Lighting – Essential Concepts in Design

(1.0) AIA/LU/HSW

(AIA CES Registered Course Number AIAELD1)

Good lighting design is critical to occupant comfort, safety, and space functionality. This course teaches the basic concepts used for lighting design, such as color temperature, color rendering index (CRI), influence of colors and materials, types of light, and setting mood or emphasis in a space using light.

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Course Description

This is the first half of a two-part course that introduces students to the essential concepts of lighting design. We will begin by studying the natural phenomena of light and our perceptual organs for detecting it, how light is calculated, color qualities of light, and ways to quantify them. We will look at the most important architectural light sources and their advantages and disadvantages, how light is controlled, and how to read a manufacturer’s literature to determine the expected performance of a given luminaire. The course concludes with a lesson in luminaire specification using a model luminaire schedule.