Hiding in plain sight
As a lighting person, it’s tempting to reach for a technical fix to the persistent problem of insufficient light levels during the day in residential healthcare settings.
But what if the solution was as simple as opening the nets and turning the chair?
Light levels and spectrum readings, gathered during a lighting audit for a client on a rainy afternoon last week, show just what a difference those simple changes can make.
While the levels with the new chair position – and without the nets – are still below the 250 melanopic lux recommended for circadian entrainment, at 111 MelEDI, they are still more than double the levels in the standard set-up (looking into the room with the nets closed) at just over 48 MelEDI. Plus, the resident gets the bonus of the full spectrum, including infrared wavelengths linked to a cascade of benefits from mitochondrial function to visual performance.
Simply having access to a view is enough to improve mood, help residents manage pain and improve perception of the quality of care – Watching nature scenes can reduce pain, new study shows, Physiological Benefits of Viewing Nature: A Systematic Review of Indoor Experiments.
You could even turn the lights off for a couple of hours a day, saving energy too.
All that for free.
Walking the walk
Multi-Sensory Design in Practise.
For anyone who was not able to join the RNIB and Buro Happold team at Light25 to hear about how they approached the award-winning Grimaldi Building refurbishment, it’s a privilege to share the recording of the discussion. You’ll hear how they approached lighting, colour palette, wayfinding and acoustics to support those with low vision – all on a budget.
You’ll hear an invitation to tour the building with clients who may need to be convinced of the return on investment for inclusive design and how manufacturers with products that might be relevant for blind or partially-sighted people could find a place in the RNIB shop. Listen to the end to hear a surprising link between lighting and a pineapple!
Natural bling
Tis the season for bright colours and bling.
I’m always fascinated by how those coloured effects are generated – and the incredible structural colours produced in nature – beetles and butterfly wings, feathers and fins. They’re more environmentally friendly than dyes and pigments, too.
If you’re a geek like me, check out this article in Physics World – a new generation of phase-changing materials generate vivid tunable colours at room temperature on rigid and flexible surfaces by stacking a thin layer of vanadium dioxide (VO2) onto a thicker layer of aluminium – Phase-changing material generates vivid tunable colours.