Lighting Design Lab NEWS - Current Issue Page 3b

Lighting Design Lab NEWS:
Current Issue: Spring 2004

Page 3b - Reinventing Lighting Design
by Diana Grant

I suggest a new holistic integrated approach to lighting design. This approach would broaden the lighting designer job definition to plan and design with light coming from all sources, including natural light and light reflected off interior surfaces. Competencies in analysis of natural light entering the building, electric lighting design, knowledge of color theory and surface reflectivity of materials would be necessary. The proficient lighting designer would also be current on the latest research on the aging eye, light and health. Then, we may be able to design the total visual environment as if people mattered.

Currently, the daylighting consultant often doesn’t deal specifically with the electric lighting and the lighting designer only specifies electric lighting fixtures and controls. The interior designer looks at surfaces, but may not be aware of the result of interaction with surface reflectances and multiple light sources. All these consultants are involved in the building design at different phases of the process. In the fifteen years I have worked at the Lab, I have seen maybe one lighting designer accompany the architect to model natural light entering the building.

As a result, we see highly polished marble floors valued and budgeted in brand new public buildings, next to large windows which turn the floor into a giant light reflector,
bouncing light into our eyes and creating highly specular patches of glare. Research on the aging eye documents that falls and injuries can be traced to the fact that the elderly can’t see where to put their feet. This is a problem at curbs, on stairs and highly polished floors. Who can predict the people impact of the interactions of the total visual environment?

Someone needs to be in charge of analyzing the interaction of surfaces and lighting from multiple sources, to control and combine them into a cohesive whole, making the building a pleasure to be in. I think this is the job of the Lighting Designer, if they can broaden their knowledge to include designing with light from all sources whether it is the sun, electricity or light bounced off surfaces. Perhaps, if the lighting designer expanded their professional purview they would be
brought into the design process earlier, and stay involved through installation and commissioning of the visual systems.

Comments? Send your feedback to diana@lightingdesignlab.com