Office best suitable for biological clock

Takenaka Corp., one of Japan’s leading construction companies, has developed an office that minimizes the error of the biological clock that controls the cycle of brain activation. The office controls Takenaka’s self-developed intensity of illumination and room temperature, sets the biological clock of office workers, and helps them have a deep sleep. The company plans to commercialize this office in three years as the technology to improve the productivity of office workers liable to have an irregular working pattern. Focusing attention on the circadian rhythm, it developed the technology to select the intensity of illumination and control the operation of air-conditioning in accordance with the circadian rhythm.

Takenaka adopted two kinds of LEDs of orange and white. The office uses the two colors, but orange grows stronger toward the evening. It is 400 lx in the day time and less than 300 lx after the evening. The illumination is covered by film after the evening to integrate it with the ceiling, and the film makes the whole ceiling brighter by diffusing the light coming out through the film. The system sets the temperature of the air-conditioning at 3 degrees centigrade higher than the room temperature to increase the deep body temperature, thereby enlarges the vibration amplitude subject to the circadian rhythm. This technology helps office workers have a good sleep and improve their rhythm of sleep and waking state.