Open-plan office design can vary substantially depending on a company’s needs and specifics. One common denominator lies in linear office desk arrangements. However, the desk area may also be mixed with sitting groups, small meeting areas or work tables, coffee corners and the like.
For the general lighting in an open-plan office layout, a direct/indirect solution is recommended. Pendant luminaires add structure to the room and provide a glare-free work environment.
The conditions for visual communication are particularly important in terms of open-plan office lighting, as it determines how well people can see each other’s faces and thereby read each other’s facial expressions to understand each other better. More light on the walls and ceiling ensures visual comfort, contributing to the employees’ wellbeing.
Each work station should have a presence detector to save energy when people when the open office space is unoccupied. In a 40 hour work week, perhaps as much as 30‐40% of the employees’ time is spent on business trips, in meetings or elsewhere.
Lighting requirements:
| Type of task / activity area |
Lux-level (Em) |
Glare rating (UGRL) |
Uniformity (U0) |
Colour rendition (Ra) |
Em,z | Em,wall | Em,ceiling | Specific requirements |
|
| required | modified | U0 ≥ 0,10 | |||||||
| Writing, typing, reading, data processing | 500 | 1000 | 19 | 0,60 | 80 | 150 | 150 | 100 | Illuminances: min 50 lux Ceiling illuminance min 30 lux. Cylindrical illuminance: not applicable |