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Garden Lighting

2005-03-07
Garden lighting is an area which has gained in popularity in the last few years, and is a good way to enhance the aesthetics of both your garden and home.

Lighting should always be designed to fulfil a specific purpose; efficient, effective lighting installations provide sufficient light for the task in hand without impinging on surrounding areas. Over the years, lighting products have been developed to secure property, to allow people and vehicles to move safely at junctions and in residential areas and to extend the period during which people can work or enjoy leisure activities out-of-doors during the winter months. Lighting equipment has also been developed for advertising commercial premises such as pubs and petrol filling stations and, in a more subtle vein, for enhancing the amenity value of important buildings and historic settlements.

Security lighting may be designed to illuminate a site area or building for all to see, creating a direct visual deterrent to criminals, or it may consist of a passive infra red or other ‘presence detection system’ which only switches on when someone invades a selected space. Both systems have their place and neither should cause light pollution provided they are carefully designed, correctly installed and well maintained.

The principal objective in designing lighting systems for roads and pathways is to promote safe and efficient movement of vehicular and pedestrian traffic. The motorist must be able to discern the presence and movements of objects on or adjacent to the road which may be a potential hazard. Road lighting is therefore designed to create an even luminance on the road surface as it is seen by the motorist; other details of forms and textures are unimportant. However the pedestrian is more concerned with identifying local landmarks and negotiating the correct route. Lighting is necessary to assist in locating the entrance to shops and public buildings, the layout of junctions and the position of the kerb. This normally requires carefully positioned lamps with a relatively low level of light.