Do you know the most desired office perk? It’s not a reserved parking spot or unlimited vacation days, it’s access to daylight! Sufficient natural light is one of the basic human needs. No wonder so many people want access to natural light and a view of the outdoors! Poorly lit and bleak workplaces do not bring any benefits to a work environment. In fact, insufficient daylight can drain the energy in your workers and cause sleep disorders, depression, and many other health issues. This is a great reason to lighten up your office environment! Here are the top ways to maximize natural light in your workplace!
Manage Uncontrolled Natural Light
The first step is to understand the challenges of managing natural light in an office setting. Abundant sunlight can adversely affect building occupants as much as it benefits them. Uncontrolled natural light can cause problems such as glare, heat regulation, and color fading on surfaces. Sun control is a significant challenge when incorporating glass into buildings. Finding the balance between the benefits of natural daylight while controlling the potential for problematic issues is a design challenge on every project. Omni Commercial Group’s teams are well-versed and can assist with your daylighting needs.
Take Advantage of Existing Window Placement
Design the layout to take advantage of window placement and orientation. When reimaging your office position desks and other work areas near windows to bring natural light into the center. In general, it’s best to have natural light in front of or next to work surfaces and computer screens to avoid glare and maximize outside views. Additionally face the workstations north or south so the sunlight doesn’t throw a shadow at any point in the day.
Let the Light In
If windows are limited, consider installing skylights and other techniques to bring natural light into the center of the office. As part of a daylighting design strategy, skylights provide consistent, long exposure top lighting to illuminate interiors while reducing electrical lighting demands. Other techniques such as light pipes and sun tunnels can also be used to bring natural light into the center of the space.
Compliment Natural Light with Surfaces
Commercial spaces with extensive use of dark colors will find that their daylighting efforts are diminished. Choose the right color to enhance light! In general, the lighter a paint color the more it is going to reflect the room’s natural light. Boost your space and add in reflective surfaces! Well placed mirrors on ceilings, walls, and flooring can increase the amount of natural light in the space.
Implement Smart Lighting Systems
Believe it or not, LED lights have a lot in common with sunlight. They can mimic the hue and intensity of natural sunlight. This is because advances in LED solutions allow for finer adjustments of color, brightness, and intensity. Smart lighting systems can be programmed to adjust the intensity and color temperature based on the amount of natural light present in the space.
Would you like to bring more natural light into your workplace? Omni Commercial Group can help you get creative about retrofitting more daylight into your existing workspaces. Our project management teams are ready to help you see the light! Contact us today to evaluate your space!
