The one-light-for-all principle is outdated at a time when we are all living and working longer. Today 30-50% of people in work are over 45 years old1 and Royal Philips, the global leader in lighting, says office lighting needs a serious rethink at a policy level. In Europe, the minimum lighting requirements for writing, typing, reading and data-processing in offices is 500 lux2, but Philips has gathered research to show that this is not considered sufficient3 by almost a third of today’s global workforce.

Once upon a time, office space was a combination of cubicles and file cabinets, computer terminals and conference areas. But changes in technology have contributed to a transformation of the look and feel of the workplace. Current research and emerging practices suggest that attention to office lighting design can go a long way in making the office work better, feel more comfortable and invite greater collaboration.