Shining a light on the modern workplace

The modern office is a far cry from traditional workspaces, with contemporary floor plans designed for maximum versatility with a range of spaces and configurations. Tailored to office sharing and employees working remotely, businesses are now designing workspaces that are utilised in a completely new way.

“Employees are more acutely aware of their work environments than they were in previous generations,” Novii’s India Thorp says. “Driven by the rise of innovation-first businesses, founders are happy to leave behind the windowless cubicles and unstocked vending machines in search of better surroundings that can inspire innovation, diversity of thought and collaboration with colleagues.”

That means office floor plans are incorporating a clear mix of private pods and spaces designed for collaboration, as well as break out areas and flexible spaces to be used in different ways at different times. “There are also limited assigned seating areas in the contemporary office,” India says.

In terms of office and commercial lighting, the design of flexible spaces prone to change and have different uses creates a challenge. “Rather than putting together a lighting plan for a space with static areas where ambient and task lighting requirements are clearly defined, the contemporary workplace requires much more creativity and specialised skill to deliver the right mix of task and ambient lighting in each area or zone to ensure productivity and wellbeing levels remain at the highest possible,” says India.

“Part of that is incorporating as much use of light that emulates the outdoors or natural light as possible. Lighting sets the tone for how people feel when using a space and directly impacts productivity, work quality and employee wellbeing.

“According to a recent study, those who work in an office spend, on average, more than 90 per cent of their day indoors,” India says. “So in terms of looking at wellbeing and productivity it is important to create lighting designs that emulate natural lighting rhythms as much as possible.”

To emulate natural light, the colour temperature - or resulting colour of the light - must move through clear cycles. These cycles mimic sunlight and are a natural flow of colour temperature that changes throughout the day. From warm whites in the morning to cooler whites midday then back to warmer whites in the afternoon. “This sort of technology is at the cutting edge of what’s available.” Novii is currently developing luminaires that have this technology built in and link to a building’s automation system to create dynamic workspaces.

Novii operates at the confluence of architecture, technology and human experience, and is focused on creating solutions that inspire by basing designs on the way a space is experienced rather than on the light fittings themselves.

“We work closely with architects and interior designers to challenge and evolve creative ideas. Our approach is collaborative and we commit to seeing every project through to completion, consulting with installers and engineers to ensure successful outcomes.

“Part of the design process involves the creation of full renders and virtual reality walk-throughs based on architects’ plans. This allows us to create a lighting design and provide them with an interactive experience to take back to their client before the project has even moved deeper into the design phase.”

Make sure you get in touch with Novii here before you embark on your next workplace project to see the difference a specialised lighting design could make.