Lighting in Design Q2 2018

Trends driving office lighting

O ffice design, and in turn, office lighting, has changed dramatically over the years. Better workplace lighting (both natural daylight and artificial light) has been linked to a 15 percent reduction in absenteeism in office environments, while other studies have reported productivity in- creases ranging from 2.8 to 20 percent attributed to optimum lighting levels. Below are the latest trends driving office lighting in the modern workplace. Controls and the IoT According to Lux Review , controls are a big topic of conversation at the moment. Light sources are only half the story because everyone knows the most efficient light source is one that’s turned off. The rise of controls came hand-in-hand with the rise of LEDs, which can be dimmed and can send and receive data. Improvements in user interfaces, and the ubiquity of smartphones and tablets, are also helping. And with the rise of wireless controls and power-line communication, it’s no longer as demanding to add controls to an existing building.

Human-centric design Biophilic design is becoming more than a trend; it is a scientifically proven philosophy of our innate con- nection with nature and natural elements. Modern humans spend about 90% of their time indoors, which has resulted in an outcry for a deeper connec- tion with nature. Fortunately, the response to this outcry has gone far deeper than adding a few plants around the office. Instead, it has inspired architects to use nature as the framework, allowing aspects of nature to be built into the indoor environment. This has affected the lighting aspect of office space design immensely, demanding greater amounts of natural light as well as softer lighting instead of windowless cubicles under fuorescent lighting. Generational differences in workers The current workforce is amelting pot of talent span- ning five generations, from pre-1946 traditionalists (also known as the silent generation) to post-1997 kids of Gen 2020 (also known as Gen Z). Physical comfort, acoustic privacy, separatemeeting spaces,

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LiD Q2 - 2018