SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE

IPS ACADEMY

URBAN DESIGN

URBAN OUTDOOR LIGHTING

SUBMITTED TO: SUBMITTED BY:

Ar. DEEPTI VYAS ASTHA JAISWAL
Ar. RATIMA DAGAONKAR B.Arch. SEM VIII, A
 THE OBJECTIVES
• Facilitate safety by providing safe environment minimizing the potential of
danger.
• To enhance salient features of the site.
• Improve the legibility of critical nodes, landmarks, and circulation and activity
zones in the landscape
• Provide a environmentally responsible lighting that improve light quality and to
minimize light pollution and light trespass effect.

GENERAL DESIGN PRINCIPLES

• Distinctions between pathways by brightness control and positioning of lights.
• Visual sense of direction of circulation and intersections.
• Glare control
• Security
• Differentiation of colour background and objects of interest by illumination
control.
NIGHTTIME VISIBILITY AND FUNCTION (LIGHTING QUALITY )
• Contrast - Increasing contrast will increase visibility.
• Brightness adaptation - Our eyes adjust to the brightest object in our field of view. This adjustment of our
eyes is brightness adaptation. (If an object is very bright, it is unable to detect details in the surrounding
area which appears relatively dark.)
• Glare – It is caused by uncontrolled light emitted from unshielded luminaires.
• Light source color – Our night vision is very sensitive to short wavelength light (blue and green light),
resulting in crisp and clear vision, especially in our peripheral vision.

SAFETY AND SECURITY

To provide a sense of security, possible hiding places and
dense shadows should be minimized by the placement of
appropriate light fixtures.
Pedestrian walkway lights :
• Vertical light distribution (overlapping) with height - 2.13
m (7 ft.) for visual recognition.
• Low mounting height with close spacing and a vertical
illumination
Surveillance: lighting must
• permit the detection of suspicious movement rather than
provide for the recognition of definitive details.
• more effective to lighting backgrounds than to light the
foreground.
Vandalism:
• use fixtures that are durable enough to withstand abuse,
• or to place them out of reach.
• use hardware that is less expensive to replace.
ENVIRONMENTALLY RESPONSIBLE LIGHTING LIGHTING HIERARCHY
Environmentally responsible lighting includes minimizing light • It aids driver and pedestrian orientation
trespass and lighting pollution, and using minimal energy by providing a hierarchy of lighting effects
through lighting equipment selection and operation. that correspond to the different zones.
Light pollution: Light pollution is uncontrolled light that travels • For instance, variety of brightness, height,
into the atmosphere. This light is wasted energy and creates a spacing, and color of lamps is done to
“sky glow.” differ between major and minor roads
Causes: and pathways of site.
• unshielded floodlights, high wattage pedestrian lights, wall
packs .
• unshielded luminaires that are improperly located and poorly
aimed.
Solution:
• minimized by careful equipment selection, proper location,
and proper aiming and shielding.
• Use low wattage, shielded luminaires that are properly
located and aimed.

CHANGES IN TERRAIN
• Stairs, ramps, bridges, change in walking surfaces and other “changes
in terrain” need to be highlighted avoiding potential tripping hazards.
• An example is to light stairs so that shadows clearly define the
stairway without obscuring treads and risers. CONFLICT AREAS
Conflict areas such as intersections, walkway convergence, and
pedestrian crossings should be highlighted in a manner such that
moving objects are easily seen and detected in plenty of time.
CLEAR LIGHTING PATTERNS
• Clear optical guidance is provided with alignment of
light fixtures positioned in consistent, patterns.
• A staggered layout of pathway lights tends to obscure
the direction of circulation and the location of
intersections

PLACEMENT OF LUMINAIRES
• Spacing, height, and distribution of luminaires should be uniform.
• High mounting and wide spacing of fixtures result in disruptions
to the illumination pattern.
• Lower mounting and closer spacing create a more uniform
distribution of light promoting the pedestrian’s sense of security

