Lighting engineering is the technique that studies the various forms of production, control and application of artificial light. The lighting study of a specific space or area determines the light sources, the objects or areas to be illuminated and the appropriate levels to do so in the best way. At Amusement Logic we apply this technique to leisure and tourism facilities such as hotels and resorts, restaurants, shopping centres, theme parks and others.
We consider two categories with respect to the lighting study in these leisure and tourism facilities:
- Functional lighting: in this case we deal with the lighting parameters established by the corresponding regulations with regard to emergency and evacuation lighting, as well as in reference to the appropriate development of the different activities carried out in this type of facility.
- Decorative or thematic lighting: this type of lighting study is used to design the lighting necessary to highlight iconic objects or elements, create specific atmospheres, or produce certain lighting effects in the spaces of hotels and resorts, restaurants, shopping centres, theme parks and other leisure facilities.
The parameters that we work with in lighting design studios and that define the qualities of a lighting design are:
- Average illuminance (Em), which can be quantified in lux or candela per square metre (cd/m2).
- The glare index (UGRL).
- The uniformity factor (Uo).
- And the colour rendering index (Ra).
For these studies we use specific computer programmes for lighting simulation and calculation. These programmes use the technical characteristics of the lighting provided by the manufacturers. With them we recreate the different lighting situations depending on each moment or scenario of the activity, whether in hotels or resorts, restaurants, shopping centres, theme parks and other leisure and tourism facilities. The results obtained from the analyses support the decisions we make in each design.
By Francisco Lozano, MEP engineer in the Architecture Department at Amusement Logic
