Over the past several years, across international forums, standards organizations, and corporate advisory projects, our CEO has consistently emphasized a core message: the next phase of healthy lighting is no longer about technology alone, but about real-world implementation.
The key driver of that implementation is neither manufacturers, laboratories, nor standards bodies, but designers working at the very front line of spatial decision-making.
Building on this belief, in December our CEO partnered with Yunzhiguang (云知光) to deliver the company’s first large-scale, systematized healthy lighting training program specifically for designers. Covering health-based lighting logic, standards verification, and the practical application of the Field Evaluation System (FES) for diagnosing lighting quality in real environments, the program brought together more than fifty designers on site—marking the opening of a new chapter for the industry.
Why Designers Are the Critical Force Behind the Realization of Healthy Lighting
Because every form of lighting that truly changes lived experience must ultimately pass through the hands of designers before it enters homes, hotels, offices, schools, healthcare facilities, and senior living communities.
No matter how advanced the technology, how rigorous the standards, or how refined the products may be, if the design process does not fully grasp the logic of light × people × space × time, healthy lighting will remain confined to presentation slides rather than built reality.
This is what made the course particularly compelling: for the first time, designers approached lighting from a health-first perspective, rather than evaluating it solely in terms of brightness, aesthetics, or cost.
FES: Grounding Every Design Decision in Real Spaces
During this training, the most discussed and widely appreciated tool was the In.Licht® FES (Field Evaluation System), developed by LRS as an on-site evaluation methodology.
Its strong resonance with designers stems from three long-standing pain points in lighting design practice:
Laboratory data ≠ real-world experience
Calculated drawings ≠ actual human light exposure
Product specifications ≠ spatial health performance
The introduction of FES provided, for the first time, a practical and actionable response to these challenges.
Circadian impact of light Metrics such as m-EDI, EML, and CS are no longer abstract parameters; they become measurable, adjustable, and verifiable behaviors within real spaces.
Visual comfort of light Glare, uniformity, and task suitability are no longer judged solely by experience or intuition, but evaluated through on-site evidence.
Emotional and behavioral effects of light Exposure levels across different zones, times, and user groups can be quantified, mapped, and compared, enabling more precise design decisions.
Integrated experience of light × air × environment In.Licht® allows for the simultaneous assessment of lighting and air quality (PM2.5 / PM10, TVOC, CO₂), as well as temperature and humidity—elevating design thinking from a single lighting system to a holistic living scenario.
It is this three-dimensional view of health that prompted many designers to remark after the course:
“This was the first time I saw light truly relate to people.” “I didn’t realize that the health of a space could actually be measured, designed, and improved.” “FES allows us to say, ‘this is healthy,’ instead of ‘it should be good enough.’”
Training in Action: From Theory and Simulation to Real-World Diagnosis
During the training, participants engaged in in-depth discussions around key questions:
How does light influence human alertness, sleep, emotions, and stress?
Why are “seeing clearly, sleeping well, and feeling comfortable” the three essential elements of good lighting?
How should lighting priorities be determined based on spatial tasks and user behavior?
How can FES be used to establish a diagnostic workflow before design, during design, and after implementation?
When designers began conducting on-site measurements with In.Licht®—inside rooms, along corridors, and in front of façades—many were struck by several discoveries:
In the same space, exposure levels vary dramatically from one position to another.
Circadian illuminance does not necessarily come from the brightest luminaires.
The factors that most strongly affect comfort are often spectrum and distribution, not wattage.
Air quality shows a strong correlation with perceived lighting comfort.
By transforming subjective impressions into measurable evidence, FES replaces “it feels about right” with “the data shows”—marking a fundamental shift in the industry from experience-driven practice to science-based design.
Why is this training so significant?
Because this is the first time that human-centric lighting (HCL) has progressed from: “Explaining concepts” → “Explaining methods” → “Explaining scene diagnostics” → “Hands-on tool practice”
This means: 📌 HCL is no longer just manufacturer marketing 📌 It is no longer just standard clauses 📌 It no longer stays only within academic models
Instead, it has truly entered the hands of designers, becoming a practical, implementable service.
Advantages of In.Licht®: Truly Designed for the Real Space
In class, designers most often discuss the unique value of In.Licht®:
1. All-in-One Integration Spectra, circadian rhythm, flicker, illuminance, color temperature, and air quality—six key dimensions—all part of the real spatial experience.
2. Designed for Actual Space Scenarios It’s not about “measuring the light,” but about “measuring the light people actually experience.”
3. More Than an Instrument—A Complete Methodology FES is both a service system and a design language, turning data into actionable design capability.
4. Fully Aligned with International Standards Circadian logic, flicker logic, and visual task logic from WELL, IES, and CIE can all be verified on-site.
A New Era of Human-Centric Lighting Requires Us to Move Forward Together
After this training, We are even more convinced: The design industry of the future will be divided into two types of people— 🔹 Those who understand health 🔹 Those who still “only look at brightness”
In.Licht®’s mission is to empower more designers, developers, brands, and operations teams with the ability to “see what’s real”, enabling the creation of lighting environments that are more scientific, human-centered, and beautiful.
Closing Remarks
Thank you to all the designer partners who participated in this course. Your enthusiasm, curiosity, and professionalism have been truly inspiring.
Let’s work together to make light a sustainable, scalable service and create spaces that are genuinely human-centered. Stop guessing light. Start measuring. Move beyond guesswork—use science to improve health.
Over the past 20 years, the three things we were most often asked for in projects were:
Make the lighting look good, give the space “character”;
Ensure illuminance meets standards, with correct Eh values;
Achieve energy efficiency, with attractive energy reports.
Many designers have mastered this “Look + Eh + Energy” combination—but Human Centric Lighting (HCL) is quietly changing the rules.
Clients are now asking: “Does this lighting support sleep, mood, focus, or vision?”
For professional lighting designers, this is both a challenge and an opportunity for career advancement.
1. The Ceiling of Old Rules: Eh and Renderings Are No Longer Enough
Traditionally, a “well-executed lighting design” meant:
Illuminance calculation: Horizontal illuminance (Eh) on work surfaces meets 300 / 500 / 1000 lx;
Glare control: UGR within allowed limits;
Energy control: Power density (W/m²) meets green building or energy standards;
Renderings: Layered, with contrast, visually shareable.
These remain important, but HCL reminds us: people are not just a point on a lux map—they are a physiological and psychological system.
Typical blind spots:
Indoor daytime: Eh is sufficient, but vertical eye illuminance (Ev) is too low—people can see, yet feel sleepy;
Nighttime hotels/high-end residences: high illuminance + color temperature for “luxury” may disrupt sleep;
Offices: beautiful renderings, but long-term work forces eyes to constantly switch between bright and dark areas;
Schools/healthcare: designing by “classroom standards” ignores circadian rhythm and emotional recovery.
The challenge: Traditional tools and workflows are designed for “visibility + standards,” not for “how light affects people.”
2. HCL Requires Designers to Do More: From Eh to Ev, From Illuminance to Rhythm
Key terms:
Eh (Horizontal Illuminance): Lux on horizontal surfaces, e.g., desks, floors.
Ev (Vertical Eye Illuminance): Lux on the vertical plane at eye level, closer to the light dose the brain actually receives.
HCL (Human Centric Lighting): Lighting designed around human physiology, cognition, emotion, and health—not just aesthetics or objects.
A conversation on HCL:
Former IALD President Jeffrey Miller once asked:
“You speak of HCL—how is it different from a lifetime of lighting design ‘for humans’?”
At first, I could only vaguely explain it in terms of rhythm, emotion, and health research. After years of on-site measurements and practice, I now answer:
“You’ve always designed for humans. HCL asks us to go further—not just how bright a space is, but how much light the human eye actually receives (Ev). When Eh meets task needs and Ev supports rhythm and emotion, that’s truly HCL.”
簡而言之：
Previously: focus on space, form, style.
Now: Eh supports tasks; Ev supports brain and body.
Practical HCL Guidelines
From Eh to Eh + Ev
Eh determines if a task is visible.
Ev determines how much light the brain receives.
Without Ev consideration: desks may be bright, but people’s brains stay in “evening mode.”
Implementation:
In hotel rooms, offices, clinics, classrooms: evaluate Ev along typical sightlines.
Use software + on-site measurements to manage both Eh and Ev.
Introduce m-EDI / melanopic concepts
Different spectra have different circadian impacts.
300 lx at 4000K is not equal to 300 lx at 2700K in terms of rhythm.
Designers should answer:
Is there enough circadian stimulus during the day?
Is it reduced at night?
Does tunable lighting follow this logic?
Consider S/P Ratio
Useful in outdoor or low-illuminance scenarios:
Pedestrian areas: maintain visibility at lower Eh with higher S/P spectra;
Night tourism/landscape: reduce ecological and circadian disruption while preserving visual storytelling.
3. Five Indoor Scenarios: From “Style” to “Human Timeline”
1. Hotels
Beyond “looks + Instagrammable”: guide lighting along the full day: check-in → hygiene → sleep → night wake → morning.
Example:
Arrival: slightly high Eh/Ev, neutral or slightly cool;
1–2 hours before sleep: lower Eh, Ev, and color temperature;
Night wake: very low Eh + soft guiding light.
2. High-end residences
Children’s rooms: task lighting meets Eh, Ev protects eyes and rhythm;
Master bedroom: promote sleep, reduce Ev at night;
Living/dining: support social, relaxation, occasional work—don’t apply one-size-fits-all.
Solution: use S/P ratio to maintain visibility while lowering Eh; design Ev at pedestrian eye level; gradually reduce brightness and color temperature at the end of routes (“wind-down”).
Tourism lighting
Beyond storytelling: create a “return-home curve” in lighting.
Dramatic early scenes, gradual reduction later to prevent physiological overstimulation.
