Understanding Lighting Control for Architects and Designers

About this course.

Lighting control matters because it decides, moment to moment, how much light a space actually receives, and light that is not matched to the task, the time of day and the number of people present is either wasteful, uncomfortable, or both. A luminaire on its own can only produce a fixed output when energised; control is the layer that decides whether it is on, how bright it is, and in response to what. Get that layer right and the same physical installation delivers better visual comfort, a space that works for its purpose, markedly lower running costs and a more pleasant experience. Get it wrong and occupants sit under too much light in an empty room, or too little over a task, and reach for the nearest switch to defeat the design.

Consider comfort first. Human vision is remarkably adaptable but it is sensitive to glare, to harsh contrast and to light levels that do not suit the task. The right illuminance for reading a document is different from that needed to circulate along a corridor or to relax in a living room, and the same person wants different levels at different times. Control lets a space provide brighter, evenly distributed light when detailed work is being done and softer, lower levels when it is not, reducing eye strain and the sense of a room being clinically over-lit. Dimming in particular allows fine adjustment so that light is set to what feels right rather than to a single fixed value chosen at installation.