The light or the level of illuminance is the total flux of light on a surface per unit area. The area, often referred to as “the work plane” is the space where the lighting is mostly required for, such as a work space, for example.
Outdoor light levels on a clear day are of 10 000 lux, inside buildings, the offices near the windows are close to 1 000 lux. If you move towards the middle area of the building, we can measure numbers as low as 25 to 50 lux. So, lighting is a necessity for such low levels, but how to measure the levels required?
Depending on the type of activities performed in a specific room, you have different recommended light levels. For example, for normal activities, we are looking at 500 to 1000 lux. And, for work related operations requiring more precision, you can go up to 1500 to 2000 lux.
Here is a quick chart from the engineer tool box1 for recommended levels of illuminance depending on the environment and activities related:
Home areas | Illumination (lux, lumen/m2) |
---|---|
Light reading | 300-500 |
Heavy reading & work spaces | 500-1200 |
Kitchen | 300-550 |
Dining room | 200-300 |
Laundry room | 200-550 |
High detail workshop | 1000-2000 |
Institutional & Office Spaces | Illumination (lux, lumen/m2) |
---|---|
Hallways & stairways | 150-300 |
Storage rooms | 100-500 |
Classrooms | 250-550 |
Offices | 300-750 |
Restrooms | 150-300 |
General exercise in gymnasium | 300-400 |
Basketball in gymnasium | 750-1000 |
Meeting rooms and auditoriums | 100-200 |
Library | 300-500 |
Maintenance room | 300 |
Science labs | 300-500 |
Woodworking shop | 300-750 |
Open space offices | 500-750 |
There are many tools available online to obtain light level recommendations or software using IES files, but your simplest bet is to contact a lighting specialist you trust.
1 http://www.engineeringtoolbox.com/light-level-rooms-d_708.html