Lighting retail premises is one of the key components in creating a favorable store image. A well-organized light favorably focuses on shop windows, encouraging customers to shop and just creating a pleasant atmosphere. But for this, even at the stage of designing the lighting of the trading floor, a wide group of factors and nuances should be taken into account.
Artificial and natural lighting
You should start with the basic separation of approaches to organizing lighting. Natural light involves the creation of conditions for admission to the hall of sunlight, while artificial light is formed by technical devices and provides the bulk of the radiation. With all the advantages of the second concept, the natural lighting of the trading floor is mandatory and is classified into top, side and combined. In the design solution, the target site should be divided into sections with side lighting - these are areas adjacent to walls with window openings. The calculation of the coefficients of natural light should be made without taking into account the shading objects, which can be furniture, equipment, plants, etc.
As for artificial light, it is created by means of electric (mainly) lamps. According to the general rules, discharge sources of this type should be selected taking into account eye comfort, energy efficiency and functionality. It is desirable that the artificial lighting in the trading floors is also divided in terms of functionality. This will be discussed below.
General lighting
It is mistakenly believed that the main light should create some kind of backlight, within the framework of which directional lighting is organized. In fact, devices with such a function should perform several tasks at once, providing comfortable conditions for employees to stay in the premises with visitors and highlighting specific areas with product displays or display cases.
Basically, the general light is organized by ceiling fixtures distributed throughout the area. It is the different configurations of placement of fixtures that make it possible to create the necessary functional and decorative accents. Another thing is that the focus and spotlight for general lighting of the trading floor is a secondary task.
It is also worth emphasizing that within the same hall there may be zones with different purposes, therefore, wall-mounted installation at separate points is also possible. For example, cash registers can be lit with adjustable devices on special racks. Often used and suspension devices that can be adjusted in height for convenience.
Exposition lighting
The same directional light that modern department stores, supermarkets and boutiques cannot do without. The essence of this kind of lighting is the point allocation of a specific area or object to attract attention. This task is realized in various ways. If the emphasis is on maximum optimization of the size of the fixtures, then LED lighting is organized. In trading floors, often built-in compact devices based on diode crystals are used, which are almost not visible externally, but they are not inferior to standard halogen and fluorescent lamps in terms of radiation power. Conversely, the massive body of pendant lights can also perform the function of spot lighting, and act as an element of the design of the hall.
We should also talk about the locations of devices that emit exposure light. It was mentioned above about ceiling installation options, but lower (floor) and wall lighting of this type is also allowed and even welcomed. The more varied the direction of the light supply and the more contrast it is, the more attractive the display with the product. However, the room should not be oversaturated with luminaires either, since excessive contrast with bright photon fluxes can bore visitors. An alternative solution will be soft and delicate lighting in trading floors, arranged on shelves and shelves. In this case, we are talking about very miniature devices with a small coverage area, but with pronounced light accents.
Lighting features in different stores
It is impossible to get the most advantageous illumination without taking into account the specifics of the products being sold, therefore, individual accents are made in each case. Here are some recommendations for lighting retail premises for various purposes:
- Grocery stores. It is important to maintain a balance between the supply of directional and general light of individual areas of the store, maintaining uniformity. The emphasis is on even flood light.
- Electronics and home appliance stores. Metal cases combine favorably with cold lighting, and for branded departments it is better to rely on accented flows. Electronics departments often use an eavesdropped color highlight, highlighting products of different segments or price levels.
- Car dealerships. Showrooms have large areas, requiring the use of powerful floodlights and ceiling fluorescent lights. The lighting of the trading floor in this case focuses on aesthetics and functionality at the same time.
- Building stores. It also refers to large areas where equipment and massive structures can be placed. The light supply must be plentiful, even and high to fully cover a space with good visibility.
Types of lamps for lighting commercial premises
Almost all traditional types of lamps are used, but first of all - halogen, fluorescent and energy-saving. The only exception is devices with incandescent threads due to impracticality, low working life and modest power indicators. However, such lamps are still considered optimal from the point of view of comfortable perception by the eye, therefore, this option should not be completely ruled out.
In general, the main competition is between luminescent and halogen devices. If it comes to the general lighting of the trading floor, the lamps of the first group will be the best solution for price and performance. Halogen and modern metal halides are more often used in accented lighting. That is, it is advisable to organize combined systems.
Next, attention is paid to the working qualities of the lamps, the main of which will be brightness. The ratio of accent and general lighting in the complex should form a sufficient level of saturation, not exceeding 3200 lux. And then, this value applies only to large areas of more than 2 thousand m2. In the passages, the brightness should be 200-250 lux, and in front of the windows and in accent lighting, from 400 to 1000 lux. As for warmth, a lot depends on the direction of the store itself, since this color is also a stylistic touch. But for a comfortable perception by the eye, the optimal range varies from 2700 to 3200 K.