HCL adds: reduce fatigue, support circadian rhythm; segment tunnels/bridges with Ev, signage, and glare management.
5. AI + IoT: Making HCL Operational
Design stage: AI can generate multiple “human-centered scenarios,” optimizing Eh/Ev/S-P/m-EDI, freeing designers from repetitive calculations.
Implementation & operation: IoT sensors (occupancy, daylight, temperature, noise, CO₂) allow lighting systems to automatically adjust HCL scenarios, with regular calibration against design values.
Takeaway: AI and IoT don’t replace designers—they empower designers to manage truly “living” lighting environments.
6. Conclusion: HCL Is a Professional Upgrade
Light is no longer just “visibility”—it’s about how it interacts with humans over time.
Designers must learn: Eh, Ev, m-EDI, S/P ratio, rhythm models; adopt a human timeline; work with AI, IoT, and measurement tools.
Opportunity: transition from “lighting stylist” to “lighting & wellness experience designer”, engaging clients on sleep, efficiency, brand, and urban nightlife.
Next project challenge: add one page to your design plan:
Does Eh support tasks?
Does Ev support circadian rhythm and mood?
Is your lighting merely “pretty,” or already responsible?
This article is based on the latest data and analysis from the ISA “SSL Industry Report 2025,” combined with our on-the-ground observations and reflections over the past few years in markets such as China, India, and Europe. We want to discuss: as the energy-saving dividend reaches its peak, what will the lighting industry rely on to survive next?
(Photo of Lawrence Lin delivering a presentation on stage at the 2019 DOE SSL R&D Workshop)
1. First, About ISA: Who is Mapping the Global “Ledification”?
ISA (International SSL Alliance) is composed of government departments, industry associations, research institutions, and leading companies from multiple countries. It is one of the most important global collaboration platforms in the field of solid-state lighting (SSL). Since its founding, ISA has accomplished three key tasks:
Bridging: Connecting policy, standards, and industry
In regions such as China, Europe, and North America, ISA assists governments and standards organizations in aligning SSL technology roadmaps, efficiency targets, and industry realities.
It participates in and promotes the development and revision of energy-efficiency standards, labeling systems, and energy-saving policies across multiple countries.
Mapping: Providing a “radar and compass” for global SSL development
Regularly publishes global SSL industry reports and roadmaps.
Serves as an important reference for decision-makers, companies, and investors in forming strategy.
Accounting: Clarifying the contribution of energy saving and emissions reduction
Quantifies the impact of improved lighting efficiency on carbon reduction, reduced electricity demand, and infrastructure pressure.
Makes “promoting LED adoption” not just a technical choice but an inevitable option in energy and climate policy.
簡而言之：
Without ISA’s decade-plus efforts in bridging, mapping, and accounting, global consensus on replacing traditional light sources with LEDs would not have formed so quickly.
2. Norman and DOE: Turning Good Technology into Global Policy
One of the lead authors of the SSL Industry Report 2025 is the well-known Dr. Norman Bardsley. His role bridging ISA and DOE deserves special attention.
ISA’s Chief Architect
Longtime chief analyst/advisor at ISA.
Integrates policies, technological progress, and industry data into a “common language.”
Enables decision-makers from different countries to discuss the future on the same map.
Key Strategist for DOE SSL Program
Has participated for many years in the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Solid-State Lighting (SSL) Program.
Helps set target efficacies, cost pathways, technical milestones, and demonstration projects.
Turns “replacing traditional light sources with LEDs” into a national-level project with a roadmap and timeline.
Translating Technological Evolution into Industry Decisions
He focuses not only on laboratory limits but also on commercial viability: when can it reach the market? When will costs be acceptable? Which applications benefit first?
This is why his reports can persuade both the technical community and policy-makers, as well as investors.
3. Our Personal Experience: From “Full Spectrum” Skepticism at DOE to Today’s HCL Consensus
Lawrence Lin also has a personal connection with Norman.
In early 2019, at Norman’s invitation, Lawrence Lin attended the DOE SSL R&D Workshop representing LEDVANCE and delivered a keynote titled:
“Towards the Era of Full Spectrum LED Lighting.”
At that time, many were skeptical about “Full Spectrum”:
Some thought it was merely a marketing term.
Others questioned why so much effort should be spent on spectral quality under tight efficiency and cost pressures.
Looking back today, Full Spectrum LEDs became one of the key physical enablers for Human-Centric Lighting (HCL):
Without LEDs closer to the natural spectrum, tunable, and easily measurable and controllable, discussions about circadian rhythm, mood, and visual comfort would have remained confined to labs and PowerPoints.
For HCL to truly reach schools, hospitals, offices, and urban spaces, there first had to be a “good, well-behaved” light source.
Lawrence Lin has always valued the intense discussions with Norman and DOE colleagues at that meeting. Many of the points that were questioned at the time have since become industry consensus.
From “making LEDs more energy-efficient” to “making light more human-centric,” the bridge between these two was precisely “Full Spectrum + measurable human-factor metrics.”
4. After the “Energy-Saving Campaign” Was Declared Victorious
Over the past twenty years, driven by institutions such as ISA and DOE, global policies, subsidies, and research funding have elevated LEDs to a central position:
The average efficacy of artificial lighting worldwide increased from about 50 lm/W in 2005 to nearly or over 100 lm/W by 2025.
Humanity’s “use of light” has almost doubled — longer lighting hours, higher brightness, and more complex scenarios. We have never been more adept at using light than we are today.
However, in 2024–2025, several key signals emerged:
Governments say, “It’s time to step back.”
Many countries are gradually reducing dedicated SSL funding.
Relevant international projects are completing their phases — the energy-saving light bulb battle is largely over.
Industry media bows out
Long-established professional media are either closing or transforming, and the industry focus is quietly shifting from “luminous efficacy and devices” to “applications and scenarios.”
Efficiency rises, electricity use doesn’t drop significantly
Lighting electricity consumption has not halved despite doubled efficacy; in some years, it even slightly increased. Efficiency gains are outweighed by “more light, larger areas, longer hours.”
Our view: The “energy-saving light bulb battle” is over. In the next decade, companies focused solely on lm/W will gradually lose influence. The new battleground is: light and humans, light and health, light and spatial value.
5. China’s LED Industry: Revenue Up, Profits Hollowed Out
The report’s analysis of China’s LED industry is particularly eye-opening:
Listed companies focusing on LEDs still see overall revenue growth, but net margins continue to decline, with industry-wide profitability negative.
Gross margins for packaging and general lighting businesses are low, and capacity utilization has fallen below warning levels.
Export volumes remain substantial, but unit prices have dropped significantly, with many categories experiencing double-digit declines within a year.
This means:
Volume rises, “value” collapses
Production lines are running, orders are not few, but net profits are thinning or even turning into losses.
China is the global “LED granary,” not the price setter
Upstream in modules, light sources, and fixtures, the true leverage for project influence and brand premium lies in systems and solutions.
Price wars have exhausted traditional profit models
Competing only on wattage, materials, and cost, without shifting to “good light + good space + good systems,” leads only to exhaustion.
Our judgment: If Chinese lighting companies continue to view the world through “add more lines, make more molds” in the next five years, today’s financial reports may already be the most “presentable” pages.
6. Application Scenarios: Where Is the Real “Second Growth Curve”?
The ISA report analyzes mainstream applications separately: automotive, horticultural, roadway, displays, UV, NIR, and smart lighting. Here are a few critical for Chinese companies:
1. Horticultural Lighting: From Hype to Financial Reality
The global LED horticultural lighting market is still growing, but growth is becoming rational.
Several vertical farm projects in Europe and the U.S. suffered losses or bankruptcy — the accounting isn’t about fixtures, but the entire business model.
Summary:
Fully artificial-light vertical farms have extremely high building, energy, and equipment costs. Without clear crop positioning and supply chain design, profitability is difficult.
More promising are high-value crops like leafy greens, herbs, microgreens combined with renewable energy and precise control.
Conclusion: Chinese companies in horticultural lighting should not just sell “lights,” but provide an integrated solution of crops + algorithms + energy + business model.
2. Automotive Lighting: Technical High Ground, Not a “Lifesaver”
The automotive LED device market continues to grow, led by a few international brands.
Technologies such as ADB adaptive high/low beams and dynamic taillights continue to evolve, but regulations, OEM platforms, and reliability requirements make this a slow-paced, high-entry-barrier field.
My view: Automotive lighting is suitable for building technical and brand prestige but is unlikely to solve large-scale overcapacity in the short term. A more pragmatic approach is to reverse-apply automotive-grade optics and reliability thinking to human-centric lighting in buildings and cities.
3. Micro-LED and Displays: A Marathon of Capital and Time
Some leading micro-LED companies saw revenue growth and narrowed losses from 2022–2024, but in 2025, inventory, exchange rates, and demand fluctuations caused sharp revenue drops and widening losses.
For most lighting companies: Micro-LED is more like a “ticket to technical influence” rather than a “main business savior” in the next 3–5 years.
7. Human Factors and Health: HCL Becomes a Hard Metric
In recent years, from DOE to IES, CIE, and then WELL and LEED, everyone has been pursuing the same goal:
Transform “good light” from an adjective into measurable, deliverable engineering language.
The report highlights three aspects in the “Light and Health” section:
Circadian Impact
Expert consensus recommends daytime melanopic EDI at the eye level to support stable circadian rhythm and nighttime sleep.
Under constraints of efficiency and glare, achieving full compliance using only electric light sources is not easy.
Blue Light and Photobiological Safety
Typical residential lighting poses minimal skin risk; the main concern is high blue light output and retinal risk for specific sensitive populations.
This requires finer classification and more empirical research.
Glare and Temporal Light Modulation (TLM)
The point-source nature of LEDs and certain dimming methods complicates glare and flicker issues. Headaches, fatigue, migraines, and photosensitive epilepsy can be associated with improper TLM characteristics.
