood, reduces stress, and increases productivity, alertness, and energy.
How to achieve maximum natural light in the office space?
Natural light can be extended into the interior of the office by incorporating a combination of wall construction and furniture:
replace drywall partitions with glass partitions;
to reduce glare, electrochromic glass or low-E glass can be used, lower furniture panels,
substitute high panels with translucent material.
Not all office layouts have the luxury of excessive natural light. In these cases, artificial lighting is used to help to mimic natural light ranges.
Understanding light colour and its temperature
Light temperature ranges from warm to cold and is measured in Kelvin (K).
4,600K or more appear blue-white and are called cook or daylight colours
3,100-4,600K appear cool white
3,000 or lower appear in the range from red to yellowish-white and are called warm white.
How to translate these numbers into interior office spaces?
The chart above shows that cooler light makes employees more productive and warmer light more relaxed; therefore, each colour temperature should be placed appropriately throughout the workplace environment.
Research studies show that workers who are exposed to blue or cooler light report feeling happier, more alert, and experiencing less eye strain. This light temperature should be specified for brainstorming rooms, where people need to be energized and excited to share new ideas.
Warmer light sources, which create a sense of comfort, can be used in small meeting rooms where obtaining trust is essential or in the lunchroom, where people need to relax and collect energy for the new wave of productivity.
Middle tones, which produce a friendly and inviting atmosphere while still keeping people alert and motivated, can be used in conference rooms.
