Lighting Optimization for Sustainable Building Design Considering User Productivity

User productivity is a key component of an integrated sustainable building design framework, as a consideration in addition to operating and construction costs associated with sustainable building practices. Research has shown that employee productivity increases as visible light levels rise in the workplace. Incorporating efficient lighting systems into sustainable building techniques can potentially increase user productivity while reducing electricity costs. This paper presents a single criterion approach that captures the trade-offs between costs, users, and current building standards. A model has been created to explore the feasible design space of a commercial workspace by populating a repository of both active and passive lighting components that can be accessed to generate various lighting designs. A genetic algorithm is used to optimize potential lighting choices in a given workspace, and allows the designer to explore Pareto optimal productivity solutions that best fit the desired application. The result is an optimal solution for a given workspace lighting configuration that captures user productivity while minimizing operating costs.