Exceptional spaces require exceptional lighting. We engineer luminous environments that balance aesthetic intent with visual comfort and energy compliance.
Our photometric calculation services utilize advanced simulation software to engineer luminous environments that balance aesthetic intent with visual comfort. We analyze every angle of a space to ensure uniform light distribution, eliminate glare, and guarantee optimal lux levels for the intended task.
Compliance and coordination are at the forefront of our lighting designs — optimizing energy usage without sacrificing design quality.
A photometric calculation simulates exactly how light distributes through a space — predicting illuminance (foot-candles and lux), uniformity ratios, glare indices and energy density before a single fixture is purchased or installed. Our photometric reports include a plan-view false-color render, a point-by-point illuminance grid, average/minimum/maximum values, uniformity ratio, and the software-generated fixture schedule.
IESNA (IES RP series) recommends: offices 30–50 fc at work surface, retail 30–75 fc at merchandise level, corridors 5–10 fc, parking structures 5–10 fc average, exterior parking 1–3 fc minimum. We design to these targets and verify compliance with both illuminance and uniformity ratios (minimum:average ≥ 0.25 for parking; ≥ 0.5 for office tasks) per IES standards.
Lighting Power Density (LPD) is installed lighting wattage divided by floor area (W/ft²). ASHRAE 90.1 sets maximum LPD limits by building type — for example, 0.82 W/ft² for offices and 1.26 W/ft² for retail under the Space-by-Space method. We optimize fixture selection and layout so your design meets the LPD limit while achieving the required illuminance and uniformity targets simultaneously.
IECC requires automatic lighting controls including: occupancy sensors (automatic shutoff within 30 minutes of vacancy), daylight harvesting controls in daylit zones within 15 ft of windows and skylights, manual dimming capability, and automatic whole-building shutoff. We document all control zones, sensor placements and control sequences in the construction documents so the energy compliance package is complete for permit submission.
Outdoor lighting design starts with the IES RP-20 (parking facilities) or RP-8 (roadway) recommended illuminance levels, then we model the photometry in AGi32 using the manufacturer's IES photometric file for each fixture. We verify average foot-candle levels, minimum-to-average uniformity, and maximum luminance to eliminate hot-spots and dark-spots, and check for light trespass at property boundaries per local ordinances.
Emergency and egress lighting must maintain a minimum 1 foot-candle along the path of egress at floor level per IBC and NFPA 101. We model egress routes, place emergency luminaires at required spacing, and verify maintained illuminance levels during the 90-minute battery duration test required by NFPA 101 — producing a complete emergency lighting layout and battery backup schedule in the construction documents.
We use Visual Lighting, AGi32 and DIALux — all professional-grade photometric engines that accept manufacturer IES photometric files. The choice depends on the project: AGi32 for complex outdoor and roadway analysis; DIALux for detailed interior modeling and energy calculations; Visual Lighting for fast commercial interior work with detailed report output formatted for US permit submissions.
Yes. We collaborate with the architect and interior designer to select luminaires that hit the photometric targets within the budget and match the aesthetic intent. Fixture selections are mapped to the architect's Reflected Ceiling Plan (RCP) with exact mounting coordinates, circuiting and dimming control assignments — ready for the electrical engineer to incorporate into the construction document set.
Drag the colour-temperature slider to warm or cool a lit space in real time — then flip on the simulated DIALux false-colour map to read illuminance (lux) across the floor, exactly as we deliver it in a photometric study.
Procedural demo — a 12-luminaire grid over a 12 × 8 m space at 3 m mounting height, illuminance by inverse-square law with cosine falloff. Real SYMATEQ studies use manufacturer IES files in DIALux / AGi32.
Visualize the result before a single fixture is purchased.
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