LIGHTING AS A MULTIDISCIPLINARY FIELD
DANIEL FRERING, MANAGER OF EDUCATION, AND HEAD, GRADUATE PROGRAMS IN LIGHTING | LIGHTING RESEARCH CENTER, RENSSELAER POLYTECHNIC INSTITUTE
Lighting is a field that involves many areas of study. A lighting designer needs to have an understanding of all of these varied areas to provide a design that will meet the needs of his or her client.
The practice of lighting requires an understanding of the physical characteristics of light, how light works in space, and how it can be controlled optically and predicted and measured photometrically. Lighting designers also must understand technology, how lighting technology operates, how lighting systems are engineered, and the interaction of the various electrical and mechanical components that make up a lighting system.
To design lighting that meets the needs of people, a lighting designer must understand human vision, how the visual system operates, and the interaction of lighting and a variety of human factor considerations. Beyond this, lighting designers today must understand the interaction of lighting and human health: how lighting can impact mood, alertness, well-being, sleep quality, circadian regulation, and other aspects of human health.
Lighting designers also must understand architecture and the art and process of design, including the integration of daylighting and electric lighting in the built environment. Finally, a designer must understand the application of lighting, the lighting specification process, and the process through which lighting is integrated into a building, a landscape, or other environment.
Lighting by its nature is a multidisciplinary field of study. Therefore, lighting education must address all of the disciplines involved in lighting—physics, engineering, design, technology, architecture, human behavior, and health—if graduates are going to be well-qualified to practice as lighting designers. This education can take many forms, including formal coursework on the undergraduate or graduate levels, experience in lighting research and design, courses provided through the Internet, or seminars offered by professional associations. The important thing is that it includes a rich variety of information that addresses each of the knowledge areas discussed above at sufficient depth so the student truly gains an understanding of each discipline and how it affects the practice of lighting.