Many companies focus on the design, cost, and integration of corporate culture when renovating their offices, but they often overlook the importance of office lighting design. However, since the office is where employees spend eight hours a day, the effect of office lighting design on work efficiency cannot be underestimated. Employees can create higher value in a comfortable environment. It also has important implications for employee retention.
Designing a high-quality and comprehensive control office lighting system can save up to 80% of office energy costs, according to a report, promoting resource utilization, energy saving, and emission reduction, not only contributing to the sustainable development of enterprises but also making a contribution to environmental protection.
Types of Office Lighting Fixtures
Office lighting can be divided into two major categories: artificial lighting and natural lighting. A bright lighting environment can bring open and joyful work efficiency to people.
Artificial lighting refers to a series of lighting devices that consume electricity in the office, There are three main types of office ceiling lights used a lot today
Commercial Office Lighting Solution
Led flat panel light
Featuring good uniformity of illumination, soft and comfortable light, different sizes, and 4 installation methods, flat panel LED lights are the perfect replacement for traditional fluorescent light fixtures and grille lamp panels. Now widely used in offices, hospitals, shopping malls, and school lighting…
Flat LED panel light comes in many different sizes. Small round and square shapes, customized sizes, and three typical sizes used a lot for commercial office lighting
After you have determined the right size and installation of the flat panel LED office lighting fixtures, you’ll need to consider which illumination method meets your needs.
Edge-lit LED light panel: only 9mm ultra-slim, good for transportation. LEDs are positioned at the edge of the frame, so the light may not be uniform. And because of complex craft, edge-lit panel LED office fixtures cost a bit more.
Back-Lit Panels: Featuring semi-automated production, the price of back-lit LED panels is cheaper. And LEDs are positioned behind the frame instead of the edge, the light is uniform and soft. The more important is that the light of backlit panels is not yellow with long-time usage. So now the LED back-lit panel light is getting popular.
Suspended linear LED lighting
If you do not want to suspend the ceiling or cut holes in the ceiling, suspended LED linear light may be your best choice. It is easy to install and maintain. Linear suspended LED light fixtures create diffused office light that is easy on the eyes while providing high-lumen output. There are more than a few different sizes and styles to choose from, and the most important is that they are connectable. So you can DIY your office lighting patterns as you like. The soft and continuous light is an ideal architectural luminary for commercial, hospitality, and residential interior lighting applications.
If you think that linear light can only be suspended, you are wrong. GRNled offers you recessed linear LED ceiling lights too. The application of recessed linear LED lighting is as wide as suspended linear light.
Recessed office lighting
LED recessed lighting is normally installed in evenly spaced intervals. They are hidden behind the ceiling. People can only see the light and can not see the lamp. This is the main feature of modern recessed lighting. In this way, it will not destroy the artistic effect of the suspended ceiling, and it can be perfectly combined with architectural decoration. Panel, Linear, and downlight are all recessed LED lights in some situations. The difference between downlight is that led downlight is concentrated down and can be used for both accent Lighting and basic Lighting
In lighting with a main light, downlights play the role of auxiliary lighting, such as installing downlights over a sofa, which is beneficial when reading a book or a newspaper on the sofa so that you can see more clearly.
A large number of downlights will be used for lighting without main lights so that in addition to meeting the basic lighting needs, it can also make the light more layered. So, LED recessed directional downlight is a must-have for office lighting design.
Five factors you should consider for office Lighting Design :
Make the most of natural light:
When designing lighting, natural light should be utilized as much as possible. After millions of years of evolution, the human eye is most adapted to natural light.
Employees who were exposed to natural light in the office reported an 84 percent drop in eye strain, headaches, and blurred vision, according to research by the Department of Design and Environmental Analysis at Cornell University. Research from the American Academy of Sleep Medicine also showed that exposure to natural light helps regulate hormones and keeps your circadian rhythm in check, helping employees sleep soundly at night and work productively the next day.
However, natural light is directly related to the building orientation, window position, weather, curtain shading of the office, and neighboring building obstructions,” in order to maximize the impact of direct sunlight. Areas with windows are typically designated for common areas rather than for private offices so that as many people as possible can have access to natural light.
Different light colors create different atmospheres, and light colors closer to natural light are better. Combining artificial natural light lamps for offices with sunlight can create a comfortable lighting environment.
Nowadays, under the concept of advocating green and energy-saving offices, natural light should be the main source of light, and artificial lighting should be used as a supplement to achieve energy-saving and emission reduction.
