Color-filtered Lighting: Visual and Emotional Impact in Learning Environments

• Published in: International journal of architectonic, spatial, and environmental design Vol. 14; no. 1; pp. 41 - 55
• Main Authors: Suh, Junghwa Kim, Park, Elizabeth K, Iwamoto, Darren
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Calgary Common Ground Research Networks 2020
• Subjects: Color; Emotional factors; Emotional responses; Emotions; Energy levels; Indoor environments; Learning; Learning environment; Lighting; Quasi-experimental methods; School environment; Visual perception
• ISSN: 2325-1662; 2325-1670
• DOI: 10.18848/2325-1662/CGP/v14i01/41-55

Sense of sight is a dominant factor in the learning process. Color and lighting are major contributors to sight that significantly influence visual quality and clarity in a learning environment. The purpose of this study is to explore how color-filtered lighting has an impact on lighting quality of interior learning environments and people’s emotions. By looking at color and light as one entity instead of two separate elements, this study focuses on how color-filtered lighting affects quantitative measurements of lighting, and pleasantness and energy levels of students in the learning environment. This exploratory quasi-experimental study took place over four weeks, and the data of lighting-condition changes and emotional responses were collected. The outcomes of the study present how different color-filtered lighting in learning environments affects the quality of lighting and participants’ pleasantness and energy levels. The results are discussed through visual analytic maps and statistical data between lighting and emotional state, which may provide new perspectives for designers to integrate appropriate colored lighting within learning environments.