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Open Office Solutions: Promoting Natural Light

By Loftwall November 16, 2016

Not all lighting sources are equal, especially when it comes to employee productivity, health and overall happiness. A nearly windowless workplace design drenched in fluorescent lighting will not only cause employees to be less alert, but will lead to a quicker onset of late-day fatigue. How you manipulate natural and artificial lighting means far more than illuminating a room. Your lighting decisions within workplace design hold weight.

Natural Light’s Effect is More Profound Than You Think 

Exposure to natural light impacts employees’ professional and personal lives alike.  According to Psychology Today, workers with windows in an office space received more than 173 percent more light exposure and slept an average of 46 minutes more each night. Light is the most impactful factor for circadian rhythms, biological, mental and behavioral changes that occur within organisms over a period of 24 hours. This affects sleep patterns, hormonal releases and body temperature, among other bodily functions. If an office environment receives little-to-no natural light, it could have a detrimental effect on the wellness of workers. Open office solutions should take advantage of natural light sources whenever possible.

Light Sources Can and Should Dictate Workplace Design and Solutions

The goal of the modern open office is to give workers more control over how they use their space. While it’s unrealistic to expect every space in every office to have the perfect amount of natural light (or any at all), there should be different functional spaces with generous natural light sources. Where workers do the majority of their work, either individually or in small groups, should receive the highest priority. Common areas and collaborative spaces, especially those with high traffic, will ideally always have healthy natural light.  

When Natural Light is Absent, Bring in Some Green 

The psychology of color is a powerful thing and can be a light in the darkness of a fluorescent world. Specifically, the color green can have positive psychological effects. From alleviating depression and anxiety to promoting self-control and harmony, a little green can help improve the mood and productivity of workers. Green furniture, office partitions and plants (natural or artificial) are ways of enhancing workers’ mood in the absence of, or in addition to, natural light sources.

Office Dividers and Natural Light Sources

Office dividers help promote visual and acoustic privacy, but do not necessarily need to block sources of natural light to be effective. WEB and WAVE wall dividers not only give employees some sense of private space, but they are conducive for allowing natural light to still have a presence. When there is a demand for multiple spaces with different functionalities, worker wellness doesn’t need to be compromised by privacy.