This is a legacy version of the WELL Building Standard. Please check the latest version here.

Electric light glare control

Electric light glare control

Intent: 

To minimize direct and overhead glare by setting limits on the luminous intensity of luminaires.

This feature part is based off the best practice lighting requirements outlined in Europe (see citation - the European Standard licht.wissen 04: Office Lighting: Motivating and Efficient). The higher levels are regulated as glare caused by excessively high luminance may result in less than optimal visual performance due to fatigue and loss of concentration. The luminance ranges noted are considered bright light sources, and may be outside of the lighting specifications established by the project team.

The requirement applies to all bare (without shielding) lighting fixtures that are wall mounted or ceiling hung within the WELL project boundary.

Most office lights will meet these requirements already, either because they’re shielded adequately and/or because they do not have the high luminance levels that require additional shielding. Shielding is based on the angle from the horizontal plane of the bottom of the actual light source. WELL requires different levels (angles) of shielding depending on the luminance of the light source (cd/m2).

For part 2, the angle is measured from the point of view of the seated occupant. In other words, luminaires that are located above 53 degrees, when measured as a solid angle from a seated occupant's point of view at a workstation, desk or other seating area, must have luminances that are less than 8,000 cd/m².

Light sources above 53 degrees above horizontal may contribute to ""overhead glare"", and as such should be limited to 8,000 cd/m² or less. Note that this does not necessarily preclude a fixture with over 8,000 cd/m² from being used, but shielding may be required to ensure that the surface that is directly emitting light (the bare lamp or the luminaire surface) cannot be seen from a seated occupants' point of view. Project teams can obtain photometric data from the lamp manufacturer to confirm compliance.

Light fixtures in regularly occupied spaces are required to meet the glare control measures prescribed by the feature. Lighting in transient spaces do not need to comply with the feature requirement.

If the scope of the Core and Shell buildout includes a space that will have workstations or desks, for example a building reception desk, tenant space being fit out by the developer, and/or a building management office, then the light glare control requirements would need to be met for all light within those spaces.

If lighting is not being provided within tenant areas, and no workstations or desks are included within the owner controlled spaces, then this precondition can be considered met by providing documentation confirming that no spaces within the project fall within the scope of the requirement.