A hybrid workstyle is becoming more common post-COVID-19, and longer occupancy hours at home are increasing household electricity consumption. Small homes are regarded as a potential for improving energy efficiency in the residential sector, and a home consists of mixed-function spaces with dynamic occupancy behaviors. These underpin the opportunity to optimize presence sensing lighting in small homes for energy efficiency and user-behavioral needs. A comprehensive overview of presence sensing approaches, comparing four types of non-wearable sensors connected to home lighting is made. A bibliometric mapping of the reviewed literature visually reinforces a significant research gap that presence sensing studies were not connected to home lighting but inclined toward the commercial and institutional context. Next, a non-exhaustive example of commercially available presence sensing products applicable to residential lighting for small homes is analyzed, and their general characteristics and technologies are synthesized. The literature and product overview identified five significant product knowledge gaps. Incorporating the gathered information leads to the proposal of a conceptual flexible radar-based sensor (prototype design), addressing a wish list with three important criteria to optimize future presence sensing lighting in a mixed-function small home. Future radar sensing studies are expected to develop an anticipatory lighting system that processes real-time multi-user vital signals for smarter localized and personalized lighting options for (small) living environments.

Current presence-sensing technologies for energy-efficient lighting control and building optimisation are (i) catered to commercial and institutional environments, and (ii) focused on lamp technology and occupancy detection. They often ignore user behaviour characteristics, which significantly influence energy consumption. Therefore, this study aims to identify alternative sensing techniques as part of a lighting control system that can energy-efficiently support user's behavioural needs in mixed-function residential spaces. An exploratory study investigated the optimal placement of a non-wearable radar sensor to detect an imitated user's breathing frequency at varying pre-set horizontal distance positions, and the sensor's performance was validated with a spirometer. The procedure measured a balloon's radar-detected distance, radar-detected breathing frequency, and spirometer-registered breathing frequency at each pre-set position. The radar sensor detected all simulated breathing frequencies with almost 100% data accuracy but was not comparable in detecting all distances. The radar offers a less intrusive short-range presence-sensing for homes, accurately detecting breathing frequencies in a contactless way between 0.2m to 0.8m. Further investigations are recommended to develop radar sensing that could predict lighting options based on user's objective feedback.

Inappropriate architectural lighting exposures in workplaces are causing light-induced health and performance-related problems among healthy, urban individuals. This paper presents part one of an integrated tropical architectural lighting design framework for improving dayshift individuals’ psychophysiological wellbeing in windowless workplace in Malaysia. The paper discusses five architectural lighting factors, namely intensity, spectrum, timing, duration, spatial distribution. The daytime lighting characteristics that influence individuals’ psychophysiological wellbeing indicators (IPWI) were analysed. Findings indicated a dearth of literature in the lighting characteristics to support IPWI in the tropics, as evidence was predominantly from seasonal climate contexts. This motivated a critical discussion on the lighting factors and recommendations of alternative design consideration for a tropical Asian context. Potential daytime architectural lighting characteristics likely to support dayshift IPWI in windowless workplace in tropical Malaysia were also recommended for further investigations. These recommendations in the framework are expected to facilitate healthier windowless workplace design in Malaysia.

Workplace architectural lighting conditions that are biologically dim during the day are causing healthy individuals to experience light-induced health and performance-related problems. Dynamic lighting was reported beneficial in supporting individuals’ psychological behavior and physiological responses during work period in Europe. It has yet to be investigated in workplaces with minimal/no natural daylight contribution in tropical Malaysia. Hence, an exploratory experimental study was initiated in an experimental windowless open-plan workplace in Universiti Putra Malaysia, Serdang. The aim was to identify dynamic lighting configurations that were more supportive of a morning boosting effect than the control constant lighting, to support dayshift individuals’ psychophysiological wellbeing indicators during the peak morning work period. The immediate impact of a 2-hour morning exposure to overhead white LED (6500 K) with different horizontal illuminance levels and oscillations (lighting patterns) were investigated on physiological indicator limited to urinary 6-sulfatoxymelatonin, and psychological indicators for alertness, mood, visual comfort, cognitive and visual task performance. Not all of the investigated dynamic lighting configurations were supportive of a morning boost. Only configurations 500_{increased to}750 and 500_{increased to}1000 lx therapeutically supported most of the indicators. Both these configurations suppressed urinary 6-sulfatoxymelatonin, and improved alertness, cognitive performance, positive affect, and visual comfort better than ‘visit 1: 500_constant500’ lx (control). The increasing oscillation was observed more beneficial for the morning boost in tropical Malaysia, which is in reverse to that specified in the human rhythmic dynamic lighting protocol developed by researchers from the Netherlands for application during winter. The findings from this study present the feasibility of dynamic architectural lighting acting as an environmental therapeutic solution in supporting the individuals’ psychophysiological wellbeing indicators in windowless open-plan workplace in tropical Malaysia. Further investigations on the two prospective configurations are recommended to determine the better supportive one for the morning boosting effect in Malaysia.