TYPES OF LIGHTING

Artificial lighting is best examined according to the function it performs, typically described
as ambient, accent, focal, or task lighting. Ambient lighting is the general-purpose light in a
space. Ideally, the ambient light source comes from different fixtures that can be individually
controlled and dimmed depending on the time of day or amount of natural light available.

Accent lighting acts as a spotlight to illuminate a specific artwork, architectural detail, or piece
of furniture. Accent lights are typically low-voltage fixtures that can be manually adjusted to
focus on a particular object. To avoid glare, the light source should be at a 30-degree angle to
the object.

Unlike ambient or accent lighting sources, chandeliers, wall scones, and lamps draw the eye
to themselves. These glowing objects serve as focal points in a room and, in fact, are often
referred to as focal glow. Most successful lighting design solutions balance ambient light with
focal glow.

Task lighting provides light for a specific activity. In a typical office space, the light levels are
evenly distributed by a grid of fluorescent fixtures, but are usually supplemented with a task
light over each desktop. Different tasks require different lighting levels, for which there are
general recommendations. Lighting levels can be described in foot-candles, which measure
how much light a lit candle would throw on a surface that is a foot away. The metric equivalent
is the lux.

RECOMMENDED LIGHT LEVELS

Task Area Foot-candles Lux

Kitchen 20 215

Reading or Writing 25 270

Classroom 50 540

Demonstration Lab 100 1076

Computer Lab 30 323

Auditorium 10 108

Conference Room 30–50 323–540

Enclosed Office 50 540

Office Landscape 75 807

Corridor and Stairway 10 108

LIGHTING BASICS

Lighting is measured by the amount of luminous flux on a surface, called illuminance. It is ex-
pressed either in foot-candles (illuminance in a square foot) or in lux (illuminance in a square
meter). An artificial light source is referred to as a lamp. Although lamps are commonly identi-
fied by their wattage, this does not describe the output of light. A watt is the measurement of
energy consumption from a particular light source. So an incandescent lamp and a fluores-
cent lamp can have the same light output of foot-candles or lux, while ranging dramatically in
wattage. As an example, a 60-watt incandescent lamp has the same light output of a 15-watt
fluorescent lamp.

Light coming from a single point source can, like direct sunlight, create dark areas of shadow
around the pool of light it provides. A point source calls attention to the surface it is illuminat-
ing and highlights its inherent characteristics. Diffuse light, like that on a cloudy day, distrib-
utes light evenly and is not strong enough to create shadows. While this even distribution of
light may be good in a working environment because it is easy on the eyes, it can seem a bit
dull and lifeless over time.

An unshaded lamp or poorly positioned fixture with an exposed lamp can cause extreme
brightness from a light source called glare. While not measurable, glare is easily recognizable.
It can impair vision and induce discomfort as the eye usually squints to reduce the impact of
its harshness. Veiling reflection is another type of glare that is caused by the brightness of
a light source reflecting off a shiny surface such as glass. A familiar example might be the
reflection of a bright window on a computer screen. The well-thought-out distribution and loca-
tion of light fixtures can reduce glare significantly.

TYPES OF LAMPS

Many types of lamps are available, each with specific characteristics for color rendition, size,
energy consumption, and lamp life. Juggling all the variables can be complex. To specify
lamps correctly, designers should know their efficacy rating (1 = low/poor, 5 = high/excellent)
as well as their correlated color temperature and color rendering index.

