The Work Blues: Luctra

Before industrialisation, people’s lives were strongly oriented to the course of the sun and the alternation of daylight and darkness. The advent of artificial light has freed us to go about our work at any time of the day or night, but our biological rhythm can get thrown off as a result. The culprit here is the high proportion of blue in artificial light, which makes us alert and active. While this is an advantage especially in the morning, it inhibits production of the hormone melatonin in the evening hours, which can delay the onset of sleep and ultimately compromise health, concentration and performance capacity. Light in the workplace is thus receiving increased attention, with respect not only to its qualities of colour and brightness, but also to its biological effect.

With its Luctra brand, the German manufacturer Durable now offers an innovative LED lighting system that addresses exactly this concern. One of the first lighting systems with a biologically beneficial effect, Luctra recreates the intensity and composition of daylight, enhancing the user’s sense of well-being as well as performance. The scientific findings underlying this innovative technology (also known as human centric lighting) come from research on the relationship between light and health, and on the body’s production of hormones under the influence of light. These include the 2002 discovery of specialised cells in the eye – called retinal ganglion cells – that don’t serve vision, but rather register the colour of the light and regulate hormone production in the brain.

The biological effect of light that is described above may be familiar from special applications for mobile devices and computers that reduce the blue component in screen illumination as desired. The Luctra® intelligent lighting system now enables this technology to be integrated in room lighting as well. The latest member of the Luctra product family is Luctra Floor Office, a floor lamp that illuminates the entire work area as well as adjusting to the user’s own biorhythm. Via an app on a mobile phone or tablet, the lamp’s integrated Vitacore® electronics synchronise the lamp with the respective user’s circadian clock. On the basis of his answers to five simple questions about his work habits, the app specifies a customised 24-hour “course”, which it transmits to the lamp. The result: lighting that automatically adjusts to the user’s personal rhythm in its colour and brightness, its proportion of direct and indirect light, and the parameterization of its sensor technology. A touch panel that is integrated into the lamp additionally allows the step-less manual adjustment of these parameters.

A combination of direct and indirect lighting evenly illuminates the work station and the surroundings. The light source is fully integrated in a frameless plastic surface which, thanks to its thickness of just a few millimetres, forms an unobtrusive element of the simple design. A centrally placed downlight ensures optimal lighting of the desktop while the uplight illuminates the wider surroundings. The upward-directed rays reflect off the ceiling to simulate daylight conditions, creating a pleasant ambience and helping to prevent tiredness.

This combined ceiling and desk illumination from a single source not only creates an atmosphere similar to natural light, but also allows great flexibility and efficiency of spatial use. The indirect lighting doesn’t need to be integrated in the ceiling construction, which otherwise typically requires a fixed spatial layout. Luctra Floor Office easily accommodates any new use or reapportionment of the office space. Its C-shaped foot additionally allows optimal positioning of the lamp at the desk.

The firm responsible for the minimalist design of Luctra Floor Office is yellow design of Cologne. Professor Günter Horntrich led the team that created the graceful lamp. Its premium materials, functionality, and reduced design vocabulary give it a striking appearance and emphasise the lamp’s innovative LED technology and its effect on the user.

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