Lighting conditions in Brazilian and Colombian home offices: a preliminary study

A measure to mitigate the spread of the COVID-19 virus during the first year of the pandemic was to stay home. Thus, working and learning activities have migrated to dwellings under the so-called home office scheme. In this context, exploring the lighting conditions in home offices from the occupant's perspective is vital for understanding the quality of the perceived visual environment at home. Based on data collected in Brazil and Colombia, this preliminary study aimed to investigate occupant’s perception of the luminous environment in home offices and the influence of regional and personal characteristics. This study is part of broader research related to Subtask A of IEA Task 61, "Integrated Solutions for Daylighting and Electric Lighting." Occupant's subjective assessments were collected from December 2020 to March 2021 through an online survey with professionals working from home. The results show that most professionals have an entire room for the home office, and these are more satisfied with the visual environment. In general, higher satisfaction was achieved when the lighting level was perceived as brighter and strong reflections were associated with disturbing glare situations. Most of the occupants perceived the light and colors as neutral. Daylight is more appreciated than artificial light. Participants located between 20°S and 34°S latitude were less satisfied with the visual environment in the home office. The first approach is part of comprehensive research, generating new data about lighting in home offices to subside guidelines for improving housing projects.