Office lighting Trends
Best practice
Moreover, these marks don’t include tangible
From codes to
Shutterstock
targets for engineers to aim for: “Every workplace
regulations will have ‘suitable’ and ‘sufficient’ lighting [but] they
are very woolly terms. We should be demanding
Standards
from our regulations something we can aim at.”
BS EN 12464 Part 1
MacMillan is concerned that Part B2 of the Building
H&SE workplace Regulations seem to have “disappeared off the face of
H&SE VDT
the Earth”. He adds: “Firemen don’t like going into
Environments
buildings with molten plastic dropping onto them.
Building regulations
Acrylic drips more readily and gives off noxious
Part L
gases.
BS 5266 Emergency
“Strictly speaking approved document B2 is
Lighting
not a legal document, but it is referred to by the
BS EN 1834 Emergency
Building Regulations. If you deviate away from it,
Lighting
Feature lighting: clients want subtlety, not wall-to-wall lighting that document will be used against you. If you do
follow the document that’s your defence, then you
European directives
> less light fittings, enables occupants to change their are covered should the worst happen.”
environment to suit their needs. But clients today are taking more control of their
Environmental
legislation:
Le Manquais is also an advocate of micro-prismatic environments, including their lighting needs,
technology, which is becoming more popular in offices regardless of what codes and guidance they are
EUP Energy using
Products
as a way to control lighting. In addition, Microprism expected to follow. According to Downey, engineers
lighting provides high vertical illuminance resulting need to accommodate this desire for control, whether it
RoHS Reduction of
hazardous substances
from an even, balanced luminosity. Some high-end means installing task lighting or creating spaces which
products are made using glass.
WEEE Waste Electrical
and Electronic
Choosing the right type of luminaire can be critical
Equipment
for cutting carbon dioxide emissions, according to
Derek MacMillan, project manager at Etap Lighting.
I think they’re strangling
Energy legislation:
For example, 1W/m
2
saving in electrical lighting power lighting designers and their ability
EPBD Energy
Performance in Building
saves 1.5kg/m
2
/annum. This equates to 225,000kg of
to perform their duties
Directive
carbon dioxide in 10,000m
2
over 15 years. Dimmable
controls could reduce that figure further.
– Bob Venning
ESD Energy Service
Directive
As a consequence of reduced lighting, useful heat
Ballast Directive gains are cut and the heating load increases but the don’t have the same lux level from one corner to the
EEL Energy Efficiency
cooling load decreases. Therefore, it is far more next. He says: “It’s about creating lighting that’s more
Label important from a carbon perspective to reduce the relaxing than functional. Clients themselves know that
cooling demand than the heating demand, MacMillan productivity goes up when people enjoy where they’re
says. This would allow for other gains, such as solar working.”
Codes and guides
through increased usage of glass, to be included. The façades of buildings are becoming intelligent
SLL Code for Lighting
But clients are now becoming much more aware screen interiors, allowing the building to be part of the
SLL Lighting Guides LG
of guidelines, and are asking service providers how lighting design. And environments that are “borderline
1-12
far below these guidelines they can go. Says Downey: bizarre” are starting to be created, says Downey, with
BCO Office Lighting
“There’s a lot of awareness now, particularly among many of these the result of research between client and
Carbon Trust – Guide to
clients. They know high lighting levels generally staff, which suggests they’ve “chucked the rule books
Extra Capital Allowances
produce high energy [consumption] levels, and actually out the window”.
(ECA)
clients want it to come down.” Clients are also guilty of a knee-jerk reaction that
ECA Energy Technology
has seen fluorescent lamps crammed full of LEDs in
Criteria
Overloaded the assumption that it will save money and energy. But
BREEAM – Offices
Bob Venning, a consultant at Arup Lighting, is critical this actually consumes more energy than fluorescents,
Source: Bob Venning/Arup
of the array of guidelines, standards and directives on and the lamp can’t be re-used. “We’re getting some
lighting, which he says produces conflicting messages. really, really horrible things out there at the moment.
“I think what they’re doing is strangling lighting They’re trying to design LEDs into fittings designed
designers and their ability to be able to perform their for fluorescents.”
duties.” Venning agrees that lighting engineers are being
Currently engineers are working to two classes of pushed in two directions: the Building Regulations
‘code’: building regulations that demand compliance, recommend lighting for the conservation of fuel
and advice that does not. Often the advice is better than and energy based on installed load. The CIBSE/SLL
the statutory regulations, insists Venning. He is also codes and guides recommend lighting for personal
concerned about the quality of energy using product safety, the task, the space, health and comfort of
marks. If CE marks can be bought, why not energy people. Venning questions whether the two ideologies
marks? are compatible. l
42 CIBSE Journal May 2009 www.cibsejournal.com
CIBSEmay09 pp40-42 lighting.indd 42 5/1/09 3:05:58 PM
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