Office lighting design – getting the balance between form and function

One of the main reasons why LED office lighting, and particularly LED linear lighting, has gone down a storm with office fit-out companies and architects alike in recent times is the sheer flexibility it affords. You can create custom curves, corners and circles of almost any proportion, allowing designers to create stunning bespoke luminaires that are a design statement in themselves.

However, as with many elements of office design, it is advisable to strive for a middle ground between form and function when designing the lighting for your workspace. What does this mean? In other words, to try to achieve beautiful lighting that delivers that ‘wow’ factor whilst maintaining correct light levels throughout the space, and coordinating with other elements in the space.

Is the lighting suited to the task? Whether it be pendant lights to add character and ambience to a breakout area or task lighting over an area for detailed work, LED office lighting not only needs to look cool but also provide the right kind of light for the task in hand, at the right lux levels. 

Will it be too bright? In a similar way to how environments that are too dim can cause eye strain, those that are too bright bring their own set of problems. Working in spaces that are too bright or have excess glare from lights can commonly cause headaches among staff and decrease productivity as a result. When designing your LED office lighting, consider using UGR<19 compliant fittings to prevent glare – read about UGR<19 in our article here.

Does the lighting work in harmony with other elements in the space? An important consideration this, especially if you are using continuous luminaires such as LED linear. Particularly with the trend for exposed services, you need to think about whether any suspended fittings with conflict with services such as air conditioning ducts.

Will the luminaires fit through the access routes? If using long single pieces of LED linear lighting, for example, consider what the longest single length is that you can fit in the lift/up the stairs – sounds ridiculously obvious but you don’t want to come to delivery to floor 56 and find that your 4m pieces of LED linear don’t fit in the 6×4’ lift!

Will it look too big? When designing statement luminaires for your space it’s tempting to max out the space available to achieve that ‘wow’ look. However, think carefully before doing this and consider scaling back a bit. In a similar way to wall art and furniture, statement lighting pieces need enough space around them to really look good. Make the luminaires too big and the final effect could look cramped.

Will it be a headache to install? If you are wondering about large, complex customised luminaires for your workspace to create visual impact, think about whether there are going to be hidden costs at install stage due to the challenge of installation. Fitting large and complex luminaires can be complex and time-consuming. If your budget allows for this, that’s all well and good; you will doubtless achieve a stunning result. However, one practical way to simplify this and therefore cut costs is to break large, complex single luminaires down into ‘bit size’ pieces, resulting in an easier and faster installation and probably a cost saving too.

There’s a lot to consider when designing your LED office lighting scheme, but fear not, help is at hand – get in touch with the Synergy team today for expert advice on your lighting design! Call 01992 445828 or email sales@synergy.gb.net