Lighting Planning
As a designer you have to consistently think about design in all it’s dimensions. Being a successful designer requires you to balance all the elements in design and highlight them with well thought out lighting.
How to Plan your Lighting Design
Start your lighting design by identifying the rooms use and the tasks or functions to be carried out in the room. This gives you the parameters you need to make your lighting decisions.
Measure the room and draw it to scale, identify the tasks to be undertaken with the plan of the room.
Next draw on the plan the areas that tasks will be carried out and objects placed such as relaxing in a living room, dining at a table, working at a kitchen bench, pictures on the walls.
Then list up a table beside the plan and decide which type of light fitting, lamp and output may be appropriate for the task.
Remember that when you plan the lighting you should allow for the distance from the light source to the point of illumination and therefore the wattage and output of light from the fitting. This is best left to the specialist lighting supplier so instruct them on where you want the fitting, the effect, the distance, and the room and they will allow the necessary lamp for the fitting or if indeed the fitting is appropriate.
On the plan, draw a symbol identifying where the light should be placed and how it is to be switched i.e. on a separate circuit with or with out a dimmer.
Now you basically have a plan of the lighting for that room with a list of the light fittings to be used.
This is a very simplistic approach and ideal for an introduction lesson on lighting but remember there are a lot of other elements to consider when you are planning your lighting design. Please read through the website to get more information.
For Lighting Planning Consider:
1. The amount of light
2. The color of the light
3. The light source
4. How it models the object and how glare is controlled.
Here are some tips to remember as you plan the lighting throughout your home:
When deciding on the lighting for a room, consider these questions:
What kind of mood should the lighting create?
What different activities take place in the room?
What decorative elements do you want to attract attention?
Finally armed with your plan, schedule and ideas take this to a lighting supplier who should be very experienced and qualified in recommending the type of light fitting that you require from the definition and design that you have formed. With your knowledge of light, modeling, glare, color rendering, and intensity you should now be able to accurately describe what you require and the supplier should be able to accurately supply the correct solutions.
Written By Chris Brown
