Lesson 4.

Light and Architectural Lighting Systems

 Foot-candle - a common measure of illuminance, is the oldest physical unit still in common usage
 Organizations that developed technical standards, specifications and design techniques that govern the design and construction of building
lighting and electrical systems:
Illuminating Engineering Society of North America (IESNA)
International Association of Lighting Designers (LALD)
National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA)
American Lighting Association (ALA)
 Optics - branch of physics that relates to the properties of light and the function of vision
 The visual system of a human is composed of the eye, optic nerve, and certain parts of the brain
 How the eye functions?
Rays of light pass through the transparent cornea of the eye and through an opening called the pupil. The iris surrounds the pupil and
adjusts for the amount of light available. The lens is a transparent ellipsoidal medium that changes thickness, allowing it to bend and focus
the rays of light entering the interior of the eye. The retina is composed of nerve cells with photoreceptors that are shaped like rods and
cones. The rod-shaped photoreceptors sense extremely low levels of light and provide efficient vision in dim light.
Three different types of cone-shaped photoreceptors in the retina: Red-sensing cones, Green-sensing cones and Blue-sensing cones.

 Color blindness - inability to distinguish colors

 Light - form of electromagnetic radiation that allows the eye to see (travels at the speed of 186 000 miles per second (300 000 000 meters
per second) in air or in a vacuum)
 Electromagnetic radiation - energy radiated in the form of a wave caused by an electric field interacting with a magnetic field (categorized
by wavelength and frequency)
 Wavelength (λ) - distance from one peak of one wave to the next wave (meters or nanometers)
Note: 1 nm = 0.000 000 001 meter or one billionth of a meter
1 inch = 25.4 million nanometers
 Frequency - number of wave cycles per second (hertz = Hz)

Wavelength
increases

Frequency
increases
Sunlight striking the earth’s outer atmosphere is made up of ultraviolet (about 5%), visible light (about 45%), and infrared (about 50%) radiation.

 Visible light - part of electromagnetic radiation spectrum capable of exciting the retina and ultimately producing a visual
sensation; it is the wavelengths of electromagnetic radiation to which the human eye is sensitive
 Illuminance - amount of light incident on (striking) a surface
 Luminance - amount of light leaving an object (how bright an object appears)
Note: When a surface is illuminated, the illuminance striking the surface can be reflected from, absorbed by, and transmitted
through the body
 Reflectance (ρ) - ratio of reflected light versus the light striking the surface (illuminance)
- Specular reflection - occurs when light is reflected off a polished or mirror-like surface—that is, the reflected image is maintained
- Diffuse reflection results when reflected light is scattered after striking the surface
 Transmittance (τ) is the ratio of light transmitted through the body versus the light illuminating the surface
What is the difference between transparent and translucent body?
- A transparent body transmits light through it without distorting the image. A translucent body transmits light but obscures the image
because the light is scattered.
 Absorptance (α) is the ratio of the light absorbed versus the light striking the surface
Note: Absorbed light manifests itself as energy by raising the temperature of the body receiving the light.

When a translucent or transparent body is illuminated, the illuminance striking the surface will be reflected, absorbed, and transmitted. Therefore:
Reflectance (ρ) + Absorbtance (α) +Transmittance (τ) =1.0

When light strikes an *opaque surface, the illuminance will be reflected and absorbed but not transmitted. Therefore:
Reflectance (ρ) + Absorbtance (α) = 1.0
* opaque – light cannot pass through and we cannot see through an object at all. For example: wooden door, wall etc.

 Diffuse light is light that is widely spread or scattered (hazy day)

 Direct light is a strong, directional type of light (cloudless, sunny day)
 Color perception is the ability to distinguish and interpret different wavelengths of visible light
 A chromatic light source emits a fairly even distribution of all wavelengths of light
 A monochromatic light source produces visible light in a very small range of wavelengths: a red light emits predominantly red wavelengths;
a green light gives off predominantly green wavelengths; and so on
 Color quality - good quality light source renders all colors uniformly; poor color quality renders the different colors unevenly
 Visual acuity - ability to distinguish fine details; “keenness” of vision that is necessary to perform tasks such as reading, writing, drafting,
sewing, or surgery
 Lamp - device that generates light (rated by efficacy, life and color temperature, and rendition)
 Two broad categories:
- incandescent
- gaseous discharge
 low-pressure lamps (fluorescent lamps & low-pressure sodium lamp)
 high-pressure or high intensity discharge (HID) lamps (mercury vapor, metal halide, & high pressure sodium lamps)
 Luminaire (lantern) is a complete lighting unit, which consists of a lamp (or lamps), lamp socket(s), any lenses, refractors, or louvers, any
ballast (or ballasts), and the housing
 Light fixture is the luminaire less the lamp(s); includes the structural parts of a luminaire including any lenses, mounting supports, wiring,
and ballasts, but does not include the lamps
 Luminous flux is the measure of the perceived power of light expressed in lumens (lm)
 Lumen is defined as the quantity of light given out through a steradian by a source of one candela of in tensity radiating equally in all
directions (most commonly used for measurement of total output of a light source)
 Steradian (sr) is the SI unit of solid angular measure, where there are 4π or about 12.5664 steradians in a complete sphere—about 7.96%
of the area of the sphere
 Candela (cd) is the SI unit of luminous intensity—that is, the power emitted by a light source in a particular direction (Note: 1cd = 1 lm/sr)
 Luminous efficacy (LPW) is the ratio of the light output of a light source (a specific lamp) to the electrical energy consumed (including the
ballast if applicable) to produce that light source (lm/W)