Correlated Color Temperature

warm neutral cool

1900–3450K 3500–3800K 4000–6500K

Color Rendering Index (CRI)

poor good excellent

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100
 2600–3100K

Efficacy: 1 100
Lamp Life: 750–1,000 hours
Ballast/Transformer: no
Incandescent Start-to-Full Output: instant

3000K

Efficacy: 2 95
Lamp Life: 2,000–3,000 hours
Ballast/Transformer: no
Tungsten Halogen Start-to-Full Output: instant

3000K

Efficacy: 2 95

Lamp Life: 2,000–4,000 hours

Ballast/Transformer: yes
Low-Voltage Halogen Start-to-Full Output: instant

3000–6000K

75–85
Efficacy: 5
Lamp Life: 18,000–24,000 hours
Ballast/Transformer: yes
Fluorescent Tube Start-to-Full Output: nearly instant

3000–5000K

Efficacy: 5 75–85
Lamp Life: 10,000–20,000 hours
Ballast/Transformer: yes
Compact Fluorescent Start-to-Full Output: nearly instant

6000K

65
Efficacy: 5
Lamp Life: 10,000–20,000 hours
Ballast/Transformer: yes
Metal Halide Start-to-Full Output: 5–10 minutes

2100K
65
Efficacy: 5
Lamp Life: 24,000 hours
Ballast/Transformer: yes
High-Pressure Sodium Start-to-Full Output: 3–5 minutes
NEW LIGHTING TECHNOLOGIES

Although fiber-optic and LED lighting technologies have been around for a while, they are now
becoming more readily available to designers. Both lighting types are more energy efficient
than fluorescent lighting, but also much more cost prohibitive. As the market continues to
focus on energy efficiency, however, designers will see these technologies advance further
and become more affordable.

Fiber-Optic Lighting

This technology relies on strands of acrylic cables to transmit light from the light source,
called the illuminator, to the ends of the cables. The illuminator is simply a box with either a
tungsten halogen lamp or a metal halide lamp of varying wattages. Tungsten halogen lamps
are more common, while metal halide lamps are typically used for large installations. The
ends of the acrylic cable are gathered in a bundle and placed in an aperture directly in front
of the lamp. The illuminators should be conveniently located for easy access to relamp the
fixtures. It is also important to note that the illuminators need ventilation to release the heat
that is generated by the lamp.

Depending on the lighting design, there can be less than a handful of acrylic cables or hun-
dreds of cables. The length of the cables can vary per installation, but as a general rule they
should not exceed 50 feet (15 m) or light transmission will be compromised. The advantage of
this system is that multiple lights can be located in difficult-to-access places, controlled by a
single lamp inside the illuminator.

LED Lighting

Although light-emitting diodes (LEDs) use a fraction of the electricity and last up to ten times
as long as fluorescent lamps, they are too costly for use in general lighting. LEDs are available
in high intensities of red, green, and blue light, and the combination of all three colored lights

Comparative Correlated Color Temperature

Incandescent Tungsten Halogen Low-Voltage Halogen Fluorescent Tube–cool

 yields white light. Varying combinations of the three colors can produce a full spectrum of
color options. LEDs have the additional advantage of producing no heat. Currently, LEDs are
used in interior design to create desired effects such as accenting a reveal or washing a wall
with colored light. As the technology advances, it will become more affordable and eventually
be applied to general purpose lighting.

LIGHTING TERMINOLOGY

Ballast: Small device that controls the flow of current by providing the required starting voltage
and then reducing the current during operation.

Correlated Color Temperature (CCT): Spectral characteristic of a light source, measured in

Kelvins (K). The lower the temperature, the warmer the (yellow/red) tones; the higher the
temperature, the cooler the (blue) tones. Sunlight at dawn has a color temperature of 1900K
while a uniform overcast sky is 6527K.

Color Rendering Index (CRI): Scale from 1 to 100 that describes the affect of a light source on
an object or surface. The higher the index, the more natural and vibrant the object appears.

Dimming Ballast: Device used with fluorescent lamps to vary the output of light by the use of a
dimmer control.

Efficacy, or Luminous Efficacy: Efficiency in which electrical power is converted to light. Efficacy
measures the number of lumens emitted per watts consumed (lm/W).

Low-voltage Lamp: Incandescent lamp that operates with low voltage, ranging from 6 to 12 volts.

Luminance: Amount of light reflected or transmitted by an object.

Transformer: Device designed to raise or lower electric voltage.

Fluorescent Tube–warm Compact Fluorescent Metal Halide High-Pressure Sodium