Experimental development of efficacious task source relationships in interior lighting applications

Full-scale photometric simulation studies were conducted in order to examine the luminous environment within work-stations used in typical office environments. The objective of these experimental studies is to develop explicit geometric relationships between a visual task and a lighting layout that maintains visual quality and minimizes power required. Within these studies, a broad range of ceiling-integrated general and task lighting systems were examined in terms of their ability to maintain contrast and illuminance across the work plane. Within each lighting system studied, a range of furniture systems was used in order to determine potential obstruction effects as a function of orientation and position in respect to a particular lighting layout. Experimental data expressed in terms of luminance contrast and illuminance across the task plane show the importance of developing and specifying explicit geometric relationships between a visual task and a lighting system layout. The authors report on the ongoing experimental work and provide experimental data illustrating the variations in lighting quality as a function of geometry and task configuration