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INDEX
Office Lighting Introduction 2
Designing Green 3
Principal Needs 5
Recommended Practices 6
Application Areas 7 - 17
Reception Areas, Private Offices, Open Plan Offices,
Conference Rooms, Specialized Office Rooms, Stairwells
& Corridors, Outdoor Circulation Areas, & Parking Lots
System Solutions 29
Energy Considerations 30
Day-Brite Lighting | 2
DESIGNING GREEN
sustainable buildings
Where to begin?
LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) is a step by step process to aid building owners in the
sustainable design of productive yet “green” buildings. Developed by the U.S. Green Building Council, the LEED Green
Building Rating System® is a voluntary, consensus-based national standard for developing high-performance,
sustainable buildings.
Widely-accepted by architects and lighting designers, LEED provides a complete framework for assessing building
performance and emphasizes state of the art strategies for sustainable site development, water savings, energy
efficiency, materials selection and indoor environmental quality.
To learn more about the LEED, visit www.usgbc.org/LEED.
3 | Day-Brite Lighting
OFFICE LIGHTING
techniques
Effective lighting for office environments must provide adequate lighting for diverse activities. There are both quali-
tative and quantitative values to consider when planning for office lighting. High quality lighting should also limit glare,
balance brightness and maintain visual comfort in a wide range of situations. All this must be achieved while main-
taining a pleasant and stimulating productive work environment.
Lamp selection, luminaire placement and control are vitally important in this process. Careful monitoring and main-
tenance of lighting systems should also be part of an effective lighting plan, not only to ensure quality and cost sav-
ings, but also to meet the needs of management and their workforce.
It is also important to note, that many office buildings being used today are over 15 years old and were built prior
to the digital age. Older buildings also may have insufficient office and storage space, as businesses struggle to
accommodate new growth within the old walls.
Renovations in these spaces should design as much flexibility as possible to accommodate the current needs of the
company and their business practices and be able to adapt to the needs of the future.
Achieving all of your office lighting goals requires not only the latest in lamp and luminaire technology, but also prop-
er lighting application methods and techniques.
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PRINCIPAL
needs
Four basic criteria that help determine the type of lighting to be used in an office space…
The Four Principal Needs listed below focus on creating effective and productive office environments. Although
every office and building situation is unique, it is helpful to address these needs as categories, supported by innova-
tive lighting equipment and techniques. More emphasis may be placed on certain areas versus others according
to each specific design strategy.
Employee Productivity: The goal of every office space is to support work. Today’s office environment is very comput-
er-dependent, and contains computer screens for virtually every type of worker. Computer use and the use of other
equipment should be supported to maximize productivity, without forgoing emphasis on the routine paper or read-
ing tasks of a typical workday.
Personnel Comfort and Safety: People spend extended periods of time in their workspace, and therefore should be
in an environment that puts them at ease. A safe, secure, comfortable environment promotes a feeling of well-being
and aids productivity as it enables easy communication and concentration on the work to be performed. Proper
ergonomic execution in these spaces becomes an imperative element to be addressed in the design stages.
Organizational Culture: Interior and exterior aesthetics throughout the office building should reflect the culture, val-
ues and business practices of the company, communicating the desired message to visitors, employees and other
stakeholders.
Total Cost of Ownership: Important for both new and renovated facilities, total cost of ownership addresses the ini-
tial investment cost, operating and maintenance costs of the complete and sustainable building system.
5 | Day-Brite Lighting
RECOMMENDED
practices
*Adapted from the IESNA Lighting Handbook, 9th Edition, 2000, with
permission from Illuminating Engineering Society of North America
Recommended 80%+
Reflectances for Offices
For further details, reference IESNA
Partitions 40-70%
Recommended Practice (RP-01-04), American
40-70% 50% National Standard Practice for Office Lighting
Walls 50-70% - and Chapter 11 of the IESNA 2000 Handbook,
70% ninth edition.
