Evidence-based strategies for sustainable lighting design in grocery stores

UNCG Author/Contributor (non-UNCG co-authors, if there are any, appear on document)
Majedeh Modarres Nezhad (Creator)
Institution
The University of North Carolina at Greensboro (UNCG )
Web Site: http://library.uncg.edu/
Advisor
Laura Cole

Abstract: Lighting is arguably the single most important element in retail design. Among retail environments, grocery stores are important for their potential contribution to sustainable community. More than a mundane place for running errands, the grocery store is increasingly a "third place" that sits at the nexus of healthy lifestyles and community gathering. This study explores the ways that lighting helps to enhance these larger goals and advances an approach to lighting design that considers not just the environmental, but also the economic and social impacts of lighting. This study developed two key resources for practitioners involved in the lighting design of grocery stores. The first resource is a sustainable lighting design process and the second product is evidence-based design guidelines for sustainable lighting design in grocery stores. The "sustainable lighting design process" is the result of combining major elements in lighting design with the 3-E framework for sustainability that encourages consideration of environment, economy, and equity. The second resource, and the major undertaking of this thesis, is a systematic review of existing scholarly literature that results in a comprehensive matrix of sustainable lighting guidelines for the grocery store environment. The matrix of guidelines additionally reveals how each guideline relates to the 3 major goals of sustainability. Hence, each study was examined for its contribution to ecological, social, and economic sustainability goals, and sustainability themes were mapped accordingly into the guidelines. The final guidelines can be selected to fit unique applications and contexts by store owners and retail designers. The use of the guidelines, even in part, can improve the sustainability of lighting solutions across numerous dimensions - from reducing the carbon footprint of the building to increasing sales to fostering positive social interactions among customers. These guidelines can also be used by scholars to find gaps in the research field by looking across the matrix and the mapping of sustainability themes. The hope is that future researchers will help to improve the matrix by continuing important research on sustainable lighting strategies.

Additional Information

Publication
Thesis
Language: English
Date: 2014
Keywords
Ecological Sustainability, Economic Sustainability, Grocery Store, Lighting Design, Social Sustainability, Sustainability
Subjects
Lighting $x Environmental aspects
Lighting $x Social aspects
Lighting $x Economic aspects
Stores, Retail $x Lighting
Grocery trade
Sustainability

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