When you’re thinking about your up and coming project, it’s a good idea to illuminate yourself (no pun intended) on the positive effects that a great architectural lighting scheme can have on your workspace.
Put simply, Human Centric Lighting (or Circadian Lighting) is where the intensity, colour temperature (CCT) and the spectral distribution of artificial lighting is adjustable so that your lit environment follows as closely as possible the natural daylight as it changes from morning to evening. This helps your body’s hormone balance to adjust naturally throughout the day so that you feel alert when required and sleepy and relaxed at the right time.
So, who can benefit from Human-Centric Lighting?
Schools — early research has indicated significant improvements in concentration levels and reading ages under Human Centric Lighting.
Hospitals — a recent study in Germany showed that patients, especially long-term ones, much preferred lighting that ‘followed’ the daily cycle and importantly reduced the demand for certain drugs while just making people feel better. Some studies have seen a direct correlation between a change in lighting and rehabilitation time.
Offices — remember the ‘sick building syndrome’ that we saw so much of in the 1980s and 1990s? Part of this was caused by the many deep core offices where some workers spent their days well away from windows and therefore out of touch with daylight which affected the body’s ability to maintain a regular circadian rhythm. Many of these offices still exist of course but Human Centric Lighting can go a long way to minimise the problem and to allow the right hormones to be produced at the right times.
If you need advice on a professional lighting schemes, our architectural lighting designer can conduct a survey with any recommendations you might need. Get in touch to find out more!
