Lighting is a crucial element in educational environments as it directly impacts students’ well-being and learning outcomes. The concept of school architecture as the “third teacher,” capable of significantly contributing to individual development, was first introduced by Loris Malaguzzi, an innovative Italian pedagogue. Today, with energy efficiency and sustainability taking center stage, designing effective lighting systems is essential to creating school spaces that foster growth and productivity.
In this article, we will explore the objectives to pursue and the rules to follow in designing school lighting – an approach that promotes both educational development and well-being.
Anyone undertaking the design or renovation of lighting in schools must set certain essential objectives and comply with the UNI EN 12464-1:2021 standard on “Lighting of work places”. This regulation establishes minimum illumination levels for environments, ensures light quality, and minimizes the risks of visual fatigue.
Let’s look at the main points for proper lighting in schools:
- Visual comfort. Light should provide maximum comfort for students as well as for teachers and all school staff, avoiding eye strain that could compromise health and the educational experience.
- Foster concentration. Through proper lighting, it is possible to enhance focus and improve learning performance. In this regard, it is essential to minimize the phenomenon of glare.
- Enable collaboration. School lighting must be sufficiently versatile to support dynamic teaching methods, not limited to traditional lectures but also fostering collaboration among students.
Let’s now look at the 5 best practices that should guide any school lighting project.
At the heart of school architecture are the children and students, and the lighting must meet their needs. This means that the areas they focus on, such as the blackboard, should be appropriately illuminated (the recommended value is 500 Lux).
But lighting must also consider less conventional study and learning areas. To achieve this, lighting designers must wonder, for example, where students gather to cooperate and study outside the classrooms, such as in laboratories, seating areas in corridors, or tables in the break areas.
Daylight Autonomy (DA) is one of the most important metrics to consider when designing school lighting. It evaluates the percentage of hours during which natural light is sufficient for performing visual tasks in the school building. The UNI EN 12464-1 standard recommends maximizing the access of daylight, while avoiding direct sunlight that could cause glare or overheating. A good percentage is considered to be between 40% and 60%.
This means that artificial lighting should complement natural sunlight, taking it into account to create synergy that optimizes visual comfort while reducing energy consumption. Choosing sustainable lighting solutions that are easy to maintain is also crucial.
As mentioned earlier, sustainability is an essential characteristic of school lighting luminaires. However, it’s important to remember that sustainability not only refers to reducing environmental impact and energy consumption but also involves adopting solutions that lower operational costs and simplify maintenance, thus ensuring long-term operational efficiency.
By choosing LED lighting devices for schools, a 360° environmental sustainability approach can be achieved, improving both energy efficiency and cost-effectiveness while reducing maintenance needs due to the long lifespan of LEDs.
The adoption of smart lighting systems offers numerous advantages over traditional solutions. In particular, the ability to dim the light flow – adjusting light intensity based on the specific needs of the environment – can significantly contribute to reducing energy consumption.
In classrooms and laboratories, where teaching and practical activities require varying light intensities, dimming allows the light to automatically adjust according to the activities being carried out and the time of day. For instance, lighting can be increased during reading and writing activities and then lowered during breaks or when watching screen content, when strong illumination is not necessary.
Additionally, the use of motion sensors and automated systems that detect people’s presence and adjust light intensity based on the needs guarantees further energy savings and enables intelligent space management in schools.
Minimizing glare from reflected light and improving visibility on screens is crucial for enhancing visual comfort when using electronic devices, from digital whiteboards to computers and tablets, which are increasingly used as study and collaboration tools.
Schools train the adults of tomorrow, and with proper lighting, students can study and learn under the best conditions. With careful design and the best LED lighting solutions for schools, the learning environment can be transformed into a welcoming, productive, and sustainable space, improving students’ performance and providing maximum visual comfort for them and all school staff, while also reducing costs and energy consumption.
