Commercial lighting design

Getting the lighting design correct for your office or commercial premises is really important.

Well-designed lighting can have a positive impact not just on the operation of your business but also on the health, wellbeing and productivity of your staff. In retail and hospitality buildings, for example, the right lighting can create an inviting ambience that encourages customers to spend more time there. And according to some studies, it can even boost retail sales.

The kind of lighting you use, as well as the way it’s designed, can also be important. It can help you become more energy efficient, saving businesses money on electricity bills as well as helping reduce their carbon footprint.

It’s therefore worth spending time to consider the lighting in your offices and commercial premises. Read on for a few ideas of where to start.

Commercial lighting design

The best lighting design solutions balance brightness or light intensity (known as the lumen output) with colour temperature to suit the functionality and ambience of a commercial space.

Warm, soft lighting creates a cosy and welcoming atmosphere that’s perfect for hospitality premises, while cool, bright lighting is more suited to offices or retail stores. Some fixtures will be functional, such as emergency lighting, while others will be more aesthetic and part of a wider interior design.

Create a productive workspace

A considered approach to commercial lighting design can help you create a workplace that is comfortable and productive. The health and wellbeing benefits of natural light are well documented, so making use of this during the day can benefit your employees.

Alongside natural light, good lighting design will create spaces that serve the needs of the people within them. Offices, commercial buildings and retail stores are likely to contain different areas that are used for different purposes, such as shop floors, reception areas, kitchens, meeting rooms and corridors. The kind of lighting used in these various spaces will therefore be different and will usually fall into one or more of four kinds of lighting: ambient, accent, task and decorative.

Ambient lighting

Ambient lighting, also known as general lighting, indirect lighting or mood lighting, is the main light in a space. In offices and commercial areas, it usually comes from ceiling or panel lights. It can also come from natural light sources such as windows and skylights.

The idea of ambient lighting is to provide a comfortable level of overall illumination. Any ambient ceiling lights should therefore feel warm and welcoming while at the same time aiding visibility.

Dimmers – sometimes known as correlated colour temperature (CCT) lighting – offer the ability to adjust the brightness. They are great for creating just the right type of ambient lighting. LEDs, meanwhile, allow for a choice of colour temperatures, which can also play a part in creating the right ambient lighting.

Accent lighting

Accent lighting can add visual interest and draw attention to certain features or areas for aesthetic or practical purposes. It could be used, for example, to illuminate safety signage for your staff or to show off products or displays in a retail store.

Accent lighting can be created through the use of spotlights, track lights and wall lights.

Task lighting

Task lighting is used to help people focus on specific activities. It is usually brighter and more targeted, helping maintain productivity and reduce eye strain when reading, writing or carrying out detailed work, such as at an office desk or laboratory.

Task lighting can be created through the use of desk lamps, pendant lighting or light strips under cabinets. Spotlights and wall lights can be used for task lighting as well.

Think about where task lighting is placed and the effect of shadow. You may need to place several task lights both vertically and horizontally to illuminate a specific activity. Consider also how the glare of the lights might affect the use of equipment such as computer screens.

Decorative lighting

Decorative lighting, as the name suggests, is used for design purposes and enhances the aesthetics of a commercial space. It could be achieved with chandeliers, for instance, in a restaurant or showroom. Dimmable lights can also be used to add interest and change the mood depending on the time of day.

LEDs

LEDs offer a range of environmental, financial and design benefits. LED technology is so good now that it can produce a range of colour temperatures and lumen outputs. This makes LEDs an excellent choice for lighting in all kinds of commercial spaces, from small, intimate eateries to large, open warehouses.

LEDs are much more energy efficient than other traditional forms of lighting while producing the same effect or even better. They can replicate the bright, white light of traditional fluorescent lighting or the soft, orange glow of incandescent lights, without the heat and the high energy usage. Particularly in large commercial buildings, LEDs can help save a significant amount of energy.

You can read more about the benefits of LED lighting here.

Smart lighting control

If LEDs are the perfect energy-saving commercial lighting solution, why not go one step further with lighting control. This ensures that lights are only in use when needed, lowering your energy usage even further.

Among the kinds of lighting control available are daylight sensors and motion sensors. Daylight sensors brighten or dim the lights depending on the level of natural light in your office or commercial building. Motion sensors detect whether or not people are in a room and turn the lights on or off accordingly.

You can switch to LEDs by retrofitting or replacing bulbs if you don’t wish to install a whole new system. Even small changes will make a big difference to your energy consumption and costs.

If you are looking for lighting design expertise, get in touch with our specialists on 0113 257 8212.