Office Lighting Ideas

Lighting for commercial office spaces

When it comes to lighting offices there are so many different office lights available, along with many layouts and options to consider. Lighting for ‘Cat-A’ office fitouts generally requires very different lighting solutions to that required for lighting ‘Cat-B’ office fitouts, which are generally client or specifier lead. Lighting for commercial office spaces can be even more challenging, considering the constantly evolving office design criteria, which now demands much less traditional fixed office desking and more flexible workspaces. 

Traditional offices are being transformed into vibrant, hybrid working environments, which aim to enhance productivity, prioritise employee wellbeing and to promote collaboration between employees. Biophilic design elements also add to the overall design, with plants natural daylight and organic materials seamlessly integrated into the interior design. This promotes a healthier and more invigorating working environment. 

Companies are demanding more from their designers, having realised that office interiors can have a significant impact on employee morale, motivation and therefore productivity. However, and more importantly, there is a significant shift towards prioritising the mental wellbeing of employees.

From a design perspective, the modern office is becoming increasingly adaptable and agile, with movable partitions and modular furniture that facilities optimum physical flexibility, often using integrated smart-tech to connect all M&E elements, including lighting, ventilation, water management, occupancy control etc, each connecting to the Building Management System for overall control and reporting. This approach is driven by the overreaching need to design and deliver highly sustainable, employee-centric environments, which significantly impacts upon human factors, such as employee retention and happiness, the effectiveness of future recruitment, as well as 3rd party Company perception. 

These impressively dynamic, contemporary workspaces need an ever-more innovative approach to office lighting design, to ensure there is no compromise to the designed flexibility and visual aesthetics, whilst the maximising the delivered efficacy of artificial used lighting within a space. 

Lighting design for the modern Cat-B office fit-out must now use a multi-component approach, with background lighting complimented by focused accent lighting, and additional task lighting to ensure user-focused control is maintained, helping to guarantee employee-centric goals are met. A mix of office ceiling lighting, office wall lighting, office track lighting, office accent lighting and office task lighting might be used to create a homogenous, task focused design, sympathetic to the interior architecture and fitout. 

A good lighting control system is also essential to optimise the overall efficiency of a scheme, with room specific scene control ensuring user control preferences are simply selectable. Smart sensors can detect spaces that are unoccupied or have lower occupancy, which can not only turn unused lights off, but via the BMS, can also regulate the clean air and/or heating & cooling  demands of a space, adjusting the HVAC systems accordingly. Sensors can also monitor available daylight, adjusting brise soleil solar shades and automated blinds, as well as automatically dimming lights next to windows, maximising overall user comfort and optimising the building’s efficiency. AI within lighting will become more advanced and the integration of voice activated commands for lighting will become a standard option.

There is also a drive to use more sustainable, energy-efficient lighting. All Arlico office lights use the latest generation LED components from tier 1  suppliers and are designed to have fully replaceable parts through life, thus maximising energy efficiency at the same time as reducing waste and the impact on landfill. For fixture housings, we use as many recyclable materials as possible, so designers can rest assured that they are specifying fittings that go a huge way towards meeting the requirements for a carbon-neutral office.