Lighting Open Plan Offices (7-03-09)

Perceptions of lighting quality in their open plan offices influence workers’ opinions about their work lives. Veitch and her colleagues determined that “Combined results from the two statistical approaches show that people who perceived their office lighting as being of higher quality rated the space as more attractive, reported more pleasant mood, and showed greater well-being at the end of the day.” Lighting quality is related to the amount of light that falls on relevant surfaces, the level of glare present, and the appearance of a space, in general.

J. Veitch, G. Newsham, P. Boyce, and C. Jones. 2008. “Lighting Appraisal, Well-Being and Performance in Open-Plan Offices: A Linked Mechanisms Approach.” Lighting Research and Technology, vol. 40, no. 2, pp. 133-151.