The Future of Office Lighting Is Freestanding

A new perspective on office lighting that combines visual comfort, flexibility, and intelligent technology.

Intelligent lighting, greater flexibility and visual comfort. All designed around the modern workplace.

Office lighting is evolving. Today’s workplaces call for solutions that combine visual comfort, energy efficiency and flexibility, without compromising on design.
Freestanding luminaires bring these qualities together. With direct and indirect illumination, low-glare optics and intelligent lighting controls, they offer a complete lighting solution designed around the needs of the workstation.

Rather than depending on fixed ceiling installations, freestanding luminaires place the light exactly where it is needed, creating new possibilities for office design.

Light designed around the workstation

 Good office lighting starts with the right illumination on the working surface.
Whether reading documents, working on a computer or completing everyday tasks, employees need sufficient and evenly distributed light.
This is the principle of task lighting: providing illumination specifically where an activity takes place.
For common office activities, European standard EN 12464-1 generally specifies 500 lux on the working surface. Equally important is the uniformity of the illumination, ensuring that the entire working area receives consistent light without strong differences in brightness.
Freestanding office luminaires are designed with this purpose in mind. Positioned directly alongside or between workstations, they deliver controlled illumination across the desk.
This allows the lighting to be planned around individual and shared working areas, combining effective task illumination with a flexible office layout.

Direct and indirect lighting in perfect balance

A comfortable working environment requires more than a well-lit desk. The surrounding space also plays an important role.
Modern freestanding luminaires combine direct and indirect lighting, creating a balance between functional task illumination and general room brightness. Direct lighting illuminates the desk, providing the light needed for reading, writing and computer work. Indirect lighting distributes light upwards towards the ceiling, where it is reflected into the room. This creates a softer, more diffuse illumination and helps reduce the contrast between the workstation and its surroundings.
Together, these two lighting components contribute to a pleasant and visually balanced office environment. With independent control of direct and indirect light, the distribution can be adapted to different working conditions and individual preferences.

Visual comfort starts with low glare

In an office, lighting is often used continuously throughout the working day. Controlling glare is therefore essential.
Excessively bright light sources or unwanted reflections on computer screens can cause visual discomfort and make everyday tasks more demanding.The Unified Glare Rating (UGR) is used to assess the potential for discomfort glare in indoor lighting installations. For common office activities, EN 12464-1 generally specifies a maximum UGR of 19. 

Advanced optical systems allow modern office luminaires to distribute light effectively while limiting direct glare.Carefully controlled light distribution, combined with suitable positioning, helps create a comfortable working environment, especially in offices with multiple computer screens.
The result is illumination that supports the task without drawing unnecessary attention to the light source itself.

Intelligent lighting, intelligent energy use

Energy efficiency is an increasingly important part of office design. Modern lighting technology goes beyond efficient LEDs. Intelligent controls allow luminaires to respond to how and when a workspace is used.

Occupancy sensors can detect whether a workstation is in use and automatically dim or switch off the lighting when nobody is present.

Daylight sensors adjust the artificial lighting according to the available natural light. When sufficient daylight enters through the windows, the luminaire reduces its output. As daylight decreases, artificial illumination increases to maintain the required lighting level. This function, known as daylight harvesting, helps avoid unnecessary energy consumption.
With constant-lux control, a selected lighting level can be maintained automatically throughout the day.

In larger offices and shared workspaces, these functions are particularly valuable. Individual workstations can respond to their actual lighting requirements instead of operating at full brightness regardless of occupancy or daylight conditions.
The result is efficient lighting that adapts automatically to everyday office life.

Flexibility for changing workplaces

Contemporary offices are designed to accommodate different working styles. Individual desks, shared workstations, collaborative areas and flexible layouts often exist within the same environment. Freestanding luminaires fit naturally into this approach.
Their position is not determined by fixed ceiling installations, allowing them to be integrated into different furniture arrangements.
They are particularly suitable for office renovations, buildings with exposed ceilings and spaces where installing additional ceiling luminaires would be difficult. When workstations are rearranged, the lighting can be repositioned accordingly.
This flexibility also gives architects and interior designers greater freedom when planning office spaces, with fewer restrictions imposed by the location of ceiling lighting points.

Introducing MAGNI: coming soon to Light4U

As office lighting continues to develop, we are expanding our range with MAGNI, a new freestanding luminaire designed for contemporary workplaces.
MAGNI combines a clean, linear design with direct and indirect illumination, low-glare optics and intelligent lighting control possibilities.

Designed for individual and shared workstations, it provides dedicated task illumination while contributing to a comfortable overall lighting environment.
Its freestanding construction allows it to integrate naturally into different office arrangements, with the flexibility to adapt when layouts change.
The first visualisations present MAGNI in several workplace settings, showing how technical lighting performance and architectural simplicity can come together.

MAGNI. A new perspective on office lighting.

Coming soon to Light4U.