This echoes Full Spectrum LED:
Without better spectral carriers, HCL cannot be truly implemented.
Full Spectrum + measurable human-factor metrics is the essential bridge from concept to engineering practice.
Our judgment: The next industry reshuffle will not favor the cheapest LEDs but those who can clearly define, implement, measure, and deliver human-factor and health outcomes.
8. Smart Lighting: From “Connected Streetlights” to “Urban Sensing Infrastructure”
ISA makes important observations in smart lighting:
In China:
Thousands of medium and large smart lighting companies exist; many SMEs participate in subsystems and projects.
Indoor and outdoor smart lighting shipments continue to rise.
Globally:
Smart streetlight installations steadily increase; multiple cities achieve 50–70% energy savings using LED + intelligent control, often with payback faster than expected.
Our observations:
The “financial logic” of smart lighting is proven: energy savings + O&M reduction + carbon reduction + data value is reflected in urban financial and operational data.
Chinese companies should avoid two traps:
Being only a “hardware supplier”: delivering many nodes but outsourcing city operations, data, algorithms, and services.
Treating smart lighting as a “one-off weak current project”: after handover, only short-term project profits remain, with no long-term operation or data accumulation.
Real opportunity: Deliver integrated solutions of good light + good control + good algorithms + good operation, connecting human-centric lighting, energy savings, smart cities, and healthy buildings into a network.
9. Next 5–10 Years: Three Directions We See
1. “Good Light” Becomes a Moat, Not an Extra Cost
Standards are evolving: IES, CIE, WELL, etc., are integrating health and circadian metrics into standards and certifications.
Client awareness is shifting: from “replace LEDs to save energy” to “how much is lighting worth for employee health, efficiency, and brand experience?”
Recommendation:
Supply chain companies should include photobiological safety, circadian photometry, TLM metrics in specs, not just CCT/CRI.
Brands and system integrators should tell stories using human-factor metrics + project data, not only lumens, watts, and price.
2. Upgrade from “Product Logic” to “Space + People + Algorithms” Logic
Future competition is not: “My current-generation fixture is 10% cheaper than the last.”
It is: “I help your building / campus / city optimize energy use, maintenance, human efficiency, and brand value while ensuring health and experience.”
Recommendation:
Organize product lines by scenarios: office, education, healthcare, hospitality, elderly care, industry, urban renewal.
Each scenario requires measurable, deliverable, and reusable human-factor lighting formulas and dimming strategies.
Make measurement and verification part of the solution: vertical illuminance, melanopic EDI, TLM, SVM, DGP, etc., must be measurable on site and presented in reports.
Use a data loop for long-term operation: not just turnkey delivery, but continuous optimization according to seasons, schedules, and populations.
3. Chinese Companies Must Move Beyond “Exporting Fixtures”
Current landscape: China is a major producer of LED chips, packaging, modules, and fixtures, and a key supplier for smart lighting hardware and platforms.
However, China’s voice in global health lighting standards, spatial design influence, and human-factor research is still limited.
Recommendation:
Actively participate in international standards and alliances (IES, CIE, GLG, WELL) not just by attending meetings but bringing data, cases, and solutions to discussions.
Turn Chinese projects into international benchmarks: organize excellent campuses, hospitals, campuses, and cities into bilingual white papers and case libraries.
Showcase that good light + good space + good systems are successfully implemented in China.
Upgrade the “internal skills” of price competition into the “combined force” of an ecosystem: from chips, packaging, modules, fixtures, systems, algorithms, measurement, standards to operation, forming a Healthy Light Ecosystem Alliance to go global together rather than individually.
Conclusion: Turning Point Is Here — Different Choices, Different Futures
The 2025 SSL Industry Report by ISA, under the comprehensive analysis of Norman and other experts, gives a very clear signal:
The era of “more energy-efficient lamps” is over.
The industry is moving from the “energy-efficiency era” to the “Good Light Era”: good circadian rhythm, good mood, good spatial experience, good city nightscapes, good hospital wards, classrooms, factories, farms…
At this turning point:
Some will continue competing on every LED chip and fixture;
Others will raise their sights to focus on standards, scenarios, ecosystems, health, and city-scale lighting environments.
Those who endure will see a new world; those left behind often think it was just another “bad market cycle.”
If you are considering: “What should we move from ‘selling lights’ toward next?”, feel free to continue the discussion in the comments.
Sources and Copyright Statement
Some data, charts, and judgments in this article are quoted from ISA’s SSL Industry Report 2025, whose lead authors include Dr. Norman Bardsley and other international experts.
Any interpretation or extended commentary represents the author’s personal views; in case of discrepancies, refer to the original ISA report.
Original data and charts are copyrighted by ISA and the respective authors.
This article is intended for industry exchange and academic discussion only, not for commercial resale or republishing.
If the original report authors or ISA have any concerns about citation, please contact the author, and adjustments will be made promptly.
In the previous article, We wrote an invitation addressed to design tool providers such as DIALux and Cohoom:
If they do not embrace HCL, designers will find it difficult to truly realize the idea of “designing light that supports a person throughout their entire life.”
However, even if designers are equipped with better tools and are able to create more scientifically grounded HCL solutions, if control systems only support basic functions like “on/off, dimming, and scheduling,” all of this remains theoretical, confined to presentations.
In this article, we want to have a serious discussion with lighting system providers about several key issues:
Why most existing system logic is, in fact, not suitable for HCL;
What core capabilities a system that genuinely supports HCL must have;
How lighting system providers can, within 1–2 years, evolve from being “controller suppliers” into “light environment operation platforms”;
and what LRS can do together with you.
I. Today’s System Logic Is Still Stuck in the Era of “Channels + Scheduling + Energy Saving”
Let us first describe, honestly, what control logic looks like in many typical projects today:
Circuit grouping → wall panels → Scene 1 / 2 / 3 / All On / All Off;
Add a few sensors: lights on when people arrive, lights off when they leave;
Add some scheduling: lights on at the start of work, off after hours;
At most, add an extra “energy-saving mode” or “demo mode.”
All of this certainly has value. However, when you place it within an HCL context, three fundamental problems immediately emerge.
1. The system does not know “who this light is for.” An elementary school classroom, an open-plan office, a night-shift nurse station, and a senior living apartment bedroom are, under current system logic, often treated simply as “rooms with slightly different illuminance levels,” rather than as environments serving people with entirely different circadian and physiological needs.
2. The system does not know “which act of the day it is.” Many systems can be set to “turn on at 8 a.m. and off at 10 p.m.,” but they lack a true time-based scene continuum, such as: morning activation / late-morning focus / afternoon sustain / evening wind-down / pre-sleep dose reduction / safe nighttime movement.
As a result, so-called “HCL scenes” are reduced to: brighter during the day, dimmer at night; cooler or warmer CCT—without a scientifically designed lighting-dose plan.
3. The system does not know “how far the current light is from the target.” Most systems are only responsible for “outputting a dimming value according to a scene,” yet they have no awareness of:
The approximate Eh / Ev at critical points;
Whether EML or m-EDI meets the intended targets;
or whether flicker and contrast remain within safe and comfortable ranges.
Once luminaires age or space usage changes, the system has no self-calibration capability—let alone any form of closed-loop control.
In other words, most lighting systems today are, in essence, still operating as “smarter switches,” rather than as health-oriented infrastructure that manages light dosage and supports human biological rhythms.
II. What Core Capabilities Must a System Truly Supporting HCL Have?
Based on LRS’s experience in projects and on-site measurements, a system designed for HCL and LaaS (Light as a Service) needs, at a minimum, the following layers of capability:
1. Upgrade from “channel control” to a “scene engine.” During design and commissioning, the discussion should no longer revolve around “Channel 1 at 80%, Channel 2 at 40%,” but instead focus on:
的 target Eh / Ev / CCT / contrast ranges for a given space;
The corresponding user groups and activities (office work, education, nursing, recovery, sleep, etc.).
Internally, the system may still operate through channel-level calculations, but externally it should provide: metrics-based scene definitions, rather than a collection of percentage values.
2. Built-in time axis: a day is not a single scene. The system should support configuring time-sequenced scenes for each space, for example:
07:00–09:00 Morning activation
09:00–12:00 High-efficiency focus
12:00–14:00 Gentle transition
14:00–18:00 Sustained focus
18:00–20:00 Soft relaxation
20:00–22:00 Pre-sleep dose reduction
For users, what they see is a daily lighting curve, not a set of isolated scene buttons.
3. Built-in health-oriented scene templates and guidelines (even in simplified form). Similar to design tools, systems can fully incorporate scene templates, such as:
Children’s study room: daytime study / evening homework / pre-sleep reading;
Open-plan office: day shift / night shift / overtime / cleaning;
Nurse station: night shift / handover / emergency;
These templates do not need to be highly complex at the outset, but they should at least include:
Recommended Eh / Ev ranges;
Recommended CCT ranges;
Recommended time windows and transition logic.
The presence of such templates significantly lowers the barrier to implementing HCL solutions and enables system providers to offer replicable, scalable solutions to designers and clients alike.
4. Establish a Data Closed Loop Across “Design → Commissioning → Measurement → Optimization”
A health-oriented lighting system should be capable of the following:
Import target values from the design stage. Receive target Eh / Ev / CCT / EML and related parameters from DIALux, Revit, or the provider’s own design tools.
Display “target vs. current output” during commissioning. Allow commissioning engineers to view target values and actual output side by side while tuning scenes in real time.
Feed on-site measurement data back into the system. Support importing measured data from devices such as In.Licht Ultra / Pro (even via simple CSV files); automatically generate “measured vs. design” comparison charts and optimization recommendations.
