Human-Centered Building Performance
Literature Reviews, Research Insights & Evidence-Based Design Frameworks
Explore literature reviews, research insights, and evidence-based design frameworks.
Discover how acoustics, lighting, thermal comfort, indoor air quality, passive design, and smart building technologies work together bridging building physics, environmental psychology, and sustainable design—to create healthier, more comfortable, and higher-performing environments for people.
Direct vs. Direct-Indirect Lighting: What the Evidence Actually Says About Office Performance
Office lighting is no longer evaluated solely by horizontal illuminance.
This comprehensive literature review synthesizes more than four decades of academic research and evidence from leading lighting organizations—including ERCO, Zumtobel, Fagerhult, TRILUX, Panasonic, Signify, Targetti, and Bartenbach—to examine how direct-only and direct–indirect lighting influence visual comfort, perceived brightness, glare, circadian support, and workplace wellbeing.
The review demonstrates why balanced luminance distribution has become a cornerstone of Human-Centered Building Performance and provides practical recommendations for designing healthier, more comfortable, and higher-performing office environments.