The best solution is to specify the most appropriate and cost-effective product during the design and construction documentation process, and communicate its value to your client. When that is not possible, a lighting specifier should request developed calculations or any other information required for evaluation as a requirement to assure compliance with the design intent. This can help minimize substitutions by “less-than-serious” product contenders.
Sometimes “packaging” occurs when manufacturers, representatives, and/or distributors offer discounts for substituting the specified product with another brand that they regularly carry. Keep in mind, distributors can acquire any product but may provide more competitive pricing on products from manufacturers they are authorized to represent or with whom they have pre-existing relationships. Most qualified distributors and electrical contractors will provide the project as specified and documented.
SPECIFICATIONS BEYOND THE UNITED STATES Specifications for projects outside the United States require the same level of attention and detail, and usually more, if the specifier is not a native of the project location.
The lighting guidelines outlined in the Illuminating Engineering Society of North America (IESNA) Lighting Handbook are widely known and often referenced in international projects. Although lighting guidelines in other countries are similar, it is important to be familiar with any requirements that may be applicable in the region or country you are working such as the Canadian Underwriter’s Laboratory (CUL), Chartered Institute of Building Service Engineers (CIBSE), British Standards, Deutsche Industrie Norm (DIN), etc.
Criteria for international projects include:
The International Association of Lighting Designers (IALD), in conjunction with the Lighting Industry Resource Council (LIRC), has developed a document titled “Guidelines for Specification Integrity,” which suggests actions specifiers can take to prepare and preserve a specification of high integrity.
Lighting specifications essentially are a description of the design in “technical terms.” Specifiers must be diligent about the specifications if they want to control the outcome of the design. The construction process is a linear progression and it is not possible to “redefine” the lighting specifications after they have been issued for bid. The documentation must be clear and precise in order to stand alone when the specifier is not there to explain or defend it. Better lighting specifications create better results.
Jean Sundin is a founder and principal of New York–based Office for Visual Interaction. A professional member of the IALD, Sundin co-authored the organization’s “Guidelines for Specification Integrity,” used by lighting designers worldwide. She is a former board member of the IESNA, and a member of the PLDA and the U.S. Green Building Council.