CE 222 FINALS LECTURE 4

LIGHTING DESIGN PRACTICES AND CONSIDERATIONS

Architectural Lighting Design

- both a science and an art
- A good designer studies and evaluates existing lighting installations and blends knowledge gained from these
observations with use of scientific principles in creating new designs

Ambient Lighting

Ambient lighting is the most essential form of lighting because it is the basic background of
light for almost every room.

Task/Local Lighting

Task or local lighting illuminates a specific visual function and can influence the effectiveness
of the individual performing the task. Task lights focus light in a particular direction or area, without casting any
glare.

Accent Lighting

Accent lighting is used to add drama and emphasize a particular object or area. Low-voltage
halogen spotlights, especially track lighting, are excellent applications of accent lighting.

Decorative Lighting

Decorative lighting aesthetically adds interest to the space by blending with other types of lighting to give an
overall “feel” to a space. Although decorative lighting may provide some ambient lighting, it serves principally
as an eye-catching attraction. Use decorative lighting sparingly.

The following are some of the design considerations associated with lighting installations in common spaces.

Entrances The entrance or foyer is the transitional space from public to private and exterior to interior.
It offers the first impression of a home or building. Lighting in homes and commercial establishments
should draw attention to the building entry. Ambient illumination is also important to make
guests/occupants feel welcome and comfortable.

Offices/Studies Reading and writing require quality lighting that limits eye fatigue caused from glare.
Often, this space can take advantage of a beautiful vista out the window and good natural ambient light
daylight. At night, an ambient light source should be provided to compensate for daylight. Computers
require special attention. Soft indirect lighting is enough illumination and should be properly located so as
not cause patterns on the screen.

Restrooms/Bathrooms In restrooms and bathrooms, the best light washes the face from all directions,
softening shadows. There should be sufficient light to see detail for grooming but not so much to cause
glare and discomfort. Quality lighting can be accomplished within any design style because there is great
variety in wellengineered fixtures.

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Dining Spaces Lighting should make the food, the table setting, and the people look attractive, so
excellent color rendition is a must. Ambient lighting should be low to make the occupants sitting at the
dining tables feel isolated. A center-pendent luminaire works well if not too obtrusive. A chandelier is very
appropriate in formal dining, particularly in residences. The light level from the center-pendent luminaire
or chandelier should be indirect so it does not draw attention from other, more important views. Ambient
lighting should be low to draw attention away from the occupants sitting at dining tables. A balance of
accent lighting showing off artwork,a special sideboard, and the table centerpiece is very effective and
desirable.

Kitchen Spaces In the home, kitchen lighting has become very important because this space has
become a central focal point. As a gathering point and a place of special work, lighting must be a
well-conceived part of the overall design. Inappropriate lighting can make rich materials look dark and
cause glare off shiny counters. Ambient and well-placed task lighting are the successful solution and the
ability to control light levels is essential in the open-plan house. In commercial kitchens, adequate, diffused
lighting with good color rendition is a must.

Exit Illumination and Marking

Building codes generally require that building exits be illuminated any time that the building is occupied, with
light having an intensity of not less than one foot-candle at the floor/walking surface level.

LIGHTING SYSTEM CONTROLS

Single-pole, single throw (SPST) switches are a simple on/off switch that controls a lighting installation from
one location.

Three-way switches (S3) and four-way switches (S4) can be circuited to control a lighting installation from
two or more locations. Two three-way switches are required to control a lighting installation from two
locations. Two three-way switches and one or more four-way switch are required to control a lighting
installation from three or more locations.

Automatic switches deactivate the lighting circuit after a preset time period has lapsed.

Dimmer switches can be used to vary the luminous flux (lumen output) from lamps in a lighting installation. •

Keyed switches limit access to switches for lights and equipment to authorized personnel. They are available
with SPST, and capabilities.

Door switches can activate a lighting circuit when a door is open or closed (e.g., similar to a refrigerator
light).

Time clocks can be used to control the time period that a lighting installation operates. Traditionally, time
clocks are an electrical-mechanical device that controls lighting operation by pin placement on a moving time
wheel that repeats a daily cycle as the wheel rotates.

Electronic timers automatically control operation of a lighting installation with electronic components that
are wired into the circuitry. They allow great flexibility as they can easily be set for daily and weekly cycles.
Electronic timers do require relay switching on larger lighting loads.

