The devil is in the (lighting) details
Perth, 18th November 2014
Today was all about lighting installation details…As we are approaching the final stages of one of my projects I went out to site with the project team to identify all lighting locations and assure ourselves that we are clear about the way to install the lights. Our design is as good as the end result so this due diligence is important so we can be clear to the contractor and detail exactly how it is to be installed. This seems easier then it is as many disciplines are involved. First of all we had the lighting supplier come in with all the relevant lighting samples including accessories like brackets, so we cold physically hold the fittings in our hand and on location to assess whether our initial design concept was achievable. We then had to check out and confirm the exact fitting locations and determine the way to install/ fix it to the building. Considering this is a heritage building there is extra pressure in regards to the location as not to or minimise any damage to the building fabric as well as making sure the locations provide maximal effect and minimal visual obtrusion. The final and most crucial piece of the puzzle is the power supply. As we are talking about façade lighting we need to get the power supply from inside the building, pierce through the walls to the outside at locations that are as concealed and non-visible as possible. All this while keeping the buildings waterproofing in mind. Finding the best cable routing from the inside switchboard to the outside light fitting location is probably the biggest challenge.
Then there are the lighting effects for which no real good locations for the lighting installations are available and special mounting brackets have to be created. This needs to be worked out in detail so that there is no misunderstanding later on when the contractor quotes for and has to install the lights. This is often overlooked or taken for granted which most of the time results in additional costs for the client through the required variations. Luckily we have an experienced project manager anticipating all this. To find the best solutions we had further recourse to the electrical consultant, the heritage architect and the buildings maintenance manager who knows the building inside out. I am pretty sure we managed to cover it all as the devil is always in the details!
Light Watch 5-196: Sketches from today…now I have to make sense out of them and convert that in proper readable lighting details 🙂
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