Parking Garage Lighting

Every location has unique lighting needs dependent upon the space itself. One of the seemingly trickier aspects of lighting is parking garage lighting. With this area having a known reputation for being a somewhat dangerous area prone to incidents of crime, proper lighting is the key to offsetting that bad reputation and giving customers a sense of safety. Here are 3 tips for parking garage lighting to help this space achieve your goals.

1. Focus on the light spread.

When choosing the right parking garage lighting solutions, you should carefully consider where the spread of the illumination beam will fall. Effective lighting for this area should cast light downwards for focused areas of brightness. Lights should be placed overhead of key areas such as elevators, walkway entrances, and doorways to avoid shadowy recesses being created in these areas.

2. Know the features of comparative lighting solutions.

The type of fixture and lamp source you choose will play a monumental role in several areas of your lighting plan. For example, a few popular choices for this area of lighting are high-pressure sodium, metal halide, and fluorescent. To find the best solution for your space, you will need to consider the differing factors of each option to find the one to meet your needs. For instance, while high-pressure sodium fixtures have a long average rated lifespan, they offer poor color rendering which produces an orange hued color. This might lower the safety atmosphere of your location. Metal halide light fixtures fare better in terms of color rendering to produce a bright, white light that differentiates between various colors with improved clarity, but they are not as long lasting as typical high-pressure sodium solutions. Fluorescents tend to last longer than metal halide fixtures with an even better color rendering. However, fluorescent may not fare as well in colder temperatures than a sturdier metal halide. It is important to examine each light solution in comparison to others to find the one that meets your needs with the most accuracy.

3. Pay attention to light pollution.

When planning any lighting plan, whether completely outdoors or partially outdoors, lighting pollution is a key element to keep in mind. A parking garage near residential areas should be especially aware of their lighting pollution since it can be rather disruptive to the community. While this can be eliminated to some degree by using lighting solutions only when needed, it will not be entirely possible for every location. If you have a parking garage that stays open 24 hours a day or late into the night, making sure the lights are directed away from surrounding buildings is imperative. This will help cut down on pollution while helping to achieve that more focused spread of light previously mentioned.