Lighting Design and Simulation

Lecture 11. Office Lighting

TDMU
Lecture overview
Office lighting
• Lighting requirements
• Types of lighting
• Lighting concepts
• Office types
• Light sources

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Lighting of workplaces
Vision is the most important and the most burdened
sense in the workplace.
It is scientifically proven that lighting affects
productivity, willingness to work and wellbeing in the
workplace.
However, today we want to achieve more than just
good visual conditions with workplace lighting - also
a proper exchange of stress and relaxation during
work.

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Offices are changing
Today, offices are very changing spaces and will
continue to be so in the future.
• the way of working is changing (introduction of
computers)
• the form of work is changing individual, team, ..
• communications between employees are changing
direct, by telephone, via computers,…
• even faster changes are expected in the coming
years;
lighting must follow these changes.
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Offices are changing
Rigid forms of workspaces and working spaces
are being replaced by more flexible ones.
• One working place can
use more workers.
• A new form of working
places also requires
accordingly adapted
lighting.

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Office types
Today, offices are divided into:
• classic offices,
• group offices,
• combined offices and
• large-space offices.
In addition to these, in office
buildings we also find:
• representative offices,
• CAD office,
• conference rooms,
• customer service offices.
As well as reception areas, relaxation
areas,…

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Quality features in lighting
When planning the lighting of offices, we start from the
known 7 properties of good lighting:
Visual performance
• Lighting level
• Glare limitation
Visual comfort
• Harmonic brightness distribution
• Color rendering
Visual ambience
• Light color
• Direction of light
• Modeling

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Illuminance level
• Illuminance level is determined by the visual task at working place
• For office jobs, 500 lx is usually required
• Vertical illuminance on shelves, boards and in the room itself
(communication between co-workers) is also important
• Therefore, the distribution of
luminance and thus, also the
reflectivity of individual surfaces

Satisfied workers [%]

is also important:
• ceiling: 0.7 - 0.9
• walls: 0.5 - 0.8
• floor: 0.2 - 0.4
• work surfaces, furniture: 0.2 - 0.7

Illuminance [lx]

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Illuminance level
Required values according to ISO 8995-1

Offices Em [lx] UGR Ra

Filing, copying, circulation, etc. 300 19 80
Writing, typing, reading, data processing 500 19 80
Technical drawing 750 16 80
CAD workstation 500 19 80
Conference and ,meeting rooms 500 19 80
Reception desk 300 22 80
Archives 200 25 80

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Illuminance level
Illuminance at the workplace changes over time.

New lighting
Average illuminance [lx]

Maintained
lighting

Non-maintained
lighting

0 1 2 3 4 5
Operating time [years]
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Illuminance level
Illuminance, according to the standard, refers to the
illuminance at the task area. Illuminance of the immediate
surroundings is defined separately as well as its uniformity.

Task area with VDT

Task area for meetings

Immediate surroundings

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Glare limitation
Just as the ISO 8995-1 standard prescribes
illuminance at workplace, it also prescribes glare
limitation.
0.25
=8

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Glare limitation
Reflective glare, which is especially important when
working with visual display terminals, should also be
taken into consideration.

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Distribution of brightness
In offices, the distribution of brightness is also important, or
the illumination of vertical surfaces, which affects it.

Vertical semi-
cylindrical
illuminance can
be used to assess
face recognition.

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Color of light and color rendering
The third requirement defined by the ISO 8995-1 standard is
the color rendering index (Ra). It is affected by the spectrum
of light, which also affects the color of light.

The spectrum of light of

incandescent lamp (left) and
fluorescent lamps (tw, nw, ww -
below)

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Direction of light and modeling
Shadows help better perceiving the three-dimensionality of
objects, but in offices they are disturbing in most cases.
Direction of light should be adjusted according
the position of working places and windows.

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Types of lighting
In general, office lighting can be divided into four
main types:
• direct lighting,
• direct/indirect lighting,
• workplace-oriented lighting and
• indirect lighting with additional local lighting.
Combinations of two or more main types of lighting
are also possible.

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Types of lighting
Direct lighting with ceiling luminaires.

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Types of lighting
Direct/indirect lighting with pendant luminaires.

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Types of lighting
Workplace-oriented lighting with special pendant
direct/indirect luminaires.

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Types of lighting
Indirect lighting with standing luminaires in
combination with local lighting with a table
luminaire.

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Types of lighting
To achieve proper uniformity of luminance, the vertical
surfaces (walls) can be additionally illuminated with special
(asymmetrical) luminaires. Also, circulation areas and
corridors can be (additional) illuminated with special lamps.

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Lighting concept
Like other workspaces, the concept of lighting in
offices can also be defined:
• general lighting, which evenly illuminates the entire office;
• localized lighting which illuminates a wider work area in the
office and
• local lighting which primarily illuminates only the task area.
In the case of localized and local lighting, care must
be taken on the appropriate lighting of the
immediate surroundings of task area and the entire
space.
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Lighting concept
Illuminated by:
• General lighting
• Localized lighting
• Local lighting

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Lighting concept
General lighting
• The office is evenly illuminated so that the visible
conditions throughout the room are appropriate
and uniform.
• General lighting is used when the location of
workplaces (in the planning phase) is not yet
known or when the position of workplaces in the
office might change in the future.

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Lighting concept
Localized lighting
• Illuminance in the area of workplaces is different
(higher) than illuminance elsewhere (ambient
illuminance).
• It should be used when there are different
workplaces (task areas) with different needed
illuminance in the office.
• Also, useful when we want to optically separate the
„working areas“ occupied by different teams.

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Lighting concept
Local lighting
• With local lighting, the illuminance on the task area
can be adapted to the needs of the task or the
individual needs of the employee.
• Local lighting complements general lighting, which
can therefore be designed for a lower illuminance
level.
• Local lighting enables energy savings.

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Lighting concept
What type of lighting can be used for a particular
lighting concept:

General lighting

Localized lighting

Local lighting

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Cellular office
• Area: 10 to 50 m2
• Depth of space 4 to 5.5 m
• Height up to 4 m
• 1 to 6 workers
• Electrical installations in parapet
ducts or in the ceiling
• Ventilation with windows
• Use of daylight and additional
artificial lighting

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Cellular office
• Different users: scientists, executives,
secretaries, designers, small highly
connected groups
• Type of work: reading, writing,
computer use, conversations,
customer interviews
• Equipment: very different, adapted to
the users and their work

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Cellular office
• Recessed luminaires (with
louvres) - a very economical
solution
• Direct-indirect pendant
luminaires - for a better look of
the office
• Standing indirect luminaires -
for more individual lighting
• Good lighting of vertical
surfaces is also important

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Group (team) office
• Area: 100 to 300 m2
• Depth of space up to 18 m
• Height up to 4 m
• 8 to 25 workers
• Electrical installations in the floor
• (Partly) air conditioned
• Use of daylight and additional
artificial lighting in area away
from windows

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Group (team) office
• The office is usually used by a group (team)
whose members need to communicate a lot
with each other.
• Individual workplaces and special areas for
communication (meetings).
• Using a computer, discoursing in pairs or in
groups, reading, writing,…
• Very different workplace layouts.

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Group (team) office
• Use of daylight by means of guidance
systems (special venetian blinds…)
• Lines of ceiling mounted luminaires
parallel to the windows
• Direct-indirect luminaires
• Direct-indirect floor luminaires and
additional local (table) luminaires
• Visual separation of special areas with
different lighting (meeting corners,
service corners, tea kitchen...)

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Combined office
• Area: 9 to 12 m2
• Depth of space up to 5 m
• Height up to 4 m
• 1 to 2 workers
• Electrical installations in parapet ducts
or in the ceiling
• Ventilation with windows or partially
air conditioned
• Use of daylight and additional
artificial lighting
• Offices located around the common
area

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Combined office
• Office for individual work of team
members as well as team
communication
• „Market distribution“: workplaces
around the „market“ part of the
space
• Working with computers, individual
work: reading, writing,
communication inside and outside
(fax, printer,…)…
• Very diverse individual tasks

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Combined office
• Direct-indirect luminaires give a
pleasant light
• Floor luminaires
• Controllable general lighting
combined with local (table)
luminaires
• Daylight directing systems
• Adequate lighting of vertical surfaces
is needed
• Visible separation of individual areas
by lighting

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Open plan office
• Area: 400 to 1200 m2
• Depth of space 20 to 30 m
• Height up to 4.5 m
• 25 to 100 workers
• Electrical installations in the
floor or ceiling
• Air conditioning
• Artificial lighting is constantly
in use at least in part of the
office.

