CADD ROOM LIGHTING

[ogray]

Hello,

I have been asked to put together justification on creating a dedicated CADD Room at our company. Currently, all CADD operators are spread out in various areas.

The goal is to gather every CADD operator into 1 room where we can control lighting, sound, and minimize distractions.

Can anyone reccomend any studys or web sites that I can review in dealing with this? I'm trying to build a case to take to managment other than "WE need a quite place to work".

Thanks for any help.

 

[ctopher]

We use to have a CAD room with two doors, all lights off with one lit in the corner. The smoked dark windows were above the partitions. It was perfect! Except when upper management finally saw it after several years, they said it was outdated and Windows based CAD does not need CAD rooms! Also the engineers now use the same CAD software (SolidWorks) in the cubicles. Now we are stuck in the open with everyone else! Good luck, I hope you get your room.

 

[ewh]

I may not be able to point you to any studies, but I can share some of my experience. I have worked in three general environments: huge busy rooms with engineers, designers and detailers all mixed together with no walls, cubical mazes, and dedicated cad rooms. Personally, I prefer a mixed environment with cubicals. Dedicated cad rooms do make for a pleasing work environment, but at a cost to interaction between disciplines. Cubical walls block out much of the distraction, but you can still be aware of what is happening around you, and it is convenient to discuss the work at hand with others close by.

Lighting is very important. The glare and reflection from overhead lights and bright windows can tire you eyes quickly. I have often seen fellow cad drivers cobble up shades made of cardboard and fastened to their tubes to lessen this (I’ve done it myself a time or two). You don’t need to have it pitch black (a bright screen in a black room can also cause excess strain to your eyes), soft ambient light or a desk lamp is sufficient.

As far as minimizing sound and distractions, a dedicated room may not be necessary if you are allowed to wear headphones to block this. At a reasonable sound volume, you can still hear enough to know if your phone is ringing or someone is talking to you. This can go a long way towards maintaining your ability to concentrate on the task at hand.

With today’s cad systems and their complex models, while it may be quicker and more efficient, it usually takes quite a bit more concentration to properly complete a project than it did back in the days of board drawings.

Just my 2 cents…

 

[ogray]

Thanks for the input. I totally agree that the interaction between disiplines is an important part. My biggest problem is that 3 of my Cadd guys sit direclty in front of the Coffee Machine/Water Cooler! This means that when ANYBODY comes back, they are getting distracted.

The lighting is the biggest problem.

Does anyone have any experience with Screen shields, or "computer glasses"?

 

[PSE]

Glare screens can work well though I would recommend using them at least in concert with ambient light control. You might be able to do some work with the overhead luminare covers as there are inserts that provide greater directional control over the light. In combination with bulb selection, you have a good chance of working something out. You have to deal with "acceptance" problems with computer glasses. Some people find them uncomfortable and not wear them.

Sounds like relocation would also be a good idea. The traffic near the coffee machine & water cooler you have already identified as an issue. Besides, it would be good for the CAD folks to get up and away from their stations for a while every now and then. Having to go a bit further for coffee or water may actually be beneficial to them.

Regards,

 

[ctopher]

I use a glare screen, but is not 100%. I still had to turn off some lighting. I too sit near a copier, coffee, etc...very distracting. I use earphones for music. I still prefer a CAD room.

 

[CajunCAD]

I was recently able to convince the "powers that be" that a 17" LCD monitor would be a considerable improvement over the 17" CRT in reducing glare and enlarging the viewing area to reduce eye strain/fatigue.
The best lighting that I have worked with was in a CAD room utilizing indirect lighting. Crown molding was installed 12" or so below the ceiling to conceal lights aimed up at the ceiling. This provided a low light environment and reduced glare from the CRT screen.

 

[PeterCharles]

ANY screen user CAD or otherwise needs something else at a distance they can look at. To avoid eye problems the eye needs to be able to change from close to distance easily.

By the way, what background screen colours do you use? Black seems very popular (though I use light grey) but can cause problems when yellows, light blues etc are plotted out on white paper, a fact frequently overlooked by CAD operators.