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INDUSTRY | PROMOTION: SAVILLE AV | 47


“The positive eff ects of controllable


bio-adaptive lighting in the teaching


environment are plain to see”


Light’s white... right? I


t goes without saying that everyday light is white… isn’t it? It may be true that there are diff erent shades of light and these all have a slightly diff erent hue.


We tend to think of lighting in a room environment as either bright or varying shades of dark. Colour is usually subliminally overlooked. In the education environment research has shown that lighting exerts a strong infl uence on the learning process. New advances in the control and availability of solid state lighting utilising LED technologies have been matched by the rise in the understanding that light plays in human behaviour.


The Circadian Paradigm The circadian rhythm holds a large infl uence over human performance. Being a lit le over 24-hours long, the circadian clock is reset by information from our environment with a major factor being light information. Indeed very recent concerns have been aired in the press about the eff ect of technology 'blue light' from mobile devices and computers adversely disrupting sleeping pat erns and ultimately aff ecting health. That is not to say that blue light is the enemy, though studies have shown that as a major part of natural sunlight, blue light has been shown to have positive infl uences over the synapses in the brain, stimulating and strengthening them, helping to handle emotional challenges and regulate mood. Applying the principle that there is reduced sunlight in winter would indicate that boosting blue light exposure in the indoor environment during this time may signifi cantly boost mood and work response. Overall the eff ect would be to produce a consistent level of mood and productivity across the year by aligning the environmental lighting.


Bio-adaptive lighting The ability to control human bio-rhythms and physiological responses through controllable lighting is a truly exciting concept and one that is fast gaining adoption across many areas of life, especially in the teaching


ABOVE: SensoryPod immersive environment with iPad control at Bury College


environment. Studies in the Netherlands showed the positive eff ects that light of diff erent colour temperatures had on pupils' concentration levels. A study in Hamburg demonstrated the direct eff ects of controllable lighting with reading speed increasing by 35% and an acute decrease in errors and a positive increase in concentration. The ability to give teachers control over the lighting


enables them to dynamically adjust the environment to match the class mood. Lighting states can be divided into scenes to target a particular response such as an energy boosting set ing with a cool 'blue rich' white light, another for focusing at ention with bright white light, and another using a red-toned white to create an aura of calm. Colin Firth, Regional Manager for Saville Audio Visual,


Colin Firth


commented: “The positive eff ects of controllable bio- adaptive lighting in the teaching environment are plain to see. We have had extremely positive reactions, especially with SEN pupils where we have featured controllable lighting into immersive, specialist environments. This powerful combination of lighting and control allows teachers to quickly provide pupils with a safe haven tailored to their specifi c needs, helping to avoid crisis episodes and ultimately child 'downtime' along with staff management issues.” Whilst the incorporation of controllable digital lighting


into specialist teaching environments may seem the most practical use of the technology, it is equally obvious that there is real value to be acquired from looking at the wider picture and considering widespread deployment within schools, FE and HE. Kevin Martin, from specialist distributer Sun-Light


Solutions, who have partnered with Saville on numerous projects, says: “The advances in digital lighting and control using solutions such as those from leading manufacturer amBX, brings these advantages into the market at a realistic price point for many organisations to be able to take advantage of. With the Pupil Premium Funding initiative these types of facilities are now much easier to at ain for schools with SEN pupils.” ET


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