Light and color

Satisfactory lighting cannot be achieved without the teachings of the discipline known as lighting design. For large-scale lighting projects, it is advisable to call on specialists, who can be found at lighting equipment manufacturers (lamps and luminaires), large electrical contractors, and some architectural and engineering consultancies. These lighting specialists are qualified to determine the location of light sources on a plan, as well as the wattage and type of lamps and luminaires required.

To carry out a lighting project yourself, or simply to judge a project or estimate, you need to understand and use technical lighting documents, i.e. lamp and luminaire catalogs, and recommendations written and kept up to date by professionals. Like all techniques, lighting engineering involves specific concepts that are not only physical, but also physiological and psychological.

The notion of color, directly linked to the photometric characteristics of the light source, is an essential complement to the level of illumination to be implemented. Its systematic inclusion in recent recommendations is proof of this.