At Constant Technologies, we consider every detail of operations center design. From the larger installation elements such as control room furniture and 24/7 video walls to other details such as console color and accessories, Constant ensures that every aspect of a room’s design fits precisely into your space.
An oft-overlooked yet impactful element of mission critical design is lighting. While light performs the basic function of illuminating the command center environment, it can also serve other purposes: depending on design, lighting can emphasize particular elements, create directionality, and direct line of sight. Furthermore, lighting installations can dictate the energy and atmosphere in the room. High contrast lighting in a darker space creates a sense of drama and is well-suited to rooms with showpiece video walls that are used for tours. Subdued lighting creates an atmosphere of calm focus, while bright ambient lighting promotes an energetic space and promotes wakefulness. From a design psychology standpoint, lighting is a powerful component of a project. The lighting in a space can influence the behaviors of its occupants, so the intended behavior in a command center should play a part in lighting plan considerations.
While Constant specializes in video wall design and operations center furniture, we can also assist clients in making lighting decisions for their mission critical spaces. From ambient lighting that illuminates the whole space to accent and task lighting, our project managers and designers can work with your lighting engineers to develop a plan that is most functional for your unique space.
One of the lighting options that Constant offers at the console position is task lighting. There are some clients that utilize adjustable lights that sit on the worksurface but many prefer the modern aesthetic of task lights that can be mounted to the slat wall of an operations center console. Task lighting is not as common of a choice in the modern operations center design market as it once was; previously, most operations centers were dark due to dim display walls that worked best with high contrast lighting, and operators required task lighting for their workstations. Now that video wall technology has improved to facilitate brighter displays, many operations centers have moved away from the dim lighting and are creating bright spaces where task lighting isn’t as useful. However, Constant still offers and installs task lighting and especially recommends it for spaces with dim ambient lighting.
LED accent lighting is Constant’s latest addition to their lighting design in mission critical environments. In a recent Security Operations Center installation just outside the Boston area, Constant installed LED accent lights to the underside of the command center consoles. The color-changing lights were controlled through the AV system, which made them very simple to manage. Console accent lighting looks sharp and can add much needed mood and color to a room. Studies have shown that the color in a space serves more than an aesthetic purpose; it can also impact performance on certain kinds of tasks. The color red was shown to boost analytic performance, while the color blue boosted creativity. Installing color-changing LEDs to an operations center console can facilitate the subconscious enhancement of operators’ preferred state of mind depending on the task.
When considering the lighting design for an operations center space, the possibilities are vast. The most important question to narrow down the choices is to consider the intended purpose of the lighting, whether it is to be purely functional or to create a unique aesthetic experience. Lighting design in operations centers necessitates taking the intended experience in the room into consideration. No matter the objective of the lighting strategy in your control room design, Constant Technologies can help facilitate your goals. Contact us today for a free design consultation.
About Constant:
Constant Technologies, Inc. is a premier mission critical systems integrator providing customized audio visual and video wall integration and custom technology furniture and console furniture solutions across the globe. With over 3 decades of experience, Constant’s seasoned team has access to and experience with sensitive environments in both the private and public sectors, such as Cyber Defense and Homeland Security. Constant designs, installs and services projects of all scopes to create operations center furniture and video wall solutions with the highest levels of security, aesthetics and functionality. Our team works within a range of environments such as Network Operations Centers (NOC), Security Operations Centers (SOC), CyberSecurity Operations Centers (CSOC), Emergency Operations Centers (EOC), Unified Command Centers (UCC), Remote Operations Centers (ROC), Fleet Operations Centers, and other mission critical spaces. As systems integrators, we pick and choose from the best technologies to create a custom operations center video wall and control room furniture installation that fits your space’s needs.
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December 5, 2017
