GUIDANCE | LIGHTING Guiding lights SLL Lighting Guides for emergency and residential lighting have been updated this year, while a guide on lighting control rooms has been published for the first time. Jill Entwistle summarises the key changes and introductions Lighting Guide 12 (LG12): Emergency lighting Advances in technology, plus changing legislation and BS EN standards, prompted the revision of Lighting Guide 12: Emergency Lighting, which had last been updated in 2015. According to author David Mooney, compliance with emergency lighting standards is lacking. My own company [Atkins] surveys a huge number of existing emergency lighting installations and its rare that we dont discover issues with them, says Mooney. Typically, they relate to installation defects, a lack of maintenance or incomplete documentation. Changes in the regulatory framework, including the new Building Safety Act, bring additional emphasis to the correct delivery of all building safety systems, including emergency lighting. In terms of technology, emergency lighting is changing rapidly, with the introduction of LEDs, new battery types, automatic testing and monitoring systems, and wireless technology. Where standards are concerned, the BSI issued a new version of BS EN 52661 in 2016, with radical changes in its guidance, such as the addition of emergency safety lighting. The revised LG12 includes a fundamental change in emphasis, covering the delivery of emergency lighting installations rather than just technical principles. It seeks to clarify the type of emergency lighting, and the design and delivery approach, appropriate to the size and complexity of the project. Emergency lighting isnt changing fundamentally, says Mooney, but it is Designers must ensure that there is no glare or reections on control room screens going to become a more regulated area of building design and there will be a more formal method of demonstrating compliance. In the near future, it is likely that competency statements will need to be provided to clients by all building professionals on a project-by-project basis. Lighting Guide 9 (LG9): Lighting for communal residential buildings The communal residential category covers a very wide range of building types and sizes, public and private from the communal areas of houses divided into ats to a large residential home for the elderly. Five key changes have been made to the 2013 document: The wellbeing of residents has become a priority Dimming and controls form an integral part of a lighting scheme, and a much wider range of products is available. Compatibility between these and the luminaires specied is examined Emergency lighting starts with a risk assessment and identication of the responsible person. Each building must be considered individually, so it is no longer permissible to simply reproduce a template arrangement Daylight is important, both to maximise access to it for residents and to meet energy efciency targets Energy efciency standards have increased signicantly and the document notes the changes in the 2021 Approved Documents of the Building Regulations Part L. Lighting is key to the atmosphere of a room, and needs to be specied with the occupants in mind. Of fundamental importance to wellbeing, says the guide, is individual control over lighting, and a variety of luminaires and lighting methods Many control rooms operate 24 hours a day and large spaces, particularly, have inherently complex visual and lighting issues 44 December 2022 www.cibsejournal.com CIBSE Dec 22 pp44-45 Guidance Update Supp 2_converted.indd 44 25/11/2022 16:11