Why Conference Room Lighting Should Not Be Overlooked
Attract (and Keep!) Top Talent While Improving Productivity in Your Meeting Spaces
How is your conference room’s lighting?
While it may not seem like the most urgent concern, your office’s environment can have a direct impact on employee performance, productivity, and morale. If people dislike being in your office, even if only a few days a week, they’ll be more likely to look elsewhere for work.
Texadia Systems works with businesses across Dallas-Fort Worth, and we’ve seen our fair share of poor meeting room lighting. After we come in and update the lighting design, people are amazed at how much more enjoyable it is to meet and collaborate in their meeting spaces.
So, whether you’re moving into a new unit or upgrading your current workspace, consider the following updates to your conference room lighting.
First, Get As Much Natural Light as Possible
We can’t stress this enough. While most of us know intuitively that natural light makes us happier, there’s science to back it up. A 2018 study by the World Green Building Council found that workers in offices with natural light reported up to 15 percent higher levels of well-being, productivity, and creativity. A study by Cornell University also found that workers in daylit offices experience 84 percent less eye strain, headaches, and blurred vision compared to artificially-lit spaces.
So if your meeting rooms have windows, open those shades! Motorized window shades make it easy to adjust even the tallest blinds and drapes with one tap of a button. Shades can also be automated to open and close automatically via sunlight sensors. We integrate shades and lights into Crestron control systems, making it easy to control all your tech through one control panel.
For the best overall experience, we recommend installing dual-roller blinds with blackout and sheer fabric options. This way, you can darken rooms for presentations and later, enjoy natural light without glare on screens.
No Windows in the Conference Room?
We’ve got some workarounds. First, simulated windows are an option. These displays use LED panels to replicate outdoor brightness with ultra-clear static images or videos. Artificial windows with digital controllability can be integrated with Crestron automation systems and can sync to schedules, sensors, or manual inputs.
LED smart lighting can also help recreate the positive effects of natural light. Color-tunable lights may be automated to adjust throughout the day, starting bright and cool-toned in the early morning, clear and white by midday, and shifting to warm, golden tones by late afternoon. Often referred to as ‘circadian’ or ‘human-centric’ lighting, these smart LEDs are far more comfortable to work under than fluorescent lights.
If there’s only one thing you do to improve your lighting, it should be to replace your fluorescent lights!
Improving Lighting Layout & Design
To create a comfortable, inspiring environment, we also need to consider where lights are installed in the conference room. Relying on only overhead lights can cast unflattering or harsh shadows and glare on your displays.
Instead, your meeting room should feature layers of lights that can be easily added or removed to create the perfect setting. Office lighting designs should include a balance of:
- Overhead ambient lighting
- Task lighting
- Accent lighting
We apply this strategy to all spaces, not just meeting rooms. Task lighting should be focused on the table—not the back of people’s heads. Accent lighting can highlight architectural features like a brick wall or wooden beams, drawing the eye throughout the room. And ambient lighting should be easily dimmable to adapt to the room’s needs.
We design lighting systems based on how you’ll use the room. If we know where the table and display will likely go, we can plan for lighting accordingly. That’s why it’s wise to loop in your integrator as early as possible in a renovation or build, so we can make these decisions before it’s too late.
Enhance Your Workplace with Texadia Systems
We help businesses in DFW transform their meeting rooms and commercial spaces through innovative lighting, audiovisuals, and automation.
Want to learn more about how you can upgrade your office spaces? Subscribe to our monthly newsletter or contact us for a free consultation.