Furniture 25-45% 25
-
Ceilings 80% or more 45%
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SPECIFIC
OFFICE SPACE
classifications
Reception Areas – The lighting within this area must provide appropriate illumina-
tion to accommodate waiting, relaxing, special equipment use, and building surveil-
lance. Requirements include a "base" amount of light with accent lighting to pro-
vide an inviting and pleasant atmosphere. [8]
Private Offices – The lighting within this area most often must provide appropriate
illumination to accommodate concentration, decision-making, one-on-one telephone
communication, computer viewing, paper tasks, collaborative efforts, repetitious
tasks, and sitting for long periods of time. Requirements include a "base" amount
of general light with task lighting available only where necessary. [9 - 10]
Open Plan Offices – The lighting within this area most often must provide appropri-
ate illumination to accommodate large spaces, long hours of operation, VDT view-
ing, paper tasks, communication, long repetitions tasks, and sitting for long periods
of time. Requirements include a "base" amount of general light, accent lighting for
general meetings, and task lighting available only where necessary.
[11 - 12]
Conference Rooms – The lighting within this area most often must provide appro-
priate illumination to accommodate concentration, decision making, communica-
tion, viewing presentations, special equipment use, waiting, and relaxing.
Requirements include a "base" amount of general light, accent lighting for meet-
ings, and dimmable and/or switchable lighting for presentations. [14]
Specialized Office Rooms – The lighting within this area most often must provide
appropriate illumination to accommodate concentration, decision making, collabo-
ration, communication, and special equipment use. Requirements include a "base"
amount of general light, accent lighting for general meetings, and task lighting avail-
able only where necessary. [15]
Stairwells & Corridors – The lighting within these areas most often must provide
appropriate illumination to accommodate constant movements of visitors and
occupants alike. Requirements include a lower level of general light, accent lighting
for wall art or awards. Exits and stairwells require specialized lighting for safe
egress from the building. [16]
Outdoor Circulation Areas & Parking Lots - The paramount consideration when
lighting the outside of a building is safety. Requirements include brightly lit
entrances, accent lighting for signage and safe pathways, as well as, brightly lit
parking lots. [17]
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RECEPTIONareas
Reception areas and lobbies are the first impression
that a company gives to prospective clients and
employees, visitors and others. Waiting areas are
designed to put visitors at ease and should
provide ambient lighting that is visually comfortable
yet sufficient for performing simple tasks such as
reading.
Accent lighting on pictures, sculpture or a corporate
logo can attract attention and help establish the
organization’s culture or corporate image. The use of
color and contrast are also ways to create a more
interesting space.
At the reception desk, horizontal luminance is
required for signing-in visitors, taking phone
messages and other administrative tasks. Vertical
luminance is also needed for the modeling of the
receptionist’s face, so the person looks approachable
Hospitality/Comfort to visitors. This can be achieved by “fill lighting,” which
Safety/Security is used to eliminate any harsh and unflattering
Ambiance
shadows caused by direct overhead lighting.
The reception area is also often a security checkpoint
Reception Area Lighting Matrix in many large office buildings. Lighting for security
personnel and equipment, such as cameras and VDT
Orientation Very Important
monitors must also be considered in these important
Simple Tasks Important
public spaces.
Intensive Tasks Not Important
Audio Visual Presentations Not Important
Color Rendering Very Important
Color Temperature 2,700 - 5,000°K
Glare Control Not Important
Efficiency Very Important
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PRIVATEoffices
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OPEN PLANoffices
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CONFERENCErooms
A conference room is a space where people work and
interact with each other, so visual comfort and visibil-
ity are important objectives. Task lighting under a
variety of conditions also needs to be addressed.
Clients are special visitors and also common guests in
conference room, and should be made to feel
welcome and relaxed.
Lighting not only should satisfy the task and communi-
cation needs for the meeting participants, but also
keep the individuals stimulated and alert. Conference
room meetings may also be all-day session, where
participants take breaks and lunches in the same
space. Lighting must accommodate these in-between
periods as well.
Because of the wide range of tools being utilized in the
space – from video conferencing, presentations, and
white boards, to slide projectors and other multime-
dia – the lighting system should be flexible.
Hospitality/Comfort
Safety/Security Switching and dimming controls are necessary to
Privacy reduce or extinguish the lighting for presentations. If
Visual Comfort occupants need to take notes during the presenta-
tion, some luminaires can be switched off or dimmed
separately from those that provide ambient illumina-
Conference Room Lighting Matrix
tion.
Orientation Not Important
When video conferencing, lighting must be suitable
Simple Tasks Very Important for the video camera if remote conferencing is being
Intensive Tasks Important used. Traditional camera lighting set-up consists of
key light, back light and fill light.
