Corridors and communication areas
Corridors through a building are not just communication spaces, they can also be characterising features. A good communication area is intended to facilitate movement and the flow of people, as well as provide structure within the building.
Space for movement and orientation
There are many different corridor types: open communication areas, gathering places and more traditional corridors, perhaps with a bulletin board or a coffee vending machine. Here lighting can play a major role in clarifying the different functions of a facility. The following describes how these different spaces can be appropriately illuminated.
Traditional corridors
In somewhat confined areas, such as in a traditional corridor, the solution must not produce glare or allow light to enter the rooms along the corridor. Rails with spotlights in the ceiling help to direct the light and control the intensity in the corridor. We recommend lighting with 100–200 lx in traditional corridors.
In smaller meeting rooms, lighting is more concentrated and personal. Here there are small, suspended spotlights, providing a sense of calm with an atmosphere that encourages conversation. At the coffee brewer, there are recessed small downlights, producing pleasant and directed ambient lighting. The lighting invites you to stop and visit for a while with your colleagues and strengthen those important personal relationships. On corridor surfaces you should also take into account the vertical lighting on the walls, as well as on cabinets, shelves or bulletin boards, for example.
More open communication areas
If those more open communication areas are to be used efficiently – for example for spontaneous gatherings or meetings – different placement for your luminaires may be necessary. Recessed luminaires provide pleasant and subdued light, and a combination of suspended luminaires increases the variation in the light environment and contributes to spatiality. We recommend 200 lx to improve good visual communication in common areas and gathering places. Add wallwashers along the walls to create the right ambient lighting.
Lighting control for corridors and open spaces
For these types of areas, we recommend the Organic Response control system. We have equipped each luminaire with a sensor that detects presence and absence, with wireless communication between the luminaires. This so that we can optimise lighting to the needs of the users.
