Visual Comfort and Human Wellbeing at Coworking Environs

Abstract

The lighting design in workplace environments involves/demands multidisciplinary knowledge; however, the principle that supports its conception is repeatedly grounded on aesthetical considerations and technical requirements rather than on comfort and inclusive solutions. Besides legislation it is important to observe how people work and the requirements and expectations felt by individuals according to the tools used, spatial layout, geographical orientation, windows area and the reflectance of the surfaces. Natural light aims to illuminate working plans while it is a crucial factor to manage human circadian cycle and mood. Contemporaneous workplace concept is changing to respond to economic pressure and technical improvements. Coworking spaces require a deep understanding as they shelter people from different professional, cultural and social backgrounds with different gender and age issues. Anthropometric and ergonomic concepts are fundamental for a healthy and comfortable environ in which lighting design emerge and deserve special attention. This piece of research aims to study the “do´s and don’ts” of lighting design in a workplace layout in a way that it becomes useful for future humanised planning of coworking environments. In order to achieve such goals this research will be conducted throughout literature review stemming from elected keywords and the analysis of two case studies: Lx CoWorking and Ávila CoWorking, in Lisbon.

Keywords: Daylight, Workplace, Ergonomics, Artificial Light, Visual Comfort

DOI: 10.54941/ahfe1001245