Office Lighting Design

Office lighting design sets lux levels, uniformity, glare control and controls for each zone, calculated on the working plane rather than by spacing fittings evenly on a ceiling grid. It follows IS 3646 for interior illumination, while ECBC 2017 caps lighting power density and pushes designs towards daylight-linked dimming and occupancy sensing.

By Dhruv Agarwal · · 2 min read

What we deliver

Lighting design and installation for offices — lux levels, layouts, fitting selection, controls and emergency lighting, integrated with the ceiling design rather than laid over it.

Most office lighting is not designed. Fittings get spaced evenly on a grid until the ceiling looks balanced, and the result is a floor that meets an average number while being uncomfortable to work under.

Scope of works

StageWhat we deliver
RequirementTask types per zone, target lux, ceiling type, daylight
CalculationLux and uniformity on the working plane, not the ceiling
LayoutFitting positions coordinated with the reflected ceiling plan
SelectionFitting type, optics, colour temperature, CRI
ComplianceLighting power density against ECBC 2017
ControlsDaylight linking, occupancy sensing, scene setting
EmergencyEscape route and exit sign lighting
InstallationWiring, mounting, commissioning, focusing

Typical design targets

ZoneWorking-plane luxNotes
Open plan desks300-500Uniformity matters as much as the average
Meeting rooms300-500Dimmable for presentation
Reception200-300Feature and accent lighting
Circulation150-200Lower, with emergency coverage
Cafeteria200-300Warmer colour temperature
Detailed / drawing work500-750Task lighting supplements general

Where projects go wrong

  • Designing to average lux and ignoring uniformity. Bright pools with dark gaps read as a badly lit office regardless of the average.
  • No glare control. Screen reflections and direct glare make an otherwise adequate floor unpleasant to work in.
  • Lighting drawn after the ceiling. Fittings then compete with diffusers, sprinklers and detectors for the same tile.
  • Mixed colour temperature. Fittings from different batches or suppliers on one floor are immediately visible.
  • Emergency lighting left to the end. Escape route coverage is a compliance requirement and needs to be in the layout, not added afterwards.

Why Hagerstone

Customised lighting is part of our stated scope, delivered with the ceiling and the electrical installation by one team — so the lighting plan, the reflected ceiling plan and the circuit design are the same conversation.

15 electricians in-house, ISO 9001 / 14001 / 45001, 79+ quality checkpoints.

Standards referenced

Interior illumination levels and practice under IS 3646. Lighting power density limits under ECBC 2017.

Standards referenced

  • IS 3646 — Code of practice for interior illumination (Bureau of Indian Standards)
  • ECBC 2017 — Lighting power density (Bureau of Energy Efficiency)

Frequently asked

General office work is commonly designed around 300-500 lux at desk level, with reception and circulation lower and detailed or drawing work higher. The number that matters is lux on the working plane, not at the ceiling, and uniformity across the area matters as much as the average — a floor that averages 400 lux with dark patches between fittings is a worse space than one that averages 350 evenly.

Glare, almost always. A fitting bright enough to hit the target lux can still be visible as a hard reflection in a screen or directly in someone's eye line. Controlling this means choosing fittings with proper optics and considering the angle people look at them from — not just counting how many are on the plan.

ECBC 2017 caps lighting power density — watts per square metre — for the building. With LED that is usually achievable, but it stops the approach of solving every dark corner by adding more fittings. It also pushes towards controls: daylight-linked dimming near the facade and occupancy sensing in meeting rooms both count towards compliance and cut running cost.

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