Color temperature is a characteristic of visible light that has important applications in a variety of fields such as lighting, photography, videography, astrophysics, manufacturing and publishing. In generally the hues of light generated are either warm (yellowish) or cool (bluish) and measured in degrees of Kelvin (K)
2.5.1. Technical Definition
The color temperature of a light source is defined as the color temperature of a black body radiator that radiates light of comparable hue to that of the light source.(Wikipedia, 2015) Correlated color temperature value of light sources that are commercially available range from 2700K (Kelvin) to 6500K. According to lighting industry convention, correlated color temperature …show more content…
Measurement Basics of Color Temperature
Color temperature can be measured using a handheld meter called sekonic C-500R meter where reading can be taken in seconds with the press of a button. When the button is pressed, readings are taken from a group of sensors and processed through algorithms to produce a kelvin temperature reading that can be used for verification purpose.
2.5.4. Considerations in selecting Color Temperature
With the choices in color temperature in lighting, the question that arises often is, what color temperature to get chosen when it comes to different areas in an interior space. In some situations, the answer is the same color temperature for all the spaces or it could be different for each spaces depending on the desired and required purpose and the effect.
2.5.4.1. Color Temperature and Purpose
Color Temperature in an interior space can have a dramatic effect on the occupants or users that occupy the space to perform tasks. As an example, Spaces that are utilized for tasks such as reading and writing, can benefit by incorporating lighting on the cooler end of the scale, which means the lighting with high correlated color …show more content…
Research on the quantity and quality of lighting over the past decades has shown that improvement of lighting quality from a low or moderate level increases the speed and accuracy with which objects can be detected and recognised. Accident risk in the workplace is also reduced when there is greater awareness of potentially dangerous situations and when the mood, alertness and health of industrial workers are promoted by good-quality lighting. This effect can’t be overemphasised as poor levels of worker concentration and high levels of fatigue cause a considerable number of accidents. Besides its effect on visual performance and accidents, lighting also has a powerful influence on the creation of a stimulating working environment. Today, a lot of emphasis is given to layout and interior design of the workplace, but lighting too plays an important role. Whilst it can emphasise positive elements of a design, lighting can also detract from these elements, for example by poor colour rendering or glare