Open-plan desk notes before results
Note desktop rows, screen direction, daylight side, seated glare checks, control state and measured points before comparing office lighting results. Open-plan office lighting can look simple on a reflected ceiling plan, yet the note becomes fragile when desk banks, screen rows, partitions, daylight and control zones are all mixed into one area.
Keep the desk note beside the office lighting guide, the offices sector page, the workplace lighting calculator, the workplace lighting table and the calculator scope before judging any number. This page is a planning note and measured-light note. It does not authorise a workplace outcome, settle ergonomic comfort or replace project criteria.
| Note area | What to write before comparing | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Desk bank | Row label, desk count, desktop height and shared luminaire group. | A broad room result can hide weak rows or over-bright perimeter desks. |
| Screen direction | Main viewing direction from each row and any shared monitor wall. | A fitting or window behind the viewer can reflect into screens. |
| Daylight side | Window side, blind state, sky condition and row depth from glazing. | One side of the floor can change faster than the interior rows. |
| Control state | Active group, scene, dimming level and occupancy setting. | A measured value only belongs to the state that was active. |
| Measured points | Point labels, plane, height and same-plane average method. | Mixed planes make later comparison unreliable. |
Match the office job to the right note
Most open-plan desk notes start with a practical office job: explain why one row reads differently, preserve a daylight condition, check a screen reflection, repeat a measured point set or keep an energy side note distinct. Name that job in the first line of the note so the page does not become one blended desk-lighting claim.
| Office job | Note owner | Keep distinct from |
|---|---|---|
| Compare desk rows | Task plane notes and workplace lighting | Whole-office averages without row labels. |
| Repeat a point set | Lux meter grid point layouts and lux meter grid notes | Unlabelled readings or mixed planes. |
| Explain daylight influence | Daylight versus electric lighting notes and window skylight daylight notes | A single row value treated as an all-day condition. |
| Name a control zone | Lighting control notes and lighting control zones | Values taken under different scenes or active groups. |
| Keep load and hours | Connected load notes and lighting energy baseline notes | Treating lower watts as a desk-visibility result. |
| Note colour quality | Colour quality notes, colour temperature and CRI ratings | Reading CCT or CRI/Ra as a lux or glare answer. |
Desk rows and task planes
Each desk row needs a named task plane. For most open-plan desks the task plane is the desktop or document zone, not the whole tenancy floor. Shared benches, sit-stand desks and touchdown tables can still be grouped, but the note should say which surface owns the result.
Desk banks also need a boundary. A perimeter row beside glazing, a central bench group, a collaboration table and a circulation strip may sit under the same ceiling grid while needing separate notes. Add the row name, normal seated side, desk count, shared luminaire row and any divider or storage edge that changes the view. The task plane notes table is the better companion when plane height, surface type and point labels need to stay together.
| Desk condition | Plane note | Comparison risk if missing |
|---|---|---|
| Assigned desk row | Desktop height, row label and task direction. | Results may be read as a full-room average. |
| Sit-stand bench | Normal seated height plus any agreed raised check. | A single value may be compared across two working heights. |
| Hot desk zone | Typical desktop area and row grouping. | Furniture changes may detach the note from the measured points. |
| Collaboration table | Table plane and normal viewing side. | Table light may be confused with workstation lighting. |
| Circulation beside desks | Floor or path plane kept distinct from desktop points. | Path lighting can dilute desk-plane averages. |
| Screen-heavy row | Desktop plane plus monitor line and viewing direction. | Screen reflection notes can be mistaken for desktop illuminance. |
Screen view and vertical surfaces
Screen direction belongs in the desk note because a horizontal lux result does not describe reflected bright patches. Mark the normal seated direction for each row: toward glazing, parallel to glazing, toward a wall, toward a collaboration board or toward an opposite row. Add whether the main screen is straight ahead, angled, shared between seats or backed by a bright surface. A row that looks acceptable on paper can still carry a bright reflected source in a monitor.
Vertical surfaces also need separation. Partitions, pin boards, writeable walls, shared displays, faces on video calls and collaboration boards can affect contrast around the task. A brighter wall may support visual balance, while a glossy board can show a reflected luminaire. Keep the longer face, board and wall evidence near vertical illuminance notes, and do not merge these vertical notes with desktop readings.
| Surface or view | Note separately | Keep out of the desktop average |
|---|---|---|
| Screen line | Seated direction, screen tilt and likely reflected source. | Screen reflections do not become a desktop illuminance value. |
| Low partition | Height, finish and side facing the desk row. | Partition brightness is not the same plane as the desk. |
| Collaboration board | Board location, viewing side and finish. | Board visibility may need its own vertical point set. |
| Shared display | Screen wall, viewer distance and dimming scene. | Display contrast cannot be settled by desk-plane lux. |
| Dark rear wall | Wall behind monitors and contrast concern. | Raising desktop output may not improve background contrast. |
| Face view | Observer position, camera direction and background surface. | Face contrast is a vertical note, not a desktop point. |
For early area estimates, the room lighting calculator can frame the space. Desk-bank comparison should then move back to the workplace note once the task plane, control group and measurement points are known.
