Abstract
This paper surveys broadly the major developments in light sources and fittings since 1945 and examines the trends in British lighting practice for industrial, office and shop installations, with particular reference to four aspects: (1) Changes in illumination levels; (2) the demand for flexibility in lighting installations; (3) the practical impact of the “quality” approach on lighting design; (4) the tendency to integrate lighting with other aspects of design.
The investigation establishes a considerable increase in illumination levels, much assisted by the efficiency and low cost of fluorescent tubes. The demand for flexibility has been met in many installations by ingenious new designs, and similar successes can be recorded for the integration of lighting into the building structure. There is, however, a potential conflict between “quantity” and “quality” of illumination, integration and flexibility which, in the author's view, can only be satisfactorily settled by close co-operation between architect, engineer and lighting designer.
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