Photobiological assessment of sky masking in work environments

Integrative lighting and workplace well-being

Abstract

This research focuses on the assessment of workplace lighting affected by sky masking due to surrounding buildings, emphasizing workers' photobiological well-being, considering that a decrease in quality of life and, consequently, productivity may occur. The objective of the study is to verify the photobiological impact of sky masking in workplaces through the equivalent melanopic lux (EML) metric. The method involves successive computational simulations of the work environment, carried out with and without surrounding obstructions. After identifying the critical obstruction, successive simulations were conducted with an increasing number of luminaires, following Integrative Lighting guidelines. The research results indicate the possibility of restoring minimum EML levels through compensatory electric lighting configurations for a photobiologically healthy day for workers, also assessing the energy impact of these lighting configurations.