Daylight side and blinds
Open-plan offices often split into daylight rows and interior rows. The daylight side should name the window or facade side, the row depth from glazing, the blind state and whether direct sun or bright sky was present. A perimeter row with blinds open at 10 am is not the same condition as the same row with blinds lowered in the afternoon. Interior comparison rows should still carry a daylight state, because a central bench may be affected by atrium light, roof glazing or borrowed light from another side.
Keep blind position and reading time beside the measurement, especially when daylight and electric light are both active. The daylight shading and blinds reading notes help keep blind angle, sky state and direct-sun notes from being lost. When the question is whether the reading was daylight-only, electric-only or combined, keep that interpretation with daylight versus electric lighting notes.
| Daylight field | Example wording | Comparison note |
|---|---|---|
| Facade side | North window side, east glazing side or internal row. | Direction explains why rows can differ during the day. |
| Blind state | Open, lowered, tilted, closed or partly adjusted. | A lux value without blind state is hard to repeat. |
| Sky condition | Overcast, bright sky, direct sun patch or night check. | Daylight contribution changes the same point label. |
| Row depth | Perimeter row, second row or central bench group. | Distance from glazing affects balance with electric light. |
| Electric state | Daylight-linked dimmed, normal scene or full output. | Controls may reduce output near the window side. |
Seated glare and control state
Glare notes should be written from the seated observer position. The glare glossary gives the plain term, and glare check lighting notes can hold the longer observer, bright-source and surface context. For this desk note, keep the note compact: row label, seat position, viewing direction, bright source and affected surface.
Control state is part of the same evidence note. A luminaire row might be harmless in a normal dimmed scene and harsh at full output. A daylight-linked group may behave differently from the central office group. Note the active group, scene, sensor state and zone boundary with the lighting control notes table before comparing measured points. Where the office uses perimeter, core, meeting-edge or after-hours groups, name the lighting zone rather than assuming the whole floor was in the same state.
| Check | Desk note | Boundary |
|---|---|---|
| Seated view | Seat label, eye line and normal screen direction. | Does not calculate glare. |
| Bright source | Visible fitting, window patch or reflected image. | Does not prove visual comfort across all seats. |
| Affected surface | Screen, paper, glossy desk, board or partition face. | Does not become a workplace result by itself. |
| Active group | Perimeter row, central row, meeting edge or after-hours path. | Values belong only to the active lighting group. |
| Scene state | Normal, dimmed, full output, daylight-linked or cleaning scene. | Later checks need the same state for comparison. |
| Sensor state | Occupied, hold level, timeout condition or manual override. | Operating behaviour belongs in the control note. |
Energy and load notes can sit beside the same zone name, but they should not replace the visual note. For watts, hours and annual comparison, keep lighting power density and energy use, connected load to annual kWh and business lighting energy notes in their own line. For CCT, CRI/Ra and finish appearance, keep colour quality notes beside the surface being judged.
Measured points before comparison
Measured values should stay on the same plane before averaging. The measured illuminance glossary explains the term; the desk note should add point labels, plane height, meter position, control state and daylight state. The lux meter reading notes table suits single points, while the lux meter grid notes table suits a labelled point set.
When a desk row has several readings on the same desktop plane, calculate the same-plane average with the lux meter average calculator. Keep grid spacing, point naming, temporary obstructions and desk-row orientation beside lux meter grid point layouts so a later check can repeat the positions. Mixed readings from desktop, floor, board face and screen surface should stay separate.
| Measurement item | Write in the note | Compare only with |
|---|---|---|
| Point label | D1, D2, D3 or row-and-seat labels. | The same point or the same row pattern. |
| Plane | Desktop, table, board face, partition face or floor path. | Points on the same plane. |
| Height | Desktop height or vertical point height. | The same height and surface type. |
| Condition | Daylight, blind state, active group and scene. | Readings taken under matching conditions. |
| Average method | Same-plane point set and average value. | A same-plane average, not a mixed-surface number. |
| Field note | Screen direction, chair position, divider shadow or temporary object. | A repeated point set with the same context named. |
After the measured-light note is complete, compare the desk row with the workplace calculator result and the workplace table as a planning check only. Keep design decisions, workplace duties, emergency lighting and specialist assessments outside this public note. The final note should make the evidence easy to rerun: desk row, screen direction, daylight side, seated glare note, control state and measured points all in one place.