Process | Lighting installation Make light work From before concept to beyond commissioning, lighting design involves a complex range of considerations. SLL president Iain Carlile looks at the many stages of the process needed to ensure a successful installation R ecent technological advances have resulted in LEDs becoming the most common artificial light source, with an increasingly diverse range of luminaire types and styles available to the lighting designer. At the same time, LEDs essentially electronic chips have enabled the more sophisticated digital control of luminaires. Because they require control to be properly managed, control technologies are now also an intrinsic part of many lighting installations. The upshot of this rise in products and technologies is a corresponding increase in what a lighting designer can achieve, and a proliferation of ways an installer can deliver this vision. So how can lighting designers be sure the scheme they have imagined and designed is realised by an installer and how can they ensure it is appropriately maintained throughout its life? The starting point for any lighting scheme is a brief from a client, ideally detailing what the design is to achieve. Where a client is unfamiliar with the latest lighting developments, however, the starting point in creating a brief may involve showing examples of what others have delivered or even setting up workshops to demonstrate the capabilities of various light sources. However it is done, establishing a welldefined brief is a difficult, but necessary, exercise to ensure the lighting concept is appropriate in its functional requirements. A brief may also reference affordability, maintainability and sustainability. Ultimately, it will enable the concept design to be developed and presented to the client for approval. Development of the design details will allow this concept to become reality. This will involve the selection and specification of equipment, its location, and its proposed means of installation and integration with the architecture. Ideally, this stage of design will involve working closely with other members of the design team possibly the architect and interior designer to ensure the lighting scheme fits the reality of the space, materials and proposed finishes. Mock-ups of specific details will help demonstrate design intention 32 December 2018 www.cibsejournal.com CIBSE Dec18 pp32-33 Lighting Installations.indd 32 and inform the maintenance and construction processes. An initial conversation with the future facilities management personnel at this stage will also reap huge benefits, by highlighting any issues that will need to be addressed if the scheme is to be easily maintainable. These can include access, the expected degradation in lumen output from the light source and driver performance, and even the likelihood of degradation in output resulting from a potential buildup of dirt on the luminaire in a dusty work environment. The discussion could also encompass potential future changes in surface finishes and room reflectance. Equally important at this stage is for the designer to talk with the contractor about realising the design on site, so that potential installation issues can be resolved early in the designs development. Conversations with the contractor will be made easier if the scheme is being designed using building information modelling (BIM). As CIBSE members will be aware, BIM is a collaborative way of designing a building virtually, by collecting and sharing project data before construction starts, and Level 2 BIM is a requirement on all UK government projects. Its collaborative nature calls for close interaction between the design team and the lighting designer. One of the challenges for lighting designers working in BIM is to Left: Early involvement in the design process shows in Licht Kunst Lichts scheme for the German Ivory Museum Build2PerfoRm sessions Lighting and FM were major themes at Build2Perform, which featured sessions on: Understanding lighting design through to handover Chaired by Les Copeland, commercial director at Ramboll Maintenance of lighting systems Featuring David Stevens, vice-chair at the CIBSE Facilities Management Group, and Richard Caple, lighting applications manager at Thorlux Lighting There were also sessions on daylighting considerations for integrated design. These included presentations from: Elisabetta Li Destri Nicosia, senior sustainability consultant, HTA Design; Luisa Brotas, sustainability and climate change officer and daylight consultant; and Paul Littlefair, principal lighting consultant, BRE. Papers from many speakers can be downloaded from www.build2perform.co.uk 23/11/2018 16:02