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Lecture - B1 Using Low Voltage Lighting
LHAP 302A-61-40680 (FA25) - Water and Light/Module B - Lighting/Lecture - B1 Using Low Voltage Lighting.pdf
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Lecture B1 Using Low Voltage Lighting
Site: Olds College Online
Course: LSGR 306 Landscape Construction II (Warke 2015)
Book: Lecture B1 Using Low Voltage Lighting
Printed by: Annalise Layden
Date: Monday, 9 November 2015, 9:16 AM
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Table of contents
Introduction
Reasons for Low Voltage Night Lighting
Security
Personal Safety
Extended Access
Recreation
Wayfinding
Emotional Response
Basic Principles for Lighting
Mimic Nature
Avoid Over Lighting
Place Fixtures Strategically
Match Lighting to Reflectance of Landscape Elements
Make the Lighting System Adjustable
Observe Safety Procedures When Working Around Water
Lighting Techniques
Downlighting
Uplighting
Safety Lighting
Security Lighting
Area Lighting
Contour Lighting
Diffused Lighting
Moonlighting
Cross Lighting
Grazing Lighting
Shadowing
Silhouetting
Accent Lighting
Spotlighting
Mirror Lighting
Background Lighting
Perspective Lighting
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Additional Resources
Review Questions
Summary
References
What's Next?
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Introduction
Every component of a landscape must have a purpose, a role to perform. Lighting is a powerful tool that can be employed to create
many effects, making it an integral part of any landscape plan. Some of the ways night lighting is used include:
providing security,
helping visitors avoid safety hazards,
highlighting important areas,
selectively illuminating or concealing specific items or areas, and
guiding visitors to an entrance.
As with other landscape elements, you will want the use of light to enhance the natural appearance of the setting. There a some basic
rules to follow in the selection and placement of lighting to ensure it adds to, rather than distracts from, the desired effect of a
particular part of the landscape. The wide variety of lighting techniques give you the ability to achieve almost any effect in the
evening landscapes.
Learning Outcomes
After completing this module, you will be able to:
explain selected reasons for installing low voltage lighting,
describe basic principles to follow when using night lighting, and
describe various techniques used to establish specific lighting effects.
Learning Activity
Review Questions Using Low Voltage Lighting
Note: Module reviews make up 10% of the course grade, and are part of the Assignment Category on the course outline.
Their purpose is to provide you with review to enhance your learning and practice in preparation for the final examination.
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Reasons for Low Voltage Night Lighting
Protecting property may be the major reason for the installation of night lighting. With proper planning, you can also create a
beautiful night garden that welcomes, guides and protects family and friends. With low voltage night lighting, you can extend the use
of outdoor living spaces for recreation and relaxation.
Figure 1. Evening landscape enhanced by shadows, foliage and architectural focal points, and path finding and security provided by
lighting. (Health Lighting and Green Lighting, n.d.).
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Security
There are many aspects to the use of night lighting for the safety of one's outdoor living space. Night lighting can be used to
discourage intruders, or to simply identify a change in grade or the edge of the pool helping to avoid accidents.
Safety from intruders may be achieved through the use of low voltage light at ground level. This eliminates shadows and dark
corners around the dwelling. Low voltage lighting can be used on the porch, at corners and dark alcoves, near windows and doors,
and at any additional locations that could attract a prowler. These lights do not need a great degree of brightness to deter intruders.
Moon lighting, where a fixture or fixtures are located high, and shine down onto the dwelling may provide enough protection, while
providing a soft comfortable light to the area.
Control switches for security lighting should be placed in the home for quick and easy access. Time clocks and photocells can also
be used to control the lights automatically. Fixtures should be installed so they do not produce glare, or direct the light to eye level.
This can be disturbing to residents and guests.
Figure 2. Security lighting provides a bright entrance way (Look Local, 2015).
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Personal Safety
Hazard areas such as steps, grade changes, water edges and uneven terrain require night lighting for safety. All steps should be visible
and fixtures should be placed near the ground, where they will not be blocked by plant material of other objects. The most important
areas should have the brightest illumination, while areas of less importance should be more subdued.
Figure 3. Night lighting to highlight a set of steps (Timothy Herr, 2015).
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Extended Access
Adding night lighting allows the use of the landscape 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Night lighting provides greater flexibility as to
when and where you are able to relax, entertain or just go for a stroll. You may even be able to spend some time working in the
garden if you have little time during the natural daylight hours.
Figure 4. Extending the use of the deck into the late evening (Patio Design Ideas, 2015).
During inclement weather or long dark winters, a garden landscape may be viewed from indoor and enjoyed almost as much as when
one is able to be in the garden. An advantage of darkness is that it hides many aspects of the landscape. With night lighting, you are
able to illuminate specific features, leaving less desirable features hidden.
