Lighting Design: 5 Tips for Interior Designers

1. DWG IS FASTER PDF

Commercial lighting designers like to be provided with your chosen commercial interior plan in DWG format so they can upload to DIALux or Relux easily. This will help speed up the design process and provide a real meaningful result that can be used to steer the installation so that on completion it complies with current guidelines.

Often, lighting designers are supplied with PDF drawings instead of DWG which means the space plan must be built using the rooms’ x and y coordinates which, for a complex space, can take a long time. Lighting designers will build up a 3D model of your office-fit-out to evaluate and calculate lux levels and you will be able to graphically see what the lighting can do for your design. Offices as standard tend to use colour temperature 4000K fittings which give a neutral white light although some more relaxed spaces would use 3000K to give a warm cosy feel. Every space has a nominal use and depending on this you need to achieve different levels of light and you can read all about the different
Lux levels in various rooms here>>

2. LIGHTING REFLECTANCES

It’s a good idea to let your commercial lighting designer know what the interior design theme is and what it’s going to look like, They aren’t going to know what the design looks like from a floor plan so if an image or computer-generated picture is available it would be very valuable to them. Often a photo of a similar space or one that has been done elsewhere and that can be used as a model is a useful guide. Carpet, walls and furniture either absorb or reflect light so different materials and colours need to be highlighted at the design stage. Lighting designers need to take all this into consideration because the floor, ceiling and wall finishes will affect the result. Darker colour schemes change reflectance’s and have a dulling effect on the lighting and bright, light and reflective surfaces could mean that less light output is needed.

3. SHORTER LED LINEAR IS GOOD

Long lengths of LED linear lighting  look cool and are often used to mark corridor and circulation routes but is not the most efficient way to light a space. Shorter lengths of LED linear are more efficient and cost-effective for lighting offices than longer lengths and would normally lead to better lighting uniformity. Combining longer LED linear luminaires for striking features and shorter linear lengths make a stunning combination and can help keep costs down.

4. CEILING HEIGHT IS VERY IMPORTANT 

The ceiling height is very important and often with suspended LED Linear lighting the actual mounting height must be provided, so remember to let your lighting designer know what these parameters are. Lower ceilings or mounting heights mean lighting is more intense and patchier as the light is focused on a smaller area. For higher ceilings, fewer fittings are potentially required to light the space making lighting schemes more cost-effective. Often up-lighting, or indirect lighting, is used to good effect and helps remove the of downlighting only and can improve the uniformity.

5. LED LINEAR WITH RECESSED OR SURFACE CIRCULAR DOWNLIGHTS

Have you considered complementing LED linear with recessed or surface circular commercial LED Downlights? The combinations make for stunning installations and visually interesting spaces that everyone loves to come to.  

BONUS TIP

It is very important to have the most up to date LDT files from your lighting supplier with the correct lumen output. LED technology is evolving at a rapid pace and it is important to update the files at least once a year to ensure the lighting schemes are accurate and compliant.

Want to know more check out our guide to LED office lighting design

Here at Synergy Commercial the team loves to help, should you need any advice on lighting your Office-fit-out or Commercial interior project.

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