DESIGN BY FUNCTION (CONT) . EDUCATION
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Artwork Artwork in a school can add sensory interest, andmake a place feel welcoming and inviting. There are organisations that might help contribute towards the cost of artists and artwork; such as the Arts Council England or local authority Arts Officers. Lighting Natural light is great for our well being but it can be difficult to control, too little in winter and toomuch in summer. In one case study, there was toomuch light in the afternoon coming through some west facing windows, and to counteract the light, black out blinds were used which left the classroom in darkness. A dark roomcanmake you feel drowsy and disconnected froma sense of time. Ideally to keep our biological clocks in sync we should get access to lots of light during the day and less in the evening, in this instance the light in the classroom ranged fromone extreme to the other. A possible solution is to place plants or use blinds that filter out the harsh light, yet still allowing a small amount in.
Windows should be kept clear from anything blocking them and access to blind controls should bemaintained. The use of a high powered projector canminimise the use of blinds. When there is little natural light, usually during winter months a good source of artificial light is necessary. Fluorescent light can flicker and this can causemigraines, it can also cast green light andmake the surroundings appear gloomy. Today, there are commercial lighting companies that offer flexible solutions for educational environments. Lighting levels can be controlled to change depending on the time of day and level of focus required. Brighter cooler light can increase focus and a lower warmer light can create amore relaxing environment. A dining area would benefit from lower light levels to calmexcitable children, whereas a cooler and higher intensity light in amaths or science class can help support a good level of concentration. In themiddle of the day, we can refer to the light as blue light. Blue light is stimulating, it helps us to focus and we can perform some cognitive functions much better in a higher intensity blue light; decision making and reaction times aremuch faster than in evening light.
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Our circadian clock (see Light & Lighting ) is linked to light, the changing light throughout the day helps to control metabolism, hormones, sleep/wake cycle and general well being.
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