Photocell controls sense light and can be used to control night lighting in lieu of a time clock or timer. Recent
advancements in photocell technology allow them to be used effectively to control illumination levels in spaces

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that have daylight available: as daylighting increases the photocell dims the lights.

Occupancy sensors control a lighting installation by sensing occupants in a space. They work well in interior
spaces such as classrooms and offices. Occupancy sensors are usually mounted on the wall or ceiling.

A central lighting control system offers building operators full control of multiple lighting installations from a
single location. Central control systems control the lighting installations in a building along with controlling
HVAC equipment, fire protection and security systems, and other devices. They are usually integrated in a
building energy management system (BEMS). An advantage of a central control system is that light circuits can
be controlled in a remote location that, on some systems, can be controlled remotely off-site.

DAYLIGHTING PRINCIPLES

Fundamental Principles
Daylighting is the efficient and effective use of direct, diffuse, or reflected sunlight to provide full or
supplemental illumination for building interiors during hours of sunlight. Sunlight has
excellent color rendition and brilliance. It diminishes the need for artificial light in buildings and thus saves
lighting costs. In some buildings, an overall saving of up to 80% in lighting energy costs can be achieved during
sunlight hours.

Effective use of daylighting will reduce electrical costs (both energy and demand costs) and operating and
maintenance costs (lamp life is extended). Daylighting in buildings also typically decreases space heating and
cooling costs. Because daylight produces less heat per unit of illumination than artificial lights, daylighting
reduces the cooling load when it replaces artificial lighting within the space being cooled. As part of a passive
solar heating system, sunlight can also provide supplementary building heat. Daylighting generally improves
occupant comfort by providing a more pleasant, naturally lit indoor environment.

The major disadvantage of daylighting is the unpredictable availability of sunlight. The varying intensity of
sunlight with passing clouds, cloud cover on a rainy day, and shading by natural features (e.g., hills, vegetation,
and so forth) and by human-made objects (e.g., tall buildings and upper stories) can affect the availability of
adequate daylighting. The changing position of the sun with respect to the space being illuminated must also be
addressed.

Daylight
Daylight is a combination of direct, reflected, and diffuse sunlight.

Direct light travels in a straight-line path from the sun and tends to be more intense than diffuse and
reflected sunlight. Glare from direct sunlight can cause discomfort when the occupant is watching television,
working at a computer, or reading.

Reflected light strikes a surface, such as a sidewalk or automobile, and reflects off the surface in another
direction. Because the receiving surface absorbs some sunlight before reflecting the light, the reflected light
is less intense than direct sunlight. Glare from reflected sunlight can cause occupant discomfort.

Diffuse light is light that has been reflected or refracted by clouds, glazing, or other objects. It accounts for
most of the daylight received at the earth’s surface on a cloudy day. It is less intense than direct and reflected
light and typically results in less glare.

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Glazings

Overall coefficient of heat transfer (U)

- is a measure of how easily heat travels through an assembly of materials: the lower the U factor, the
lower the rate of heat transfer through the glazing and the more efficient the glazing. Overall or whole-window
U factor of a window or skylight depends on the type of glazing, frame materials and size, glazing coatings, and
type of gas between the panes. The overall U factor should be used because energy-efficient glazings can be
compromised with poor frame designs. R factors for common glazing materials range from 0.9 to 3.0 (U factors
from 1.1 to 0.3), but some highly energy-efficient exceptions also exist. Experimental super window glazings
have a center-of-glass R factor of 8 to 10 (U factor of about 0.1), but have an overall window R factor of only
about 4 to 5 (U factor of about 0.25 to 0.2), because of edge and frame losses.

Solar heat gain coefficient (SHGC)

- is the fraction of solar heat that is transmitted through the glazing and ultimately becomes heat. This
includes both directly transmitted and absorbed solar radiation. The lower the SHGC, the less solar heat is
transmitted through the glazing and the greater its shading ability.

Visible transmittance (VT)

- is the percentage of visible light (light in the 380 to 720 nm range) that is transmitted through the glazing.
When daylight in a space is desirable, glazing is a logical choice. However, low VT glazing such as bronze, gray,
or reflective-film windows are more logical for office buildings or where reducing interior glare is desirable. A
typical clear, single-pane window has a VT of about 0.88, meaning it transmits 88% of the visible light.

