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Economical lighting solutions with efficient visual comfort increase the acceptance of educational, administration and transport buildings among users and deliver better results for the operators in the long term. Airports, conference centres, entertainment facilities, authorities or libraries have complex usage patterns, accommodating crowds that must find their ways through the building quickly and easily. Be it luminaires with high levels of luminous flux for monumentally large buildings or perfectly glare-free light for concentrated work and communication zones: ERCO’s lighting tools offer an appropriate solution for many different lighting tasks. The diversity of ERCO projects around the world indicates the wide variety of lighting concepts for public architecture.
ERCO illuminates over 8900 buildings in education and administration and in the conference and entertainment sectors worldwide. ERCO's professional lighting tools facilitate effective lighting solutions to produce an optimal environment for education and entertainment.
Lighting concepts in public buildings must balance the interests of the public with those of the individual. Circulation zones may at times connect building sections across several levels and so need to create a coherent apperance of the interior. Work, waiting, communication and break areas present their own challenges in terms of visual comfort and privacy. Whereas floodlighting and wallwashing add pleasant and efficient ambient lighting, precise accent lighting facilitates orientation through hierarchies of perception by emphasising individual objects and separating areas from each other. Good glare control maximises the visual comfort at reception desks, in offices and at information boards and display panels. ERCO’s lighting solutions are focused on perception-orientated lighting for cost-effective illumination in public buildings using precisely aimed light from maintenance-free and efficient lighting tools. The system design of the various product ranges combined with interchangeable lens systems and defined light colours enables a unique, cross-functional lighting design.
Light helps people in universities, libraries and administrative buildings intuitively find their bearings even on their first visit to these unfamiliar surroundings. This is where Richard Kelly’s system of perception-orientated lighting design comes in useful, as it is based on the principles of “ambient luminescence”, “focal glow” and “play of brilliants”. “Ambient luminescence” in particular, applied in the form of bright, vertical ambient lighting for optimum orientation in a new environment, but also “focal glow” as differentiated accent lighting to define hierarchies of perception guide the user precisely to the right place.
Be it in administrations, archives, parliamentary buildings or schools: Qualitative lighting design responds to human perception so as to facilitate concentrated work while meeting the relevant standards. Vertical illuminance combined with accent lighting enables efficient lighting solutions that require only a few luminaires with optimal glare control to optimise light for workspaces, use lighting accents for the modelling of objects, and enhance the perception of brightness in open-plan, project and individual office situations through wallwashing.
Combining these two types of lighting reduces brightness contrasts, thereby minimising the strain on the eyes. In addition, clearly defined areas with focused accent light create intimate waiting, communication and rest areas even in heavily frequented buildings such as administrations, media centres and universities. Good visual comfort additionally requires precise, glare-free light.
Wallwashing enhances the perception of space especially in buildings focused on efficiency and functionality and compensates for the lack of daylight in extensive spaces. Vertical luminance is crucial for orientation and the perception of brightness in the building; wallwashing increases the impression of brightness more than horizontal illumination using the same connected load. In addition, wallwashing makes a room appear higher, almost intangible, and therefore is optimal for use in narrow office corridors and library aisles. A wide and open effect in places such as train stations and airports can be achieved using ceiling washlights with uniform indirect light.
In the face of mounting ecological and economic pressures, sustainability is now also increasingly important as an issue in public building projects. Efficient LED technology enables luminaires to be spaced far apart for maximum efficiency and cost-effectiveness in educational, administrative and transport facilities. Optimised thermal management and control gear that is precisely matched to the relevant LED modules ensure maximum life of the LEDs, minimise maintenance and reduce the energy footprint.
ERCO’s range of luminaires offers solutions for diverse applications in public buildings. LED double-focus downlights facilitate effective lighting solutions to produce an optimal environment in high rooms.
Downlights in rooms of normal height add efficient ambient lighting under quantitative criteria. Lens systems with excellent glare control allow applications from hallways through to workstations. Thanks to ERCO’s Spherolit technology, wallwashers are a central component of any lighting design. Illuminated vertical surfaces optimise the impression of brightness in the room and define boundaries for optimal orientation. In complex situations spotlights enhance the informative value of objects and structures through accentuation. In any case, maintenance-free, efficient photometrics enable the luminaires to be spaced far apart for maximum efficiency and cost-effectiveness. Thermal management, LED and control gear in ERCO luminaires are harmonised precisely to optimise their functional life. The low energy footprint of all ERCO luminaires reflects in their efficient operation and has a positive effect on the operating costs for ventilation and air conditioning.
