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Lighting for well-being: a revolution in lighting?

From National Research Council Canada

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  1. National Research Council of Canada. NRC Institute for Research in Construction
FormatText, Article
ConferenceThe 2nd CIE Expert Symposium on Lighting and Health: 07 September 2006, Ottawa, Ontario
Subjectlighting; well-being; health; discomfort; glare; flicker; light dose; lighting quality; Lighting and health
Abstract
A model of lighting quality proposed in the 1990s defined good lighting as that which balances the needs of humans, economic and environmental issues, and architectural design. The model made explicit what had long been implicit: Lighting is not just about seeing details. Good lighting provides for the needed level of visual performance, but also determines spatial appearance, provides for safety, and contributes to human health and well-being. Far from being a revolutionary proposal, lighting for everyday well-being has long been a goal of lighting recommendations. The question for today is how quickly we should incorporate new research findings in revisions of recommendations. This paper will address the knowledge base and the state of lighting recommendations for three aspects of interior lighting that contribute to health and well-being: areas of high luminance (about which much is known, but more to be learned); luminous modulation (flicker) (about which we have some knowledge); and, total daily light exposure (about which knowledge is weak, but suggestive). Appropriately, recommendations are most specific for those areas about which knowledge is strongest. Revisions should keep pace with evolving knowledge, but not run ahead.
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  • Proceedings of the 2nd CIE Expert Symposium on Lighting and Health: 07 September 2006, Ottawa, Ontario (7 September 2006): 56–61.
LanguageEnglish
Peer reviewedNo
NRC numberNRCC 49205
NRC-IRC-18261
NPARC number20377140
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Record identifier344b162d-aca0-4cbe-a629-1a04161c10ab
Record created2012-07-24
Record modified2020-04-22
Date modified: