Following on from a recent rise in crime after dusk, it is important to know the relevant safety measures to help keep communities protected. A fundamental aspect to keeping areas secure is lighting, especially when only 34% of people feel safe walking alone after dusk…

Experts in lighting, we have been responsible for illuminating many public realm schemes throughout the UK in both small and large public realm areas. There are many considerations to be taken into account when illuminating these areas including uniformity, compliance with appropriate industry guidelines and glare to name but a few.

Below is our in-depth guide to safely lighting public realm spaces as well as a few product recommendations from the Kingfisher range.

Secured by Design - Official Police Security Initiative

This program sets the standard in which designers and architects should work with recommendations of overhead lighting and specified uniformity levels. The focus mainly sits with buildings and their immediate surroundings ensuring that people have safe spaces to live, work and enjoy recreational activities in.

Uniformity

Uniformity is used to describe the ratio between minimum and average lux values within an area. This can change with the desired lux levels and the detail of the task but the better the ratio the less contrast you will get between dark and light areas. This results in an even distribution throughout your site.

In terms of applications, some will require greater lux levels than others such as public car parks however, the preferred uniformity for most schemes is 40% but shouldn’t drop below 25%.

British Standards

When designing any scheme, adherence to the British Standards is essential and can either make or break your project. They’ll outline the relevant lux levels required within different environmental zones and the ideal uniformity alike the previously mentioned SBD.

Our Lighting Design Team are fully qualified in designing for a whole range of applications from industrial units to stadium lighting to architectural masterpieces, they’ll select a range of products from our range to ensure you get the best results!

Glare

When you can see the direct light source within a luminaire, it can often result in glare. The sensation occurs when brightness in the field of view causes discomfort and visual disturbances. 

There are 2 different kinds of glare – Disability and Discomfort.

Disability – The reduction of visual performance caused by intense light sources interrupting the field of view. This usually occurs when there’s a large difference between the background and the source luminance.

Discomfort – The sensation as a result of high brightness within an area caused when there is a fitting with a high peak intensity and / or upward light.

The solution would be to use a glare-free or reflector-based luminaire, where the light source is placed high in the luminaire producing a soft and even output for your site reducing any visual disturbances.

Our Recommendations

Italo - A very popular choice within our range, Italo is a versatile street luminaire with a vast range of opportunities. You can see the Italo in many award-winning developments such as Sheffield Olympic Legacy Park and Jedburgh Intergenerational Community Campus.

All three lanterns within the series are available with hyper comfort optics and a wide variety of colour temperatures. These all offer power and high performance throughout your schemes with a large optic variety to choose from.

Revelampe - A classic design with modern technology, Revelampe is available in three versions LL32, LL35 and LR55 making it suit both traditional and modern schemes depending on your desired aesthetic. It’s comfort light optic ensures you have a visually comfortable experience which is particularly useful in public areas.

Eco Rays - Featured in Gilwell Park alongside our Italo luminaires, Eco Rays are known for their low glare output and multiple mounting options. The sleek circular luminaires suit a variety of schemes but are most commonly used in parks and plazas.

Story - This heritage style lantern will suit a variety of areas in need of a traditional look but with a modern twist. This charming fitting will introduce an elegant aesthetic to your scheme and comes with both symmetric and asymmetric distributions as well a selection of colour temperatures to choose from.

To find out more about our services and how we can help you get in touch today!

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