Office lighting is an important factor in the design and construction of office furniture because it directly affects the health and productivity of space users. In this article, we've outlined the pros and cons of both natural and artificial light - the two main sources of office lighting. In addition, we also provide a few more information on lighting design standards in office interiors.
Types of lighting used in office interior design
Natural light
Advantage
- Good for physical health
Natural
light helps to improve eyestrain, headaches ... of office workers who have to
work long hours in front of the computer. Besides, exposure to blue light from
electronic devices also reduces sleep quality. This can be improved by creating
more space for more natural light exposure.
- Positive effect on mood
When
exposed to sunlight, humans can release the beta-endorphin hormone, a hormone
that helps to make the mood happy and uplifting. Just 13-15 minutes of exposure
to sunlight will release endorphins.
- A true reflection of the beauty of space
All
objects, colors ... when illuminated by natural light bring a sense of reality,
more depth than when looking at them under the light. Natural light enhances
the beauty of meticulously designed and creative spaces.
Defect
- Natural light cannot reach every part of the space.
Because
not every part of the office space can be placed with windows to let in natural
light, not every area of the office is illuminated.
- Depends on weather and time so it is not stable
Light intensity is unstable and varied. On a sunny day,
strong light intensity is easy to causes glare or heat when exposed. On the
contrary, if it rains, the light is not guaranteed, and the light intensity is
weak. Or even during the day, there are many times when the light intensity
changes. In the morning, the light is usually pleasant, but in the afternoon it
is easy to create a feeling of glare and heat.
Artificial light
Advantage.
- Helps to enhance and stabilize the light source
In
contrast to natural light, artificial light does not depend on objective
factors such as weather, and time ... so it can extract light to every part of
the office space and is stable in both intensity and intensity. like lighting
time.
- Decorate, and create accents for the space
In
office interior design, light is always used to decorate and increase the
aesthetics of the space. Lighting can be used to create accents or navigate
space.
- Estimated space division
Instead
of using partitions to divide the space, with open offices, we can use light or
color to divide the space conventionally. This is an application of the
layering design trick.
Defect
- Energy Consumption
Compared
with natural light, artificial light is a "paid" light source because
it uses electrical energy to operate.
- Create a feeling of inhibition, and stress for people if used for a long time
Although
artificial light has been optimized and improved continuously, it has not yet
reached the level of natural light. Therefore, when working in an environment
where the light of the lamp is used for a long time, it can cause feelings of
inhibition, stress, and fatigue for people.
- Office lighting design standards
The
purpose of lighting design for the workspace is to create a bright photo
environment that makes it easy and convenient for people to do their work, safe,
and pleasing to the eye. Therefore, each type of space has its standards to
design to achieve the highest efficiency.
- Luminance distribution
The
distribution of luminance in the field of view controls the degree of
adaptation of the eye, affecting the human's ability to see. Luminance is
determined by reflectance and luminance on surfaces.
The
useful reflectivity of surfaces (mainly in rooms) has the following values:
–
Ceiling 0.6 to 0.9
–
0.3 to 0.8. wall
–
Working plane 0.2 to 0.6
–
Floor 0.1 to 0.5
- Illuminance
The
illuminance and the distribution of illuminance have an impact on the
productivity, and comfort ... of users, especially those who work long hours
with computers. All illuminance values specified in this standard are
maintained illuminance and guarantee safe visual work and visual performance
requirements.
|
Illumination at the worksite (lux) |
Illumination of the surrounding
area (lux) |
|
≥750 |
500 |
|
500 |
300 |
|
300 |
200 |
|
200 |
By illuminance at work site |
- Glare
Glare
is caused by too much glare or contrast in the field of view and can affect the
ability to see objects. In lighting design, glare should be avoided and
minimized as much as possible, suitable materials can be used to cover the
bulbs or use window blinds. For luminaires, the minimum shielding angle for
lamp luminance shall not be less than the values given in the following
table:
|
Bulb luminance (kcd/m2) |
Minimum hidden angle |
|
1-20 |
10o |
|
20- 50 |
15o |
|
50-500 |
20o |
|
≥500 |
30o |
- Color of light
The
"light color" of the bulb is the visible color of the external color
(the color convergence of the lamp) of the emitted light image. Can be
expressed in terms of correlated color temperature.
|
Light color |
Color temperature |
|
Warm white |
< 33000k |
|
Average white |
33000k - 53000k |
|
Cold white |
> 53000k |
The
choice of light color depends on the following factors:
- Aesthetics, psychology, the concept of natural white light
- Illumination, color, furniture in the room
- Climate, the weather of each region, each season
Each type of light source has its advantages and
disadvantages. To optimize the office space, we should combine the two in the
design to achieve the best lighting effect. Along with that, it is necessary to
follow specific design standards to minimize some problems such as glare,
glare, insufficient light...
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