From contract furnishings company Haworth comes a fantastic new Lighting Design Guide geared toward interior designers and brimming with lighting science and design basics, instruction in proper interior lighting selection and application, and plenty of product inspiration from the Haworth Collection.
The guide is divided into three sections: lighting basics, inspiration and application, and Haworth Collectionsolutions. It is our humble opinion that every page is worth a read, and we encourage you to check out the full guide. However, should you be short on time, we provide just a few of the highlights below.
Nine Lighting Trends to Watch
>Human-Centric.The impacts of lighting on wellbeing are starting to be documented and will remain the focus of studies. Experiments continue on the effects of lights on mood, energy level, health, sleep quality and comfort.
>Intelligent.Given every lighting fixture has access to power, we’ll see how sensors, Light Emitting Diode (LED) technology, and connectivity will continue to change the way we interact with spaces. Early adopters will choose connected lighting control systems as the infrastructure that enables future applications.
Acoustic.Demand for lighting fixtures that combine noise minimization with highly efficient LED technology will remain a viable solution for open-plan and social spaces – with low planning and installation costs combined with innovative design.
>Overscale.With ceilings gaining more importance in design – painted colors that pop and wallpaper applications –overscale lights overhead will continue to make a bold statement.
>Daylight Harvesting.With the emphasis on simplicity of installation, expect to address daylight harvesting (collecting daylight to reduce energy) with new lighting control systems that bring more natural light into a space, meet code, and reap the energy savings.
>Color Tuning.Interest in tunable lighting and controls will continue as people recognize the value of lighting on employee well-being and user control. Expect programming to support circadian lighting strategies and promote alertness – in addition to matching the color quality of daylight.
>Energy Consumption & Code Compliance.Energy consumption continues to influence many lighting design decisions as codes get updated, such as the constraints of California’s Title 24 Building Energy Efficiency Standards, but leading experts believe code stipulations won’t deter good lighting design.
>Layered.Traditional approaches for applying lighting throughout a space are being replaced with the continued demand for layered lighting, determined by the architecture, and supported by LED and intelligent controls.
>Art Form.Lighting will be viewed more as a statement piece in the overall design of a space, with fixtures considered an art form. Look for more natural silhouettes and organic forms.
Instruction in Lighting Planning, Selection, and Application
>Determine Purpose.“The lighting profession is divided between those who use illumination metrics to specify, measure, and predict lighting to engineer floorplate light levels that meet standards, and those who rely on out-of-the-box thinking to achieve innovative design. Prescriptions and creativity can co-exist.”
>Understand Lighting Lingo, to achieve specification goals. “Whether you need task, accent, or ambient (general) light, it’s important to understand the principles so that you can make the best comparisons for your lighting plan.” Interior designers should have good grasp on six lighting principles in order to design a successfully lighting strategy:
-Color Temperature:A measure of how “warm” or “cool” the light emitted by a source is. Comparable to the sunlight from sunrise to sunset, expressed in degrees Kelvin (K).
-Color Rendition Index (CRI):A measure of how “realistic” or “natural” an object’s color appears under a light source.
-Luminosity:The quantity of visible light emitted by a source expressed in lumens (lm). Simply put: the brightness of the bulb. We use lumens to compare the total amount of light output from a light emitter.
-Luminaire Efficacy:The ratio of light output to the electrical power consumed, expressed in lumens/watt. Think of it like miles per gallon for a vehicle – the higher the value, the more efficient.
-Illuminance:The quantity of light output falling on a surface, expressed in lux (lx). In other words, light intensity. Lux is used to measure the amount of light output in a given area, where one lux is equal to one lumen per square meter.
-Power Consumption:A measurement of energy, expressed in watts.
The full guide includes direction on how each of these lighting principles works and how each one comes to life to impact the design of an interior space.
>Understand Wellbeing Benefits of Good Lighting.“Lighting strategies can address the intersection of people’s needs – physical, cognitive, and emotional – to achieve desired outcomes. In a Haworth research study, workspace characteristics, including lighting, influenced perceptions of inspiration. When people are inspired, they are more creative and generate ideas. When they’re more creative and productive, they’re happier at work.”
-Personal Control.We expect more from our work environments than ever before. In addition, control over our personal workspace is empowering, which can lead to a happy and engaged workforce. In a research study, those with control of their lighting source spent more time on difficult tasks and were more accurate on those that required sustained attention. Something as simple as light control can enhance the user experience by enabling variation of brightness (through dimming ability) and position (through arm adjustment).
-Natural Light. Think about how many hours we spend indoors – for many of us, it’s 90 percent of our time. Research confirms the importance of natural light and its positive effects on well-being. It aids our circadian rhythms (our own built-in clocks) to be in sync with our local environments. A properly lit workplace with both natural and artificial light is essential for optimal effect. Natural light is proven to provide energy, vitamins, and a more regular sleep cycle – and that’s not all. Access to natural light has one of the largest impacts on how valued employees feel at work.
-People Performance. Circadian rhythms are regulated by environmental signals, most importantly, the 24-hour, light-dark cycle. Patterns of light and dark promote synchronization of the body’s “biological clock” with the local time on Earth. Without this synchronization, research has shown that people may experience negative long-term effects that impact neurobehavioral performance and sleep, and are at a higher risk for cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and certain forms of cancer.
-Light & Sound.Part of the equation to happy and healthy workspaces involves finding the right lighting and creating the right balance of acoustics. Acoustic lighting is growing in popularity because it is based on science. When creating lightscapes, consider the data behind lighting solutions that reduce noise and absorb sound. Depending on what’s happening in the space, look for acoustic light fixtures that perform well, based on the type of tone(s) in the space. To create a better acoustical environment and reduce reverberation time in a room, lighting products can address low, mid and high tones that create noise distractions in a space.
The full Lighting Design Guide moves through each possible setting that interior designers would need to specify lighting for in the workplace – café, individual workstation, conference room, lobby, private office, project room, retreat, and collaborative space – and provides helpful tips and things to consider for each setting, creating an invaluable resource for interior designers to pull up while working through a particularly difficult lighting piece.