WHAT IS THE ILLUMINATING ENGINEERING SOCIETY? Just about every project has some sort of lighting involved in one way or another, including both electric light and natural daylight. From the simple strip light in a storage closet, to an intricate facility incorporating open office, private offices, reception, recreation spaces and such. Lighting applications do not simply stop at the building’s shell, many of the most intricate and aesthetically pleasing lighting designs are executed on the exterior of a facility. Exterior lighting projects can vary from small parking lots with one pole, to large multi-level parking structures, outdoor recreation promenades or sports facilities. As you can see, lighting plays a very integral role in our lives including; the homes we live in, the offices we work in and the roads we drive on. All of these projects have a various set of requirements that need to be considered when it comes to the lighting design. You need to consider the tasks being performed. Is it a general open office space with workstations? Or is it an industrial facility where fine tasks are being completed? Is it a surgical procedure space? Or simply a storage warehouse? Perhaps it is a sports facility accommodating youth, college or pro level athletes. All of these applications have very different lighting requirements. The most important consideration is who will be occupying these spaces. Younger occupants tend to require less illumination than older individuals. You would light a high school classroom very differently than you would light a senior living facility. Providing the right illumination levels to suit those who inhabit the space is crucial in the art of lighting design.
Where do these guidelines and recommended practices come from? Who decides what the ‘right’ way to light a space is? That entity would be The Illuminating Engineering Society. Established in 1906, the Illuminating Engineering Society (IES) is the recognized technical and educational authority on illumination. For over 100 years its objective has been to communicate information on all aspects of good lighting practice to its members, the lighting community, and consumers through a variety of programs, publications, and services. The strength of the IES is its diversified membership including: engineers, architects, designers, educators, students, contractors, distributors, utility personnel, manufacturers, and scientists, all contributing to the mission of the Society: to improve the lighted environment by bringing together those with lighting knowledge and by translating that knowledge into actions that benefit the public. The IES is a forum for the exchange of ideas and information and a vehicle for its members’ professional development and recognition. Through its technical committees, with hundreds of qualified members from the lighting and user communities, the IES correlates research, investigations, and discussions to guide lighting experts and laypersons via research and consensus-based lighting recommendations. For more information on the Illuminating Engineering Society visit: www.ies.org
Lighting Standards The IES is an accredited Standards Development Organization (SDO) under American National Standards Institute (ANSI) approved procedures. The Society publishes nearly 100 varied publications including recommended practices on a variety of applications, design guides, technical memoranda, and publications on energy management and lighting measurement, many of which follow the ANSI standards development process. The IES also publishes the most important reference document in the lighting profession, The Lighting Handbook. It is the industry’s principal source for lighting knowledge. The IES, in addition, works cooperatively with related organizations on the development of programs and jointly published documents and standards. Lighting Calculations The aforementioned Lighting Handbook is a vital tool when it comes to lighting design and calculations. When analyzing a particular space, the lighting designer must determine suitable illumination levels for the task being performed. The most recognized, and common unit of measure used by lighting professionals in order to calculate light levels is the footcandle (fc). A footcandle is defined as the “illuminance on a one square foot surface from a uniform source of light.” The Lighting Handbook is responsible for determining the recommended fc levels that should be present in a space. Shown in the figures on page 15 are a few examples of lighting calculations being performed. Periodicals and Publications In addition, the IES publishes Lighting Design + Application (LD+A) and LEUKOS, Journal of the Illuminating Engineering Society. LD+A is a popular, award-winning, application-oriented monthly magazine. Every issue contains special feature
14 | The ROCHESTER ENGINEER OCTOBER 2020
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