Considerations for lighting in the built environment: Non-visual effects of light

Light in buildings, whether through use of daylight or by artificial means, is designed primarily for the visual needs of the occupants and their expected tasks within a given space, but solar radiation, and, depending on spectral output of the source, artificial radiation, has other effects on human physiology and behaviour.

Abstract

Light is defined as that part of the electromagnetic spectrum (∼380–780 nm) that gives rise to a visual sensation. Lighting in buildings, whether through use of daylight or by artificial means, is designed primarily for the visual needs of the occupants and their expected tasks within a given space. However, solar radiation, and, depending on spectral output of the source, artificial radiation, has other effects on human physiology and behaviour. Blue light affects the circadian rhythm, mood and behaviour; at shorter wavelengths in the ultraviolet (UV) the detriments of photoaging and sunburn are balanced by the benefits of Vitamin D synthesis.