ABSTRACT
The last two chapters have focused on visual design, the use of light and colour to create a place which has meaning for the people that use it, where they are safe and comfortable, and where the lighting assists all their activities. This may be the heart of lighting design but it is only part of the process. There are other considerations. First, aesthetic criteria are not the only measures of good lighting: energy expenditure, ease of use, ease of maintenance, initial and lifetime costs are some of the others. Additional lighting installations may be needed for security and safety. Second, lighting is not independent of thermal comfort and other environment factors in a building or urban space; nor is it independent of other architectural aims, such as the creation of architectural form. Third, lighting design takes place in a professional and commercial world. Usually there are other designers, some responsible for the project overall, some concerned with different components of the building. There are contractors and suppliers, and authorities responsible for the administration of standards and the certification of installations.
