How do you light up the outside of a building to make it stand out from the crowd? First impressions count, so in this blog we explore how to wall wash a building with light to captivate passers by as it gets dark.
Whether your aim is to add grandeur to a building, highlight architectural features or draw guests to an entrance, the right lighting will play a critical role as darkness draws in.
When used correctly LED wall washers can bring any wall to life. There may also be features that you want to highlight for extra drama or perhaps you want to draw people towards the entrance and ensure their safe passage.
There are some things that you must consider to get it right.
Lighting beam angle
Thinking about what you want to light will determine what beam angle you want from your fitting.
60o beam
This wide beam is ideal for creating a wash of light on flat surfaces or to illuminate a larger area from further away.
30o beam
For features that need mid-level lighting, you will find that a beam of around 30o is a great choice. It allows you to cast a swathe of light across a dedicated area.
25ox35o beam
This asymmetric beam will offer a more directed beam of light for an angle of 25o with a lower illumination from 25o out to 35o. It’s a good solution for both entrances and walls.
Light intensity
The desired light intensity sets the mood and ambiance. For a vibrant atmosphere, use a higher lumen output to create a striking effect. For a more relaxed atmosphere, use a lower brightness level.
For outdoor lighting we would recommend between 50 and 185 lumens on the surface. This will be determined by the fitting’s distance away from wall, the angle of the beam and its output.
Also, consider the colour of the wall. If it’s a dark surface, you might have to use a higher output fitting. And avoid illuminating reflective surfaces, such as windows that may cause glare.
Robust and durable
An outdoor light will be subject to all the extremes of our weather. It will need to be waterproof with a rating of IP65 and be resistant to corrosion. Look at the length of warranty that the manufacturer offers, because once installed you do not want to be called back to replace or maintain it.
Remember one of the big benefits of LED luminaires is that have a long life of typically 70,000 hours; so, it will last for years.
If the luminaire is likely to be immersed under water, because it is recessed into the ground for example, then you should make sure it has a rating of IP67 or higher.
Energy saving
Modern LED fittings save lots of energy compared to the traditional Halogen lights used outdoors. Remember not all LED lights are equal, check the lumen per watt for your chosen fitting, the higher the number the better.
Installing lighting control will also help you save your customer energy. Timers and/or PIR sensors are a good idea to control when the lights come on and off. If the fitting is dimmable then you can also alter the level of illumination both to save energy and to fine tune what illuminance you want on the surface you are lighting.
Wall grazing
Wall grazing is another technique that uses outdoor wall washers. While wall washing will eliminate shadows, wall grazing aims to showcase texture using shadows. You need to do this carefully by placing the wall washer closer to the wall to light the vertical structure at a narrow angle. The position of the fitting will result in either intense or soft shadows.
To add another layer of light, it’s worth combining wall washing with accent lighting, whether you achieve this with wall washers or other LED ground or spotlights. The accent lighting will add depth and focal points to focus on.
Flexible installation
To get the lighting right for a building, try different positions with the fitting and experiment with alternative beam angles.
Some modern wall washers allow you to change the light distribution while using the same fitting, so there is no need to turn up to site with several different options.
Our Volta range of outdoor uplights, for example, allows you to choose three different beam angles from narrow (30o) to wide beam (60o) or asymmetrical (20ox35o) and are tiltable so that you can change the angle. You can also select between two different correlated colour temperatures of a warm 2700K white light or 3000K.
Our design expertise
Outdoor lighting is essential for security and safety, but beyond that a good design can really lift the outside of a building. Whether it’s to highlight a historic building or architectural brilliance, or to create a good impression for a commercial organisation a sound understanding of design will make all the difference to winning the business.
We have a team of lighting designers who can help ensure that you create stunning results. With our knowledge and your installation skills, together we can help transform our built environment.
