The onset of winter is also a time when many people experience the ‘blues’. With the days growing darker earlier, people may feel the effects of Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), a common condition in which normal people may experience mild depressive symptoms due to less sunlight, affecting their professional and personal lives.
A July 2015 McCrindle survey of 1,000 people indicated that 33 per cent felt under-motivated at their workplace during winter, while 27 per cent felt generally less productive. It doesn’t help that modern offices have closed-off spaces and dark decor, blocking off the natural sunlight needed to boost the mood of the workforce during the dark winter months.
Locker Group specialises in a range of innovative architecture materials designed to enhance the visual appeal of commercial buildings. These three products can help dispel those winter blues by adding more sunlight to your office space.
Woven wire
When used on building facades, woven wire has a sun-streaming effect, maximising the entry of natural sunlight into the building. Woven wire facades are built on a variety of durable metal substrates to withstand harsh winter conditions and can be customised to exact client specifications.
In interior applications, woven wire can be used to provide a delicate textural finish over light shades, reducing the harsh artificial glare of lights. This is particularly important because the increased use of artificial light to compensate for shorter daylight hours in winter contributes to SAD symptoms.
Perforated metal
A highly popular architectural product from Locker Group’s range, perforated metal is typically used on building facades to add visual texture without sacrificing function. Perforated metal installations around a building’s facade minimise loss of thermal insulation, keeping the building warm and dry. It also encourages the entry of natural sunlight through the metal sheet’s perforations.
Locker Group offers perforated metal facades using a range of materials, recommending darker-coloured metals such as copper and brass over cold grey and silver metals to give the office space visual warmth during the winter months. Perforated metal facades can be fabricated by customising the metal sheets with an imprinted image in the perforation pattern, allowing the facade to display the company’s brand identity or even an artistic design.
Transit curtains
Locker Group’s transit curtains are wire mesh screens widely used in modern commercial and retail spaces to allow light and air into the interiors seamlessly while still maintaining privacy between separate areas.
Transit curtains can be attached to tracks to effortlessly change the layout of the office on demand or cover unsightly appliances by draping them from the ceiling. Curtains are a stylish solution for increasing natural light in dark spaces, and breaking down formal dividing walls in office spaces. This can lead to better interaction and collaboration between employees, helping reduce the SAD effect.
Locker Group’s architectural building solutions are designed for creating visually stunning and innovative spaces, helping you get the most from your environment.
Contact Locker Group to learn more about how simple architectural solutions could brighten up your winter blues.
