Lighting: A BSRIA topic guide TG 28/2025

[edit] Introduction to the fundamentals of lighting

This BSRIA topic guide introduces the fundamentals of lighting to a broad construction industry audience.

Lighting which is well designed, correctly installed and properly operated and maintained has many benefits for building occupants, including safety, health, wellbeing and productivity. Achieving the correct level of lighting (illuminance) is important; however, quality of lighting is just as, if not more, important than quantifiable measures. Issues such as glare, veiling reflections and shadows can make a big difference.

The purpose of this topic guide is to introduce basic concepts of lighting from an indoor environmental quality (IEQ) perspective. It covers:

• Basic principles of lighting design
• Legislation and guidance related to lighting
• Information about carrying out lighting assessments

It is aimed at a general construction industry audience, including clients, architects and project managers. The focus is indoor lighting in buildings such as offices, schools, hospitals and industrial buildings. It’s not just about artificial light – daylight is freely available and, where possible, buildings should be designed to maximise its use.

Lighting – a key factor in indoor environmental quality

Indoor environmental quality (IEQ) refers to the overall conditions within a building that affect the comfort, health and wellbeing of its occupants. BSRIA has published a series of topic guides covering different aspects of IEQ:

• TG 12 Indoor Air Quality
• TG 20 Noise in the Built Environment
• TG 22 Thermal Comfort
• TG 28 Lighting

There are many other factors that affect the wellbeing of people in buildings, including ergonomics, accessibility and biophilia (connection to nature). BSRIA has also published a topic guide covering this much wider topic:

• TG 10 Wellbeing in Buildings

[edit] Common customer questions & answers

• Question: Who should read this guide?
• Answer: Anyone involved with buildings, but who isn’t themselves an expert on lighting, would benefit from reading this guide to get a better understanding of the issues. This may include architects, projects managers and facilities managers.
• Question: Is this a lighting design guide?
• Answer: This BSRIA topic guide doesn’t provide design procedures; however, it outlines some of the key principles of lighting design and refers to more detailed guidance for professional lighting designers.

Key information about lighting for architects, project managers and specifiers, focusing on occupant productivity and wellbeing

For a sample preview or free digital download of TG28/2025 follow this link and selection option.

This article appears on the BSRIA website as "Lighting - A BSRIA topic guide (TG 28/2025)" dated 14 october, 2025.

--BSRIA

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