The help menu exists to provide you with information about how to use this website most effectively. This specific help menu is targeted at the application portion of the healthy buildings website. If you need help regarding the background portion of the healthy buildings website, or simply want to learn more about the fundamentals of circadian lighting, click here to navigate to the background page. Click "help" in the top navigation bar again to access the background page's respective help menu.
When first arriving on the application page you will be met with the Designing in a New Light title, a short description, and the begin button. Clicking the begin button will initiate you into the selection process.
Once you begin the selection process you will be tasked with choosing a single selection from the six different categories. In order, the categories are Facility -> Room -> Fixtures -> Target CS -> CCT System -> CCT. Each selection is represented by a card with an image and a description, going into more detail about that selection and why you may want to select it. To choose a selection simply click anywhere on the card and you will automatically be brought to the next selection category.
You may also click the modal title (i.e. "Choose a Room"), to activate a drop down that will give more information on how that specific category can affect the lighting.
The selection process modal has a breadcrumb trail along the top, similiar to one you will you will see once you have finished the selection process. The breadcrumb trail allows you to see all the selections you've chosen thus far in the selection process. You may also click on of any of the selections you've made to jump back to that point in the selection process. Click here, or select the Breadcrumb tab to learn more about the breadcrumb trail.
Once you've chosen a selection for all six categories, you will be presented with a page that looks similiar to the one below. The image below is a guide for how to use the help menu for each of the labeled portions on the image.
The breadcrumb or breadcrumb trail is the horizontal bar that appears at the top of the application page, post selection process. It serves to remind you of the choices you made during the selection process, and allows you to change your selections after the initial selection process.
The breadcrumb trail is divided into six sections, one for every selection you made, and are labeled accordingly. To change one of your selections, simply click on that selection (i.e. 'Senior Care'), not the label (i.e. 'Facility'). You will see the selection turn blue when you hover your cursor over that selection.
Once you click on the selection you wish to change, you will re-enter into the selection process starting at that point. You will then need to complete the entirety of the selection process after that point, as each set of selections following a given selection changes based on that selection.
The render gives you a general idea of how your unique selections of facility, room, fixture types, etc. might look in real 3D space. It's useful to know not only if the space is providing the occupants enough circadian stimulus, but also how the space could look aesthetically, which is what the render aims to achieve. Note that the render is only a single layout designed from generic room layouts, and many different combinations of furniture, fixture, and occupant layouts are possible to achieve the correct CS. These designs are only a single example created for you to follow the steps and fill in the blanks of the components needed for you to complete your own circadian design.
Below the render you will see either one or two rows of buttons depending on whether you choose a static or tunable CCT system.
Static renders will have two rows of buttons, the top for selecting which specific CCT you wish to see (this is the same as choosing a CCT in the selection process), and the bottom for selecting which time of day you wish to show in the render. There is no time of day category in the selection process as it will only change how the render appears on your screen; the CS chart and CS graph will always provide information for the different times of day, regardless of what you have selected. Tunable renders will show how the lighting changes in the space over the different times of day, thus there is no need for time of day buttons. Consequently there are only CCT buttons. The CCT buttons for the tunable renders are labeled by the individual CCT's at each time of day (i.e. "6500 K -> 5000 K -> 4000 K -> 3000 K" indicates the fixtures will have a CCT of 6500 K in the morning, 5000 K in the afternoon, 4000 K in the evening, and 3000 K at night).
Tunable renders will show how the lighting changes in the space over the different times of day, thus there is no need for time of day buttons. Consequently there are only CCT buttons. The CCT buttons for the tunable renders are labeled by the individual CCT's at each time of day (i.e. "6500 K -> 5000 K -> 4000 K -> 3000 K" indicates the fixtures will have a CCT of 6500 K in the morning, 5000 K in the afternoon, 4000 K in the evening, and 3000 K at night).
The blue line underneath the CCT and time of day buttons indicates which of the options you have selected. Immediately following the selection process, the underlined CCT button will be the CCT you chose during the selection process and the left most time of day button will by default be selected. Simply click a different button to select that CCT or time of day.
On some renders you may see a blue button in the top right corner labeled Toggle View. This button indicates that there are multiple different angles of the same space. Clicking this button will toggle between the views on the render as well as the plan. Click here, or select the Lighting layout tab to learn more about the lighting plan.
