Modern technologies have become an integral part of our daily life. This is evident not just through the utilization of different gadgets, Internet services or the number of pixels in digital photographs. High-tech solutions are actively used in construction, architecture and interior design and they create spaces in which we live, work, and relax.

First, new technological solutions began to be actively used in the offices of large international companies seeking to create an attractive and comfortable environment for their employees and potential applicants, as well as to show the high level and status of the company itself. It’s become the norm to concern about convenience, health, and emotional comfort, stimulating productive work. Digitalization and smart solutions help employees feel better and businesses thrive.

The Agile principle, which came from the IT sphere, has become quite popular when designing corporate interiors. Part of the Agile philosophy is the atmosphere and quality of the environment, which are made up of a variety of factors, which include both design and engineering solutions that promote employee communication, their productive and high-quality work, and therefore directly affect the development and success of the business. Modern lighting solutions and control systems are some of the ways in which conducive working conditions for employee well-being can be established. As you know, light plays a significant role not only in creating the perception of the environment, but also has an impact on human health.

LIGHT IN CORPORATE INTERIORS

One example of “technologically savvy” corporate interior is the office of the leading online classifieds service Avito. It is in the White Gardens business center on Lesnaya Street near the Belorusskaya metro station and occupies several floors.
The architects based the concept of the interior on the idea of dividing office space into original modules that can be easily changed (expanded or collapsed) depending on current tasks and needs. Work in the company is carried out by teams, the size of which can vary, which means that the space used for collaboration must be transformed. The option of working alone is also available, as professionals may require focused attention to complete a specific task without any disruptions from others. Areas for large meetings are also provided. The working space of the office turned out to be comfortable and multifunctional.
Lighting solutions are adapted to the rapid changes taking place in the interior of the office. Lighting flexibility is provided by LED spotlights that easily move along the track system and are directed to the desired point in space and pendant lights above the workplaces.

Office lighting in different areas is designed without strong contrasts in order to minimize eye fatigue and loss of concentration at work. Special attention is paid to the uniformity of illumination, and horizontal surfaces (desktops) in this project.
An important component of a comfortable working environment is the balance of illumination of vertical and horizontal surfaces. The office uses direct (light down) and reflected light (light up) luminaries that softly fill the interior. Thus, the light contrast on the desktop and the surface in the room is small, while the level of illumination on the work surfaces meets the standards.
The track spotlights are equipped with special soft lens filters that gently scatter light, preventing glare. This ensures eye comfort. Poor lighting can cause headaches, irritability, and eye fatigue. This, in turn, affects the performance of employees. Moreover, the luminaries can be dimmed – dim the light and make it brighter if necessary. Therefore, at any time of the day or even year (because the length of the day and the light conditions in nature change), office employees have exactly as much light as they need.

A modern office is a space with different zones, which require different lighting conditions, as they perform different functions. For workplaces where concentration of attention is required, lamps with a color temperature of 4000 K (colder hues) are used, and for kitchens, meeting rooms, recreation areas – 3000 K (warmer hues). Such variability helps employees to be in the optimal lighting environment: to focus on the workplace and switch to relaxing in the areas for communication.
The Avito office also has a lighting control system that allows each employee in the open space to create their own individual conditions in the workplace by controlling the lights in this area. Adjustment is carried out using a program installed on mobile gadgets and computers. This technical solution makes the life of the office staff more comfortable and affects the interior design – there are no long rows of switches on the wall in the office, because they are not necessary. The single switch is used to turn the lights on and off in the cabinets and openspace.

LIGHT IN PUBLIC SPACES

Not only employees of well-known international companies can enjoy modern technologies, but also ordinary residents. The cultural life in the capital is becoming more diverse and interesting every year, and high-tech solutions can be increasingly found in exhibition spaces, theaters, or concert halls.
For example, Zaryadye Park has become one of the most popular places for recreation in Moscow. But this is not just a park, but a whole complex of structures and interiors, a cultural and educational center.