Enable long-term monitoring and alerts. Conduct periodic re-measurements in critical areas (e.g., ICUs, nurse stations, key office zones). When the lighting environment deviates significantly from target values, the system can issue prompts, such as: luminaire aging? scenes manually altered? changes in shading or daylight strategies?
This is the foundation that allows LaaS to operate sustainably over the long term and to improve continuously.
III. From “Selling Hardware” to “Operating Light Environments”: System Providers Can Create an Additional Business Line
Many lighting system manufacturers have shared similar concerns in recent years:
Margins on controllers, drivers, and gateways continue to shrink;
Competition is intensifying and products are increasingly commoditized;
Systems are expected to “support everything,” yet it becomes harder and harder to articulate a clear value narrative.
HCL and Light as a Service offer a timely opportunity for both business and brand upgrading.
1. At the solution and bidding stage: offer “health-oriented lighting solution packages.” Rather than merely stating “supports DALI / KNX / ZigBee / BLE Mesh” and similar protocols, system providers should be able to present, within their proposals:
HCL scene libraries tailored to different building types and user groups;
Corresponding system logic, control algorithms, and day-to-day operational recommendations;
Indicator frameworks aligned with healthy building certifications and ESG reporting.
2. At the implementation stage: provide “commissioning and validation services.” By collaborating with designers, consultants, and teams such as LRS, system providers can offer value-added services that combine health-oriented lighting commissioning and on-site measurement validation. This elevates their role from a one-off system integrator to a light environment delivery owner.
3. At the operation stage: provide “annual light environment checkups” and subscription services. For key clients (hospitals, corporate campuses, schools, hotels, etc.), providers can offer:
Annual or quarterly light environment re-measurements and reports;
Analysis of usage behavior and optimization potential based on system data;
Assistance in adjusting HCL strategies when clients update space functions or work–rest schedules.
For system providers, this means adding a second revenue engine: beyond one-time project-based revenue, a compounding stream of service and subscription revenue.
IV. Where Can System Providers Start in the Next 12–24 Months?
There is no need to attempt everything at once. However, if you agree that HCL and LaaS represent the direction of the next 5–10 years, I would recommend that system providers at least consider the following steps:
Establish a small HCL task force. Bring together product, R&D, and marketing teams to clearly define the kind of health-oriented lighting narrative the system product line aims to deliver.
Select 2–3 priority scenarios as initial entry points. For example: office + healthcare + education, or office + hospitality + senior living. Rather than attempting to address every industry immediately, focus on a few key scenarios and make them detailed, solid, and well-explained.
Co-create scene libraries and time-axis templates with HCL specialists. Partner with teams such as LRS to jointly define default scene packages 和 health-oriented lighting parameter ranges based on research and on-site measurements.
Introduce basic time-axis and HCL scene logic into existing systems. Without disrupting existing user habits, add higher-level logic entry points such as “circadian mode” or “health mode.”
Build a minimum viable closed loop with design tools and measurement devices. Start with a simple, practical workflow: import target values from the design stage → system execution → on-site commissioning → measurement feedback → report generation.
Select 1–2 flagship projects to validate and tell the story well. Work with designers, owners, and HCL consultants to create demonstrator projects. Use real data and user feedback to clearly articulate the differentiation and value of a health-oriented lighting system.
V. What Can LRS Do Together with Lighting System Providers?
LRS (Lighting Recipe Studio) has consistently positioned itself as a bridge between scientific research × design thinking × product and system implementation:
We are deeply involved in research and field measurements related to HCL, light and circadian rhythms, and light and emotion. We also collaborate on projects with designers, lighting brands, system providers, and healthy building teams worldwide. Through tools such as In.Licht Ultra / Pro and the FES (Field Evaluation System) methodology, we strive to translate complex science into frameworks that are designable, measurable, and operable.
If you are: a manufacturer developing or upgrading your own intelligent lighting systems; looking to make health-oriented lighting, HCL, or LaaS a core axis of your product roadmap;
LRS would be glad to:
Serve as an HCL consultant and content co-creation partner, working with you to define:
Scene templates, time-axis strategies, and health-oriented lighting parameter ranges;
Integration pathways with design tools and measurement devices;
and bridges between healthy building standards, ESG frameworks, and brand storytelling.
Aesthetic lighting is something systems have supported for many years. Responsible lighting still requires system providers and designers to work together to embed it into the everyday reality of every space.
If you are willing to evolve your system from a “smarter switch” into a long-term steward of the light environment, then now is, indeed, an excellent starting point.
Over the past twenty years, lighting design software has done something extremely important for the industry—it has transformed illuminance calculations, light distribution simulations, glare control, and energy consumption estimates into a visual workflow.
DIALux, Relux, AGi32 have made professional lighting design more precise and reliable.
Cohoom, 3D Home, RoomSketcher have made home design and interior styling more accessible and understandable for consumers.
But now, the demand has quietly shifted:
Clients no longer ask only, “Is it bright enough? Is it energy-efficient?” Increasingly, they are asking:
“Does this lighting support sleep, vision, focus, and mood?”
As healthy lighting / HCL / human-centric lighting moves from academic papers into tender documents, certification standards, and client KPIs, design tools that still only calculate Eh, UGR, and installed power are effectively keeping every designer using your software stuck in the previous generation’s rules of the game.
This article aims to have a serious conversation with lighting tool manufacturers about three things:
Real-world project KPIs have already changed.
Your product architecture should evolve to reflect this.
LRS, along with a community of HCL researchers, is ready to collaborate with you to get this right.
1. Real-World Project KPIs Have Changed: From “Illuminance Compliance” to “Health and Performance”
Today’s clients—especially hospitals, schools, corporate headquarters, luxury residences, and hotels—are increasingly accustomed to incorporating “health” into project goals:
Health building standards such as WELL.
Employee health and productivity metrics in ESG reports.
Schools and hospitals focusing on sleep, circadian rhythms, and emotional stability.
High-end residences and hotels committing to sleep quality and children’s vision protection.
These goals cannot be addressed solely with horizontal illuminance (Eh), UGR, or power density (W/m²).
Clients care about:
Daytime: Are employees and students receiving sufficient circadian light stimulation?
Nighttime: Can patients and residents sleep comfortably in a supportive light environment?
Long-term: Could lighting unintentionally contribute to fatigue, anxiety, or sleep problems over time?
Yet, most mainstream design tools today still operate with a workflow like:
“Select fixtures → Place fixtures → Calculate Eh/UGR → Check false color → Export report.”
While this remains important, it is no longer sufficient.
2. If Design Software Only Calculates Horizontal Illuminance, Supporting HCL Becomes Very Difficult
From a healthy lighting / HCL perspective, current design tools have several structural gaps:
1. Lack of “Human Eye Perspective” and Vertical / Circadian Metrics
Most software defaults to horizontal illuminance (Eh) on work surfaces.
A few support vertical illuminance (Ev), but these options are often hidden in advanced settings.
Metrics closely tied to HCL, such as m-EDI, EML, CS, are rarely natively supported.
Result: Designers may create a “compliant” plan in software, but on-site measurements with tools like In.Licht Ultra often reveal that eye-level Ev or circadian stimulation is severely insufficient or excessive.
2. Lack of a “Timeline” Concept
The core of HCL is “light dose × time.”
Morning vs. afternoon, workdays vs. night shifts—the lighting scene should change.
At minimum, the same space should have “alert mode” 和 “relaxation mode” over the course of a day.
Currently, most tools still work like this:
Calculate illuminance for one “typical scenario,” maybe add a second “energy-saving mode.”
Without a timeline, HCL remains just a slide in a presentation, never appearing on the software screen.
3. Lack of “User & Scenario” Preset Templates
Children vs. elderly: different circadian light doses.
Night-shift nurses vs. office workers: completely different circadian strategies.
Hotel rooms vs. ICU vs. senior apartments: large differences in required color temperature, illuminance, and timing.
If design tools still only offer generic templates like office / factory / commercial / warehouse and lack HCL-specific scenarios such as children’s learning zones, night-shift nurse stations, elderly bedrooms, or recovery areas, designers are left to figure it out themselves—the tools fail to provide the guidance and educational value they should.
3. In the HCL Era, Five Key Things Lighting Design Tools Can Do
As a team with long-term research and field testing experience in HCL / light and health, LRS knows that if design tools take just a few steps forward, they can open a whole new door for the industry. Here are five concrete and practical suggestions:
1. Make “Vertical Illuminance + Circadian Metrics” a Default Output
In addition to Eh, UGR, and power, add Ev (eye-level vertical illuminance) and simplified circadian metrics (e.g., m-EDI, EML, or simple grading).
Precision isn’t required from the start, but the UI should give designers a clear sense of how much light reaches the eyes.
Once design software visibly displays Ev / circadian metrics, designers will start taking them seriously.
Support defining multiple lighting scenes for different times of the day in the same space: Morning wake-up / afternoon focus / evening transition / night relaxation / night-shift mode.
Present changes along a timeline in calculations and exported reports, instead of just one static image.
This approach helps:
Link intelligent control systems with the design software.
Help clients understand why multiple scenes are necessary.
Allow designers to incorporate HCL thinking into proposals and tender documents.
3. Provide “User × Scenario” HCL Templates
Collaborate with professional teams to simplify complex research into easy-to-use templates, for example:
Children’s learning zones: daytime study / evening homework
Office spaces: standard day shift / night overtime
Hotel rooms: check-in welcome / pre-sleep relaxation / nighttime safety
Designers can adjust these templates rather than starting from scratch.
4. Close the Loop Between Design Tools and Measurement Devices
Increasingly, HCL projects are using In.Licht Ultra / Pro devices for on-site verification.
If design software can:
Export a standard “target values list” for measurement devices
Import measurement data to automatically compare design vs. measured values
Generate “measured light maps / adjustment recommendations” from on-site data
…then the software evolves from being a design-phase tool to a platform spanning design → commissioning → verification → re-measurement.