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Open plan office
• Reading, writing, concentrated
individual work with computers
• Communication with the outside
world (telephone, call centers)
• Several smaller groups
communicating with each other -
appropriate workplace allocation
• Very important - limiting glare due
to frequent use of visual displays

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Open plan office
• Ceiling (recessed) luminaires
with limited glare
• Pendant direct-indirect
luminaires
• Additional lighting of vertical
surfaces
• Visible separation of parts of the
office
• Blinds on windows to reduce the
daylight glare
• Use of lighting controls

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Representative office
• Area: 25 to 100 m2
• Depth of space 5 to 10 m
• Height up to 4 m
• 1 manager
• Electrical installations in parapet ducts
or in the ceiling
• Ventilation with windows or partially air
conditioned
• Use of daylight and additional artificial
lighting, use of accent lighting

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Representative office
• Office also intended for the
presentation of the company
• Three areas: workplace, place
for meetings/interviews, place
for company presentation
• Work with a computer only on a
small scale
• The space should look friendly
and homey.

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Representative office
• Warm light color and indirect light
• Lighting not only to do the work but
also as part of the space
• Lighting stil must meet all needs
• Additional lighting of vertical
surfaces

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Representative office
• Separate lighting for three areas
of the office
• Workplace: standing, table and/or
lowered “designer” luminaires
• Meetings: direct indirect pendant
lighting without glare
• Exhibition space: emphasis on
objects: (asymmetrical) down
lighters, wall mounted luminaires,
spotlights

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CAD office
• Area: 80 to 500 m2
• Depth of space 8 to 20 m
• Height up to 4.5 m
• 6 to 30 workers
• Electrical installations in the floor or
ceiling
• Partly or fully air conditioned
• Constant use of artificial lighting,
sometimes in combination with
daylight

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CAD office
• Constructing on visual display is
one of the most demanding
works from the point of view of
vision and lighting.
• The level of illuminance is very
important in relation to the
brightness of the screen and
the illuminance of the
immediate surroundings.
• Both direct and reflex glare
must be limited.

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CAD office
• Appropriate placement of workplaces -
daylight from the left (for right-handed)
• Luminaires in rows parallel to the
windows and between the
workstations
• Use of luminaires with appropriate
louvers to limit glare
• Recommended is use of direct-indirect
pendant luminaires
• Additional table (local) luminaires
• Use of lighting controls and blinds to
control daylight

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Conference / training rooms
• Area: 50 to 400 m2
• Depth of space 5 to 15 m
• Height up to 4.5 m
• 6 to 30 users
• Electrical installations in the
floor or ceiling
• Partly or fully air conditioned
• A combination of daylight and
artificial lighting, special lighting
scenes for presentation needs

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Conference / training rooms
• Conference rooms are used for
very different purposes: internal
meetings, training, meetings with
clients,…
• Both the equipment and the
lighting should be adaptable.
• Different scenes should be
possible: uniform lighting, brightly
illuminated podium, dim light for
presentations…

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Conference / training rooms
• Direct-indirect pendant luminaires for
uniform room lighting
• Ceiling downlighters for accent
lighting of a part of the room
• Spotlights for speaker area or accent
lighting (on rails)
• Possibility of dimming during the
presentations
• Non-glare lighting that allows proper
orientation in the room
• Mandatory use of a lighting control

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Customer service office
• Area: 100 to 800 m2
• Depth of space 10 to 20 m
• Height up to 4.5 m
• 6 to 40 workers and customers
• Electrical installations in the
floor or ceiling
• Partly air conditioned
• Constant use of artificial
lighting, at least in the inner
part of the office

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Customer service office
• Individual work with customers is
very important for many
companies.
• The space should look homey, cozy
and friendly. „Meetings“ are
behind the table and not behind
the window.
• Lighting should show the visitor
direction to the meeting tables: a
brighter reception, appropriately
lit signs.
• Office should be bright enough so
that „cave“ effect is not
noticeable.

