Role of Architectural Design in Creating Circadian-Effective Interior Settings

Daylight variability throughout the day makes it an ideal light source for the stimulation of humans’ circadian systems. However, the key criteria, including proper quantity, quality, and hours of access to daylight, are not always present inside the built environment. Therefore, artificial light is necessary to complement the human’s visual and non-visual needs for light. Architectural design parameters, such as window area, orientation, glazing material, and surface reflectance alter the characteristics of both daylight and artificial light inside buildings. These parameters and their impact on lighting design should be considered from the early design stages to attain a circadian-effective design. In response to this need, a design approach called Human-Centric Lighting (HCL) was introduced. HCL places humans, and their visual and non-visual needs, in the center of the design process. It manipulates the light-related factors, such as spectrum and intensity, within the built environment for circadian benefits. The effect of HCL on lighting energy efficiency is still not clear. This paper reviews essential architectural design parameters and their impacts on circadian lighting design, considers the HCL design process and explores the most widely used circadian lighting metrics and standards.