The lighting layout or lightinging plan can help the user further understand the locations of all objects in the space, including lighting fixtures, furniture, and occupants. The plan also provides the user information regarding vertical and horizontal illuminance.
The lighting plan legend is as follows:
The location and direction at which the corresponding render was taken is indicated by the occupant and the arrow. Click here or select the Render tab to learn more about changing the view.
Fixture locations are indicated by red-stroked icons that correspond to the icon(s) shown on the fixture buttons below the plan. More information about mounting height can be found in the fixture tab in the right panel.
Vertical illuminance was measured at points along the blue line. The arrow indicates the direction in which the illuminance meter was facing (i.e. the direction an occupant's eye is looking).
Vertical illuminance was measured at this location and facing in four directions. Points were placed evenly throughout room to determine overall average vertical illuminance.
Horizontal illuminance was measured at points within the associated area. The illuimnance meter faces towards the ceiling to determine how much light is falling on the work plane. Horizontal illuminance is either taken as an average throughout the space, or specifically at known workspace areas such as a desk or table.
Scale for reference
Below the plan are buttons for each of the different lighting fixtures you chose during the selection process. Each button contains an image of that fixture, followed by the fixture name, and icon that corresponds to the icons on the lighting layout.
Clicking one of these fixture buttons will open up a dropdown in the right panel menu corresponding to that fixture. This menu will you give you more information about that fixture type, including a larger fixture image, a candela plot, along with many important measurements and a description. To learn more about the fixtures menu in the right panel, or the right panel in general, click here or select the Right Panel tab.
The CS graph acts as an intermediate stage between the selections you chose and the CS chart. It should help you understand the CS and CCT of each time frame based on the selections you chose. This information should help you to better understand the CS chart.
The CS graph has x and y axes Time of Day and CS, respectively. This will show you the CS that is obtained in the room at each time interval throughout the day.
The color of the graph represents what CCT corresponds to that time of day. Static selections will result in a graph that is entirely the same color with light levels that dim throughout the day, whereas tunable selection will result in a gradient of color across the CS graph, symbolizing the changing CCT through the day.
The CS chart is a table that shows the CS, CCT, EV, and EH at all time frames in the room you've chosen, based on your selections.
The CS chart is dependent on almost all selection categories in the selection process and will change as your selections change. The 12-hour clock time is displayed as a range; note that EOD stands for end of day. The CS metric can be displayed as CS1 -> CS2, denoting a transition in CS during the respective time period. CCT is displayed in kelvin and the background color of its table cell is representative of that CCT. EV and EH are both displayed in lux.
CS charts for tunable lighting solutions are very similar to those in static solutions and follow the same guidelines. In tunable solutions, you will see the CCT changing with time.
The right panel is a collection of extra information. The extra information is split into the categories: Room Description, Assumptions, Lighting Solution, Luminaires, Charts, and Disclaimers. Simply click on any of the titles to learn more about that category.
The Room Description is a short paragraph providing the user with a little extra information about the room they selected. This information may include its size, purpose, types of occupants, etc.
The Assumptions tab is independent of any of the user's selections and aims to provide the user with some of the assumptions the LRC took in calculating the CS.Use these assumptions as a guideline to decisions you will make when creating circadian designs.
The Lighting Solution is dependent on the facility, room, fixtures, and target CS you choose, and aims to provide the user with a set of distinct criteria we at the LRC considered when designing this specific solution. These solutions provide information that should be kept in mind when doing designs.
The Luminaires tab is dependent on the fixtures you chose, and will provide the user with extra information regarding those fixtures. This information includes: an image of the fixture, candela plot, quantity of fixtures in the solution, mounting type, mounting height, orientation, dimensions, initial lumens per source, initial wattage per source, a lumen output vs. CCT chart, and a short description. At the footer of the luminaire tab you can select any of the numbered tabs to toggle between the different fixtures types.
The charts tab contains a collection of charts that contain more specific numbers regarding the calculations in the space. These charts include EV to reach target CS for each CCT, EV:EH ratio, LPD vs. CCT, energy vs. CCT, and SPD.
The disclaimers tab is static and not dependent on any selection choices.
Welcome to the Lighting for Healthy Buildings Application page! Click "Begin" to navigate the LRC’s framework for circadian-effective lighting design in various facilities, rooms, and user populations. (Healthcare and School facilities coming soon). Refer to the 'Help' menu in the top right to learn how to navigate the Application page.
For more detailed information about the fundamentals in lighting, refer to the Background page.