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Recreation
Many recreational sports, such as, soccer, volleyball, basketball, badminton and croquet, may be played at night when adequate
lighting has been installed.
Figure 5. Lit tennis court, suited for mini football and volleyball (Hotel Kristal, n.d.).
Night lighting for outdoor recreation needs to be bright without any glare. Recreational night lighting should also have a circuit or
switch separate from everything else, as it is not required all the time. For net games, aim the fixtures across the net and along the
sidelines to prevent glare. Be considerate of the neighbours too; don't aim fixtures into their space, and turn off the lights when not in
use.
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Wayfinding
Night lighting is important in providing direction, helping people find their way through the landscape. It should welcome your
guests and guide them through the walkways to the entrance of your living space. Night lighting your deck or patio may direct your
guests to areas to congregate.
Figure 6. Night lighting directing guests through the garden and highlighting steps for safety (DIY Allin one, 2015).
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Figure 7. Entrances should be one of the most brightly lit areas of the landscape (Angie’s List, 2014).
Fixtures that diffuse or redirect light should be used to prevent glare. Use dim lights for areas of low importance, and brighter lights
for more important areas. Always avoid fixture placement that may result in glare. Never use harsh spotlights to provide direction.
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Emotional Response
We have different emotional responses to the apparent space in a given area. Night lighting can be used to make a small space seem
spacious or a large space seem to be smaller and intimate. Outdoor lighting can provide a relaxing atmosphere where you are able to
entertain guests, or enjoy a quiet, private evening alone.
Figure 8. Cozy seating area provides an ideal spot for entertaining (Outdoor Lighting Perspectives, n.d.)
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Basic Principles for Lighting
Regardless of the reasons for choosing to include night lighting as a part of a landscape, there are a few basic principles to follow.
The best installations will provide light that appears natural, with special attention paid to light intensity and fixture placement.
During system design and installation, utility and safety must be priorities. Following are explanations of some of the principles.
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Mimic Nature
By observing nature, you will see how to install lighting to achieve different effects. Take a walk outside under a full moon night.
Observe how nature creates shadows under a large specimen tree. Watch the silhouetted shape of a tree against the sunset.
You want to imitate nature so that the nightscape lighting will look as natural as possible. Study where a light source originates and
where the “highlighted” object sits in relation to the light source. You can also learn from mistakes. Look for existing light
installations. Note the effects of having light shining straight into your eyes. You want to be able to have the safety that lighting
provides, without the lights being harsh.
A key to making the lighting installation look more natural is to hide the fixtures, the sources of the light. One way to do this is to
place fixtures high above the ground, hidden in tall trees, to imitate moon lighting. Another is to use many smaller fixtures rather than
one large one. Many people think that lighting for safety requires bright, glaring light. Moonlighting, for example, provides
beautiful natural looking light, yet is effective when used as safety lighting.
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Avoid Over Lighting
A small number of the right kind of light fixtures will produce much better visibility than greater numbers of an inappropriate kind.
Use care when planning where light is needed and remember the purpose of the installation. Use appropriate fixtures and lamps in
each area, all the while avoiding glare. Use lighting techniques, fixtures and lamps that are in scale with the area.
Figure 9. Too many lights can result in a landscape looking more like an airport runway than back yard (Sporty’s Tool Shop, 2015).
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Place Fixtures Strategically
Particular attention must be paid to the placement of fixtures. Light looks most natural when its source is hidden. Choose locations
that hide or shield lighting fixtures so that the light, not the lamp, is seen. You could also aim the light towards a lightcoloured
surface such as a painted wall so that it illuminates by reflection. Be sure that the fixtures will not be in the way of plant growth, foot
traffic or the lawnmower or any other equipment that will be used around the yard.
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Match Lighting to Reflectance of Landscape Elements
Each element in the garden has its own level of reflectance, depending on its colour and texture. The openness or tightness of a
plant’s form affects the light reflectance. Plants and materials with high reflectance will be brilliant when lit. Plants and materials
that absorb light require brighter lighting to stand out.
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Make the Lighting System Adjustable
When designing the lighting system, plan for several circuits, each with its own switch. Where practical, use dimmer switches. By
following these practices, you will be able to turn on, and control the intensity of selected lights. For example, you might be able to
provide full lighting over a pool for swimming, and have the pool light more dim to provide area lighting for entertaining near by.
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Observe Safety Procedures When Working Around Water
Safety is the most important consideration in lighting garden pools, streams and fountains. Water and electricity offer a potentially
extreme hazard when mixed. Your installation must meet local codes and may have to be inspected before use.