MINIMIZING GLARE
Glare is produced by bright light sources in the field of view.
• Luminaires are aimed towards you, the glare increases.
Luminaire brightness appears too bright if the light source is
powerful.
• When luminaires are aimed down, glare is greatly reduced. This
distribution type is ideal for area and roadway lighting
• Eliminating glare also eliminates light trespass and night sky
pollution
 LAMP CHARACTERISTICS
• Selection of a lamp involves lamp size, optical control, efficacy, appearance, color temperature, color
rendition, lamp life, costs, and maintenance.
• Illumination data of lighting fixtures light patterns on different planes are illustrated by photometric
charts provided by the manufacturer.
• Uniformity of illumination is described by a ratio of light intensity values in lux. Low ratio more evenly
lit and uniform, high ratio displays distinct and contrasting values.
• Light fixtures can be broadly categorized into four main types based on size and design purpose:
Low-level landscape lights, intermediate-height pedestrian lights, parking lot and roadway lights, and
high-mast lights.
• Levels of illumination are related to types of uses and other characteristics within use areas.

TYPES OF LAMPS
• Incandescent lamps
• Fluorescent lamps
• Induction lamps
• Mercury vapor lamps
• Metal halide lamps
• High-pressure sodium lamps
 LIGHT DISTRIBUTION

HORIZONTAL AND VERTICAL LIGHTING

• Horizontal illumination is especially important along the ground plane.

• Vertical illumination is achieved through direct and silhouette lighting of vertical objects and surfaces.
• Both patterns should be carefully coordinated in developing a successful lighting scheme.
• Lux measurements are given for horizontal distances based on mounting height and type of fixture.
• General spacing is usually 4 times mounting height in parking lots and 5 to 6 times the mounting height
for walkways. If continuous lighting along a walkway is not desired, locate the pedestrian lights at
walkway intersections or other possible conflict areas.

BASIC LIGHT
DISTRIBUTION PATTERN

• Low-level path lights

• Wall or sign lights: These
fixtures are nearly
always used to light
vertical surfaces.
• Accent lights: To lighten
a certain object by
aiming.
 LIGHT FIXTURES
Low-level landscape lights
• Heights usually less than 1.83 m but sometimes up to 3.05 m
• Lamps may be incandescent, compact fluorescent, induction, metal halide. Low-
wattage capabilities, with limited intensities.
• Substantial variety, with some sizes and shapes fitting within modules of finish
materials (brick, etc.).
• Light sources are usually below eye level, so glare must be controlled.
• Low maintenance requirements but high susceptibility to vandalism.

Intermediate-height pedestrian lights

• Average heights of 3.05 to 3.66 m
• Lamps can be compact fluorescent, induction, or metal halide.
• Used in or around pedestrian pavements.
• Lower fixture mounting heights are susceptible to vandalism and damage from
lawn-mowers.

Parking lot and roadway lights

• Average heights of 6.1 to 12.2 m.
• Lamps can be mercury vapor, metal halide induction, or high pressure
sodium.
• Used as lights streets, parking lots, and recreational, commercial, and
industrial areas.

High-mast lights
• Average heights of 18.3 to 30.5 m.
• Lamps can be metal halide or high-pressure sodium.
• Used for large parking lots, highway interchanges, and sports fields.
 LANDSCAPING LIGHTING EFFECTS
• Uplighting for directional viewing: When a • Moonlighting: Up-and-down lighting is
lighted object can be seen from one direction used to create this effect, which
only, above-grade accent lights can be used. requires that fixtures be carefully
placed in trees. Ground lighting is
• Uplighting for all-around viewing: If the
accented by shadows from leaves and
lighted object can be seen from any
branches.
direction, then adjustable well lights with
louvers should be considered.

• Spotlighting: Special objects such as statues,

sculpture, or specimen shrubs can be lighted
with well-shielded fixtures using spot lamps.

• Silhouette lighting: Trees and

shrubs with interesting branching
structure can be dramatically
expressed when silhouetted against
a wall or building facade. Such
lighting also provides additional
security near the building.
• Spread lighting: Spread lights
produce circular patterns of
illumination for general are a
• Path lighting: Path lights are essentially lighting. They are effective
spread lights at a lower height. for groundcovers, low
shrubs, walks, and steps.