In this article, Darren Smith discusses how Signify’s NatureConnect lighting system, inspired by biophilic design, brings the benefits of natural daylight indoors to improve wellbeing, productivity, and indoor environments.

Daylight is something so basic, that often we do not realise how important it is to us. Increasing amounts of research reiterate that the exposure to the right amounts of light during the day, as well as the colours and dynamics from nature, strongly impact our mood, energy levels, comfort, quality of sleep and our health and wellbeing in general.

Equally, on the other hand, while we understand the importance and impact of the right lighting on us, we spend a lot of our time indoors, often in locations without windows or proper access to daylight. On an average, we spend more than 90% of our time indoors. Studies show that natural light has a huge impact on productivity and alertness, reduces stress and contributes to better sleep. If we do not get the right amount and the right quality of light, it is sure to impact our moods and productivity.

Natural light and darkness give our body clocks essential time cues to stay in sync with the outside world. Robust and synchronised circadian rhythms are at the core of good health, quality sleep and wellbeing. Yet today’s way of living and working makes us spend most of our time indoors, which estranges us from daylight. Let’s understand this better:

The idea that light affects mood and behavioural state is not new. Daylight is something so basic that we often do not realise how important it is to us. Picture this: you’re basking in the warm glow of a summer afternoon, feeling inexplicably content. Or perhaps you’re trudging through a gloomy winter day, feeling blue. Coincidence? Not really. The relationship between bright light and our mental health is far more intricate than we might initially suspect. But here’s where it gets interesting. The impact of light on our mental health isn’t just about feeling chipper on a sunny day. It also impacts fundamental changes in brain chemistry, hormone production, and even our perception of time. This is because light sets our circadian rhythm, or body clock, via specialised light sensors within the eye. The circadian rhythm is a 24-hour internal “body clock” that governs the sleep/wake cycle and other vital human physical and mental health aspects. When you shift multiple time zones quickly, the circadian rhythm gets out of sync, and you experience the symptoms of jet lag, sleep deprivation or tiredness.

Natural light and darkness give our body clocks essential time cues to stay in sync with the outside world. Robust and synchronised circadian rhythms are at the core of good health, quality sleep and wellbeing. Yet today’s way of living and working makes us spend most of our time indoors, which estranges us from daylight.

Merging light with wellbeing

At Signify, we understand the importance of daylight and its impact on human wellbeing. That’s why we have rethought this crucial relationship between light and wellbeing within the professional indoor space, bringing nature back into our lives with a lighting solution that brings the benefits of natural light indoors. How does it work? NatureConnect mimics daylight and replicates a view of the sky using light scenes that boost energy levels and help windowless spaces feel in sync with nature.

NatureConnect builds on proven Biophilic Design principles that reconnect us to the outside world. It mimics the natural patterns of daylight indoors to create comfortable, engaging and attractive environments. The NatureConnect system consists of luminaires and a scene set to provide the automatic day rhythm and options to choose the right light at the right moment. Using principles and algorithms from nature, underpinned by science, NatureConnect aims to provide the following benefits:

• Enhance wellbeing: Supports the body’s natural day-night rhythm to stay active during the day and rest well at night.
• Boost performance: Makes people feel more energetic and stimulates interaction and collaboration.
• Create an inspiring environment: Enhances the company identity by creating a vibrant, joyful and immersive atmosphere.

The system is controlled by an intuitive wireless wall switch that allows users to choose between automatic Day Rhythm, or one of the three specific natural Light Scenes with the aim to encourage focus, higher alertness and vitality.

Bringing the daylight into Battersea Power Station

What’s true for employees in office buildings, hotels, students in schools and universities, staff and patients in a hospital and people who work from an office. Business travellers, office workers, and students face circadian disruption from flights, artificial lighting, or suboptimal environments. In all these areas, the proper lighting can make all the difference. For most of us who spend most of our waking hours indoors, circadian lighting implemented by dynamic LED luminaires and science-based lighting recipes is a must-have. One such example is the installation of NatureConnect at the windowless offices of IWG at Battersea Power Station

IWG, world’s largest co-working space company known from Regus and Spaces, recently opened a venue at London’s iconic Battersea Power Station. This resulted in offices without windows in the co-working location. To make the workspace attractive and to bring the outdoors in, IWG was looking for a lighting solution that was going to deal with the challenge the company had with the lack of windows and day light in their workspaces.

Therefore, IWG worked with NatureConnect by Signify to meet those challenges and provide a better experience for their customers as it helped bring the experience of daylight indoors to make the workspace more attractive.

This project involved building a high-quality workspace venue inside a 100-year-old power station.

This helps the tenants to spend the whole day inside a windowless office while connecting with the skylight mimicked by the light, giving them a boost and more energy. As a result, the offices were let out very quickly, offering commercial benefits like better occupancy, better renting price and increased productivity from the tenants.

In Conclusion

Imagine stepping into a hotel room that adapts the colour, temperature, and intensity of the lighting to support your circadian rhythm and help you overcome jet lag or working in an office designed to keep you alert and engaged by simulating hour-by-hour changes in natural daylight. These aren’t future concepts – they are proven applications already transforming performance and wellbeing in business, medical, and sports settings.

Let’s collectively rethink lighting in this new era for health and wellbeing. The sky is not the limit!

www.signify.com