An Energy Efficient Lighting Design Strategy to Enhance Visual Comfort in Offices with Windows
A high luminance contrast between windows and surrounding surfaces can increase the risk of discomfort glare, which can diminish office workers’ satisfaction and productivity. Accordingly, it can lead to occupant interventions, such as drawing window blinds or increasing electric light levels, which...
| Main Authors: | , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
MDPI AG
2017-08-01
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| Series: | Energies |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/10/8/1126 |
| _version_ | 1811184829600890880 |
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| author | Mehdi Amirkhani Veronica Garcia-Hansen Gillian Isoardi Alicia Allan |
| author_facet | Mehdi Amirkhani Veronica Garcia-Hansen Gillian Isoardi Alicia Allan |
| author_sort | Mehdi Amirkhani |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | A high luminance contrast between windows and surrounding surfaces can increase the risk of discomfort glare, which can diminish office workers’ satisfaction and productivity. Accordingly, it can lead to occupant interventions, such as drawing window blinds or increasing electric light levels, which are intended to enhance indoor visual comfort but counterproductively act to increase energy consumption. Increasing the luminance of the areas surrounding the windows using a supplementary lighting system, such as wall-washing with light emitting diode (LED) linear luminaires, could reduce discomfort glare arising from windowed walls. This paper reports on the results of a study in a typical office room in Brisbane, Australia. The outcomes of this study indicate that creating a luminance contrast of between 11:1 and 12:1 on the window wall in an office room with a 45% window-to-exterior-wall ratio using a supplementary LED system leads to improved subjective assessments of window appearance. The results suggest that such an enhancement could significantly reduce discomfort glare from windows, as well as diminishing the likelihood of the users intending to turn on the ceiling lights or to move the blinds. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-11T13:19:07Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-58a27640a3a041eeb46a16651adaf38a |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1996-1073 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-11T13:19:07Z |
| publishDate | 2017-08-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Energies |
| spelling | doaj.art-58a27640a3a041eeb46a16651adaf38a2022-12-22T04:22:16ZengMDPI AGEnergies1996-10732017-08-01108112610.3390/en10081126en10081126An Energy Efficient Lighting Design Strategy to Enhance Visual Comfort in Offices with WindowsMehdi Amirkhani0Veronica Garcia-Hansen1Gillian Isoardi2Alicia Allan3School of Design, Creative Industries Faculty, Queensland University of Technology (QUT), Brisbane 4001, AustraliaSchool of Design, Creative Industries Faculty, Queensland University of Technology (QUT), Brisbane 4001, AustraliaSchool of Chemistry, Physics and Mathematical Engineering, Science and Engineering Faculty, Queensland University of Technology (QUT), Brisbane 4001, AustraliaSchool of Design, Creative Industries Faculty, Queensland University of Technology (QUT), Brisbane 4001, AustraliaA high luminance contrast between windows and surrounding surfaces can increase the risk of discomfort glare, which can diminish office workers’ satisfaction and productivity. Accordingly, it can lead to occupant interventions, such as drawing window blinds or increasing electric light levels, which are intended to enhance indoor visual comfort but counterproductively act to increase energy consumption. Increasing the luminance of the areas surrounding the windows using a supplementary lighting system, such as wall-washing with light emitting diode (LED) linear luminaires, could reduce discomfort glare arising from windowed walls. This paper reports on the results of a study in a typical office room in Brisbane, Australia. The outcomes of this study indicate that creating a luminance contrast of between 11:1 and 12:1 on the window wall in an office room with a 45% window-to-exterior-wall ratio using a supplementary LED system leads to improved subjective assessments of window appearance. The results suggest that such an enhancement could significantly reduce discomfort glare from windows, as well as diminishing the likelihood of the users intending to turn on the ceiling lights or to move the blinds.https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/10/8/1126window designvisual discomfortluminance contrastwindow walloffice spaceLED (light emitting diode) |
| spellingShingle | Mehdi Amirkhani Veronica Garcia-Hansen Gillian Isoardi Alicia Allan An Energy Efficient Lighting Design Strategy to Enhance Visual Comfort in Offices with Windows Energies window design visual discomfort luminance contrast window wall office space LED (light emitting diode) |
| title | An Energy Efficient Lighting Design Strategy to Enhance Visual Comfort in Offices with Windows |
| title_full | An Energy Efficient Lighting Design Strategy to Enhance Visual Comfort in Offices with Windows |
| title_fullStr | An Energy Efficient Lighting Design Strategy to Enhance Visual Comfort in Offices with Windows |
| title_full_unstemmed | An Energy Efficient Lighting Design Strategy to Enhance Visual Comfort in Offices with Windows |
| title_short | An Energy Efficient Lighting Design Strategy to Enhance Visual Comfort in Offices with Windows |
| title_sort | energy efficient lighting design strategy to enhance visual comfort in offices with windows |
| topic | window design visual discomfort luminance contrast window wall office space LED (light emitting diode) |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/10/8/1126 |
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