When it comes to designing the modern office to end all modern offices, there are many aspects to think about, including lighting. An office which has substandard lighting is going to affect the morale of the people working within it, it’s going to cause headaches and eye strain, and overall it’s going to cause the space to look less than its best.
If you’re not really convinced about the impact of lighting on mood, check out this useful infographic by Quill, which really proves the point well!
Source: www.quill.com/blog/office-tips/see-your-office-in-a-new-light-how-light-affects-productivity-and-mood.html?cm_mmc=NEW_Infographic
As you can see, lighting is important!
So, how can you create the right type of lighting in your office? Is it about optimising the use of natural light, or is it about being clever with a combination of artificial and natural choices? It really depends upon your office space and the types of contemporary office furniture you have. For instance, if you have glass top office desks, you’re going to find light reflection comes quite easily, and may be a problem if you don’t site your desks in the right places. On the other hand, if you have wooden furniture, perhaps in a darker shade, you’ll need to optimise light to avoid the space seeming too dark.
Lighting works hand in hand with general decor and colour scheme, but it’s important to ensure that you don’t have glare or a light which is far too bright for your employees. In this case, you’re going to notice many of them experiencing headaches on a regular basis, and that’s certainly not going to do anything for morale or productivity!
So what are the main dos and don’ts?
Basically, if you have a large window, make sure that you take advantage of the natural light which can make its way into your office. Maximising the amount of natural light you have cuts down on energy bills, it lifts mood, and it is also the best type of light quality you can get. If you need a boost, e.g. during the winter months when perhaps sunlight is at a minimum then you could use LED lighting, which uses less energy in general. When you combine this type of lighting with high end office furniture, you’ll also create a stylish office environment for your employees to be proud of.
Many businesses are looking towards energy efficiency and sustainability, and one particular lighting trick you could try is installing a control system for your lighting. This will dim the lights when they’re not needed, and make them slightly brighter than natural light is at a minimum.
A big ‘don’t’ in terms of office lighting is placing desks in front of large windows, so that the person sitting at the desk will have their back to the light. In this case, the light is going to shine straight onto their computer screen and cause serious glare. This is a big problem for concentration, but a serious problem for health and safety – headaches will certainly be an issue in this case. It is far better to have a desk facing a window, and that way glare isn’t a problem your employees will have to deal with. You can however purchase monitor hoods to avoid glare and filters too.
Whilst creating a new office environment, perhaps during a revamp, ensure that you position each set of lights in strategic areas, e.g. more lights in places which require them, such as collaborative areas, and less lights where they’re not needed quite so much. This will ensure a suitable amount of lighting across the space.
The dos and don’ts of lighting an office space really come down to the specific, personalised space in question. A room with less windows, i.e. less natural light, is always going to be a bigger challenge than one which has large windows. It also comes down to the decor of the office and the furniture too; a room with modern black office furniture is going to need a lighter decor, to avoid the room feeling oppressive or too dark.
Never underestimate the power of lighting!