The language of light
Lighting is an integral part of office design and, just like the layout of an office, has a huge impact on the people who use the space.
From a practical standpoint, lighting is obviously required in any workspace. But it does more than just illuminate your work surface. It’s a form of communication, supporting navigation through a space, drawing the eye to certain interior elements we want to accentuate, setting culture, tone and mood, and affecting the health of your staff. Lighting impacts energy, attitude and alertness; recent studies have shown lighting can even affect how people make decisions.
The recent Viaduct Harbour interior fit-out by Outline Design was an opportunity to showcase what clever lighting design can achieve in a workplace. The overall design brief from the client included having break out spaces that fulfilled multiple purposes.
Key lighting considerations:
- Flexibility: The plentiful windows facing the harbour, and the use of translucent glazed partition walls meant the office was already awash with natural light. Rather than achieving a comfortable ambient light level, the challenge with the Viaduct space was about using artificial lighting to augment the natural, creating a sense of intimacy, highlighting feature pieces, guidance through the space and allowing for flexibility in the various break out zones through use of lighting levels that could be varied according to the use (escape to think, meet and discuss, entertain).
- Consistent aesthetic: The feature brass kitchen lighting ties in with the brass of the custom shelving and fittings adjacent. Imported pendant clusters are featured in the space to create moments of pause, while the bathroom lighting is likewise high end and timeless, with gorgeous pendants giving a soft and flattering light.
- Specialised fittings: Gallery style lighting was required to retain the integrity of oil paintings, and mitigate glare from glass-framed pieces.
- Technology: All of the major lighting can be centrally controlled via WiFi from an iPad – giving the client total control throughout all of the different zones, Even free standing floor lights are hard wired to wall switches, providing intimacy and options for late night deadline crunching.
The end result? A fit-for-purpose, sophisticated and timeless interior that takes full advantage of all that lighting design has to offer.
About Outline Design
Outline Design is an established commercial interior design firm based in Auckland, New Zealand offering the full range of interior design services. To find out more contact us.
