New outdoor luminaires for 2012

By accent lighting with projectors, individual spatial areas or objects can be given specific, targeted emphasis. For functional reasons, the extensive range of accessories such as filters and lenses are integrated inside the fixtures housing. Floodlights with axial symmetric light distribution are preferred for general lighting, whereas asymmetric floodlights are particularly suited to the even illumination of surfaces. The luminaires' high cut-off angles ensure very good visual comfort.

Open area and pathway luminaires can specifically illuminate outdoor areas such as courtyards, squares, terraces, stairs or pedestrian and vehicle routes. Floor washlights provide an even illumination of the floor due to their asymmetric light distribution. On the one hand, the physical make-up of the floor surface is emphasized. On the other, when used outside as a row of luminaires mounted on walls or freestanding, they act as orientation lighting for pathways. The reflector systems attain very good visual comfort since the lamp is well shielded.

A number of different lighting tasks arise within the vicinity of buildings - from the functional lighting of pathways, steps or open areas to scenic lighting for facades. Luminaire systems with different, predominantly asymmetrically flooding light intensity distributions solve these tasks while having a uniform design within their product group. Plus, they also give the designer a lot of scope when selecting the mounting type and the luminaire placement. Irrespective of the functional principle behind the lighting technology, the primary consideration is always to avoid glare and unnecessary spill light in keeping with Dark Sky.

Purely practical considerations often lead to the use of surface-mounted downlights: for example, typical applications include those without sufficient room to install conventional downlights in the ceiling. An informed decision to use surface-mounted downlights in a lighting concept considerably reduces installation expenditure in solid ceilings or in previously constructed buildings. Furthermore, the planning process can be easily adapted to meet project conditions.

The decision to use surface-mounted downlights is often the result of quite pragmatic considerations - such as when there is insufficient space in the ceiling to install conventional downlights. The conscious decision for a lighting concept with surface-mounted luminaires considerably reduces the level of installation work in solid ceilings or existing buildings, plus the lighting design can be flexibly adjusted to suit the given situation. Surface-mounted luminaires are available with various light characteristics ranging from downlights and directional luminaires to wallwashers, making them ideal for continuing lighting concepts from the indoor into the outdoor area.

In-ground luminaires create a high level of attention since not only are the light sources present on ground level but also the upward beam direction is unusual and therefore especially noticeable. In this respect they also take over some tasks of directive lighting, e.g. by making pathways clear or by picking out entrances. In addition to these rather technical applications, the luminaires lend themselves to performing highly effective architectural lighting, whether this concerns the dramatic highlighting of individual features or to emphasize architectural lines using a row of luminaires.