Walking is an important transport mode for sustainable cities, but the usability of pedestrian environments for people with impaired vision is very limited after dark. This study compares the usability of a walkway, operationalized in terms of (i) the pedestrian’s ability to orient themselves and detect infrastructure elements, and (ii) the perceived quality of lighting in the environment (evaluated in terms of the perceived strength quality and perceived comfort quality). The study was performed in a city in southern Sweden, along a pedestrian route where observations and structured interviews had previously been conducted and after an intervention involving installing new lighting systems with LED lights. A mixed method analysis involving participants with impaired vision (N=14) showed that the intervention generally improved the walkway’s usability: observations indicated that the participants’ ability to orientate themselves and detect infrastructure elements increased, and the interviews showed that the intervention increased the perceived strength quality of the lighting along the walkway. However, the effects on the perceived comfort quality were unclear. It is therefore important to carefully evaluate new lighting systems to reduce the risk of creating an inappropriate lighting design that will limit walking after dark by people with impaired vision.

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to determine the optimal office lighting use with different types of lighting controls to achieve energy savings and provide visual comfort for individuals. Design/methodology/approach – A case study and field measurements were carried out in 18 single-occupancy offices in Sweden where six different lighting controls were investigated. Occupancy and daylight hours were key issues for determining the lighting use. For each office, occupancy patterns, use of a ceiling luminaire, energy usage and perceptions of office lighting in the spring-summer and autumn-winter were established. Findings – The use of luminaires varied among the occupants and could be habitual. Though the study yielded positive results concerning the potential for manual or daylight dimming with occupancy switch-off controls to increase optimal lighting use, combining dimming controls with manual on/off controls is rather effective if occupants generally sit in their offices most of the day. Research limitations/implications – Precise comparisons of the performances of the different controls were limited due to the offices’ different window orientations; thus, measurements in identical offices are desirable. The small sample size limited analyses of lighting use and the personal perceptions of lighting quality. Practical implications – Apart from the contribution to simulation techniques, the findings imply that office lighting controls should be selected taking individuals’ behavioural patterns and perceived lighting quality into consideration. Originality/value – This paper describes an approach to determine the use of lighting controls and provides a basis for establishing optimal lighting use for individuals with regard to occupancy and daylight availability.

This methodological study was conducted to examine the suitability and reliability of the diary form to measure lighting use in work places. The occupants of 18 single-occupant offices were asked to report in diary form on their lighting-use-related activities and times present in their offices for one workday every two months from June 2009 through May 2010. Electronic measurement of the occupants' time in their offices and use of ceiling luminaires was recorded by data logger during the same period.The self-reported data correlated significantly with the logged data for the occupants' for the two variables investigated: (i) regulating of ceiling luminaires, and (ii) occupancy of their offices. The correlation was strongly significant between self-reported-and logged data with regard to light-on time, while a weak relationship was identified between the self-reported-and logged data regarding occupancy time. Considering the relationship between light-on time and occupancy time, a significant relationship from the self-reported data was found, but, unlike the logged data, these two variables did not seem to relate to each other. The results suggest that the diary form is suitable to measure office occupants' use of general lighting (ceiling luminaires), particularly for a short-term use, whereas the suitability to measure presence in offices is questionable. The diary form was also able to characterize the amount of energy used for lighting. However, the form should be improved to obtain more accurate responses and to indicate the lighting levels provided by dimming controls.

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The growth of Sweden’s urban population necessitates new approaches for increasing the sustainability and energy efficiency of multifamily buildings. The development of such approaches will require a holistic and integrated understanding of the factors driving the decision making of both professionals who design buildings and end-users who live in them. This paper, therefore, uses the goal framing theory to determine which aspects of multifamily buildings are considered important by these two groups of actors. An empirical study based on semi-structured interviews with professionals involved in building design and development (project developers, housing company representatives, architects, and engineers; N = 15) was conducted to identify goals affecting the choices made during building design and development. In parallel, a questionnaire survey of building end-users (N = 61) was conducted to determine which factors guided their choice of dwelling. It was found that professionals’ design choices were primarily governed by normative goals relating to environmental benefits but were also influenced by the other goals. These included gain goals relating to budgetary constraints and keeping the building’s operational and maintenance costs low. Hedonic goals were also important; some design choices were made with the aim of providing pleasant, comfortable, and convenient living environments, or of giving the buildings a distinct aesthetic or some other special features. By comparing the professionals’ responses to the end-user surveys, it was found that the two groups had similar views concerning gain goals; both considered it important for apartments to be affordable and easy to maintain. However, their views on hedonic and normative goals differed markedly. The professionals sought to strike an optimal balance between different related aspects, whereas end-users placed greater importance on aspects relating to hedonic and gain goals when choosing dwellings. The findings provide a basis for constructive discussions on building design and development, and the scope for creating buildings that encourage end-users to adopt sustainable living practices while also satisfying their needs and preferences.