tambient® offers premiere task and ambient lighting solutions to enhance worker comfort, productivity, and energy conservation.

Top performing companies promote dynamic workplace designs that support a balance of collaboration and personal work using a variety of settings. Providing choices and the freedom for each occupant to select or create places of personal preference are key to delivering a fulfilling workplace experience. As an integral part of the design, office lighting must also address personal preference and the changing needs of today’s workplace.

tambient® is a portable, furniture-based lighting system that eliminates the need for fixed, hardwired, ceiling-mounted office lighting and supplemental workstation task lights; a versatile and adaptable all-encompassing lighting solution for the needs of an ever-changing workplace. tambient® creates seamless personal and collaborative work environments that are visually comfortable, energy efficient, flexible, and easy to maintain.

   

Visual Comfort

Vital to achieving a thriving and sustainable workplace, visual comfort promotes occupant health and supports productivity. Balancing the brightness of surfaces and visual tasks within an employee’s workspace will reduce visual fatigue — known to cause a reduction in performance and productivity. In addition to delivering broad areas of personal task lighting, tambient® furniture-mounted units spread light across the ceiling, balancing the brightness of the ceiling with the workstation while providing glare-free ambient light for casual collaboration and blending interior areas with daylighted perimeter zones.

Eliminating overhead luminaries and reducing ambient illuminance while adding light in each personal workspace reduces distraction and supports individual focus. When workstation surfaces are brighter than their surroundings, occupants are drawn to their work and experience fewer distractions.

 

Personal Control

With salaries and benefits comprising 75% of the cost of business operations, the impact of lighting becomes an even more important driver of organizational success. Distinctive and pleasing office environments can reduce turnover and help attract new talent. Research shows that allowing employees to individually control lighting has a positive effect on worker satisfaction, productivity and energy savings.

tambient® furniture-mounted units provide individual control over workstation illuminance. This is known to increase worker motivation and one’s ability to persist longer with difficult tasks.

 

Environmental Impact

According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, lighting is the largest single use of electricity in commercial buildings. In office buildings, this is due in part to traditional lighting systems that indiscriminately illuminate task and non-task areas resulting in wasted energy and material resources. In contrast, tambient® achieves an optimal and efficient alignment of lighting and occupant needs resulting in deep energy savings and reduced lighting power densities, making it one of the most energy-efficient open office lighting systems on the market. Avoiding overhead lighting installations minimizes and simplifies wiring systems, thus conserving natural resources, reducing the embodied energy of office buildings, and facilitating future renovations.

 

Adaptable

A variety of tambient® styles, optics and mounting details allow the lighting system to integrate with a wide range of work settings while providing consistent lighting performance and glare control.

tambient® is designed to integrate with any "open plan" furniture system, so no matter what furniture system is selected or in place, the lighting is compatible. tambient® can accommodate offices with high or low ceilings, and workstations with tambient® lighting reconfigure easily without compromising lighting quality, controllability or the visual experience.

 

Cost Efficient

tambient® furniture-integrated luminaires are designed for easy installation by electricians or by the furniture trade and qualify for accelerated depreciation, meaning that owners can write off the entire cost of the lighting system in one year (furnishings) instead of 39 years (building) under current tax laws. Maintenance costs are further reduced by eliminating unnecessary overhead systems that require ladders and disrupt business operations or require after-hours servicing. Likewise, repositioning of tambient® luminaires during office renovations and realignments is easily accomplished without the need for electricians and rewiring.

 

FAQs

What is task ambient lighting?
The Illuminating Engineering Society describes task ambient lighting as a method of lighting for offices whereby a portion of the required task illuminance is provided by general ambient illuminance and the balance is provided by task lighting deployed in close proximity to the primary task areas. This solution “can be more energy effective and visually interesting than that of an ambient system alone…” Accordingly, task ambient luminaires are designed to deliver an effective balance of task and ambient illuminance simultaneously via multiple LED arrays in a single luminaire. Positioning these luminaires at primary task locations assures an optimal relationship between the task and ambient effects and the occupants. This results in elevated levels of energy efficiency, occupant satisfaction, and task performance.

Is tambient® lighting compatible with my furniture system?
Yes. Our universal and system specific brackets mount to most systems. For unique situations, we can fabricate custom mounting accessories. In many cases, the same type of hardware that is used to support workstation accessories and add-ons is used to support our luminaires.

How can indirect lighting be installed on workstations without creating glare?
Our proprietary uplight lenses shield AND direct lamp output to achieve a low-brightness appearance with maximum coverage.

Does tambient® lighting work in large spaces with high ceilings?
Yes, as long as the ceiling is reflective. Matte white is preferred for best results.

How much light will I have in my workstation?
Our task ambient luminaires are designed to provide as much as 50-70 footcandles at the work surface. And dimming is standard, so each individual can set the output to match their personal preference and needs. Workstation based lighting layouts assure that each worker receives the same high quality lighting.

How can I get a sample luminaire?
Contact your local representative or furniture dealer.

Where can I get tambient® product literature?
To keep you up-to-date, tambient® product information is available exclusively at thelightingquotient.com along with a listing of local representatives that can assist you. 

Can I purchase tambient® lighting through my furniture supplier?
Yes. To facilitate project coordination, it may be of benefit to negotiate a service charge with your furniture dealer or installer to receive, deliver and/or install your purchase. If you are not currently working with a dealer, our local Lighting Quotient representative can help you identify one.

Does tambient® provide installation services?
No. tambient® lighting is easy to install and requires no special skills. Just secure the luminaires in place using simple tools and plug them in. Generally, your furniture dealer or installer is best qualified to integrate our luminaires with your furniture.

What will the construction team use for lighting if there are no ceiling mounted luminaires?
Hardwired emergency lighting in circulation areas and perimeter wall lighting, which is recommended for all projects, may be sufficient for finishing work. Otherwise, temporary lighting that is normally provided by the electrical contractor should be maintained until the furniture is installed and energized.

Do furniture based lighting systems increase electrical system costs?
No. Even with PC loads as low as 1.0 watts per square foot, a typical 3-circuit or 4-circuit furniture wiring system will provide sufficient power for furniture-based lighting. At the same time, overhead lighting circuits and connections are eliminated.

How are tambient® luminaires controlled?
The task light portion is controlled independently by each user. For uplight control, we offer a range of wired and wireless control options for standalone operation and for integration with 3rd-party lighting control and building management systems. Our wireless control options simplify buildings and are typically pre-commissioned to facilitate project start-up. 

Do tambient® luminaires work with daylight harvesting and demand response control systems?
Yes. We offer wireless signal transmitters that broadcast light level commands from 3rd-party control systems to tambient® fixtures. We also accommodate wired control connections.   

Can I get an emergency standby ballast in my tambient® luminaire?
Our standard offering does not accommodate hardwired connections and thus cannot be used to satisfy life safety lighting requirements. Also, hardwiring of tambient® luminaires limits the flexibility and tax benefits associated with a portable, furniture mounted solution. Custom modifications are possible; however, it is generally most economical to have separate lighting for the purpose.

How do I justify the cost of furniture integrated lighting when ceiling mounted lighting is included in my lease?
Better lighting is linked to better business performance. To help offset the cost, you can negotiate a credit for omitting an overhead luminaire and apply it universally during the fit-out. You can also take a sizable corporate tax deduction due to the fact that tambient® qualifies as tangible business property.