Conclusion

However patients are not the sole users of their room or ward. Hospital staff have to be taken into
account when designing a lighting system -- and the needs of night-time nursing staff present the
biggest problem. Hospital staff need to stay alert and vigilant throughout the night, which should
require high illuminance levels and a high colour temperatures. However, this would make it impossible
for patients to sleep and thus affect recovery times.

Dynamic lighting control can change the illuminance level and colour temperature of the light produced.
This is achieved by combining the spectral radiation of two different types of fluorescent tube. The
control of the system can lie in the hands of the end user or in a preprogrammed cycle.

Fig 2.1 shows a pre-programmed cycle which could be utilised in an office environment. Note that in the
morning the users are subjected to 900 lux of cool light and the illuminance level never drops below 500
lux. This ties in with the research on light levels and efficiency outlined in section 1.3.

This type of control system would be more practicable in an open-plan office, where no one occupant
has access to the control system. In board rooms or private offices, access to daylight will be greater and
the occupant can control the lighting scene themselves, by way of an infra-red control. A very basic view
of the system can be seen in Fig 2.2.