Audio Visual Presentations Very Important
Color Rendering Very Important
Color Temperature 2,700 - 3,500°K
Glare Control Very Important
Efficiency Very Important
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SPECIALIZEDoffices
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CORRIDORSstairwells
The main objective for stairwell and corridor lumi-
naires is to achieve an energy efficient, homogeneous
execution of light. To facilitate the passage of office
personnel and visitors with ease, corridor illuminance
should provide at least one-fifth the illuminance of
adjacent areas, typically calculated with respect to the
floor.
This level is safe, energy efficient, and will not cause
excessive adaptation for the occupant’s eye as they
enter or leave the corridor.
Wall finish reflectance values should equal or exceed
those of adjacent areas. Linear luminaires oriented
crosswise to the corridor generally make it appear
wider. Continuous linear luminaires adjacent to the
side walls provide high wall luminance, giving a gener-
al feeling of spaciousness.
Stairways should be illuminated in a similar fashion,
taking care that luminaires chosen are located as not
Energy Efficiency to cause shadows on the stairs or glare for people
Safety/Security climbing or descending. All stairways and corridors,
which are paths of egress, must have emergency
lighting – discussed further in the Lighting Protocols
Stairwell & Corridor Lighting Matrix section of this guide.
Orientation Very Important In addition, both stairways and corridors are locations
where organizational culture and image is demon-
Simple Tasks Not Important
strated. Halls may display awards and other
Intensive Tasks Not Important hallmarks of achievement, such as mission, vision and
Audio Visual Presentations Not Important value statements for the company. Corridors leading
to executive office suits often contain display cases
Color Rendering Not Important
and other items to be highlighted.
Color Temperature 2,700 - 4,100°K
Glare Control Important
Efficiency Very Important
Day-Brite Lighting | 16
OUTDOORparking
Other key factors in outdoor lighting are facility main- Orientation Very Important
tenance and relamping schedules. Attention to future Simple Tasks Important
maintenance should be observed during the initial Intensive Tasks Not Important
selection of outdoor luminaires to minimize long-term
operation costs. Audio Visual Presentations Not Important
Color Rendering Not Important
The use of photo sensors, timers and other lighting
controls as part of a complete lighting system is also Color Temperature 2,000 - 5,000°K
recommended. Proper planning can significantly Glare Control Very Important
reduce energy consumption, and extend useable lamp Efficiency Very Important
hours - decreasing maintenance expenses over the
life of the installation.
17 | Day-Brite Lighting
LIGHTING
protocols
General Lighting - There are several ways to deliver a general lighting scheme:
Using a directional execution (as found with downlights and parabolic reflectors),
you deliver light where it is needed, whether on the desk or on the keyboard. With
directional executions you may control the path and spill of light, providing for more
comfort due to a control in glare.
Using a diffuse lighting execution may lead to a more efficient use of systems (high-
er efficacy) which is needed for larger, open areas and with high ceilings. However,
this is achieved at the expense of a relative addition in glare with a reduction in con-
trol. [19 - 22]
Task Lighting - Provides focused, localized illumination to those areas or tasks that
require additional attention transformed into higher effective light levels than those
received from the general lighting execution. [23]
Perimeter Lighting - This type of lighting effectively contributes to the perception of
size and brightness in a space while improving visibility and visual impact at the
walls. In addition, perimeter lighting creates a softer ambience and more balanced
environment, reducing eye strain and eventual fatigue. [24]
Accent Lighting - In private offices, accent lighting is customized to the needs of a
single worker. In common areas, such as reception areas and lobbies, accent light-
ing is used to communicate organization culture and create a comfortable and
stimulating environment. [25 - 26]
Exterior Lighting - Exterior Lighting projects the corporate image, as well as con-
tributes to the proper surveillance of people and the property. Exterior lighting also
has a practical responsibility of enabling customers to identify entrances and exits
and provide guided traffic patterns to facilitate both pedestrian and motorist traf-
fic. [27]
Emergency Lighting - Emergency lighting ensures the safety of a building’s occu-
pants when the normal lighting system fails. The levels of illumination provided by
the emergency lighting systems must permit a safe exit from the building. If exiting
is not required, the emergency lighting should provide security and comfort for the
occupants until the general lighting can be restored. [28]
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GENERALlighting
19 | Day-Brite Lighting
GENERALlighting
reception areas
Day-Brite Lighting | 20
GENERALillumination
private offices
open plan
Day-Brite Arioso - This fluorescent product line creates a
soft unassuming glow that emulates the qualities of natural light-
ing, significantly enriching an office environment. By offering a
broad range of lamping and shielding options, Arioso can be tai-
lored to many different applications while keeping a cohesive
holistic approach to the overall interior design.