5. Open APIs for Deep Integration with HCL Models
Many lighting manufacturers, driver, and system vendors are developing their own HCL strategies and control models:
Different spectra and mixed color temperature strategies
Preset scenes aligned with WELL or EN standards
Circadian control logic integrated with BMS / IoT platforms
If design software offers:
Open APIs or plugin mechanisms
Allowing brands to embed their HCL scene packages, spectral data, and control logic
…then:
Tool providers become healthy lighting platforms,
Brands become scene content providers,
Designers and clients can truly communicate within a shared language and system.
4. What Can Cohoom, DIALux, and Others Do?
Different platforms target different user groups, but the opportunities are clear.
For platforms like Cohoom, focused on home design / retail / visualization:
You are closest to the end consumer.
If you add HCL-focused scenarios to your model libraries and scene templates—such as children’s vision-protecting study areas, sleep-supporting bedrooms, or calming living rooms—and provide simple health tips or guidance in both rendering and parameter information,
…then you can help thousands of designers and sales staff convince consumers more scientifically:
“This isn’t just a beautiful lighting setup—it’s a light environment that better supports your child’s sleep and vision.”
For professional engineering platforms like DIALux, Relux, and AGi32:
You hold the professional authority with design institutes, consulting firms, and engineering companies.
If you natively support Ev, circadian metrics, and calculations for L01–L03 clauses in your China / Asia versions, and collaborate with HCL research teams to incorporate local standards and healthy lighting parameters,
…then you have the potential to become:
“The default platform for discussions of circadian and healthy lighting in engineering and health-focused building projects over the next decade.”
5. LRS Is Ready to Collaborate to Get This Right
Over the years, LRS (Lighting Recipe Studio) has been doing several related things:
Working with international and local experts to translate spectral, circadian, visual, and emotional models into designable and measurable metrics.
Conducting extensive on-site measurements using In.Licht Ultra / Pro / Well across hospitals, campuses, offices, hotels, and residential spaces.
Designing systematic courses and tool workflows for designers, lighting companies, developers, and industry associations.
We understand that integrating HCL capabilities into your products must be scientifically rigorous, yet also user-friendly and cost-effective.
If you are a design platform such as Cohoom, DIALux, Relux, AGi32, planning to include HCL / WELL / healthy lighting modules in your next product version,
LRS is ready to collaborate as a consultant and content partner, helping define:
Which metrics are most important
Which templates are most practical
How UI design can provide guidance without disrupting the designer
…bringing HCL from academic papers and classrooms directly into your software interface.
6. Preview of the Next Article: Lighting System Manufacturers Need to Act
Today’s article is an invitation to lighting design tool manufacturers:
If you don’t embrace HCL, designers will struggle to truly design the light for people’s lives.
In the next article, we will turn to another key player: lighting system manufacturers / control systems / smart lighting platforms.
We will discuss:
Once tools support Ev and circadian scenarios, how should system manufacturers rebuild scene logic and control architectures?
How to move from simple on/off or dimming to circadian dose management?
How to make HCL a commercially valuable, replicable solution, rather than just marketing copy?
If you are a lighting design tool provider, feel free to share the next article with your partner brands and system manufacturers.
The true era of healthy lighting requires tools, products, systems, and designers to upgrade together.
【Part Three】From One-Time Delivery to “Light-Environment Stewardship”: Designers in the Era of Light as a Service
Many designers have had a similar experience:
On the day a project is completed, the moment the lights are switched on is deeply moving. But when you pass by a few months later, the lighting scenes are almost unrecognizable—either only one or two of the “brightest” scenes are used year-round, or everything has been adjusted by on-site operations to the “energy-saving mode.”
The reason is simple: People’s living habits change. The way spaces are used changes. Operational and management goals change.
Yet our design work often participates only in that single moment before handover.
If light is truly an environmental dose that affects sleep, circadian rhythms, mood, and performance, then the designer’s role should not be limited to that of a “supplier.” It should resemble a long-term attending physician + family doctor responsible for ongoing care.
This is exactly what Light as a Service (LaaS) aims to address.
1. Treat a Space as a “Lighting Environment Project”
At LRS, we typically approach a space as a complete lighting environment project, divided into three phases:
Phase 1: Diagnosis & Design
Analyze the needs of the owner and users, including health, comfort, and operational requirements.
Set healthy lighting goals based on standards and research.
Develop an initial design through lighting layout plans, daylight analysis, and scene logic.
Conduct a “lighting health check” for key areas every 3–6 months.
Adjust scenes and control strategies according to user feedback and measurement results.
Provide concise reports to management, enabling continuous optimization of the lighting environment.
When designers view “completing a lighting scheme” as the starting point of an ongoing healthy lighting project, the mindset of Light as a Service is already in place.
2. How Can a One-Time Delivery Be Upgraded?
For designers and lighting manufacturers, Light as a Service (LaaS) is not about overturning the existing workflow—it’s about upgrading a traditional “one-time delivery” into a “delivery with a built-in service interface.”
Take a simplified example of an open-plan office space:
1) During the one-time delivery phase, you can do three additional things:
Scene Documentation:
Don’t just deliver “lights and switches.” Define lighting goals for different scenarios: daily office work, focused meetings, video conferencing, overtime/night shifts, cleaning, and maintenance.
Clear Metrics:
For each scenario, specify target Eh / Ev / CCT / contrast ranges. Use simple charts to help the client understand: “These lighting conditions are not chosen arbitrarily.”
Tuning Records:
During commissioning, measure key points using Ultra / Pro tools.
Record the “before / after” values and include them in a short Lighting Environment Handover Document.
These three steps alone already distinguish your solution from most plans that only deliver a lighting layout.
3. From “Design Fee” to “Lighting Environment Stewardship Fee”
If you are willing to take the next step, you can design a one-year lighting environment stewardship plan for your client, for example:
Quarterly Re-Measurement and Adjustment
Each quarter, select key areas (e.g., typical office zones, meeting rooms, break areas, reception/lobby) and measure them at fixed points.
If usage patterns change (e.g., new night shifts, desk rearrangements), adjust the lighting scenes accordingly.
Annual “Lighting Environment Health Report”
Consolidate measurement data and adjustment records from the year.
Summarize contributions to employee experience, health, and brand image.
Provide recommendations for the next year: which areas need fixture or control system upgrades, and which areas can achieve better circadian or comfort performance through scene fine-tuning.
Alignment with Corporate Health / ESG Goals
For companies focused on ESG, employee well-being, and talent retention, integrate healthy lighting strategies with ESG reports, HR policies, and brand communications, making lighting environment stewardship a long-term corporate value.
For designers and lighting companies, this approach transforms a one-time design fee / project margin into ongoing service revenue and a long-term client partnership.
4. LRS’s Role in Corporates and Associations: Consultant, Co-Creator, Training Partner
When companies or associations recognize that healthy lighting will be a key focus over the next 5–10 years, they often face several challenges:
Internal teams are interested in “light and health” but lack systematic knowledge.
Product lines and solutions aim to upgrade toward health-oriented lighting but lack scientific and standards-based support.
They want to launch training, forums, or industry events but worry the content may be either too abstract or overly academic.
Over the past few years, LRS has collaborated with domestic and international lighting companies, real estate groups, design firms, and industry associations, typically playing the following roles:
Training & Internal Education Partner
Tailor courses for design, product, marketing, and executive teams on topics such as healthy lighting environments, human-centric smart lighting, and lighting environment assessment & data communication.
Combine scientific standards with practical project experience and business logic.
Solution & Product Co-Creation Consultant
Assist lighting manufacturers in upgrading from “fixture parameters” to light recipes + scene solutions.
Work with R&D and product teams to define healthy lighting strategies for specific scenarios such as hospitals, schools, offices, and residential spaces.
Content Co-Creator for Industry Events & Association Programs
Help industry associations design course curricula, forum topics, and continuing education modules (CPD).
Transform events from “single lectures” into ongoing education and actionable industry initiatives.
5. A Note to Those Considering “The Next Step”
Whether you are:
An interior, lighting, or architectural designer working on residential or office projects;
A lighting company planning product lines and solutions; or
An association or society aiming to provide more systematic training to members and the industry,
Light as a Service (LaaS) is not a distant concept—it’s a direction you can begin exploring with the next project’s follow-up services:
Use a one-time measurement to let clients truly see the light in their space.
Provide a concise metrics report to help management understand why adjustments are needed.
Deliver an annual “Lighting Environment Health Report” so design and lighting are no longer just a phase in the construction process.
If you are asking yourself:
“Can we move beyond one-off projects and become long-term stewards of the lighting environment for our users?”
LRS is ready to work with you—helping your team, your products, and your clients design the next phase of training, consulting, and co-creation programs.
Concept / Light / Intent The WELL Light concept promotes appropriate human exposure to light, with the objective of creating lighting environments that support visual, psychological, and physiological health.
Concept / Light / Background Light is the main driver of the visual and circadian systems. Light enters the human body through the eye, where it is sensed by photoreceptors in the retina that are linked to the visual and circadian systems. Humans are diurnal, meaning they are innately prone to wakefulness during the day and sleepiness at night. Light exposure stimulates the circadian system, which starts in the brain and regulates physiological rhythms throughout the body’s tissues and organs, such as hormone levels and the sleep-wake cycle. Disruption or desynchronization of the circadian rhythm has been linked with obesity, diabetes, depression and metabolic disorders.Exposure to bright light at night is associated with circadian phase disruption, which in turn can cause negative health effects, such as breast cancer and metabolic and sleep disorders.
All light—not just sunlight—can influence circadian rhythms. Considering that people spend most of their time indoors, insufficient or inappropriate lighting may cause circadian phase shifts. Research shows that light has positive effects on mood and can alleviate depressive symptoms. Adequate daylight exposure is associated with faster recovery, better cognitive function, and improved work performance.
