Light Beyond Vision: Implications for Human-centric Lighting Design in Tropical Nursing homes

Abstract

For the elderly people, adequate environment to compensate for increasing frailty and sensory loss are crucial. Normal age-related changes to the eye decrease the amount of light reaching the retina impacting both vision and circadian rhythm. Some attempts have been made recently to conduct tunable white lighting and vary lighting levels and Correlated Colour Temperature (CCT) for health and wellness. However, how to translate such Human-centric Lighting (HCL) concepts proven in laboratory studies into built environments are still in early stage and lack of largely proven practices and strategies on an operational level. This research project aimed to explore HCL design strategies in nursing homes in Singapore. Firstly, state of the art HCL and aging studies were discussed. We then captured the views to illustrate a HCL framework in a tropical context, whereby the quantitative and qualitative approaches were considered. The preliminary design strategies were developed based on this framework and exemplified in a selected nursing home in Singapore. Also, pre-/post implementation user surveys together with quantitative evaluations (involving horizontal and corneal illuminance measurements) were conducted for assessing the performance of the HCL design strategies. These pilot study findings provide initial insight into HCL design-related knowledge and serve as the solid basis towards the HCL best practices in the environment of nursing home in Singapore.