GENERALlighting
Arioso, Adagio, Rubato, and Largo - These
luminaires are also a perfect choice for open office areas.
The way that they can accomodate a larger area is through
the use of different lamp types (ie. wattages and output),
different sizes of luminaires, and more luminaires within a
space. This will provide the right amount of lighting while still
allowing for a continuity in lighting design. [shown on p.21]
conference rooms
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Recommended Horizontal
Illuminance Categories for Task Lighting
TASKlighting
23 | Day-Brite Lighting
PERIMETERlighting
Omega Downlights - Recessed Low Voltage Downlights
are suitable for use in lobbies, offices, or any areas requiring
general lighting. The wall wash option is ideal for perimeter
applications.
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ACCENTlighting
Accent lighting is most common in public greeting
areas and private offices. In greeting areas, such as
reception areas and lobbies, accent lighting is used
to communicate organization culture, and create a
comfortable and stimulating environment.
In private offices, accent lighting is customized to the
needs of a single worker. Since furniture and occu-
pants are always subject to change, an accent light-
ing system that provides flexibility to adjust is recom-
mended. Pictures or artwork may change in size or
location. Wall washing an entire wall with light or
adjustable accent luminaires such as recessed or
track lighting.
Accent lighting contributes to an atmosphere of hos-
It is helpful to remember when placing accent lumi-
pitality and comfort to a space. This is especially
naires, that the angle of incidence equals the angle
important in visitor and waiting areas to put people
of reflection. Avoid glare off glass-front photos or
at ease. The average worker spends 7 to 8 hours
prints, common in private offices, which can cause
per day in the same office environment. Making the
discomfort to people seated in direct view.
environment more visually enjoyable increases both
Luminaires at a 60 degree angle from horizontal
employee moral and productivity.
ceiling plane will minimize glare on highly reflective
The most widely-recognized impact is the psycholog- surfaces.
ical impression of warmth or coolness given by the
Also take care when washing walls where white-
lighting’s correlated color temperature (CCT) value.
boards are being used. They have a glossy finish
The visual evaluation of the appearance of objects is which may cause glare for seated occupants.
derived wholly from individual human perception.
To create a significant visual effect, an accent light-
However, classifications are necessary for the sake
ing ratio of 5:1 is necessary, or five times the
of reference. CCT values less than 3200° K suggest
amount of light on the item as compared to the sur-
a warm and relaxed environment, while CCTs above
rounding area. Dark objects or photographs may
4000° K project a cool, businesslike atmosphere.
require even more light to bring out detail. Higher
Dark colors tend to reduce illuminance and contrast ratios of 15:1 or more may be used for moderate to
because of their low reflectivity. However, a certain dramatic impact in spaces such as reception areas,
amount of variety, change, differentiation or contrast lobbies or executive waiting areas.
makes an environment more enjoyable for pattern
vision where pleasant color harmonies reduce the
contrast between object and background colors. Desired accent lighting effect:
Dramatic 30:1 ratio
Moderate 15:1 ratio
2500 K 7500 K Minor or negligible 5:1 ratio
25 | Day-Brite Lighting
accent decorative
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EXTERIORlighting
27 | Day-Brite Lighting
EMERGENCYlighting
30V Line - The 30V has an attractive, die cast, V-Shape and
reliably illuminated 6" letters that meet stricter codes in certain
areas of the country. It is available in single or double faced and
uses a highly econmomical LED light source.
Day-Brite Lighting | 28
SYSTEM
solutions
29 | Day-Brite Lighting
ENERGY
considerations
Day-Brite Lighting | 30
SUMMARY
This Office Lighting Application Guide is designed as a
beginner's introduction, and is therefore a summary of the
many principles and protocols involved in the lighting
design process.
Form #: 638