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Customer service office
• As the reception areas are also
representative, the lighting
must have emotional and
aesthetic value in addition to
being useful.
• Recessed ceiling and floor
(downlight) luminaires can
emphasize certain architectural
elements of the room.
• With ceiling luminaires more
dramatic and thus more vibrant
space can be achieved.

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Reception areas
• The reception area is the business
card of the company.
• Four parts of the area: entrance
part, reception, waiting area, path
to the inner part of the building.
• Lighting should highlight these
parts of the space and guide visitors
accordingly.
• Since the entrance part is a passage
from the outside to the inside, it
must be brightly illuminated (there
is daylight outside!).
• Illumination of signs and
information boards without glare.

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Reception areas
• The reception part is intended
for communication, so the
lighting must ensure adequate
visibility of and for the
receptionist and visitor.
• The passage to the inner part
of the building must also be
illuminated with appropriate
„directional“ lighting: corridors,
staircases, lifts,…

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Reception areas
• Ceiling downlighters due to
high ceilings
• Decorative lighting, accent
lighting, orientational
lighting - LED
• Combination of daylight and
artificial lighting with
appropriate combination of
both in the entrance part

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Cafeterias, restaurants, rest rooms,
communication zones
• Work is more and more a part
of life, so it is also “done”
during relaxation - at breakfast,
lunch, while listening to music…
• Classic „canteens“ have been
replaced by cozy bars and
reading nooks.
• The purpose of these spaces is
to make the employees in the
company relaxed.

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Cafeterias, restaurants, rest rooms,
communication zones
• Lighting should emphasize the
pleasantness and friendliness of the
premises.
• Interior of the premises should be
warm and pleasant. The light should
also be warm and pleasant.
• Lighting control is desirable.
• Glare-free lighting for face
recognition
• Good color rendering index - Ra

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Cafeterias, restaurants, rest rooms,
communication zones
• Decorative luminaires with warm
white light
• Metal halide lamps with good
color rendering index - Ra
• Spotlights
• Pendant decorative luminaires
• Good „buffet lighting“ - low heat
and high Ra

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Light sources
• Fluorescent lamps,
especially the modern T5
version with an electronic
ballast
• Compact fluorescent lamps
(pin and E27, E14 version)

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Light sources
• HP metal halide
lamps of smaller
power and small
dimensions
• Retrofit lamps in
LED design
• Various LED
systems

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Luminaires
• Recessed and surface-mounted
ceiling luminaires with diffusers or
louvers
• Pendant direct-indirect luminaires
• Asymmetrical luminaires for
illumination of vertical surfaces
• Power rails with spotlights

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Luminaires
• Surface mounted and recessed
reflector luminaires
• Ceiling downlighters: built-in
and surface-mounted
• Standing indirect luminaire
• Table (local) luminaires
• Recessed floor and wall
luminaires to emphasize
architecture
• Emergency lighting

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Lighting management
Management of lighting in
commercial buildings can save
energy by adapting the artificial
lighting to the available daylight
and make work more pleasant.
Lighting management can also
mean adjusting the lighting
conditions to the current work in
the workplace.

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Lighting management
Lighting management (both illuminance and color of
light) can be used to perform dynamic lighting that
follows the daily rhythm of natural light and thus
supports the biological processes in human body.

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Lighting management
In premises
intended for
different activities
(like conference
rooms), the
lighting
management
enables the use of
various lighting
scenes and thus
the adjustment of
lighting to the
current activity in
the room.

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At the end…
When planning lighting for offices and administrative
premises, attention should be paid to:
• ensuring good visual conditions,
• well-being of employees,
• appearance (representativeness) of the building
and premises (offices),
• lighting control options and
• economy.

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Questions?