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LED Light Fixtures in Prada Store, New York City
“The architectural design of office environments should take into consideration how natural daylight exposure may contribute to employee wellness,” says Ivy Cheung, a Neuroscience doctoral candidate at Northwestern University of Chicago. The Interdepartmental Neuroscience program at Northwestern University published the study called, Impact of Workplace Daylight Exposure on Sleep, Physical Activity, and Quality of Life. The study brought to light the evidence that workers who have exposure to natural daylight during working hours sleep an average of 46 minutes more per night. Furthermore, they experience a better overall quality of sleep, fewer sleep disturbances, and less daytime dysfunction.
The effects of natural lighting on the human’s wellbeing is related to circadian rhythms, which are biological, mental, and behavioural changes that follow a 24-hour cycle and respond to light and darkness within an organism’s environment. Environmental cues, most specifically natural sunlight, activate circadian rhythms. These circadian rhythms, in turn, dictate sleep-wake cycles, hormone releases, body temperature, and other bodily functions. Consequently, disruptions to circadian rhythms could lead to obesity, diabetes, and depressions such as bipolar and seasonal affective disorder.
Unfortunately, exposure to natural sunlight is not always possible or reasonably feasible for everyone. There are offices and even some homes that are merely not designed currently to allow for much sunlight. Therefore, engineers are working to figure out how to create artificial lighting that can mimic natural lighting. For starters, the electronic components of LED light bulbs have a finer adjustment of colour, brightness, and intensity which are all more similar to natural sunlight. Another lighting strategy includes uplighting the ceiling so that light diffuses throughout the room. Some experimental fixtures are now on the market including an artificial skylight carved out of the ceiling and lit with artificial LED bulbs. Another set of experimental LED’s are programmed to change colours throughout the day to mimic the cooler colours of the morning light versus the warmer colours of the evening hours.
Natural lighting is a highly coveted commodity. Where there are certain obstacles that prevent an owner from obtaining this prized possession, artificial lighting strategies and technologies are quickly moving into place to diminish this barrier. The Prada store in New York City, designed by Rem Koolhaas, is a prime example of an interior space that has a lighting design specifically crafted to mimic natural sun lighting as much as possible. Where this store is located in a dense urban area; it shines as an excellent example of a space designed to overcome the dark, drudgery type area that it could have been.
Credits
Written by Stephanie Aurora Lewis