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Lighting Techniques
You may select from many techniques when lighting gardens. These vary in terms of the position of the light source, and whether it is
aimed up, down or across a surface. Choose from the following techniques to light the different areas of your garden, and combine
them to create your outdoor lighting system.
Note: All graphics to follow are from Wilson, 1984
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Downlighting
Downlighting is a general term encompassing many of the techniques to follow. Downlighting should imitate nature. It is similar to
the morning sun lighting your patio, or the look of full moonlight filtering through the trees.
In lighting an area or surface from above, you can choose a large floodlight to provide general illumination for safety, security or
entertainment. Alternately, you could use smaller floodlights mounted high in a tree to provide filtered light (see moonlighting).
Using diffused lights for downlighting is also effective, providing a softer effect.
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Figure 10. Multiple lights provide softer illumination (Touchstone Accent Lighting, 2015).
Downlighting can focus on a particular plant or specific area in the landscape (see spotlighting, accent lighting and contour lighting).
This technique can help to distinguish background, foreground and perspective in your garden.
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Uplighting
Uplighting is a general term meaning to light something from below. Silhouetting, mirror lighting, and shadowing are all forms of
uplighting. Uplighting will provide a focal glow in the garden. Think of the drama provided by a spotlight in the theatre, or by
searchlights crossing the sky at night. Review Uplighting (FxLuminaire, n.d.) for examples of different types of uplighting.
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Figure 11. Uplight focal point in the night landscape. (Crescent Moon, 2011).
Rarely seen in nature, uplighting will provide a slightly unnatural appearance, drawing attention to the object you choose to uplight.
Uplighting should be used with discretion, when there is a reason to call attention to a particular area of the garden or a feature within
it, such as a statue, a large and unique tree or a wall. Uplighting can be particularly effective seasonally, illuminating autumn colour
on branches or the swirling snow of a winter storm.
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Safety Lighting
One of the most important aspects of garden lighting is to provide illumination to garden spaces, giving directions to its users about
where to walk and what obstacles to avoid. Safety lighting will allow you and your guests to move easily with comfort through the
garden. Wellplanned down lighting, or the use of low pathway lights such as the fairly common “mushroom” or “pagoda”, will
provide safety lighting required in your garden. Heavily used steps or walkways should be the brightest.
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Figure 12. Lighting the way to outdoor hot tub (Outdoor Design Ideas,
2014 a).
If you have a lot of light “pollution” from nearby street lights or other lights in your landscape, you may need to purchase larger
wattage lamps to ensure that the pathways do not seem dimly lit in comparison to surrounding lighting.
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Security Lighting
For many people, security is the top reason for the installation of garden lighting. There is really no reason for security lighting to be
harsh and intrusive. Have you ever walked up to a home to be blinded by lightning stuck to the eaves and pointed directly into your
eyes? Using basic design principles, security lighting can provide protection and enhance the beauty of your garden.
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Figure 13. Welcoming, comfortable security lighting (Evening Shadows, 2015).
One of the main considerations in security lighting is effective switching. Switches must be placed indoors, in a central location with
easy access, and be designed to operate different parts of the system separately. Manufacturers offer many accessories for controlling
the operation of systems, such as time clocks, photocells and motion detectors.
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Area Lighting
Area lighting illuminates complete areas, like a deck or patio. Area lighting is usually accomplished with the use of down lighting
with floodlights or diffused low voltage lamps.
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Figure 14. Engaging late night atmosphere in outdoor room (Outdoor Design Ideas, 2014 b).
A floodlight used on its own will give a flat dull look to the garden; you will not be able to have special features stand out.
Floodlights may also wipe out the effect of any subtle lighting nearby. Mount the fixture as high above ground as possible, and have
the floodlights pass through a tree to diffuse part of the light. Keep in mind that the floodlight should not be shining on the
neighbouring properties.
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Contour Lighting
Contour lighting is a form of downlighting used mainly for safety. It is used to show visitors where things meet such as grass and
sidewalk, or patio and water garden edge. Often created with narrow floodlights or low area lights, contour lighting is very useful in
the garden.
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Figure. 15. Fixtures direct light downward, illuminating the pathway (DIY Network, 2013).
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Diffused Lighting
The effect of diffused lighting is achieved by placing the light source behind a translucent object such as frosted glass, a canvas panel
or the plastic housing supplied as part of the fixture.
Figure 16. Diffused lighting provides glarefree light with soft shadows in areas used for dining or quiet areas on decks, patios or
walkways. (Ofdesign.net, n.d.)
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Moonlighting
A light source positioned as high as possible, shining down to the ground, will provide a soft moonlit effect. Height is the key to
moonlighting. You do not want to see the light source, only the effect. You can use the moonlight effect to create focal points,
provide soft background illuminance, cast light and shadow patterns from large trees and provide safety and security in the garden.
