Lighting in Design Q2 2018

energy requirements.The programmable nature of LEDs benefits developers and tenants by introduc- ing lighting fixtures that can incorporate integrated sensors that map and quantify energy savings. Communication and collaboration “Collaborative sharing is going to be the engine driving growth in the economy and the latest gen- erations have grown up doing that, it’s all they’ve ever known,” says architect, Charles Fair. By offering fexibility, there’s likely to be more communica- tion and collaboration as team members move around the workspace. Providing a range of spaces designed for specific tasks, like quiet work, brain- storming, meetings and presentations, employees will be able to concentrate better, and produce a higher quality output. Reducing the glare For desktop or laptop work, well-distributed diffuse light is best.There are fewer hot spots, or glare sur- faces, in the line of vision. In addition, the contrasts created by the shape of objects will often be softer. One design trick is to use light, matte colours and paint finishes on walls which refect indirect lighting while reducing dark shadows and contrast. Breaking conventions “LED technology allows designers and architects to break the convention of traditional ceiling design,” says Davis Kaminski from GE Lighting. “We no longer have to have to be stuck with 2x2 or 2x4 circles or square patterns. Now it is possible to create the functionality of traditional t-grid ceilings but with a clean, monolithic look. From a designer’s perspective, they can design the ceiling and lighting as a 5 th wall.This enhances style and brand identity.” Bearing maintenance in mind Maintenance factors are an important consideration in the planning of lighting installations. In fact, the US’s Society of Light & Lighting’s Code for Lighting states that: “The lighting scheme should be de- signed with an overall maintenance factor calculated for the selected lighting equipment, environment and specifiedmaintenance schedule.”When specify- ing LEDs it is important to indicate the service life used in calculations because it will lead to decisions on the initial light level and the number of installed luminaires. This will greatly affect the amount of lighting required – and therefore have an impact on both capital and operational costs.

security, lighting preferences and employee engage- ment are all values determined partially by age and life stage. As many companies have workforces that span the generations, companies need a logical way to provide a workplace that is fexible enough to meet everyone’s needs and deliver an experience. Adapting to new working patterns We don’t work in the same way we used to. Mobile working and hot-desking are growing, and people may work in different spots throughout the day.This means task lighting is increasingly important to give people control. Some countries have a stronger tradi- tion of task lighting than others, but it’s becomming more popular, partly because energy is saved by light- ing only what is needed, and partly because it’s good to give people some control over their own lighting. Energy efficiency is more important than ever Stringent code requirements are a modern reality and lighting controls are critical to meeting modern

Sources: Lux Review, Strack,The Lighting Resource, Philips Lighting, Strong Project, Huffington Post.

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LiD Q2 - 2018