Large space lighting
Discussion
Hello,
Mrs Big Ben is currently in the process of setting up a soft play area locally to us. The building she has got is an empty shell so there is a lot of work to do and the budget is very tight.
I have a few lighting questions:
- 600 x 600 lights for fitting to suspended ceilings seem to be abundant and cheap. Can these also be suspended from chains like standard fluorescent tube fixtures ?
- LED lighting is preferred for running cost options but the install cost would be a lot higher, again these seem most cost effective in the 600 x 600 format.
Any other suggestions, thing of lighting a warehouse type space with fairly good natural light (during the day)
Ben
ETA this kind of fitting https://www.tlc-direct.co.uk/Main_Index/Lighting_M...
Mrs Big Ben is currently in the process of setting up a soft play area locally to us. The building she has got is an empty shell so there is a lot of work to do and the budget is very tight.
I have a few lighting questions:
- 600 x 600 lights for fitting to suspended ceilings seem to be abundant and cheap. Can these also be suspended from chains like standard fluorescent tube fixtures ?
- LED lighting is preferred for running cost options but the install cost would be a lot higher, again these seem most cost effective in the 600 x 600 format.
Any other suggestions, thing of lighting a warehouse type space with fairly good natural light (during the day)
Ben
ETA this kind of fitting https://www.tlc-direct.co.uk/Main_Index/Lighting_M...
Edited by BigBen on Tuesday 28th June 13:24
PH5121 said:
How high is the ceiling?
You can suspend the 600mm x 600mm LED panels, and can also get other sizes such as 1200mm x 600mm. The fittings you have linked to are usually used in areas with suspended ceilings.
Will the project have to comply with the energy efficiency requirements of Part L of the building regulations? This may influence your options of luminaire types.
Don't forget the requirement for emergency lighting as you are open to the public.
You could approach an electrical wholesaler and ask if a lighting manufacturer could do a design for you. This is a service that is offered by national chains such as City Electrical Factors and YESSS as they have in house lighting designers as part of the company.
Thank you that is an excellent reply.You can suspend the 600mm x 600mm LED panels, and can also get other sizes such as 1200mm x 600mm. The fittings you have linked to are usually used in areas with suspended ceilings.
Will the project have to comply with the energy efficiency requirements of Part L of the building regulations? This may influence your options of luminaire types.
Don't forget the requirement for emergency lighting as you are open to the public.
You could approach an electrical wholesaler and ask if a lighting manufacturer could do a design for you. This is a service that is offered by national chains such as City Electrical Factors and YESSS as they have in house lighting designers as part of the company.
Sounds like it could be worth speaking to a contractor, however my thinking was the 600 x 600 units are available very cheap where they have been removed from buildings during re fits / LED upgrades hence are a good budget option.
I don't think Part L will apply as it is a minor refurbishment of an existing building rather than a new build, although I have not done much homework on this.
Emergency lighting is something I had not thought about beyond emergency exit illumination but now you point it out that would not really be good enough!
Ben
PH5121 said:
A problem you may find with 600mm x 600mm fittings is that as they are designed to go in a suspended ceiling the louvres often are designed to be held in place by the ceiling grid that the fittings sits onto. If there is no ceiling grid there is no way to retain them.
You could go to a lot of trouble to 'bodge' that kind of fitting to get them to fit and it look amatuerish when you have finished. Not something you may want if spending thousands setting up a new venture.
If you are on a tight budget a 2x70w (6ft twin) batten gives you 'bang for your buck' in terms of light output for the number of fittings you would use, but it won't be your most efficient option.
If you can give me an idea of the size of the area you are trying to illuminate I may be able to give you a (very) rough idea of how many lights would do the job.
The main room is about 25m x 25m with a ceiling height of approx 4.5m (at the lowest, it is shaped like this ^^^^^^ )You could go to a lot of trouble to 'bodge' that kind of fitting to get them to fit and it look amatuerish when you have finished. Not something you may want if spending thousands setting up a new venture.
If you are on a tight budget a 2x70w (6ft twin) batten gives you 'bang for your buck' in terms of light output for the number of fittings you would use, but it won't be your most efficient option.
If you can give me an idea of the size of the area you are trying to illuminate I may be able to give you a (very) rough idea of how many lights would do the job.
I have looked at sports halls for an idea, they usually have a higher roof and require brighter lighting so not sure they are analogous.
GuinnessMK said:
The other advantage LED's have, is the plastic lenses. You don't want bare glass tubes above a ball pool. Kid kicks football, breaks a tube, glass drops into your ball pool. You're going to have more down time while you get the glass out.
That is an excellent point. I certainly wouldn't consider bare tubes in any but say the entrance area.E36GUY said:
PH5121 said:
I don't mean to contradict Guy but I am sure that the CIBSE recommended level of illumination for a sports hall is 300 lux, and that at 4.5m it is a bit low for high bay lighting, it would be better suited to low bay lighting.
You're not. I didn't know the answer - never done a sports hall. Just said I'd be surprised if it was as low as 300 which indeed, I am!Any morning this week is OK for us.
Alucidnation said:
Don't forget fire detection, insurances etc if it's a public building, and i'm reasonably sure the local authority might have an interest with its intended use.
The local authority are fully aware of what we are doing and don't worry fire detection / insurance and the like are all in hand.There has been a lot to think about but it will be worth it.
ETA: if the local authority hadn't been aware we would have been trading and paying business rates for almost 18 months now......
Edited by BigBen on Monday 4th July 20:15
paulrockliffe said:
If it's any help, I fitted a load of 600 x 600 lights in my workshop as I picked them up cheap on Gumtree. They are for a suspended ceiling, which means that if you suspend them from wires there's nothing to hold the silver reflectors in the fitting. When in a suspended ceiling the reflector sits in the ceiling, with the panel sat on top in some sort of frame.
I made MDF frames to replicate the suspended ceiling and then suspended the frames from my ceiling using some plastic covered metal wire. Works a treat, but was a bit fiddly! Pics in my renovation thread if you are still looking at the panels as an option.
I picked up a load on Ebay mainly because they were cheap and had built in reflectors and protective grilles. Will still be a PITA to fit and maintain so hopefully can come up with an LED based solution.I made MDF frames to replicate the suspended ceiling and then suspended the frames from my ceiling using some plastic covered metal wire. Works a treat, but was a bit fiddly! Pics in my renovation thread if you are still looking at the panels as an option.
Ben
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