Ligh ting f or Inter i o rs 343

Figure 12.8 This chart shows

various lamp and luminaire beam
spread patterns and the
percentages of light directed
towards the ceiling or floor.

ARTIFICIAL LIGHT SOURCES

Before a designer can plan an effective lighting design, he or she must understand what kind of light sources are
available. There are three main sources of electric light: incandescent lamps, electric or gaseous-discharge lamps,
and solid-state lamps. “Lamp” is the correct term for what is commonly called the light bulb. The bulb is the actual
housing or enclosure of the filament and gases. Lamps come in a wide variety of types, sizes, shapes, and colors.
They are designed for an equally wide variety of purposes and effects. For the designer to select the correct lamp
for a given situation, he or she must consider energy consumption, efficiency, length of life/hours expected, quan-
tity of light produced, and qualitative factors such as color and brightness. Functional, decorative, or psychological
effects must also be considered. Because the two categories of light sources produce light in such different ways,
the properties of each will be discussed individually.

Incandescent Lamps
In the incandescent lamp, light is produced by heating a material (usually metal) to a temperature at which it glows.
Most incandescent lamps have a tungsten filament or other material vacuum-sealed in a glass bulb that becomes
hot and intensely bright when electricity is passed through it. See Figure 12.9 for a diagram of a typical incandes-
cent lamp.

The glass enclosure, generally made of common lime glass, comes in a variety of shapes and is identified by a let-
ter (Figure 12.10). A number following the letter indicates the size or maximum diameter of the lamp. To determine
the diameter of the bulb in inches, the number is divided by eight. For example, a lamp designated by A-21 indi-
cates a standard bulb shape with a maximum diameter of 21∕8 or 25∕8 inches. A PAR-38 would be a parabolic
aluminized reflector lamp with a maximum diameter of 38/8 or 4¾ inches.

The finish of the glass bulb determines the brightness and appearance of the light produced. Standard lamps are
generally available in clear or frosted finishes. In clear lamps, the light is intense and bright, and the filament is
visible. Frosted lamps (also known as soft white) are coated on the inside with a silica powder that diffuses the