Lighting design: why is it important for green buildings?

photo: Memories on 35mm

On 14 November, Dorin Beu, a lecturer at the Technical University of Cluj-Napoca and CEO of B-Lighting SRL, explained the nuances of working with lighting at the second training session of the SMARTER4EU project on Lighting Design and Smart Buildings.

Professor Dorin started the training by explaining the difference between a green building and an energy efficient building:

• the goal of a green building is to reduce the negative impact of construction on the environment. Therefore, the key to green building is to use fewer materials. Whenever possible, it is important to use local materials and services from local producers;
• the goal of an energy efficient building is to improve energy efficiency (minimising energy consumption and increasing resource efficiency) throughout the entire life cycle of a building: from the construction process to the maintenance and demolition stages.

THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN ARCHITECTURE AND LIGHTING

Dorin Beu emphasised the importance of using natural light in buildings as much as possible. Mankind has been using it since the Roman Empire, but now we have forgotten how to work with it, instead preferring artificial lighting, which is not always the best solution.

"Sometimes the innovation is to use as much daylight as possible," says Dorin. To do this, it is often enough to think carefully about the architectural layout of the building space. This aspect should not be neglected, said Dorin. "Architectural lighting doesn't have to be expensive, sometimes you have to be creative and innovative."

Colour lighting, especially blue light, is not natural, and its abundance in cities causes poor sleep and, as a result, health problems.

"The problem today is too much light at night." Dorin went on to explain circadian rhythms and the importance of a clear division of day and night for the human body. If there is a surplus of light in the dark, light pollution occurs. The professor cited the city of New York as an example. There are almost no nights there. Accordingly, many people complain of sleep problems. 

In some countries, there is a law on light pollution. That is, there are certain restrictions on the type of lighting and the brightness of the light. However, for public places, lighting is a safety element. Therefore, it is not worth completely removing street lighting at night. Instead, many alternatives are now emerging: reducing the brightness of lighting at night by up to 50%, installing motion detectors for pedestrians.

There is no need to waste light resources, for example, there is no need for street lights that shine around you, because light that is directed upwards is wasted light. Instead, you should install lanterns that have a clear direction of light on the road.

SCHOOL LIGHTING

Dorin devoted part of the webinar to the topic of lighting in schools. The lack of light causes vision problems in children. Romania also faced such problems in its time. To avoid them, schools began to switch to lighting of European standards. Dorin recommended doing the same with buildings in Ukraine, as sooner or later it will become a necessity. The professor paid special attention to emergency lighting, which should be the same across Europe. This is very relevant for the Ukrainian realities of martial law. It is also worth remembering that people who wear glasses for vision need more light, because the lenses already absorb a certain amount.

Below you can find the main European lighting standards introduced by Dorin Beu.

• SR EN 12464:1/2021 Light and lighting - Lighting of work places - Part 1: Indoor work places
• SR EN 1838/2014 – 2023 Lighting applications. Emergency lighting
• SR EN 15193:1 and 2 from 2018 Energy performance of buildings - Energy requirements for lighting - Part 1: Specifications, Module M9

Tips for maintaining lighting systems:

• regularly replace faulty luminaires;
• improve lighting control systems;
• check the operating time of emergency lighting;
• dust the luminaires once a year.

Trends in lighting technologies that may be waiting for us in the future:

1. Li-Fi technology (the ability to connect LED lamps to the Internet, Li-Fi will send information when you are under the lamp, the new Apple smartphone will already have a Li-Fi function);
2. the use of Bluetooth-enabled bracelets or jackets that will be used to detect people and switch on/off lighting;
3. designing "smart" buildings to automatically change the colour temperature of lighting, direct lighting depending on daylight, adapt the user to the lighting, and control it with a smartphone;
4. use of drones for installation of luminaires, repairs, or instead of pole lighting;
5. printing luminaires on 3D printers.

In conclusion, Dorin Beu asked to approach any task wisely, especially when it comes to lighting design. After all, often when a new technology appears, too much is expected of it. As a result, we solve one problem but create another.

CONCLUSIONS OF THE WEBINAR:

1. Lighting design is a rapidly changing industry.
2. Be aware of the risks associated with simple energy saving solutions.
3. Energy managers need to have clear lighting requirements (Emed, u, UGR, Ra, CCT, W/sqm/100lx, LENI, etc.) and controls.
4. Be patient when it comes to the right lighting solutions.

Presentations from the training are available on the EECU website in the section "Library - Publications - Green building"

Links to webinars are available in the section "Library - Webinars" or on our YouTube SMARTER4EU green building

Professor Dorin Beu email dorin.beu@rogbc.org

Next training information:

21.11

10:00-13:00

Managing Green Building Projects 

Course objective: The course covers, among other topics, key sustainable construction principles including "Integrated Design" and obtaining optimal performance results from project partners. Course objectives among others include learning of best practices for managing a sustainable building project and certification process, overcoming project team objections to the implementation of green building measures and planning for key considerations in the project management process.

Course Leader Andrei Ivan is a Managing Director at 4ENVIGO. Andrei Ivan is a professional in commercial development, consultancy and sustainability with 15 years within the industry, in different positions related to delivering and managing sustainable commercial projects, adding value for both customers and shareholders in projects of more than 500M EURO.

Registration to the course is available by this link.