By Mercedes Quintanilla

The relevance of light in architecture lies mainly in the ability to emphasize shapes, model elements and, in general, highlight specific places in a space, which is where artificial lighting comes into play.

According to the BuildingGreen Spotlight Report, lighting affects not only performance but the productivity of the occupants as well, more critically, their well-being. High-quality lighting, beyond providing basic comfort, can protect and promote health.

Sustainable lighting design.

In the search for quality sustainable lighting, a good place to start is with a review of the fundamentals of how light works and human vision.

1. Basic knowledge of lighting.

• The meaning of light and its interaction on the surfaces of the building.

Light consists of invisible particles called photons that are perceived through interaction with matter. As for the interaction on materials, it depends to a large extent on the color and structure of the surfaces.

• How humans perceive and are affected by light.

Light affects us physically, mentally and behaviorally, if we are exposed to bright blue light our body suppresses the production of melatonin causing people to remain alert and stay awake, on the other hand, if the person is exposed in yellow light the body produces melatonin which is what allows people to relax and fall asleep.

2. Work with a lighting design consultant.

This is one of the best ways to ensure that the lighting theme is integrated into the design and not just some kind of decoration.

3. Consider lighting early in the process.

Consultants should be involved when ideas for materials, colors and different scenes arise to know how it will work and how they will meet lighting requirements to avoid wasted programming time and financial losses.

4. Effective communication.

Dialogue is key to establishing terms or variants that help energy performance, health and comfort of the occupants, among which you can implement:

• The game of brightness, an example would be the sunlight reflected in the water.

• Ambient luminescence, which refers to large streams of light.

• Focal glow, which refers to specific lighting for a space.

5. Sunlight.

In the lighting design of spaces, one of the most important concerns is how to meet sustainable, health and comfort objectives. Natural light has positive effects on health, if the daylight input is well used, electric light should have a relatively small role, some tips that can help are:

• The building must be oriented to the south and north.

• Narrow floor plates.

• High ceilings

• Open sections.

• Design of windows and spaces that allow light to be redirected through the walls and ceiling using reflective materials.

6. Integration of electric light.

In some cases, such as low floors and dense urban environments, it is not feasible to develop strategies to use daylight as the main source, it is necessary that electric light be the main source and not as a complement.

Perform early light analysis.

This analysis allows us to study the impact of lighting and know with certainty what decisions to make regarding the orientation of the building, the shape, the place and the size of the windows, the place and the size of the solar protection and the height of the mezzanine.

8. Focus on quality.

Quality is not synonymous with quantity; it is about balance and not about fatigue due to excessive glare.

9. Reduce energy, time or both:

Energy is equal to power and time is related to the duration of the light sources, whether power is reduced or time is energy reduced. It is important to take care of the efficiency of the lamps, accessories, the characteristics of the spaces and the activities that are going to be carried out. Another measure that can help is to maintain control to reduce energy, for example, you can add photo sensors or occupancy sensors, the sensor detects motion and transmits the signal to the control unit. If no movement is detected after a period of time set by the user, the controller determines the space is unoccupied and witches off the light.

10. Integrate interior and exterior lighting.

This lighting integration is important for safety reasons to have night visibility and to create a significant impact on the building experience. Both the interior and the exterior must interact perfectly to connect both spaces.

Lighting design has a very high impact on the development of the human being, so taking into account all the above strategies will help the proper functioning of buildings and maintain healthy spaces.