Community and Public Lighting

Public Buildings

External

Public Buildings

Good illumination provides a welcoming ambiance with clear visual cues to external signage, the whereabouts of thoroughfares and community facilities.

To help maximise accessibility, light levels should be appropriate for the application and with due attention paid to the consistency of lighting in the transition between areas. Sudden changes in light level or illumination character can be disconcerting and disorientating, especially to those with visual impairments.

Lighting with a directional component can certainly bring an element of welcome definition to a lit scene. However extreme care must be taken to ensure that any highlighting or spotlighting is done peripherally and sensitively, to avoid causing difficulties for the visually impaired.

Looking to update your emergency lighting?

We can provide professional guidance on how you can meet your emergency lighting obligations.

High IP rated luminaires

Cost

Controls

Construction

Carbon

In many situations, lighting can be fully exposed to the elements, making high IP rated luminaires essential. It is therefore particularly important that lighting is especially robust and requires little in the way of maintenance. Moreover, for longevity and to minimise costs, the external finishes of luminaires should be highly resistant to degradation.

Different standards may be referenced dependent on the precise nature of the approach to a public building. This includes BS EN 12464-2:2014 for general outdoor areas including car park spaces and BS 5489-1 Code of Practice for the Design of Road Lighting Part 1: Lighting of Roads and Public Amenity Areas.

Codes of practice will generally specify values of horizontal illuminance. It should be noted that light on horizontal planes is a poor predictor of the impression of brightness perceived by users of the area. Careful and controlled lighting of the vertical façade can dramatically increase the perception that the space is brightly lit and welcoming, far beyond what horizontal illuminance alone can deliver.