A framework for public lighting projects begins with a clear definition of need, and only then moves to luminaires and control. If you are a municipal planner or a public-sector buyer, this order keeps the call for tenders precise and the result predictable. We manufacture LED luminaires for demanding, long-term use and assemble them in Finland, so we see what happens when a project starts from the product instead of the site.

Step 1: Define the lighting need before you choose luminaires

Write down what the site must do. A street, a park path, a bridge underpass and a sports hall each ask for something different, and the description of the site should say so. Note the users, the hours of use and the conditions: cold, moisture, vibration, dust or limited access for maintenance.

Add the goals that belong to your organisation, such as lower energy use, fewer maintenance visits or less light spill into surroundings. A short written need statement gives every bidder the same starting point and makes offers comparable. Our article on lighting for canopies and bridges shows how conditions shape the brief.

Define the site, its conditions and its users first, and the luminaire and control choices follow from that description.

Step 2: Match luminaires and light distribution to the site

Once the need is clear, you can choose the luminaire type and the optics. Light distribution decides where light lands, so it affects both safety and surroundings. A narrow street, a wide car park and a bridge deck call for different distributions even when the brightness target is the same. Read more in our piece on the role of light distribution in outdoor lighting design.

Standard models do not always fit. We can build customised luminaires on the basis of existing luminaire models, also in production batches of fewer than one hundred units. For a single bridge or a small park, you can therefore specify a fitting for the site instead of adapting the site to a fitting. See how customised luminaires support public-sector projects.

Step 3: Add lighting control that serves the same goals

Choose control last, and choose it against the goals from step 1. If you want light levels that follow the hour or the activity, the control solution must support that. Our eSave range includes Zhaga controllers such as SLC-HUB 203, SLC-MOTION 203, SLC-ENVIRO 203 and SLC-NOISE 203, together with SL-Configurator software and the cloud-based SL-Control platform.

Decide early how you will manage the system once it runs. Who adjusts the settings, and who reads the data? Naming that person in the tender saves rework later. Browse our eSave products and our overview of intelligent lighting. The eSave warranty terms apply to all eSave products.