Light-to-solar gain ratio (LSG)

- is the ratio between SHGC and VT of a single glazing. It provides a gauge of the relative efficiency of
different glazing types in transmitting daylight while blocking heat gains. The higher the LSG ratio the brighter
the room is without adding unnecessary amounts of solar heat

Types of Glazing Materials

Glass - Advantages of glass include long life, high light transmission, hardness, and stiffness. The main
disadvantage of glass is brittleness and the safety hazard that falling broken glass creates. Glass can be made
more resistant to breakage by increasing its thickness, by heat treatment (tempered glass), and by combining it
with reinforcing materials such as wire or a plastic film. All safety improvements for glass add cost and typically
add weight.

Plastic - have become an alternative to glass. They are much lighter in weight and are resistant to shattering, so
they pose less of a safety hazard. The plastics commonly used for glazing are acrylics and polycarbonates.
Polycarbonates are stronger, but acrylics are more resistant to degradation from the UV component of sunlight.
All plastics deteriorate in strength and light transmission over several years. Plastics can be reinforced with
fibers of various materials, including glass, to increase strength and service life. The
fibers cause some light loss and diffuse light, which is useful in most daylighting applications. Additionally,
nonreinforced plastics are easily molded; an entire skylight assembly can be
formed from a single plastic sheet.

Glass and plastic can be combined in a composite to minimize the limitations of each. Glass is used for the outer
sheet where it can provide considerable protection to the plastic, while the inner plastic sheet protects against
glass breakage.

Today, several types of advanced glazing systems are available to help control heat loss or gain. The advanced
glazings include double- and triple-pane windows with such coatings as low-emissivity (low-e), spectrally

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selective, heat-absorbing (tinted), or reflective; gas-filled windows; and windows incorporating combinations of
these options. These were introduced in

Daylighting Strategies
Daylighting systems must be designed to provide illumination in areas where it is most needed (e.g., northern
spaces, internal spaces, and ground levels of tall buildings) and to do so without adversely affecting occupant
comfort (e.g., limiting glare and excessively spotty lighting). A basic daylighting strategy is to increase the
number and size of glazed areas in the walls or ceilings of a building, but simply using large glazed openings
does not ensure good daylighting. The following are common daylighting strategies.

Windows
The main functions of windows are to bring in daylight and fresh air (if windows are operable) and
introduce a view of the outdoors. Windows located in walls of a building are the most common method of
introducing daylight into the interior building spaces.
Fenestration is a design term that describes window size, arrangement, and glazing type (the glass and
coatings used in the window). Fenestration affects daylighting, passive solar heating, space cooling, and
natural ventilation.
A clerestory window system is a fenestration arrangement in an upper story wall that extends
above one roof surface; it introduces daylight into the ceiling area of the space. An atrium is an interior
courtyard covered with glazing. Rooms and spaces adjoining the atrium receive daylight entering through
the glazed
roof. Clerestories and atriums are effective daylighting strategies because they introduce daylighting deep
into a structure. A fenestration arrangement of several smaller windows can provide uniform daylight
illumination if properly distributed in the space being illuminated. A large window area tends to overlight
and produce spotty lighting.

Skylights
A skylight is a transparent panel located in a roof opening that allows direct and diffuse sunlight into
the building. A roof monitor is a type of skylight system that is a raised, typically triangular shaped,
extension of a roof and that has at least one glazed surface. Roof monitors and skylights can provide large
quantities of reflected and diffuse light into the interior of the building. An arrangement of several smaller
skylights provides illumination that is much more uniform than daylighting with a single large skylight. Thus,
it is better to use a larger number of smaller skylights, rather than one or a few large skylights. Installations
with large skylights commonly suffer from excess brightness directly below the skylight, accompanied by
gloomy dark areas surrounding the skylight.

Reflective Light Shelves

A light shelf is a passive (nonmechanical) architectural element or mechanism that allows sunlight to
enter deep into a building. They can be a separate element or mechanism or can be an integral part of the
building structure. They may be located on the interior or exterior of the building envelope. Exterior light
shelves may also function as overhangs that shade the window from the high summer sun. Typical
installations usually make the light shelf a unique architectural feature.

Light Pipes
Most commercially available light pipes consist of an exterior, roof-mounted transparent dome, a
reflecting metal pipe, and a diffuser for installation at the ceiling level of the space. In effect, a light pipe is
a small skylight with an integral reflective enclosure. The pipe may be rigid or flexible. Flexible pipes are
easier to install, but they suffer more light loss from increased light absorption from reflection and scatter
on the inside surface of the pipe wall. Light pipes are available commercially.