A photometric study will facilitate communication about lighting levels among the designer, owner and the design team. The study entails computer modeling simulating the lighting intensity of the designed layout in footcandles, lux or candela. It allows the designer to see the resulting output, with iterative design options as the fixtures are reduced or replaced. Typically the photometric study measures light levels in a 10’x10’ grid. The analysis also investigates the maximum initial illuminance value at horizontal and vertical limits on the site boundary to ensure they are within the limits of the project zone. If you find that lights are above the threshold, the designer may want to explore alternative numbers of fixtures and fixture types and present these alternatives to the owner, who makes the final decision.
