How can you design lighting for offices, retail stores, and healthcare facilities?

1 Office lighting

Office lighting should provide sufficient illumination for the tasks and activities that take place in the workspace, as well as create a comfortable and productive environment that supports the well-being and performance of the employees. To achieve this, you should consider natural light, artificial light, and ergonomics. Natural light is the most desirable source of lighting for offices, as it can reduce eye strain, improve mood, and save energy. You should maximize its use by choosing the right window treatments, furniture layout, and colors. Artificial light should complement and supplement natural light, especially in areas that lack windows or during darker hours. A combination of ambient, task, and accent lighting should be used to create a balanced and flexible lighting system. Ergonomics is also important as it can influence the eye health, posture, concentration, and mood of the employees. You should design the lighting to avoid glare, flicker, shadows, and reflections that can cause eye fatigue or discomfort. Additionally, provide personal lamps, switches, or dimmers to allow employees some control over their own lighting.

3 Healthcare lighting

Healthcare lighting should provide optimal illumination for medical procedures and activities, and create a safe and healing environment that supports the health and recovery of patients, as well as the comfort and efficiency of staff. To achieve this, consider quality of the lighting, its impact on circadian rhythm, and human factors. Quality is the measure of how well the lighting meets visual and non-visual needs of users. Use high-quality lighting with appropriate color rendering index (CRI), color temperature, and flicker rate for healthcare setting. Mimic natural changes of daylight and darkness to support circadian rhythm of patients and staff. Use bright and cool lighting during day to stimulate alertness and dim and warm lighting during night to promote relaxation. Allow users to have some control over their own lighting, such as by providing personal lamps, switches, or dimmers. Use lighting that creates a pleasant atmosphere, such as by using natural light, colors, or patterns.

4 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?