LIGHTING AND ITS IMPACT
circadian-weighted lighting metrics. All participants received more light in Condition 3 compared with Condition 4, and the increase in light level was much more uniform across participants compared to the first conditions. However, the higher light levels in Condition 3 did not lead to higher average scores. For example, only half of the participants felt more alert under the dynamic LED lighting (Condition 3).
Other factors not affected There were no statistically significant differences in test scores for concentration and in sleep metrics between the two conditions tested in each phase of the project.
Preference for dynamic lighting In each phase, participants were asked whether they would prefer dynamic or constant lighting. On average, just over half of them preferred dynamic lighting for their office – typically brighter in the morning, and following the variation of natural light outdoors throughout the day. Just under one third preferred the constant lighting.
More questions to answer Overall, there is still considerable uncertainty about how much light is required for circadian stimulation – for a person’s circadian rhythms to align with the rhythms of light. People vary in their normal daily routines, and in how much daylight they are exposed to. In addition, even in a space with ‘uniform’ electric lighting, some people may receive significantly more light into their eyes than others, depending on which way they face. More research is therefore
Figure 7: The Kellert Area – Integrated design. Visualisation of the space.
still needed to understand better the potential impacts of lighting on circadian stimulation and wellbeing in real-life situations, and how to best quantify these in order to produce clear recommendations and guidelines for lighting that can support healthy circadian rhythms and wellbeing.
A BRE Trust report summarising this project and providing guidance to building owners, managers, and occupiers, and lighting designers, manufacturers, and installers, is freely available to view and download at:
www.bretrust.org.uk/knowledgehub/ wellbeing/circadian-rhythms
Biophilic refurbishment project While several case studies have shown that a biophilic design can have health and wellbeing benefits, they have not demonstrated the specific and long-term impacts of a full biophilic design refurbishment. The Biophilic Office Project at BRE’s Watford campus will help to fill that gap – by measuring the effects of a full refurbishment on the occupants of
a 650 m2
, standard 1980s building (see Fig 5). This working office – and the more than 30 people employed there – has been monitored for more than 12 months (first phase) and, following planned refurbishment using varying levels of biophilic design, will be monitored again for a further 12 months. The first phase has now been completed. The test building and its occupants have been monitored to establish the physical conditions, the occupants’ perceptions and responses, and their typical behaviours. The results have been compared with those obtained from monitoring a control building – a similar building on the same campus – to help determine whether observed changes between pre- and post- refurbishment in the test building are the result of external factors or the biophilic refurbishment.
Lighting
Lighting was one of the key themes of this investigation – the provision of electric and daylighting and the level of circadian
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May 2020 Health Estate Journal 47
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