One of the iconic objects of the complex was the Media Center. It also houses an information center where you can find out information about the cultural and entertainment program, book an excursion or a guide. The media center offers visitors intellectual entertainment: here you can take a virtual trip “Flight over Russia”, admire the multimedia panorama “Time Machine”, visit a VR cinema and enjoy the magical world of Russian reserves.
The building of the Media Center is distinguished by a recognizable snow-white futuristic architecture from the outside, and the interior space reveals all its possibilities, offering visitors unique entertainment created with the help of new technologies. A significant role in space is played by the lighting solution. The ceiling of the interior space has become a recognizable element of the Medicenter’s interior. Hundreds of photos of this construction have been posted on social networks and placed in Internet.

The architects have developed a unique installation of many thin threads of different lengths (polycarbonate tubes). It creates volume on the ceiling, filling the interior space. For such a complex facility, the lighting solution required a special approach – it was necessary to create a comfortable lighting environment for visitors, create light-visual effects and maintain the smoothness of light transitions in space.
To solve this problem, lighting designers used lamps with asymmetric optics, softly illuminating the walls, which helped to define the volume of the room and focus on the art object on the ceiling. The “threads” construction is emphasized by the effect of flowing light, which is created by luminaries hidden behind the art object and placed on the surface of the ceiling.
A special visual effect is created using colored light. Lighting scenarios were developed for the Media Center which simulate the appearance of the sky and the setting sun. Color overflows from green to purple create the effect of “Northern Lights” on the ceiling installation. As light interacts with the material and refracts within it, it creates original black and white patterns on the floor, reminiscent of the rays of stars in the sky. Lighting control helped to bring the idea of the pavilion to life and create a unique environment in the interior, immersing visitors in a new beautiful world.

LIGHT IN ARCHITECTURE

The most recognizable and unique buildings that are the most distinctive and easily identifiable are typically planned with consideration for how they will appear at nighttime. Therefore, lighting solutions have already become an integral part of modern architecture. With the help of light, a recognizable evening appearance of the building is created, its shape is manifested, the plasticity of the facades is emphasized, decorative elements are revealed, the status and significance of the object in the urban environment are indicated.
Most often, facade lighting is what is outside. Luminaries are placed on walls, on window slopes, cornices, protruding tiers of buildings, visors, etc. But this is not always like that. There are exceptional cases associated with certain complexities/features of the building or with a special effect that needs to be achieved there. So interior lighting can simultaneously play the role of architectural.
The main public building of the Skolkovo Innovation Center Matrex brings together everything modern in architecture, science, and art. It houses offices, an official residence, a museum spiral, a transforming hall, a restaurant, and an observation deck. Even the name of the most multifunctional building is a synthesis of the words “Matryoshka” and “Matrix”.

Thanks to the modern technologies that were used in its creation, its energy efficiency compared to buildings of the previous generation has significant indicators: glazing can reduce energy consumption by 45%, water consumption by 35%, lighting by 30%, heating by 25%, ventilation by 15% and air conditioning by 35%.
During the day, Matrex looks like a truncated pyramid with a glass facade, in which the main role is given to strict geometry. And when the sun sets, thanks to the illumination of the atrium’s interior, the recognizable contour of the matryoshka appears under the transparent shell of the facade.
Specially designed luminaires are employed to light up the atrium in a way that prevents glare and produces the impression of lights being turned off while they are still on. Uniform lighting of the walls on each floor is formed into a single light form of nesting dolls, which is clearly visible from the street in the dark. The lighting control system makes it possible to conserve up to 30% of energy.
The evening image, formed by interior lighting, solved the problem of facade lighting. Thus, the need for luminaires on the facade was eliminated, which also contributed to significant energy savings.

Lighting design and lighting control systems help to create inspiring and eye-catching objects. Artificial lighting has already become a design strategy, a statement of sorts that maximizes the functional and aesthetic qualities of a space. Thanks to modern technologies, lighting is becoming a very flexible and influential tool, the main thing is in its correct and meaningful use.