LED lighting of the trading floor
High-tech LED-lamps are actively used today in public places. Their use is justified both in terms of the structural device, as already mentioned in relation to the organization of spot lighting, and in the characteristics of functionality and energy efficiency.
For LED devices, there are practically no restrictions on the implementation of the structural form factor. Diodes are placed both in small recessed luminaires and in large lighting panels that literally flood large spaces with photons. At the same time, unlike luminescent ceiling models, LED lighting for sales areas is cheaper in terms of energy costs with the same working effect. Another thing is that the LEDs themselves are sometimes several times more expensive.
More importantly, manufacturers of this variety of light sources are increasingly willing to segment them into application categories. Narrowly specialized models for specific tasks appear - up to the coverage of a certain group of goods, if we talk about the application in trading floors. The tight combination of LED devices with goods eliminates the risk of ignition, which is also important. Due to the low degree of heat generation, such devices are safe for flammable products and in this characteristic they have no alternative to date.
Norms of designing artificial lighting in trading floors
During the development of the project, a detailed analysis is made on several parameters of the organization of the lighting system in accordance with the requirements of SNiP 23-05-95. In particular, the layout of the lighting devices, their operational characteristics, materials for the manufacture of cases, dimensions, etc., are determined.
The main standards for the design of artificial lighting in trading floors include the following:
- The emissivity from the general lighting system should be at least 70%.
- In the choice of lamps, one should focus on low-cost discharge devices, the working efficiency of which is at least 55 lm / W.
- In rooms where it is planned to provide cylindrical illumination, the reflection coefficient should be at least 40-50%, depending on the position of the surface (wall or ceiling).
- Instruments for emergency and emergency lighting should be installed in the hall.
Electrical wiring
For energy supply of the shopping center, a dedicated wiring route should be organized. From it already to the technical room of the object is a power cable. Next, a switchboard is installed, including the following elements:
- Differential circuit breakers.
- Switching equipment for short circuit protection.
- Tires for grounding power consumers.
- Emergency shutdown devices.
- Electricity metering devices.
In accordance with the lighting standards of trading floors, a TN-CS type grounding system is installed from the switchboard, in which the neutral supply of the supply transformer is deaf. Laying along the contours leading to the points of location of the fixtures is carried out using the VVGng cable. The line can be closed (for example, in a subceiling niche) or open, but in a corrugated PVC pipe. The fixing of cables is carried out by means of plastic clips - this solution is aesthetically more attractive and, moreover, it allows convenient installation of several parallel lines.
Installation of a supporting structure for fixtures
In order not to spoil the appearance of the interior of the trading floor, a special base for the fixtures is pre-mounted - a busbar trunking. Such designs make it possible to conveniently fix the housing of lamps for various purposes, including track systems. The basis of this element is a metal profile. It is attached with anchors or self-tapping screws to the walls or ceiling, and some modifications can be hung on special supporting frames. The inside of the busbar trunking has built-in copper conductors with insulation materials and connectors to which you are connecting. Installation of a trading floor lighting system with a busbar trunking is implemented in the following sequence:
- The installation points are marked.
- The extreme holes of the fasteners should be at least 10 cm from the edge of the structure. The gaps between the fasteners are at least 80 cm, and the lamps are located with a minimum spacing of 20 cm from each other.
- Prepared wiring from the shield is brought to the lighting points.
- The busbar trunking is connected to the network via the input power line through the connectors.
- Lighting devices are installed in the busbar connectors.
Installation of spotlights
For camouflage or inconspicuous lighting, ceiling-mounted LED devices are used. In principle, the implementation of such installation is possible only in cases where the ceiling structure has a free rear niche and the decorative panel can be cut. For example, this applies to plasterboard ceilings, in which holes with a diameter corresponding to the lamp housing are pre-formed. Spot lighting of the shop floor in the ceiling is also possible in cases where armstrong-type structures are used. They can also integrate panel LED devices. The placement of single LED-devices for directional light can be performed if the corresponding holes are technologically provided in such a ceiling. In both cases, feed wires from the shield are produced through the prepared opening. The terminal blocks are attached to them, to which the LED lamp will be connected. At the final stage, it remains only to place the housing of the device with spacers or other clamping devices in the hole that will hold the lamp in the subceiling niche.
Conclusion
A feature of the lighting device for shops is the multifunctionality of the equipment. It is important that the system meets strict requirements for safety, functionality, ergonomics and design appeal. In this sense, much will depend on the selected fixtures for lighting trading floors and adjacent areas. And the modern assortment of lighting technology makes it possible to solve such problems, while remaining in the moderate range of energy consumption. Owners of shopping centers pay more and more attention to LED solutions, but more familiar lamps remain in demand due to individual characteristics, which should be evaluated based on specific requirements for the lighting system.