Appropriate Illumination:
Illumination refers to the amount of visible light flux per unit area of the illuminated object. The unit is lux (lx), and the national regulations generally require a minimum lighting level of 300 lux. Comfortable illumination in the office space is more conducive to employee work.
For general lighting, the ratio of the minimum illuminance value to the average illuminance value should not be less than 0.7, and the ratio of illuminance values around the working surface should not be less than 0.5.
For situations where general lighting and local lighting are used simultaneously, the average illuminance in non-working areas should not be less than half of the working area and not less than 200 lux.
For two adjacent workstation areas, the average illuminance ratio to the aisle next to the office should not exceed 5:1, and the illuminance in the lower area should be at least 150 lux. Otherwise, strong contrast changes in brightness in the office lighting environment may cause visual fatigue for people working in it.
Following is a table about office lighting standards
| Location | Reference Planes and Heights | Illumination (Lx) | UGR | Ra |
| Standard office | level 0.75M | 300 | 19 | 80 |
| Flash office | level 0.75M | 500 | 19 | 80 |
| Meeting room | meeting room table 0.75M | 300 | 19 | 80 |
| Reception | level 0.75M | 300 | — | 80 |
| Workplace | level 0.75M | 300 | 22 | 80 |
| Designing room | Document sorting, copying | 500 | 19 | 80 |
| Document sorting, coping | level 0.75M | 300 | — | 80 |
| Archives | level 0.75M | 200 | — | 80 |
Ensure that your office lighting design complies with local building codes and regulations, including energy efficiency standards.
Anti-glare:
Preventing glare is an important step. Glare is one of the enemies of office workers. It causes great harm to employees, causing disgust, fatigue, and even long-term exposure to glare, which can lead to irreversible damage to the eyes. Therefore, it is necessary to choose anti-glare ceiling lights for the office (UGR<19) and reasonably arrange the direction and layout of the lights.
Here is a picture of how to reduce glare
Maintenance Considerations:
Buy quality fixtures without customer complaints to save maintenance costs, and establish a regular maintenance schedule to replace bulbs or clean fixtures. GRNLED is your professional lighting supplier offering a 5-year warranty.
Lighting Test:
Before finalizing the design, mock-ups or lighting simulations must be done to ensure the chosen fixtures and layout meet the desired objectives. Detailed lighting plans and documentation for contractors to ensure that construction is carried out accurately.
After installation, evaluate the lighting’s performance and make necessary adjustments.
Different Lighting Requirements for Various Areas in Office Design
In addition to considering natural light and artificial lighting arrangements, we also need to pay attention to the different lighting requirements in various areas of the office during the actual design in order to determine the illuminance and light color of the lighting.
Reception Area ( track lights+led strips)
As the first impression of a company, the reception area is of great importance. Generally, basic lighting combined with logo background image wall accent lighting is used, and track lights are often used in lighting design to highlight the company image and demonstrate its strength. LED downlight or spotlight and strip light you may need.
Workplace ( LED panels/downlights/linear lights)
As the largest area in the office, employee work behavior, interaction and communication, and even personnel negotiation and other functions happened here. Generally, a uniform spacing lighting layout is used, combined with corresponding lighting fixtures for ground functional areas. Each workstation area is equipped with a linear light to make the workspace lighting even and reduce glare. Energy-saving LED downlights are used for corridor areas to supplement lighting.
Conference Room (led downlights+spotlights)
In addition to the conference function, the conference room also has multiple functions such as negotiation, activity, and entertainment. Therefore, the lighting design should be matched with different configurations to achieve free switching of scene lighting. For example, during a PPT presentation, a local light source such as an LED downlight is needed; during a formal meeting, a surface light source such as a lamp shade is needed; and for entertainment activities, a line light source such as an LED strip is suitable.
Corridors ( low power led downlight+motion sensor)
As a public area connecting various departments, the lighting requirements for corridors are not high, and functional lighting is sufficient. Generally, hidden light fixtures (recessed LED downlights) or energy-saving downlights are used according to the structure and height of the corridor ceiling. Uniform configuration of the illuminance in each area, and appropriate variation in illuminance if possible, can effectively alleviate the lighting atmosphere of the entire office.
We discussed the modern office lighting types( recessed lighting and pendant lighting), their benefits, and how to use them correctly for maximum efficiency. I hope this article will help you to choose the right type of LED office lighting fixture.
FAQ about Office lighting plan
Hello, customers
My name is Ricky Wang, I’m the business manager of GRNLED. I have been in LED lights industry for more than 10 year. Feel free to contact us. I’m happy to provide you the best service and products.
Email: info@grnled.com | WeChat: ledfixture
