Illuminating the Future: Lighting Trends for Commercial and Public Spaces
Lighting design for commercial and public spaces is evolving at a rapid pace. With advances in technology, an increased focus on sustainability, and growing awareness of how lighting affects human well-being and our surrounding environment, today's trends go beyond illumination—they create dynamic and immersive experiences that promote the well-being of people and protect our environment.
At Envision Engineering, we're excited about the future of lighting design and are committed to helping our clients embrace these innovations. Here are some of the key trends shaping lighting today:
1. Biophilic, Circadian, and Wellness Lighting: A Natural Priority on People
Lighting is not just about visibility; it’s about creating environments that support human health and well-being. Biophilic lighting creates a natural connection between humans and the environment by mimicking the qualities of natural light. This trend emphasizes using light to bring the outdoors inside, enhancing our connection to nature. By using natural light and systems that simulate sunlight, biophilic lighting promotes a sense of calm, reduces stress, and can improve productivity.
Similarly, circadian lighting systems are gaining traction due to their potential to positively affect people’s health, alertness, productivity, and more. These systems can utilize cutting-edge LED lighting technology to modify light intensity, spectral wavelength/power distribution, and color temperature tuning to align with the body’s natural circadian rhythms, supporting better sleep patterns, increased focus, and overall well-being. This is a game-changer—for example, improving employee performance in workplaces or enhancing patient recovery in healthcare settings.
There’s also a growing focus on lighting that promotes health and well-being, including germicidal lighting, which works as a source of disinfection in commercial and public buildings. This lighting design application is especially being used in healthcare and educational facilities. Envision Engineering was recently recognized within Designing Lighting for its work at Skyline High School. For this project, Indigo-Clean luminaire technology (by Kennall Lighting) was installed to help protect students and staff from illness. The luminaires provide disinfecting lighting that uses safe, visible light to eliminate harmful viruses and bacteria from the air and on surfaces.
2. Smart Lighting and Controls: Efficiency Meets Innovation
The rise of smart lighting systems is revolutionizing how we think about lighting control. These systems use sensors and advanced software to adapt lighting to real-time use and conditions--such as occupancy, time of day, or specific user preferences. Smart lighting enhances user convenience and energy efficiency by ensuring lights are only used when and where needed. New smart lighting systems and controls integrated into the Building Management System provide owners and facility managers with enhanced capabilities to reduce energy consumption, capture advanced data analytics, and achieve greater operational efficiency and sustainability.
3. LED Lighting: The Backbone of Modern Lighting Design
LED lighting continues to dominate the industry due to its energy efficiency, long lifespan, and versatility. Compared to traditional lighting technologies, LEDs consume significantly less energy and require less maintenance. In addition to cost savings, LEDs offer designers flexibility, with options for color-changing, dimmable systems, and even integration with smart controls to create dynamic lighting experiences. The reduced costs and advances in the performance and quality of LED lighting technology continue to improve, increasing overall LED adoption through new building construction and retrofit conversion projects.
4. Immersive and Interactive Lighting Experiences: Enhancing Public Spaces
Lighting is no longer just a passive element—it’s becoming an active part of the spaces we use and enjoy. Immersive and interactive lighting installations can transform public spaces, creating environments that respond to movement, sound, or user interaction. Whether it's public art installations that change color as people walk by or dynamic lighting that adapts to the mood of an event, these experiences create memorable, engaging environments. Lighting is not just a utility but is a mixture of art and science that can enhance an environment and create fun new experiences for people to enjoy.
5. Innovative Lighting Materials: Design Meets Function
Advances in materials science are also opening new possibilities for lighting design. Numerous options include flexible OLED and LED solutions, fixtures crafted from recyclable materials, and 3-D printed luminaire applications. Technology and innovative materials allow designers to push the boundaries of what lighting can look and feel like. Materials are used to create fixtures that blend seamlessly with architectural elements, resulting in clean, minimalist designs that enhance rather than dominate a space. This includes the movement referred to as "integration across boundaries," where lighting is infused with other building features like acoustic, heating, and wall elements. For example, a pedant light fixture for office space could be integrated with built-in acoustic features to absorb sound and produce light to boost workspace privacy and productivity.
6. Dark Sky Regulations: Balancing Light and Night
With increased awareness of light pollution and its impact on the environment and human health, dark sky regulations are becoming an important consideration in lighting design These regulations aim to reduce the amount of artificial light that escapes into the night sky, preserving the natural darkness that is essential for wildlife and our ability to see the night skies.
By focusing light where needed and reducing glare, designers can create effective lighting systems for safety and security while supporting dark sky initiatives. Envision Engineering has extensive experience managing exterior lighting design projects with strict dark sky regulations that balance the needs of functional, beautiful lighting while protecting native flora, fauna, and our night skies.
7. Sustainability: Lighting for the Future
Sustainability is at the heart of today’s lighting design trends. From energy-efficient LEDs to smart lighting controls that reduce energy consumption, the focus is on creating lighting systems that minimize environmental impact. Beyond energy savings, sustainable lighting design also considers the entire lifecycle of a lighting system, from the materials used in fixtures to the disposal and recycling of old systems.
At Envision Engineering, sustainability is a core value in all our projects. We work with our clients to design lighting systems to meet their functional needs and align with their environmental goals. Whether it’s achieving LEED certification for a new commercial building or reducing energy consumption in a public space, we’re committed to creating lighting solutions that support a sustainable future.
These trends highlight the growing importance of not only energy efficiency but also the role of lighting in enhancing the user experience, promoting well-being, and contributing to the overall design aesthetic of commercial and public spaces. Our team at Envision is excited to be at the forefront of these changes, helping our clients create environments that are not only beautifully illuminated but also sustainable and future-ready.