A coordination checklist for architects and consultants defining an exterior lighting scheme before procurement.
An architectural lighting specification should describe the result a project requires and the evidence needed to deliver it. A schedule of product codes alone cannot do that. It can omit the target surface, control intent, mounting constraints and the assumptions behind the lighting calculation.
This checklist is designed for architects, lighting designers and project teams preparing commercial exterior lighting briefs. It is a coordination tool, not a substitute for project-specific engineering or compliance assessment.
1. Identify the architectural task
For each lighting zone, record the intended visual role: entrance identity, façade washing, grazing, long-throw feature projection, landscape accent, circulation or another defined purpose. Identify the target and principal viewpoints. Describe the everyday scene separately from any colour programme.
A phrase such as "architectural floodlight" is too broad to establish what the fitting must achieve.
2. Record the target and mounting geometry
Document mounting height and location, aiming distance, target dimensions, façade material, existing fixing constraints and maintenance access. Identify any restrictions on new penetrations, visible brackets and cable routes. Coordinate with structural, façade, landscape and electrical teams where responsibilities overlap.
3. Specify the optical requirement
Select the intended distribution based on the surface and application. Record the relevant beam shape, aiming orientation, shielding and acceptable spill. Use product-specific photometric files and retain the software calculation assumptions. Where a specialist distribution is proposed, confirm the exact tested or modelled variant.
4. Specify light and colour accurately
Establish white-light appearance and colour-rendering requirements where relevant. For dedicated single-colour schemes, define the intended hue and method of sample approval. For multichannel scenes, record the colour-system type, target colours and programming requirements. CHROMA7 means seven-channel RGBWCLA on compatible Modaluce configurations, not every colour-changing luminaire.
Keep control compatibility and colour-engine availability tied to the actual model and variant.
5. Define controls and commissioning
Record required operating scenes, schedules, scene ownership, protocol and controller architecture. Include addressing and channel maps where necessary, plus the normal fallback state. Distinguish LED electrical drive from the control interface. State who is responsible for configuration, scene approval, aiming and handover.
6. Review environmental and installation requirements
Confirm the site's exposure, ingress requirements, housing materials, drainage, electrical connections, mechanical loading and access. For inground and underwater products, the civil and connection details require their own review. Use the manufacturer's exact installation instructions and applicable Australian requirements.
7. Review adjoining properties and external approvals
Assess obtrusive light, glare and the surrounding night environment. Confirm which planning, heritage, public-realm or asset-owner approvals apply. Where relevant in Australia, have the qualified designer assess the current AS/NZS 4282:2023 framework alongside local requirements. Do not transfer limits from a different site classification without analysis.
8. Preserve a traceable submittal record
For each luminaire, retain the model and variant, approved optical and colour configuration, supporting drawings, photometry status, installation detail and revision history. Review substitutions against the design intent, not merely nominal power or appearance.
9. Treat samples as project evidence
For visually consequential façades, agree a representative sample or mock-up: surface material, viewpoint, fitting, mounting and aim, colour setting and photographic conditions. File the approval and commissioning changes with the project records.
A schedule worth keeping
At minimum, the issue-for-construction schedule should link each zone to its purpose, drawing, selected product and variant, distribution, colour system, mounting detail, controls, photometric evidence and commissioning responsibility. This structure reduces the risk of losing the design intent between concept and installation.
Use this article as a briefing checklist. For a project-specific luminaire selection, send Modaluce the elevations, intended effects and mounting constraints.
