These are practical starting points. Confirm the final specification using manufacturer documentation, IES files and applicable project requirements.
Warehouse Lighting
The first design decision is whether the space is dominated by open floor area, storage racks, picking stations, or a mix of all three. Tall racks can obstruct light reaching lower pick faces even when the aisle floor looks adequately illuminated. Compare high bay lighting by optical distribution and mounting geometry rather than selecting from wattage alone. For rack aisles, evaluate vertical visibility, shadows at shelf locations, forklift travel paths, and maintenance access. Controls must detect movement at the actual installation height and should not leave active work zones inadequately illuminated.
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Manufacturing Lighting
Manufacturing lighting must support the specific visual task: assembly, machine tending, inspection, material handling, or process monitoring. A uniform ambient layout may still leave shadows at workstations, so review task lighting separately. Verify ambient temperature, airborne contaminants, impact exposure, cleaning methods, and fixture access before considering vapor-tight fixtures or high bays. Where rotating equipment and cameras are present, flicker characteristics can matter as much as average light levels. Use manufacturer documentation to confirm the actual environment and electrical conditions.
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Office Lighting
Office lighting should make desks, screens, meeting rooms, and circulation spaces comfortable throughout the day. Compare LED panels and troffers for distribution, visual appearance, ceiling compatibility, and serviceability. Consider reflected glare on monitors, daylight exposure, partition layouts, and control zones. A well-designed office plan balances useful task illumination with appropriate contrast and occupant control rather than maximizing lumens everywhere.
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Retail Lighting
Retail spaces often need two distinct layers: comfortable general illumination and controlled accent light on merchandise. Evaluate beam angles, aiming flexibility, vertical illumination, color quality, and changes in display locations. Track lighting can support reconfigurable displays, but track-head compatibility and dimming requirements should be confirmed before purchase. Mockups can expose color shifts and distracting reflections that specification-sheet values alone may not reveal.
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Restaurant Lighting
Restaurant lighting must work across dining, host, service, and back-of-house zones. Consider how warm ambient light, accent illumination, and scene controls behave at full output and at evening dimmed settings. The selected recessed lighting and decorative lamps should match the required dimming technology, physical installation, and location listing. Pay particular attention to task visibility for staff, glare toward seated guests, and maintenance access over tables or food-service areas.
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Hospitality Lighting
Hotels and hospitality properties combine arrival spaces, corridors, guest-facing amenities, service areas, and potentially outdoor entrances. A coordinated design needs more than matching fixture finishes: assess wayfinding, nighttime comfort, dimming scenes, cleaning access, and the consistency of replacement products across rooms. Cylinder lighting may suit some public areas, while panels, downlights, and wall fixtures serve other tasks. Confirm each fixture's mounting and environmental rating for its actual location.
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Healthcare Lighting
Healthcare projects should distinguish patient-facing, administrative, circulation, storage, and support spaces rather than applying a single fixture standard to the entire facility. Visual tasks, cleaning procedures, glare, emergency operation, and facility standards can vary substantially by room. Panel lighting may be suitable in some support areas, but product selection must follow the room's approved specification and applicable requirements. Coordinate control behavior and maintenance procedures with the facility team.
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Classroom Lighting
Classrooms need useful light at student work surfaces without excessive reflections on displays or glare toward teaching positions. Review vertical illumination on boards, scene flexibility for presentations, daylight from windows, and controls that staff can operate predictably. Lighting controls should support teaching modes and occupancy patterns while meeting project requirements. Check fixture distribution and ceiling placement against furniture layouts instead of relying solely on nominal room size.
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Gymnasium Lighting
Gymnasium lighting requires attention to ceiling height, court orientation, ball tracking, glare at upward viewing angles, and possible fixture impact. High bay fixtures may provide the needed output, but optics, protective accessories, mounting security, and actual sport or event use determine suitability. Evaluate photometric layouts from the playing surface and spectator positions; verify any impact-resistance claim for the exact product and accessory combination.
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Parking Lot Lighting
Parking lot lighting should begin with the site plan: pole locations, parking geometry, drive aisles, pedestrian routes, adjacent properties, and required lighting criteria. Select area lights by photometric distribution, mounting height, and fixture orientation, not a simple lumen-to-square-foot rule. Review uniformity, glare, backlight spill, and pole structural requirements. Existing poles also need condition and wind-loading review before retrofit.
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Parking Garage Lighting
Parking structures combine low mounting heights, columns, ramps, turning zones, and transitions between daylight and enclosed areas. Garage lighting should be assessed for distribution, glare, damp or wet exposure where applicable, and ease of maintenance. Entry and exit transitions deserve special attention because drivers' visual adaptation changes quickly. Controls must preserve safe visibility while supporting energy-saving schedules.
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Building Perimeter Lighting
Perimeter lighting should clarify entrances, pedestrian routes, loading areas, and security-camera sightlines without creating unnecessary spill onto neighboring windows. Wall packs differ significantly in cutoff, mounting height, forward throw, and backlight behavior. Review the actual mounting surface and electrical feed, then compare photometric patterns for doors, walkways, and adjacent properties. Brighter is not automatically better when glare undermines visibility.
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Municipal Lighting
Municipal projects often require consistent documentation, maintainable components, public-space comfort, and alignment with local procurement criteria. Review roadway lighting and pedestrian-area fixtures in the context of road geometry, pole spacing, accessibility, glare, and adjacent land uses. Product selection should account for utility coordination, warranty provisions, service access, and approved submittal formats—not just initial fixture cost.
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Warehouse Lighting
Manufacturing Lighting
Office Lighting
Retail Lighting
Restaurant Lighting
Hospitality Lighting
Healthcare Lighting
Classroom Lighting
Gymnasium Lighting
Parking Lot Lighting
Parking Garage Lighting
Building Perimeter Lighting
Municipal Lighting
RAB Lighting
TCP Lighting
Light Efficient Design