Feature L01: Light Exposure (Prerequisite)
摘要 This feature requires projects to provide appropriate illumination in interior environments through thoughtful daylighting and electric lighting strategies.
Issue Humans rely on circadian rhythms, and light is their primary driver. Modern reliance on artificial lighting often reduces daylight exposure, which may lead to depression and impaired cognitive function.
Approach Adequate light levels should be provided through architectural design, façade design, spatial planning, and lighting design. When daylight is insufficient, electric lighting strategies should be used to achieve the required illumination levels.
Verification Methods
Applicable to all spaces (except dwelling units and guest rooms)
Option 1: Daylight Simulation (Technical documentation) The project demonstrates, through computer simulations, that one of the following conditions are achieved:
a. The total floor area of regularly occupied spaces achieves one of the following targets:
b. Common space that has unassigned seating for at least 15% of regular occupants at any given time achieves one of the following targets:
Option 2: Interior Layout (Technical Documentation) The project must meet one of the following requirements: a. At least 30% of regularly occupied spaces are within a horizontal distance of 6 meters (20 feet) from the building envelope glazing. b. Common spaces have unassigned seating and can accommodate at least 15% of regular occupants at any given time. At least 70% of all seating in these spaces must be within a horizontal distance of 5 meters (16 feet) from the building envelope glazing.
Option 3: Building Design (Technical Documentation) The project must meet one of the following requirements: a. The envelope glazing area is no less than 7% of the regularly occupied floor area. b. The floor length between opposing walls with envelope glazing does not exceed 20 meters (65 feet), and there are no opaque elements higher than 1.25 meters (4 feet) within a 6-meter (20-foot) horizontal distance from the envelope glazing.
Option 4: Circadian Lighting Design (Performance Testing) The project should meet the following requirement: The project complies with Feature L03, Tier 1: Circadian Lighting Design Thresholds.
Applicable to Dwelling Units and Guest Rooms
Option 1: Daylight Simulation (Technical Documentation) The project demonstrates through computer simulation that The total floor area of regularly occupied spaces of each dwelling unit achieves one of the following targets:
Option 2: Façade Design (Technical Documentation) The project should meet the following requirement: For each residential unit, the area of building envelope glazing must be no less than 7% of the regularly occupied floor area.
Option 3: Circadian Lighting Design (Performance Testing) The project should meet the following requirement: The project achieves at least 1 point in Feature L03: Circadian Lighting Design.
摘要 This feature requires projects to provide illuminance levels suitable for work surfaces for users of all ages, considering the lighting levels necessary to perform tasks.
Issue As people age, their eyes require more light. Inadequate lighting can affect visual performance and comfort.
Approach Refer to recommendations from lighting associations or authoritative organizations to develop lighting strategies appropriate for different ages and tasks.
Verification Methods
Applicable to all spaces (except Dwelling units)
Option 1: Visual Lighting Design (Technical Documentation + Performance Testing) a. All indoor and outdoor spaces (including transition areas) comply with the illuminance thresholds specified in one of the following lighting reference guidelines:
IES Lighting Application Standards
EN 12464-1:2021 or EN 12464-2:2014
ISO 8995-1:2002(E) (CIE S 008/E:2001)
GB50034-2013
CIBSE SLL Lighting Guides
b. Illuminance levels should consider the task being performed and the age group of users.
Option 2: Preset Illuminance Levels (Technical Documentation + Performance Testing) Projects should meet the following requirements:
a. More than 50% of the occupants are under the age of 65.
b. The area of outdoor space within the project boundary is less than 5% of the interior project area.
c. At least 90% of the interior project area is comprised of the following space types and meets the associated illuminance thresholds:
Applicable to Dwelling Units
Provide Visual Acuity (Technical Documentation + Performance Testing) Projects should meet the following requirements:
a. Lighting is installed in kitchens and bathrooms to comply with the illuminance thresholds specified in one of the following lighting reference guidelines:
IES Lighting Application Standards
ISO 8995-1:2002(E) (CIE S 008/E:2001)
GB50034-2013
CIBSE SLL Lighting Guides
b. For spaces where lighting is not installed, the following is provided to all tenants:
1. Illuminance thresholds for common tasks conducted in spaces
2. Fixture specifications, quantity, and placement needed to achieve the required illuminance based on a typical layout.
Note:
For projects seeking Bronze 或 Silver certification, performance testing is not required within residential units.
For projects seeking Gold 或 Platinum certification, performance testing must be conducted within residential units.
For details, refer to the “Sampling Rates for Multi-Unit Residential” section of the WELL Performance Verification Guide.
Information on sensors/testing requirements, test duration, and compliance calculations can be found in the WELL Performance Verification Guide.
Feature L03: Circadian Lighting Design (Optimized Conditions, up to 3 Points)
摘要 This feature requires projects to provide appropriate lighting to support circadian rhythm health and align with the natural day-night cycle.
Issue Indoor lighting is often insufficient to support the circadian system, which can lead to rhythm disruption and sleep problems.
Approach Consider spectrum, brightness, duration, and exposure time to ensure appropriate illuminance on vertical surfaces at occupants’ eye level.
During daytime, achieve Equivalent Melanopic Lux (EML) ≥ 275 lux.
At night, reduce EML to minimize suppression of melatonin.
Verification Methods
Applicable to all spaces (Except Dwelling units and Guest rooms)
Performance Testing: For workstations used during the day, artificial lighting should meet the following threshold:
a. In regularly occupied spaces, at a height of 18 inches above the work plane at all workstations, maintain the required illuminance level for at least four hours (starting no later than noon).
b. Achieve illuminance on vertical surfaces at eye level to simulate the light entering the user’s eyes.
Applicable to Dwelling units and Guest rooms
Performance Testing: Each residential unit must meet the following requirements:
a. Use artificial lighting to achieve the specified illuminance levels:
Achieve illuminance on vertical surfaces at eye level to simulate the light entering the user’s eyes.
b. Illuminance levels should be adjustable. If automatic lighting is used, it should dim automatically after 8:00 PM.
c. In living rooms and kitchens, illuminance should be measured at a height of 140 cm (55 inches) above the floor at the center of the room. For studio apartments or hotel rooms without a living area, testing can be performed at the center of the room. If a workstation exists, illuminance should be measured at a height of 45 cm (18 inches) above the work plane.
Design Guidance: It is recommended to refer to WELL standards for specific design principles and parameters.
L04: Electric Light Glare Control (Optimized Feature, up to 2 points)
摘要 This feature requires projects to minimize glare from artificial lighting through design strategies and appropriate luminaires.
Issue Glare can cause visual discomfort, eye strain, headaches, and even accidents.
Approach Select appropriate luminaires and lighting layouts to control brightness and contrast.
Verification Methods
Applicable to all spaces (except industrial spaces)
Option 1: Luminaire Considerations (Technical Documentation) All luminaires within regularly occupied spaces (excluding wall wash fixtures, concealed fixtures, emergency lighting and decorative fixtures installed as specified by the manufacturer) meet one of the following requirements when measured at light output representative of regular use conditions:
a. 100% of light is emitted above the horizontal plane.
b. Unified Glare Rating (UGR) ≤ 19.
c. Luminance at any angle between 45°–90° to the horizontal plane ≤ 6,000 cd/m².
Option 2: Space Considerations (Technical Documentation) All regularly occupied spaces must achieve: Unified Glare Rating (UGR) ≤ 19.
Applicable to industrial spaces
Option 1: Luminaire Considerations (Technical Documentation) All luminaires within regularly occupied spaces (excluding wall wash fixtures, concealed fixtures, emergency lighting and decorative fixtures installed as specified by the manufacturer) meet one of the following requirements when measured at light output representative of regular use conditions:
a. Comply with the requirements for “all spaces except industrial spaces.”
b. Unified Glare Rating (UGR) ≤ 19.
Option 2: Space Considerations (Technical Documentation) All regularly occupied spaces must achieve: Unified Glare Rating (UGR) ≤ 19.
L05: Daylight Design Strategies (Optimized Feature, up to 4 points)
摘要 This feature requires projects to provide indoor daylight exposure through architectural design and connect indoor spaces to the outdoors via view windows.
Issue A lack of daylight exposure can lead to circadian rhythm disruption and mental health issues.
Approach Consider natural daylighting at all stages of architectural planning and integrate shading devices to control glare.
Verification Methods
Part 1: Implement Daylight Plan (up to 2 points)
Technical documentation (architectural drawings and window specifications).
L06: Daylight Simulation (Optimized Feature, up to 2 points)
摘要 This feature requires projects to perform daylight simulations to optimize window and shading device designs.
Issue Architectural design has a significant impact on daylight access, which affects mood, circadian rhythms, and work performance.
Approach Optimize indoor daylight exposure and shading strategies through daylight simulation.
Verification Methods
Part 1: Conduct Daylight Simulation (up to 2 points)
Technical documentation (simulation report).
L07: Visual Balance (Optimized Feature, up to 1 point)
摘要 This feature requires projects to develop and implement strategies to create a visually comfortable lighting environment.
Issue Lighting variations can cause visual discomfort and eye fatigue.
Approach Plan lighting layout and operation schedules, considering color temperature, uniformity, and control of changes.
Verification Methods
Option 1: Parameters for visual balance (Professional Documentation) Ambient lighting in all regularly occupied spaces meets at least three of the following requirements:
a. The horizontal and vertical brightness contrast between adjacent independently controlled zones does not exceed 10.
b. On any horizontal task surface, the illuminance uniformity ratio is at least 0.4 or 1:2.5 (minimum illuminance : average illuminance).
c. At least one of the following is satisfied: 1. An automatic lighting control system is used, and automatic changes in lighting characteristics (e.g., illuminance level, color, and distribution) occur over at least 10 minutes. 2. No automatic control system is used.
d. The correlated color temperature (CCT) of similar fixtures in each room is consistent at any point in time (±200 K).
Option 2: Design for visual balance (Professional Documentation) Lighting is designed by a lighting professional, considering the following:
a. Brightness ratios of adjacent vertical and horizontal zones
b. Illuminance uniformity on horizontal task surfaces
c. Changes in lighting characteristics, such as illuminance, color, and distribution
d. Color temperature of the fixtures used
L08: Electrical Lighting Quality (Optimized Feature, up to 3 points)
摘要 This feature requires projects to consider the color rendering and flicker of lighting fixtures to enhance visual comfort.
Issue Low color rendering and flicker can affect color recognition, cause eye fatigue, and induce headaches.
Approach Use high color-rendering lighting fixtures and control flicker.
Verification Methods
Part 1: Enhance Color Rendering Quality (1 point)
Documentation: Product specifications
All lighting fixtures in occupiable spaces (excluding decorative lighting, emergency lighting, and other signaling devices) must meet at least one of the following color rendering requirements. For tunable white lighting, the requirements must be met across the range from low (minimum 2,700 K) to high (maximum 5,000 K) in 1,000 K increments:
All lighting fixtures in occupiable spaces, along with appropriate controls (excluding decorative lighting, emergency lighting, and other signaling devices), must meet at least one of the following flicker requirements under normal use:
a. Tested according to JA-10 Appendix and classified under California Title 24 mandatory building energy standards as “reduced flicker operation.”
b. Recommended measures 1, 2, or 3 as defined by IEEE Standard 1789-2015 for LEDs.
c. For indoor applications: Pst LM ≤ 1.0 and SVM ≤ 0.6
L09: User Control of Lighting Environment (Optimized Feature, up to 3 points)
摘要 This feature requires projects to implement innovative lighting strategies that allow users to customize their lighting environment.
Issue Lighting environments affect health and work performance; giving users control can improve satisfaction.
Approach Provide a lighting system with zoned control and supplementary lighting devices.
Note: Projects may designate specific spaces within the project where lighting control is limited to certain permanent occupants (e.g., equipment staff, office managers), but these specific spaces must not exceed 10% of the total project area.
Verification Methods
Part 1: Enhance Occupant Controllability (up to 2 points)
Documentation: Lighting zones (technical files) + professional statement (control system)
1. Lighting Zones: The ambient lighting system shall meet the following requirements: all regularly used spaces must include the lighting zones listed in the table below. (Note: Independent rooms smaller than the area listed below and/or with a usage rate below the threshold in the table are considered separate zones.)
2. Lighting Control System: Each lighting control zone must meet the following requirements:
a. The lighting system must have at least three illuminance levels or include scenes that account for changes in light levels, with the ability to adjust at least one of the following:
Color
Color temperature
Distribution of light through control of different lighting groups or via preset scenes
b. All building occupants must be able to control their direct lighting environment by at least one of the following methods:
Manual controls located within the same space as each lighting zone (e.g., switches or control panels)
Digital interfaces accessible via computer or phone
c. Lighting of display walls or projection walls can be controlled independently
Supplemental lighting fixtures (e.g., task surface lighting) must be provided free of charge to all employees and made available within 8 weeks.
At least one supplemental lighting fixture must be available for trial use.
2. Supplemental lighting requirements
Supplemental lighting devices must allow user-adjustable illuminance and operate independently of the ambient lighting system.
Fixture location can be adjusted by workstation occupants.
Light-emitting elements must not be visible to users during intended use.
Note: The full range of In. Licht products supports WELL project design, verification, and operational maintenance.
💡 How to Obtain the Most Accurate Information
To ensure that the standards used in your project are absolutely accurate, it is recommended that you:
Consult official resources directly The most reliable way is to visit the official platform v2.wellcertified.com. In the “Light” concept section, you can find the most authoritative and detailed descriptions for each clause (L01–L09), including specific parameters and the latest revisions.
Refer to the WELL Performance Verification Guide This document clearly defines the methods for performance verification during the certification process and serves as a key reference for meeting standards and conducting on-site testing.
Consult professionals If your project plans to formally apply for WELL certification, it is recommended to work with a WELL AP (WELL Accredited Professional) or an IWBI-approved consulting organization. They can provide expert guidance aligned with the latest standards.
We hope this information provides a clear framework for your project. Always use the official website https://v2.wellcertified.com as the final reference.
【Part Two】 A “Threshold Cheat Sheet” + Nine “Healthy Light Guidelines” to Build the Framework of Healthy Light Design
In many project discussions, I often hear designers express this confusion: “I roughly know that the lighting should be ‘healthy’ and ‘human-centered,’ but when it comes to concrete numbers, I feel completely lost.”
On one side, there’s a bookshelf full of standards and research papers. On the other, there’s the overwhelming project schedule and client pressure. What designers truly need is a framework that’s easy to reference and apply:
Telling you what to look at first, and what to look at next
Showing you what is ‘enough’ and what is clearly insufficient
In this edition, we attempt to provide that framework for designers using 9 healthy light guidelines + a “threshold cheat sheet.”
1. Build the Framework Before Talking Style
Whether it’s interior design, architecture, or lighting design, we’re used to starting from concepts 和 styles:
“I want this area to feel quiet and warm.”
“That area should feel high-tech and futuristic.”
“Here, the vibe should be Instagram-worthy.”
But when it comes to health, sleep, attention, or mood, relying on “feelings” alone is clearly not enough.
Take the lighting sections in international mainstream healthy building standards as an example. The lighting-related clauses can generally be summarized into four levels:
L01–L03: Is there enough and proper light?
L01 Light Exposure (basic light dose)
L02 Illuminance for Visual Tasks (Eh)
L03 Circadian Light Exposure (Ev / EML related to circadian rhythm)
L04–L07: See clearly, and comfortably
Glare control, brightness contrast and balance, and key visual areas such as stairways and pathways
L08–L09: Light source quality and control
Spectrum and color rendering
Flicker and short-term visible flicker risk
Color consistency and long-term stability
Scene and adaptive control strategies
Cross-cutting considerations: “Timeline” and “User Differences”
Day vs. night, weekdays vs. weekends
Adults vs. children, office vs. healthcare, hotel vs. residential
換句話說： Healthy light design is not about “adding a few more lamps” or “buying a few smart switches.” It’s about finding a logical path between Quantity (illuminance), Quality (spectrum), Time (timeline), and People (users).
2. Designer’s “Threshold Cheat Sheet”: No Need to Memorize Every Clause, Just Remember the Key Anchors
The numbers below are not absolute values, but serve as anchor points for judging direction, persuading clients, and guiding brand teams during a project. You can put them on a small card for your desk or notebook.
1. L01 Light Exposure: At Least “Enough”
For areas with long-term occupancy (offices, classrooms, etc.), daytime vertical illuminance at eye level (Ev):
Near windows: 250–300 lx or higher
Interior areas: 150–200 lx minimum
On cloudy days, in winter, or in north-facing buildings: “Only turning on half the lights” is usually far from sufficient. Use measurements to see how much artificial lighting is needed to reach a truly alert level.
One line summary: “Seeing enough during the day does not mean circadian stimulation is sufficient.”
2. L02 Illuminance for Visual Tasks: The Task Surface Must Do Justice to the Task
Office / design workstations: Eh ≥ 500 lx
Home / children’s desks: Eh 300–500 lx
Corridors / circulation areas: Eh 50–200 lx
More importantly:
Don’t just look at the maximum value — also check: average, minimum, and uniformity (min/avg)
Practical note: Lighting only a few “spots” while other areas rely on intuition often results in “good-looking renderings, but uncomfortable real-world experience.”
One line summary: “Task surfaces must be bright enough and uniform enough.”
3. L03 Circadian Light Exposure: The Day Needs a “Main Line”
Circadian-related metrics (e.g., EML / m-EDI) often seem complicated. From a design perspective, focus on two things:
Daytime: Define a clear “main period” for alertness
Example: 09:00–12:00 Ev and circadian stimulation should be noticeably higher than early morning or before closing.
Evening: Intentionally “wind down”
1–2 hours before sleep, lower illuminance and color temperature to signal that it’s time to rest.
One line summary: “Keep people truly alert during the day, and truly able to sleep at night.”
Entire space uniformly bright with no layers (too flat)
Large brightness difference between work surface and background (too extreme)
Practical guideline:
Work surface vs. surrounding environment brightness ratio: roughly 1:0.5 – 1:3
Temporary contrast increase can guide vision or emphasize focus
But for long-term work, study, or reading areas, extreme contrast will cause fatigue and complaints
One line summary: “Moderate contrast creates layers; excessive contrast creates torture.”
5. L08 Light Source Quality: Don’t Let Poor Light Ruin Good Design
Light source quality may seem like an “engineering” or “product” issue, but designers can gain significant influence by understanding it. Key anchor points:
Color Rendering:
CRI ≥ 90, or TM-30: Rf ≥ 90, Rg close to 100
Color Consistency:
Indoor spaces: SDCM < 5, to avoid noticeable color drift
Flicker:
Flicker < 20%, SVM < 0.6, Pst LM < 1.0
These numbers are based on research and standards, but for designers, knowing them gives you the confidence to say “no” to clients or suppliers when specifications fall short.
3. The Purpose of Tools Is Not to Show Off, but to Make This Logic Actionable
Many designers, when facing measurement equipment, often think: “Will this be complicated? Do I have to become an engineer?”
In fact, tools that are truly suitable for designers should allow you to:
Press a button and see Eh / Ev / CCT / EML
Automatically calculate min / avg, contrast, and flicker metrics
Even provide preliminary assessments based on WELL clauses
When LRS collaborated with various manufacturers to develop In.Licht Ultra / Pro, the goal was to turn these “seemingly complex parameters” into information designers can quickly read and act on onsite, rather than an additional burden.
The real point is not how expensive your equipment is, but whether you can clearly explain to your client:
“Why should the lights be arranged this way?”
“Why is this space worth a bit more budget?”
4. What Can LRS Do for Design Teams?
In many companies and organizations, the understanding of light across design, product, and marketing teams is often fragmented:
Design focuses only on effect and atmosphere
Product focuses only on parameters and cost
Marketing focuses only on story and selling points
When collaborating with lighting brands, real estate groups, and design agencies, LRS typically conducts three types of workshops or internal trainings:
1. Build a “Healthy Light Framework” for Design Teams Using L01–L09 and the “Threshold Cheat Sheet,” we help integrate scattered knowledge into a practical, actionable design logic.
2. Redefine “Light Formula” Language for Product & R&D Teams Move beyond just “3000K / 4000K / 5000K” to scene-based vocabulary like “suitable for children’s learning, healthcare spaces, or night-shift offices.” This helps brands clearly explain to the market who the product serves and what problem it solves.
3. Build a Unified External Narrative for Marketing & Leadership Teams Elevate “healthy light” from a technical term to a long-term brand and business pillar. Communicate with clients, partners, and associations using rigorous yet understandable language.
If your company or organization is considering: “How can we systematically upgrade our team’s healthy light capability?” LRS is happy to work with you to customize a training and co-creation session that truly translates into everyday design practice, based on your project type and team structure.
[Next Edition Preview] In the next article, we will explore project practice and business models: how designers can move from a single delivery to long-term “light environment stewardship” when light can be measured and verified:
How to apply FES (Field Evaluation System) thinking in real projects
How to extend one-time lighting design into a Light as a Service model
What new opportunities this opens for designers, lighting companies, and clients
【Part One】From “Seeing” to “Being Healthier”: Why Designers Must Relearn Light—Now
This opening chapter focuses on why lighting must be relearned—a wake-up call for designers, and a topic that large enterprises can no longer afford to ignore.
Over the past few years, in conversations with architects, interior designers, and lighting designers across different regions, We’ve been hearing the same frustrations more and more often:
“Clients are becoming harder to satisfy.” “They’re no longer just looking at renderings—they’re asking about sleep, mood, and focus.” “The lighting strategies we’ve always relied on don’t seem persuasive anymore.”
If the main narrative of the lighting industry over the past 20–30 years has been technological evolution— from incandescent → energy-saving lamps → LED → smart lighting— then the next decade’s true arena will be defined by a shift from seeing to being healthier.
On this path, designers who are unwilling to relearn light itself risk being left behind. While they are still discussing ambiance and visual effects, clients have already moved on to conversations about sleep quality, workplace productivity, and employee retention.
I. The Industry’s Underlying Logic Has Changed: Light Is No Longer Just About “Visibility”
In traditional projects, we were used to treating lighting as a set of relatively simple questions: Is it bright enough? Does it look good? Is it energy-efficient?
Today, however, across healthcare, education, offices, hospitality, and even residential projects, clients are increasingly asking very different questions:
“Why are employees always sleepy during the day?”
“Does the lighting in children’s rooms actually support vision and concentration?”
“Residents complain about poor sleep—is the lighting part of the problem?”
Behind these questions lies a clear shift in mindset:
Light is no longer seen merely as a tool that allows us to see. It is increasingly understood as an environmental “dose”—one that influences sleep, circadian rhythms, mood, and productivity.
If designers continue to communicate with clients only in terms of lux, wattage, and correlated color temperature, they will quickly encounter a ceiling. None of these metrics are wrong—but on their own, they can no longer explain how people actually experience light in daily life.
II. Four Common “Old Habits” That Are Quietly Undermining Our Efforts
In our project work and professional training at LRS, we repeatedly encounter the same error patterns. These issues are largely unrelated to style; they stem from deeply ingrained ways of thinking.
1. Daytime: “If There’s a Window, Turn the Lights Off”
In many offices and schools, the default daytime strategy is simple: “There’s daylight, so we can dim the lights—or not turn them on at all.”
On the surface, this appears energy-efficient. However, once measurements are taken, a different reality emerges:
On overcast days
In winter
In deeper interior zones
Vertical illuminance at eye level (Ev) is often far below what the human circadian system needs. People may technically “see,” yet remain in a long-term state of insufficient circadian stimulation:
Difficulty waking up in the morning
Fatigue during the day
Trouble falling asleep at night
The result: the electricity saved may cost far more in lost productivity and performance.
2. Nighttime: Turning Bedrooms and Living Rooms into Showrooms
The opposite extreme often appears at night, especially in residential and hospitality projects: “Lighting should be brighter and cooler at night—it looks more premium.”
The outcome is predictable:
High illuminance and cool color temperatures 1–2 hours before sleep
Continuous stimulation during the period when the body should wind down
Delayed circadian rhythms and suppressed melatonin
People may look alert, but physiologically, they are becoming increasingly exhausted.
3. Judging Contrast by Renderings—Not by Whether a Space Is Livable
Many spaces look stunning in renderings: Dark backgrounds, dramatic highlights, and images that perform perfectly on social media.
Yet after sitting in the actual space for two hours, problems emerge:
Extreme luminance differences between task areas and backgrounds
Luminance ratios between screens, walls, and luminaires well beyond 1:10
Eyes constantly forced to switch between very bright and very dark zones
Whether a design is visually striking is one matter. Whether a space can be comfortably occupied for long periods is another.
4. Focusing on Luminaire Specs Instead of “The Light at Eye Level”
A familiar conversation often goes like this: “What’s the wattage? How many lumens? What’s the UGR?” “All excellent—very strong specifications.”
But in real spaces, what actually defines perceived quality is:
Horizontal and vertical illuminance at eye level (Eh / Ev)
Illuminance and uniformity at the task plane
Contrast and glare in the direction of view
Circadian stimulus delivered at different times of day
If we only measure the light emitted by the fixture, and not the light received by the human eye, we are still operating within the logic of the previous generation of lighting design.
These four habits persist not because designers lack skill—but because the industry’s mental model has not yet fully caught up with how light truly affects human beings over time.
III. Why Designers Must “Relearn Light”
What does “relearning” actually mean here? It does not mean going back to memorizing optical formulas. It means restructuring our understanding of light across three critical dimensions.
1. From “Vision” to “Multiple Pathways”
Light does not affect humans only through rods and cones feeding the visual cortex. It also acts through intrinsically photosensitive retinal ganglion cells (ipRGCs), influencing the circadian system and emotional regulation centers.
This means that “being able to see” 和 “sleeping well, feeling emotionally balanced, and maintaining focus” belong to two different evaluation frameworks.
2. From “Concepts” to “Thresholds”
Statements like “there should be enough light” must be translated into measurable targets:
What level of vertical illuminance (Ev) is needed during the day?
What should horizontal illuminance (Eh) be in children’s learning areas?
One hour before sleep, to what range should illuminance and correlated color temperature be reduced?
Without approximate thresholds, it becomes difficult to discuss the degree of optimization with clients in any meaningful way.
3. From “Delivering Drawings” to “Owning Outcomes”
What clients truly care about is not the lighting plan itself, but the results:
Is sleep improving?
Are employees more focused and less fatigued?
This requires designers to do more than submit layouts and luminaire schedules. It requires them to:
Explain how appropriate light “doses” are delivered at different times of day
Return to the site after completion and verify performance with real data
In other words, designers must evolve from “being responsible only for drawings” to “being responsible for the people inside the space.”
IV. The Designer’s “Second Curve”: From Creative Output to a Partner in Health and Performance
For many interior, lighting, and architectural designers, relearning light opens the door to a true second career curve.
On the design side: becoming far harder to replace
When your proposals are not only visually compelling but can also persuade clients using metrics such as sleep quality, concentration, and emotional recovery; when you can plan offices, campuses, and residential projects with a coherent lighting-environment logic;
your role shifts from “design solution provider” to “lighting environment consultant.”
On the corporate side: entering higher-level conversations
Lighting manufacturers are under pressure to evolve from product parameters to integrated solutions. Developers, hotel operators, and corporate clients want to transform healthy lighting into a core element of brand value.
At this stage, what they need most are professionals who understand standards, science, and design language simultaneously—and who can help co-develop product roadmaps and spatial strategies.
On the industry side: participating in the next generation of rules
Whether it is international frameworks such as WELL, or regional standards and industry guidelines, designers with real-world experience—and the ability to clearly articulate the logic behind it—are increasingly invited to take part in:
Co-creation
Reviews and evaluations
Advisory roles
Professional training
This is where designers move from following rules to helping define them.
V. What LRS Wants to Do Together With You
Over the past few years, LRS (Lighting Recipe Studio) has focused on one core mission: to translate complex optical science and human-centric research into clear, actionable languages and methodologies that designers, product teams, and management can truly understand and apply.
In our collaborations with design firms, lighting manufacturers, developers, and operators—both locally and internationally—we commonly work in the following ways:
With design teams Delivering systematic training in healthy lighting design 和 lighting environment evaluation.
With product teams Co-restructuring product lines—upgrading the narrative from “watts, lumens, and color temperature” to “which people, in which spaces, at which times—using which lighting recipe.”
With marketing and leadership teams Conducting strategic workshops that help organizations turn healthy lighting into a sustainable brand and business narrative, and identify its connections with smart technologies, health objectives, and building standards.
If your company, design practice, or industry association is looking to build a from-concept-to-practice framework for healthy lighting knowledge, LRS would be glad to co-design customized internal training programs and workshops with you.
Series Preview
In this Part One, we discussed why designers must relearn light. The next two articles will continue the conversation:
Part Two: How can a single “threshold cheat sheet” 和 nine healthy-lighting principles form a clear and practical design framework?
Part Three: When light can be measured and verified, how can designers move from one-off projects toward a sustainable model of Light as a Service?
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