The amount of lighting in any space makes a substantial difference to a person’s daily life. In fact, imagine yourself in a dark and gloomy room for several hours and the effect that it is going to have upon you. Let alone your home, once you reach office, you end up spending a major portion of the day at workplace. It reaches a point where you just come home at night to get some rest. And, so, if you do not get access to enough light in your office, experts believe your mental health can be hampered even before you realise it.
“Given the fact that lighting atmosphere can have an impact on the individuals’ state of mind and motivation to do assigned tasks, it is extremely necessary that modern-day employers be paying greater attention to lighting design in their offices,” says Prachi Laud, an expert on interior lighting. She continues, “In order to accomplish optimal amount of human prosperity, mindfulness, and mental execution during regular official tasks, the lighting system must give adequate levels of luminance, light conveyance and radiant force, as well as the correct shading temperature.”
Talking about some tips that one should follow to maintain a luminous space in the office area, Laud, who is also the director of Light Doctor, suggests that, first and foremost, the maximum amount of natural light should be let in at your workspace, as there is nothing more helpful than daylight when it comes to increasing productivity and creativity of employees. For instance, use perforated blinds on glass windows. She also adds, “If some parts of your office building do not allow entry of natural light, it is wise to opt for a lighting control system, which functions to adjust and regulate artificial light in accordance to the level and intensity of natural light coming in.”
The expert feels that each zone of the office requires its unique type of lighting to meet the requirements of the workers. The best approach is to deploy what is known as layered lighting, wherein ambient (using recessed lights or sophisticated fixtures) and task lighting (for specific tasks) is prioritised instead of all the light reflecting from ceilings.
On a concluding note, Prachi makes a point that lighting that contributes to glare and excessive flicker should be avoided at any cost. “Always avoid sitting on your own shadows, and directly below the glare of lights overhead. Spotlights can be used on staircases to lead the way, large sized pendant lights can be used above the table on the conference rooms, and so on,” is what she proposes.
