Office Lighting Ideas
The office workplace is rapidly evolving towards a more human-centric direction. A modern office should now be considered as a comfortable environment where employees can work flexibly. With the hybrid work model gaining ground, office lighting should be considering all these factors that shape a contemporary and adaptable workplace.
Lighting is one of the most important elements of an office architecture that can affect both mood and productivity. General ambient lighting shapes the atmosphere of the working place, while task lighting impacts safety and eye comfort.
Here are the most important elements to give ideas on how to best light a contemporary office space.
Versatility And Adaptability
From isolated to open space offices, we are now moving towards a new era with more and more people working from home or working flexible hours. This means that more employees are using portable devices and might need a dedicated space for online meetings. The increasing use of laptops and smartphones with backlit screens make the glare control an important factor to be considered in a
luminaire. A contemporary office can also include team working areas, quiet working zones, brainstorming places and even areas for staff to unwind such as a café or playroom.
Energy Efficiency
High standard lighting doesn’t have to mean expensive lighting. With energy prices going up, energy saving is important when designing your workplace. Everything now has turned to LED and there is an increasing need for control systems that allow you to use the light for as long as needed, avoiding unnecessary consumption with the use of sensors and smart controls. RICOMAN lighting designers are trained in lighting controls and can help you find the best way to reduce your energy bills while maximising the efficiency of a lighting scheme.
Back To Nature
With so much research highlighting the positive impact of daylight, people are trying to have access to natural light during their working days. Taking advantage of the natural light, apart from tuning in with human circadian rhythm can also benefit budget by dimming lights or turning them off when the natural light is sufficient.
To achieve this, the architect should carefully consider the optimal positioning of both the furniture and the luminaires and the use of controls. Furniture placement can also help maximise the natural light in any room. Lighter colours and shiny surfaces usually contribute to amplifying the natural light.
Biophilic design is a popular trend too. Although initially connected with the use of plants, it has now expanded to include the use of natural light, sounds, and scents from the natural world to improve employee’s wellbeing. RICOMAN offers a number of luminaires that can be adapted to the circadian rhythm and also a range of panel lights with skylight effect to boost the feeling of being close to the nature. Another important factor is to strike the right balance between task lighting and ambient lighting, so that people can feel relaxed and convenient when moving from on place to another.
Health And Safety
From a hygiene point of view, office spaces should provide the necessary distance so employees can continue working comfortably along with regular cleaning and the ability for air to flow. Luminaires should be easily accessible to clean when necessary.
Lighting designers should also we aware of the emergency regulations and carefully design all the escape and corridor lighting with security in mind. RICOMAN has a range of stand-alone emergency luminaires and office lighting systems with integrated emergency for maximum versatility.
Smart Use Of Controls
Studies have shown that being able to control lighting increases employees’ job satisfaction and decreases stress. RICOMAN has a wide range of Casambi ready luminaires with wireless control possibility so that people can adjust them from mobile devices or handheld controllers. This also makes installation and commissioning much simpler eliminating the need for new wiring.
Sustainability
More and more companies are becoming more aware of their impact on the environment, wanting to minimise their footprint. From a lighting point of view, instead of buying the lowest priced fittings, this might mean opting for the ones that are truly environmentally friendly and will last longer.
RICOMAN has put sustainability at the heart of its business by:
· Offering luminaires made from >90% recycled materials
· Using paperless installation instructions
· Packaging our products in eco-friendly paper
· Providing electric cars to our staff
· Organising actions such as tree planting
Creating Stylish Places
Open plan industrial style offices remain on-trend because of their timeless and sleek look, whether it is about a new, old or repurposed building. Suspended linear lights and large pendants provide an eye-catching highlight, especially when combined with other traditionally industrial features such as exposed bricks and pipes, large windows, wood, and metal. Industrial style allows for versatility so you can play with the colours. At RICOMAN we have supplied linear lights in any RAL colour finish to match our customers corporate identity.
An effective working place should also embrace minimalism with a clutter-free zone that gives minimum distractions and helps people concentrate on their work. Furniture that saves place and help storing whatever necessary is the key. Sleek and modern lighting design complements this feeling.
Eye catching and striking elements are always welcome -at the right balance- to provide a sense of signature. A feature wall with some inspirational quote or artwork, wallpaper or plants are excellent for this purpose and can also be highlighted with RICOMAN spotlights that are also able to be incorporated to a continuous linear lighting system.
Architectural and decorative lighting can also do this job especially in large atrium or entrance areas. RICOMAN Flow curved lighting system transforms from 2D to 3D lighting and can be used to make stunning architectural shapes for signature feature lighting.
Whatever your need is, speak to RICOMAN and we can help you get more office lighting ideas to find the design that best suits your designed balance between style, functionality and cost.
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Member-created content 1 year ago | From members