Evaluation of Lighting Levels and their Impact on User Comfort in a Muslim Prayer Room at Residential Colleges, Pagoh

Abstract

Adequate lighting is essential to ensure visual comfort and support users’ spiritual concentration (khushu’) during prayer and Qur’an reading activities. This study was carried out at a residential college prayer room in the Pagoh to assess the current lighting levels and their effects on user comfort. The objectives of this study were to evaluate users’ visual comfort in the prayer and reading areas, measure and compare the illuminance levels with the recommended standards and propose practical lighting improvement strategies. A mixed-method approach was adopted, combining questionnaire surveys to assess users’ perceptions with quantitative field measurements using a lux meter. The findings reveal a significant gap between the existing lighting levels and the specifications outlined in the MS 1525 (2014) Only average values between 43 and 92 lux were recorded by the current artificial lighting system, which is significantly less than the ideal recommended standard of 200 lux for prayer rooms. According to the questionnaire analysis, which is consistent with these physical data, the majority of respondents (72.7%) reported experiencing visual discomfort as a result of the gloomy surroundings and uneven light distribution, which led to eye strain and distributed concentration. The report suggests a number of tactical solutions to deal with these problems, such as switching to energy efficient LED lighting, altering the fixture arrangement to remove dark areas, carrying out regular maintenance, and offering targeted task illumination in the reading zones. All things considered, it is anticipated that these empirical results will help residential college facility management implement user-centric lighting improvements for the congregation’s overall comfort and well-being.