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How Much Light Do You Need?
Light and contrast work together to provide a perceived brightness. Overlighting dilates
the eye and, essentially, light energy is wasted. A high contrast style of lighting will make the "hot spot"
appear brighter than that same level spread uniformly over an area. Conversely, less light can seem brighter if it is
distributed uniformly with no adjacent hot spots.
For ambient lighting, uniformity (the minimization of contrast) provides a comfortable environment,
minimizes eye strain, and increases perceived brightness. If this is your objective, the following guidelines can be
used to determine how much light you need:
There
are numerous sources of recommended lighting levels for specific locations. The American Institute of Architects
(AIA) is a recognized source, as is the Illuminating Engineering Society of North America (IESNA). We use
their guidelines to recommend minimum lighting levels to our customers and to develop our luminaire designs:
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Illumination (footcandles) |
Parking Garages, Street Lighting |
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Warehouses, Homes, Theaters, Archives |
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Easy Office Work, Classrooms |
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Normal Office Work, Library, Supermarket, Showroom, Laboratory |
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General Mechanical Workshop, Precision Manufacturing |
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Detailed Mechanical Workshop |
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Detailed Drawing Work, Very Detailed Mechanical Work, Operating Room |
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