How Lighting Can Affect The Way Your Office Runs

Let there be light, as they say. But have you ever considered how said light can affect the way your office runs? When designing an office lighting is an element that is often overlooked. Yet, every single change you make – even the placement of your desk – will be impacted by the lighting both natural and artificial that’s available to you. If you’re planning an office redesign, or simply looking to improve your space, here is some food for thought about where the lighting is concerned to tell you more.

There have always been health and safety regulations relating to how our offices run. But now, we have a golden opportunity to put health and wellness at the forefront of our offices, especially in relation to the use of natural light.

As we know, we need sunlight to absorb Vitamin D. Most Brits are deficient in Vitamin D, which is not helped by a lack of natural light in our offices, where we usually spend most of our time.

From a mental health standpoint, nobody likes being cooped up in a dreary room all day either. So, employers and designers alike need to consider lighting within offices. That way we can reap the benefits just from this simple change.

Natural light directly affects our circadian rhythm. Quite simply, when it’s light our bodies release hormones to wake us up from our sleep. At night time, the opposite occurs as we wind down to sleep. This is why doctors suggest we don’t get too much screen time before bed, as the white light emitted from our devices can interfere with this process, confusing our brains as to what time it is which keeps us awake.

So when it comes to our offices, it makes sense that plenty of natural light will facilitate productiveness. Small or obscured windows will make us feel drowsy, especially towards the end of the day. We naturally prop ourselves up with coffee to counteract feeling sleepy in the day, when actually, light is all we need! (For the most part, of course).

What’s more, pre-2020 we were already spending 90% of our time indoors. As we all know, this figure is probably now more like 99.8% for most of us, bar certain industries. This means even less time spent amongst nature of which natural light is one of the key benefits. As remote working becomes the norm for most of us, we must find a way to bring the outside in by adding as much natural light as possible.

Do you know which direction your office faces, to be able to work out how much light it gets? Most smartphones have an in-built compass function you’ve probably never even noticed before. Now is a good time to load it up and check the direction of your space. Ideally, your office will be south-facing so that it is flooded with natural light, and won’t get as cold during the winter because of this.

North-facing buildings are the coldest, and critically also lack natural light. But, all is not lost as you have a few options at your disposal. If the budget allows, adding larger windows or even a skylight will maximise the natural light that’s available to you. The most cost-effective option is to add more artificial lighting, with white lighting (4000k-5000k bulbs) creating a striking effect that closely mimics natural daylight.

As the colours you choose can also have an impact on the lighting of your office, the decor is also worth considering too. Warm colours will help lift the atmosphere of your rooms, making them bright and inviting spaces.

Looking to enhance the lighting in your office? Advanced Commercial Interiors has been helping businesses reimagine their office and commercial spaces since 2009. Based in Nottingham, we cover the whole of the UK including Derby, Birmingham, Leicester and Manchester.

From small re-fits to something a little more ambitious, drop us a line on 0115 939 7572 with your project enquiry and we’ll be in touch.