Banishing the office blues

SMALLPRINT:ARE YOU FEELING a bit glum about being back in an office after the Christmas break and commuting to and from work in dark mornings and evenings?

A new twist in office decor could potentially help to lift the spirits at this time of year. Described as a “dynamic luminous ceiling”, it gives the impression of sky and clouds passing overhead.

The “virtual-sky” ceiling, which is being developed at the Fraunhofer Institute for Industrial Engineering in Stuttgart, is made up of tiles that use hundreds of light-emitting diodes and a diffuser film in matt white to create homogenous lighting.

“The LEDs allow us to simulate these dynamic changes in lighting in a way that is not directly obvious to the naked eye,” says Dr Matthias Bues from the institute in a release. “Otherwise the lighting might distract people from their work. But it does need to fluctuate enough to promote concentration and heighten alertness.”

A prototype of the ceiling uses 34,560 LEDs and spans an area of 34sq m. A preliminary study asked 10 volunteers to work under a smaller-scale version for four days as it fluctuated at various speeds.

Given the choice, the majority opted for the fast, dynamic lighting, according to the institute, which says it has

already had queries about the lighting, mainly for conference rooms.

But it also points out that

the outdoor vibe doesn’t come cheap. “The virtual sky currently costs approximately €1,000 per square metre, but this price will come down, since the more units are produced, the more cost-effective each luminous ceiling will be.”