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Figure 17. Moonlight garden (Volt, 2015).
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Cross Lighting
Cross lighting is similar to moonlighting with the use of more than one light. An area or object is lit from two or more points,
revealing it more fully than when lit from only one point. Cross lighting also results in soft shadows. Broad floodlights or other
diffuse sources should be used to illuminate statues or specimen plants. When used in downlighting, the beam of light should cross
high overhead, rather than near the ground.
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Figure 18. Crossing lighting reveals the threedimensional form of garden elements (Mr Resistor, 2015).
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Grazing Lighting
Grazing light is used to emphasize the texture of any interesting garden surface. A masonry wall, door or unique fence pattern can be
lit in this fashion. The light source must be placed several centimetres from the object and aligned to direct the light across the
surface. The light will be reflected from these surfaces, and thus will not be obtrusive to the people in the yard. Bring out the bark
texture of an interesting tree by grazing uplighting or downlighting across the bark.
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Figure 19. Upward grazing lighting creates a play of light and shadow across textured walls (Pegasus Lighting,2014).
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Shadowing
Shadowing is similar to silhouetting, except that the light source will be placed in front of the object. Then its shadow is projected
onto the wall. The fixture will be placed close to the ground, shining upward.
Figure 20. Use of shadow to create softer patterns on the ground and provide light for walking (Volt, 2015).
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Silhouetting
A dramatic effect is created by silhouetting. The shape of a unique shrub or tree is seen against a wall or similar vertical surface lit
from below. The source of the light must be hidden, sunk into the ground, or placed directly behind the object that is being
silhouetted.
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Figure 21. Silhouetting provides striking outline of unique landscape elements (Volt, 2015).
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Accent Lighting
Accent lighting is used to add focal points and sparkle to gardens. You can use small spotlights to attract attention to particular plants,
garden elements, or sculptures. Accent lighting is best used in small gardens.
Figure 22. Garden sculpture focal point. (DIY Network, 2013).
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Spotlighting
Spotlighting directs an intense beam of light to pick out a particular garden detail, object or specimen plant or tree. When used
sparingly, it is very effective to reveal the most important elements of the garden.
Figure 23. Garden art by day and night (DIY Megastore.com, 2015).
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Mirror Lighting
If you have a still water feature in your garden, you can use mirror light it to intensify the night atmosphere. By keeping the surface
of the water dark and lighting an object behind it, that object will be mirrored on the water’s surface. This works especially well with
large specimen trees.
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Figure 24. Reflections add an additional element to the night landscape (Mays, 2015).
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Background Lighting
Background lighting is used to provide a visual backing for the garden, or portion of the garden. It provides light to a tall dense
planting, wall or any other structure at the back of the garden. Background lighting will provide a strong vista for viewing from
indoors.
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Figure 25. Background lighting is ideally more subtle than what you see used in this landscape (Outdoor Lighting Perspectives,
2014).
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Perspective Lighting
Perspective lighting is often used to make a garden look larger than it really is. This is accomplished by dimly lighting the
foreground; the viewing area then the focal point at the end of the view will be very brightly lit. In between there should be dim
lighting that directs the viewer's eye toward the focal point.
Figure 26. Combination of dim and bright lighting helps to create a sense of depth in the garden (Outdoor Lighting Perspectives,
2015).
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Additional Resources
If you want to explore the topic of low voltage lighting further, here are some additional online resources. These resources are for
further interest only and none of the information within these sites will be used in review, assignment or quiz questions.
Principles of Design
http://www.castlighting.com/learning/articles/3_article_LandscapeLightingDesignPrinciples
Videos addressing low voltage lighting
http://www.castlighting.com/learning/lightingonlineevents/
Lighting Techniques
http://www.landscapingnetwork.com/landscapelighting/effect.html
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Review Questions
Complete the Review Questions for this module.
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Summary
While security is the most common purpose, there are numerous reasons to add low voltage night lighting to a landscape.
Highlighting a specimen tree or shrub, bringing attention to a set of steps or grade change in the landscape are also great reasons to
add light to the night time landscape. To enhance the nightscape, follow basic principles of lighting placement (e.g. hide fixtures,
avoid glare) while using one or more of the many lighting techniques available to you (eg. shadowing, moonlighting, cross lighting).
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References
Angie’s List (2014). Securing and outdoor lighting. Retrieved from http://www.angieslist.com/lighting/securityandoutdoor
lighting.htm
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What's Next?
In the next module, the materials required for low voltage lighting will be reviewed. The module will cover fixtures, wiring materials,
safety features and other components required to complete a lighting system.
Links Found
URLs discovered in the source file.
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