Office lighting needs to fulfil a variety of requirements: in every project designers are faced with the challenge of bringing together normative specifications, economic targets, constructional conditions and design aspects into a single concept. A theoretical model of lighting functions helps to evaluate the quality of lighting not just according to purely quantitative criteria such as illuminance or energy efficiency figures. It separates lighting from the static cubic room to focus on the utilisation of the spacial situation—the interior, the façade and also the exterior.
In this way the function becomes clear: should a room area represent, guide, make concentrated work possible, support open communication or provide inspiration and change? The model of the lighting functions enables designers to flexibly respond to a high diversity of architectural situations and work methods within an increasingly dynamic world of work, as well as modularly grouping lighting tasks and scaling room areas according to needs. It is ideal as the basis for qualitative, perception-orientated lighting design. At the start of each lighting project, it is important for lighting designers to ask the following three questions for each required functional area:
