LIGHTING DESIGN CRITERIAS

By Ar. B. K. PRABU
Lecture contents

• Design criteria & objectives

• Lighting calculations
Design criteria & objectives

Criteria for good design

• Present the most persuasive image of the space through functional & sensual lighting
• Human factors - impact on individual well-being
• Architectural factors - impact on the overall architecture
• Economic & Environmental factors - impact on economics & the environment
Design criteria & objectives

Human factors
• Ergonomics - ensure that lighting meets fundamental requirements for visual communication
• Health - ensure that lighting benefits health & vitality
• Psycho-physiology - ensure that lighting enhances physical stimuli & mental phenomena
Design criteria & objectives

Human factors
• Ergonomics - quickly & accurately communicate visual information
• Visibility - easily enable perception of visual cues & experience of the space
• Inadequate lighting disrupts people’s interaction with their visual environment
• Dependent upon the luminance distribution in the field of vision
• Soft diffuse lighting & lighter room surfaces enhance visual ambience
Design criteria & objectives

Human factors
• Ergonomics - quickly & accurately communicate visual information
• Accessibility - easily enable identification & access to spatial activities & tasks
• Inadequate lighting can be detrimental to people’s visual performance
• Dependent upon the illuminance distribution for task & surrounding areas
• Dedicated luminaires providing higher illumination for tasks enhance visual performance
Design criteria & objectives

Human factors
• Ergonomics - pleasantly communicate visual information
• Contrast & Glare control - carefully avert visual fatigue due to luminance contrast
• Inadequate or sudden changes in lighting can disrupt people’s visual comfort
• Dependent upon the diversity of luminance distribution
• Appropriate selection, location & control of luminaires as well as finishes reduce glare
Design criteria & objectives

Human factors
• Ergonomics - safely communicate visual information
• Safety - carefully avert accidental hazards while performing the desired activities & tasks
• Inappropriate lighting is detrimental increasing people’s risk of sustaining injuries
• Dependent upon the ease of finding one’s way around without feeling unsafe
• Appropriate selection, location & control of luminaires as well as finishes improve safety
Design criteria & objectives

Human factors
• Health - positively impact human health
• Hormones - actively regulate sleep (melatonin) & activity (cortisol) hormone production
• Inappropriate lighting can be detrimental increasing people’s susceptibility to diseases
• Dependent upon quantity, spectrum, timing, duration & spatial distribution of light
• Lighting that imitates the characteristics of natural light benefits human health
Design criteria & objectives

Human factors
• Health - positively impact human health
• Hormones - actively regulate sleep (melatonin) & activity (cortisol) hormone production
• Inappropriate lighting can be detrimental increasing people’s susceptibility to diseases
• Dependent upon quantity, spectrum, timing, duration & spatial distribution of light
• Lighting that imitates the characteristics of natural light benefits human health

Melatonin suppression
Design criteria & objectives

Human factors
• Psycho-physiology - pleasantly interact with the human mind-body
• Sensory pleasure & Delight - actively stimulate the senses & provide joy of experience
• Visual delight & overall sensory richness are important aspects of people’s experiences
• Dependent upon the overall aesthetic appeal & mood created
• Mood lighting is meant to complement & not replace regular lighting
Design criteria & objectives

Architectural factors
• Form, Colour & Motion - ensure seamless blend of lighting with the fundamental components of
architecture
• Building codes & Standards - ensure that lighting meets all the fundamental building regulations
Design criteria & objectives

Architectural factors
• Form - integrally manifest lighting into the form of the space
• Volume & Shape - accurately define the spatial volume & shape
• Inappropriate lighting could distort people’s perception of volume & geometry
• Dependent upon the effect of ambient lighting in defining boundaries & edges
• Nature of light & surfaces off which it is reflected affect perception of volume
Design criteria & objectives

Architectural factors
• Form - integrally manifest lighting into the form of the space
• Location - accurately highlight the spatial elements
• Inappropriate lighting could inhibit people’s ability to identify important elements
• Dependent upon accent lighting on focal & peripheral areas
• Elements of higher focus require higher illumination levels
Design criteria & objectives

Architectural factors
• Form - integrally manifest lighting into the form of the space
• Character - accurately highlight the spatial character
• Inappropriate lighting could inhibit people’s ability to identify texture & material
• Dependent upon the direct or diffuse quality of ambient & accent lighting
• Textured surfaces require direct light to create shadow patterns that enhance character
Design criteria & objectives

Architectural factors
• Colour - fractionally manifest lighting into the colour of the space
• Hue & Chroma (Saturation) - accurately identify the hues & chromas
• Inappropriate lighting could mislead people’s perception of colour
• Dependent upon the CRI, CCT & SPD of the light source
• Higher CRI & SPD provide better rendering; warm or cool hues require equivalent CCT
Design criteria & objectives

Architectural factors
• Colour - fractionally manifest lighting into the colour of the space
• Value (Lightness) - accurately identify the value
• Inappropriate lighting could mislead people’s perception of colour
• Dependent upon the ratio of illuminance & surface reflectance
• Colours of higher value require higher illumination levels
Design criteria & objectives

Architectural factors
• Motion - kinetically manifest lighting into the motion of the space
• Rhythm & Tempo - consonantly match the spatial rhythm & tempo
• Inappropriate lighting could have a jarring effect on people’s perception of the space
• Dependent upon the spatial distribution of accent lighting
• Location & control of luminaires define spatial rhythm & tempo
Design criteria & objectives

Architectural factors
• Motion - kinetically manifest lighting into the motion of the space
• Orbit & Field - easily enable comprehension of the spatial patterns & dynamics
• Inappropriate lighting could disrupt people’s comprehension of the spatial information
• Dependent upon the spatial distribution of ambient, accent & task lighting
• Design & number of luminaires chosen should be proportional in the field of vision
Design criteria & objectives

Architectural factors
• Building codes & Standards - adequately meet desired national & international building
codes & standards
• National - National Lighting Code (NLC)
• International - IESNA, ALA, EN, CELMA
Design criteria & objectives

Architectural factors
• Building codes & Standards - adequately meet desired national & international building codes
& standards
• National - National Lighting Code (NLC)
• International - IESNA, ALA, EN, CELMA
Design criteria & objectives

Economic & Environmental factors

• Economic factors - ensure that investment & operational costs for lighting are optimised
• Environmental factors - ensure that energy wastage & environmental impacts of lighting are
minimised
Design criteria & objectives

Economic factors
• Investment costs - optimally allocate in project budget to meet quality standards
• System costs - aptly select quality lighting equipment & systems
• Improper selection leads to reduced efficiency & poor quality of lighting
• Dependent on the selection of lamps, luminaires, control gears & systems
• Consideration for overall lighting quality leads to better planning for lighting budgets
Design criteria & objectives

Economic factors
• Investment costs - optimally allocate in project budget to meet quality standards
• Installation costs - aptly appoint trained professionals for installation
• Improper installations leads to reduced efficiency & poor quality of lighting
• Dependent on the initial setting-up of equipment & systems
• Professionally trained personnel can execute better quality lighting installations
Design criteria & objectives

Economic factors
• Operating costs - optimally allocate in project budget to increase amortisation
• Maintenance costs - aptly use equipment & systems that minimise maintenance
• Improper selection & operation leads to increased relamping & maintenance-wage costs
• Dependent on the ruggedness of equipment & usage patterns of control systems
• Longer lamp-life, weather- & shock-resistant equipment can reduce maintenance
Design criteria & objectives

Environmental factors
• Hazardous waste - optimally plan for minimal impact on the environment
• Disposal - aptly plan disposal of lighting products containing hazardous materials
• Inappropriate disposal leads to environmental & health hazards
• Dependent on the type of lamps, luminaires & control gear used
• Use of less-toxic alternatives minimises environmental impacts
Design criteria & objectives

Environmental factors
• Light pollution - optimally plan for minimal impact on the environment
• Spill light - aptly select luminaires that minimise spill light
• Excess spillage increases sky-glow, disappearance of stars & disturbance to animal-life
• Dependent on the cut-off angle & spillage of luminaires
• Minimum cut-off angle & spillage leads to reduced light pollution
Design criteria & objectives

Economic & Environmental factors

• Electricity costs - optimally allocated in project budget to increase amortisation
• Energy wastage - aptly select equipment & systems that minimise power-consumption
• Improper selection & operation leads to increased power-consumption & electricity costs
• Dependent on the power-consumption of equipment & usage patterns of control systems
• Efficient equipment & scheduled usage of systems can reduce power-consumption
Lighting calculations

Types of lighting calculations

• Lumen method - solves almost 70% of the interior lighting design problems
• Point-by-point method - solves problems in interiors without indirect light component
Lighting calculations

Lumen method
• Method for calculating average illumination levels by dividing any room into three cavities
• Co-efficient of utilization (CU) - portion of lamp lumens which reach the work plane
• Light-loss factor (LLF) - depreciation of initial lighting level
• Ballast factor (BF) - commercial ballast performance relative to reference ballast
• The equation: n = E . l . w / Φ . CU . LLF . BF

Coefficient of utilisation
• Luminaire type - efficiency & distribution pattern
• Room surface reflectance - higher reflectance
accounts to higher incident lamp lumens
• Luminaire mounting height - higher mounts means
more chance for walls to absorb light
• Room area & proportions - larger the room, the
greater the number of luminaires needed
Lighting calculations

Lumen method
• Method for calculating average illumination levels by dividing any room into three cavities
• Co-efficient of utilization (CU) - portion of lamp lumens which reach the work plane
• Light-loss factor (LLF) - depreciation of initial lighting level
• Ballast factor (BF) - commercial ballast performance relative to reference ballast
• The equation: n = E . l . w / Φ . CU . LLF . BF

Cavity ratios (CR) - room geometry is accounted

for in cavity ratios
• The equation: CR = 5h.(l + w)/(l . w)
• Types of cavity ratios: Ceiling (CCR), Room
(RCR) & Floor (FCR)

Reflectance - ratio of the total amount of

radiation reflected by a surface to total amount of
radiation incident on the surface
• Recommended reflectance factors: Ceiling - 0.6-
0.9; Walls - 0.3-0.8; Floor - 0.2-0.5
Lighting calculations

Lumen method
• Method for calculating average illumination levels by dividing any room into three cavities
• Co-efficient of utilization (CU) - portion of lamp lumens which reach the work plane
• Light-loss factor (LLF) - depreciation of initial lighting level
• Ballast factor (BF) - commercial ballast performance relative to reference ballast
• The equation: n = E . l . w / Φ . CU . LLF . BF

Light-loss factor (LLF)

• Luminaire dirt depreciation (LDD) - reduced
illumination due to dirt accumulation
• Lamp lumen depreciation (LLD) factor - reduced
illumination due to aging of lamp sources
• Light output ratio ŋLB - ratio between luminous
flux emitted by the luminaire & the lamp
• The equation: LLF = LDD . LLD . ŋLB
Lighting calculations

Lumen method
• Method for calculating average illumination levels by dividing any room into three cavities
• Co-efficient of utilization (CU) - portion of lamp lumens which reach the work plane
• Light-loss factor (LLF) - depreciation of initial lighting level
• Ballast factor (BF) - commercial ballast performance relative to reference ballast
• The equation: n = E . l . w / Φ . CU . LLF . BF

Class example

1. For a corridor of dimensions (lxwxh) 5x2x2m,

the nominal illuminance (E) to be provided is 100
lux. The luminous flux ( ĭ) received from the
proposed luminaire is 1000 lm. Reflectances are
70 (ceiling), 30 (wall) & 20 (floor). hcc & hfc are 0.
LLF is 0.8 & BF is 1.0. Calculate the number of
luminaires required.

Answers
1. n = 5
Lighting calculations

Point-by-point method
• Method for calculating illuminance at a point using intensity, inverse square & cosine laws
• Horizontal illuminance at point, Eh= I.cos ș/d2 or I.cos3 ș/h2
• Takes maintenance factor (MF) & atmospheric loss (AL) into consideration
• The equation: Eh= I . MF. AL. cos3 ș/h2

Class example

1.A floodlight of mounting height (h) 8m lights up

the point p. The luminous intensity (I) of the
floodlight in the direction of point B is 320 cd. If
both MF & AL are 0.9, calculate the horizontal
illuminance (Eh ) of point B. For reference, cos3 51 §
0.25

Answers
1. Eh § 1 lux
Summary

Good quality lighting design

• Sensitive to individual well-being, architecture, economics & environment
• Lumen method - provides answer to “How many luminaires are required in this room?”
• Point-by-point method - performs a uniformity check on illuminance values
LIGHTING DESIGN