Lighting design and controls

Lighting design decides how much light a space gets, where it falls, how it looks and when it switches off. We design lighting and controls for offices, warehouses, schools, retail, parking structures and industrial spaces, both for new construction and for LED retrofits of existing buildings, with emergency lighting coordinated into the same drawings.

Lighting is one of the few building systems people notice every minute they are in a space. Too little light and people strain; too much glare and they close the blinds and turn on desk lamps. At the same time, lighting is a large part of a building's electricity use, and energy codes now expect automatic controls in most spaces. Good design balances the two: comfortable, useful light that is on only when and where it is needed.

What we design and build

• Interior lighting layouts based on the tasks in each space, with target light levels and uniformity.
• Fixture selection: output, optics, glare control, colour temperature and colour rendering.
• Lighting controls: occupancy and vacancy sensors, daylight dimming, time schedules, scene control and connection to the building automation system.
• Exterior, site and parking lighting, with attention to spill light onto neighbours and the night sky.
• Emergency lighting and exit signs, coordinated with the building code and the emergency power design.
• LED retrofits of existing fixtures, including checks on circuits, controls and compatibility with dimmers.

How lighting controls work together

Most of the energy a lighting design saves comes from controls rather than from the fixtures themselves. In a typical open office, a photosensor measures the daylight near the windows and dims the fixtures in that zone, while occupancy sensors turn the whole area off when nobody is there. Interior zones run at full output when occupied, and a schedule or the building automation system handles after-hours operation.

The details matter. Sensors placed where they cannot see people at their desks switch lights off on occupied rooms, and daylight sensors that are badly placed or never calibrated end up dimming the wrong fixtures. We lay out sensors with the furniture plan in mind and specify how the controls should be set up and checked before handover.

How it works

1. Brief. We start by asking why: a new space, complaints about glare or dark areas, an energy target, an LED retrofit or a change of use. We note the tasks people will do in each space and the hours it is occupied.
2. Site survey. For existing spaces we record the fixtures, mounting heights, ceiling types, circuits and controls, and take light readings where they help explain a complaint.
3. Design. We select target light levels for each space, lay out fixtures and check the results with lighting calculations. We design the control zones and sequences, the emergency lighting and the circuiting.
4. Drawings and specifications. Drawings for permit are sealed by a licensed professional engineer where required. They include a fixture schedule, lighting and control layouts and a written control sequence.
5. Construction and set-up. Installation is done by licensed electrical contractors under permit. We review submittals, visit site, and check that sensors, time delays and daylight settings are adjusted as designed before handover.

What you get

Lighting layouts and a fixture schedule a contractor can price without guessing. Calculations showing the expected light levels in the main spaces. A control narrative that says, in plain language, what each sensor and switch does and what the settings should be. Emergency lighting and exit sign layouts. For retrofits, a fixture-by-fixture replacement list that notes where circuits, drivers or controls need attention.

Common mistakes we design out

• Replacing fixtures one-for-one with brighter LEDs, leaving spaces over-lit and glary.
• Dimmers and LED drivers that are not compatible, causing flicker or limited dimming range.
• Occupancy sensors in rooms where people sit still for long periods, such as offices and washrooms with stalls, without a suitable sensor type.
• Daylight controls installed but never calibrated, or overridden permanently by staff.
• Emergency lighting forgotten during a retrofit, so the new fixtures are not fed from the emergency circuits or battery units.

A typical case

A distribution warehouse runs two shifts under old high-bay fixtures that take several minutes to restart, so they are left on around the clock. The owner wants LED fixtures and a lower power bill. A one-for-one swap would save energy, but most of the savings in a building like this come from controls: aisles that are empty for long stretches can dim or switch off, and skylights can carry the space for part of the day.

The design groups fixtures by aisle with occupancy sensors suited to high mounting heights, adds daylight zones under the skylights, and keeps a minimum level in the main travel paths so forklift drivers never enter a dark aisle. The emergency lighting is checked against the new layout, and the control settings are written into the specification so the contractor sets them up and demonstrates them before handover.

Who it's for

• Owners and tenants fitting out new spaces.
• Facility managers planning LED retrofits or responding to lighting complaints.
• Warehouses and industrial sites with high-bay lighting and long operating hours.
• Schools, healthcare and institutional buildings with varied spaces and schedules.
• Parking structures and sites where safety and neighbour impact both matter.

For more detail, read lighting levels and good lighting design, lighting controls: sensors, daylight and scheduling, LED lighting retrofits and emergency lighting and exit sign testing.

Common questions