Fundamentals

of lighting and
lighting design
By T Bond, ACDC Dynamics

It takes a lighting design expert to remind us that selecting the cor-

rect lighting should not be taken for granted.

Lighting design generally considers the following main factors:

• Whether the lighting is required for indoor or outdoor purposes
• Whether it will be in a safe or hazardous area
• The required illumination level necessary for the task to be per-
formed
• The working plane level at which the recommended or required
lux is to be achieved
• The type of lamps to be used and their lumen outputs
• Mounting height and provisions available
• The uniformity to be achieved
• The colour rendition acceptable for the task

Closed and open areas

The lighting application is referred to indoor or outdoor depending
on whether the lighting is in a closed or open area, relating to the
protection of the luminaires against atmospheric and environmental
conditions like weather conditions, corrosion, etc. It is also possible
that indoor luminaires are adopted where there are no side walls but
only ceilings are provided (pump sheds, etc).
Whether for indoor or outdoor lighting, no contribution from
natural light is considered in the calculations.

Interior
However, for design purposes and for better energy savings, the inte-
riors in old plants used to consider maximum possible natural light-
ing as part of building designs. But these approaches have changed
considerably in current designs. Nevertheless, the reflectance factors
play a major role in improving the lux levels.

Exterior
For outdoor areas, it is necessary to consider that the light fittings are
made of enclosures and materials to withstand the weather conditions
and corrosion factors associated in the area of use. Furthermore, no
reflectance factors are considered in the calculations. More attention is
paid on focused lighting and localised lighting in areas where specific
tasks are to be carried out.

E+C SPOT ON • April 2014

 Working plane and mounting heights Coefficient of utilisation (COU)
• A working plane in a reading area or an assembly shop level is • COU is the ratio of the luminous flux that reaches the working
generally at desk level (about 750 mm to 900 mm (2,5 to 3 feet) plane and the total flux emitted by the lamps mounted taking into
from the finished floor level) whereas in a verandah or an indoor account the floor and ceiling cavities as well as the reflectances.
stadium, it can be floor level itself • For a closed room, COU is based on the room's internal dimen-
• The light falling on the working plane will depend on the mount- sions (room length, width and luminaire mounting height) and
ing height of the lamps is governed by the formula:
• The indoor lighting is affected by the cavities above the mounting
Length x Width
height (ceiling cavity) and below the working plane (floor cavity) Room Index =
H m x (Length + Width)
as well as the walls surrounding the area
• COU factors are provided by luminaire manufacturers for each
type of luminaire with different room indices and reflectance
factors, which are used in the lighting calculations to decide on
the number of luminaires

Luminaire or lamp depreciation factors

• Luminaire depreciation factor refers to the depreciation in the
output of the luminaire as it ages with dirt accumulation, degra-
dation of materials used, being the main reasons.
• In a similar way, the lamp output gradually reduces as it ages due
to evaporation of filaments, etc and this is referred to as lamp
Reflectance factors
depreciation factor
• The reflectances are given the abbreviations L, M and D to signify • In lighting calculations, sometimes separate factors are consid-
light, medium and dark reflectance respectively ered to take care of the possible reduction in the light output as
• The average values of these factors for ceiling, walls and floor time goes by provided the designer is able to justify the values
are generally considered as per Table 1. considered
• The COU factors are given by the manufacturers generally based • However to simplify, it is also usual to assume a single factor
on these reflectance factors for different room indices, for use in called maintenance factor (MF) during design stages to take care
indoor lighting calculations. of reduced light outputs attributed by luminaires/ lamps
• Without detailed knowledge of a maintenance plan or luminaire
Surface reflectance → Light Medium Dark or lamp to be selected and their properties, it is very common to
Ceiling cavity 0,70 0,50 0,30 consider a MF of around 0,70 to 0,80 in the design calculations
Walls 0,50 0,30 0,10
Floor cavity 0,30 0,20 0,10
Spacing of luminaires
Table 1: Average values of Light, Medium and Dark for ceilings, walls and floor.
• The design criteria should also take into account the ratio of spac-

ing between successive luminaires to their mounting height to
Material % Reflectance
ensure aesthetics and uniformity of the luminaire layout.
Glossy silver 95 • This can be on the two horizontal axis of the room along 0 - 1800
Gold 75 axis as well as along 90 - 2700 axis, considering vertically down-
Matt silver 85 ward light
Iron 50 • Maximum Recommended Spacing = S x (Hm - Hw) where
Mirrors 80 S = Recommended spacing
Polished aluminum 70 Hm = Height of the luminaires above the working plane
Light green 75 Hw = Height of the work plane above the floor.
Light blue 50 • As a rule of thumb, to achieve uniform lighting it is recommended
Light red 40
that the spacing between adjacent luminaries is not more than
1,5 times their mounting height ie luminaire Spacing <1,5 Hw
Dark brown, green and blue 15
Black 3-4

Table 2: Reflectance percentages (typical).

E+C SPOT ON • April 2014

 Simple calculation For outdoor areas, it is neces-
The IES Zonal Cavity Method (also known as the Lumen Method) is
sary to ensure that light fittings are
used to decide the number of luminaires to achieve the required lux made to withstand the weather
level on a work plane in an interior space, taking into account the conditions and corrosion factors
room index, COU, maintenance factor, etc. Typical steps involved are that prevail in the area.
• Decide on the type of luminaires you plan to use for an application
as well as the number of lamps it can hold or you would prefer.
• Take the room dimensions and decide the COU based on the Conclusion
manufacturers' luminaire catalogues and the reflection factors of
There is no doubt that if you follow this process you will get the best
the ceiling, the floor and the walls. It is also common to assume lighting solution for your application.
some nominal factors based on experience and knowledge
• Consider a suitable MF based on your previous experiences or
assume it to be 0,7 to 0,8
Lighting design engineer, Thomas Bond, has spent more
• Use the simple formula below to decide the quantity (integer) than 40 years in the electrical industry - the past 20
• Make a practical and feasible layout for the calculated quantity years, specifically in lighting.
• Re-calculate and check the actual illuminance achievable for the Enquiries: Tel. 010 202 3300 or
layout planned email [email protected].

Simple formulae
• Make a rough estimate on the approximate number of proposed
luminaire-type lamps based on the average lux required for the
task using the formula

Number of luminaires =

(Desired average lux) x (workplane area)

(lamps per luminaire) x (lumens per lamp) x COU x MF

• Decide on the layout considering spacing uniformity, aesthetics,

etc and re-calculate the achieved lux for the proposed layout to
ensure it gives the desired lux level using the formula

Average lux achieved =

(lumens per lamp) x (lamps per luminaire)

x (number of luminaires) x COU x MF
workplane area

E+C SPOT ON • April 2014