Determinants of Lighting Quality II: Research and Recommendations.

The quality of indoor lighting can influence task performance, social interaction and communication, health and safety, visual comfort, student behavior, and aesthetic judgments. These by-products of lighting are examined in this literature review in an effort to define the conditions that are associated with good lighting quality. Lighting quality has been debated among lighting professionals for two decades but with little advancement due to a lack of reliable empirical evidence. Since economic considerations have driven much lighting research, most investigations have focused on lighting for offices. This literature review focuses on office lighting applications, although lighting in other settings, such as schools, is also considered. The review begins with research on the luminous environment, including its influence on social interaction and communication (i.e., findings reveal that higher luminance induced female students to communicate more). Other studies found that both male and female university students rated higher illuminance more favorably than low illuminance, yet such illuminance had no effect on self-reported stress, well-being, or fatigue. Other areas investigated include daylight, luminance distribution and illuminance uniformity across rooms, preference judgments, discomfort, and visual display terminals. Contains approximately 175 references. (RJM)