The Concept of Multidisciplinary Study of the Aesthetic, Psychological and Physiological Impact of Chromatic Light Environment on a Person

Abstract

High-quality room lighting has great potential for improving quality of life.Ηowever, if grounded on imperfect knowledge, it can cause unintended harm. This issue is of particular relevance against the background of rapid spread of chromatic LED illumination in the modern lighting design. In this context, it is important to change the paradigm of the use of light, since it has a powerful effect on the human body, which is comparable to the effects of drugs. However, the formation and further development of such an approach to the design of the lighting environment of premises, requires interdisciplinary study, which would include the following aspects: designer’s approach to the organization of the environment for human habitation; psychological methods of evaluation of the aesthetic perception of the light environment and human emotional state caused by its influence; medical methods for determining and registering physiological responses of a human body to chromatic illumination. The article proposes and theoretically substantiates the concept of such an interdisciplinary study of the aesthetic, psychological and physiological influence of chromatic light environment on a person. It has also been identified that the basic conditions for practical implementation of this concept include the provision of the integrated impact of chromatic illumination on the user, both through the organs of vision and through the skin, in the framework of the study environment; the organization of a chromatic light environment which is integral, continuous and devoid of any additional semantic layers; eliminating possible manifestations of discomfort glare and disability of a user by means of using a space consisting of interior surfaces with uniformly scattered illumination of moderate brightness; simultaneous comprehensive analysis of the aesthetic, psychological and physiological effects of colored light on a user in their environment. Further research in this area can be connected with identification and analysis of the main indicators of user’s comfort in the lighting environment in order to outline ways to improve its energy efficiency without compromising the quality of lighting.