Commercial Lighting
Solutions
ConTech Capabilities
Innovation
We combine the latest energy efficient technology
and design styles to create an extensive range
of attractive and sustainable luminaires. We have
over 5,000 products, including many high performance products that can’t be found
anywhere else. Our EcoTechnology solutions offer sustainable energy solutions that
meet the qualitative needs of the visual environment with the least impact on the
physical environment.
Sustainability
At ConTech Lighting, our commitment to the environment is as important as our
commitment to innovation, quality and our customers. We believe that lighting can
be environmentally responsible and energy efficient, while providing high-quality
performance and outstanding aesthetic design. EcoTechnology applies to our daily
operation as well as to our products; from materials, manufacturing and transportation
to the disposal process for our products and by-products.
Quality
We use the best components and manufacturing methods resulting in the highest
quality fixtures. From cast housings and high performance reflectors, to the testing
of each ballasted fixture before it ships, ConTech Lighting is defined by its quality. For
consistency, we use only the most reliable LED chip makers including Cree, Nichia,
Lumileds, Bridgelux and Sharp.
Service
Our responsive, personalized customer focus, and market expertise represents an oasis
of outstanding service in an industry that values it, but frequently doesn’t receive it. We
are here for you, live and in person, Monday through Friday 7:30am – 5:30pm CST.
Product Availability And Speedship™
Our products are in stock and ready to ship. Our unique
SpeedShip™ process helps us toward our goal of shipping
100% of placed orders within 48 hours; at no additional cost
to you.
Market Expertise
Each market has its own unique lighting challenges. Designs can get tricky, having to
verify every fixture, test every connector and make certain that every length of track is
just right. We have an experienced staff of sales professionals to assist you with your
projects from concept to completion.
ConTech Lighting Awards
The ConTech Lighting Awards recognize and honor the excellent
work of designers, architects, engineers and contractors.
Entries are judged on creativity, originality and effective use of
ConTech products. For more information and to submit entries
online, go to www.contechlighting.com/application_gallery/
entryform.aspx.
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Designing an office lighting plan involves more than
calculations and luminaire selection. The lighting
solution affects the ambience of the office; the
psychological well being, interest, and enthusiasm
of its inhabitants. It should enhance the feeling of
well-being and productivity, so consideration must be
given to the design of the office interior to create a
stimulating work place. Employees need to perform
tasks comfortably and effectively in the environment
where they spend one-third of their lives. ConTech
Lighting can help you make a strong statement in
your commercial space. An unsurpassed selection or
track, flexible track systems, recessed downlighting
and decorative luminaires give you a complete palette
from which to create your signature design.
ConTech Lighting is known for cutting-edge fixture designs, superior product engineering, competitive
pricing, application assistance and our unique Speed Ship® shipping capabilities. The Speed Ship®
process allows us to ship many of over 5,000 products within twenty-four hours of ordering, at no
additional charge to you. Many of these products can not be found anywhere else. To ensure quality,
all of our ballasted products are tested prior to shipping. At ConTech Lighting, we’re always on with
customer service representatives to assist you in any way possible. These factors are what separate
ConTech Lighting from the others, and it’s how we’ve done business from day one.
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Goals of Commercial Lighting:
• Create a cohesive environment that enhances the feeling of well-being and
productivity of the office staff
• Create a flexible lighting plan that enables employees to perform tasks comfortably,
effectively, and safely.
• Integrate and balance ambient, task and accent lighting into each area of the office.
• Allow a comfortable transition from space to space.
• Design a lighting plan for long-term employee comfort, with a proper balance of
energy savings and lighting quality.
• Integrate and control daylight to improve employee morale and cut energy costs.
• Address energy efficiency and energy codes.
Lighting is one of the best, and easiest, ways to improve
the office environment. The challenge is that office lighting
plans must be cohesive and effectively illuminate different
types of spaces that coexist under one roof: the reception
area, open office space and private offices of varying sizes.
It must represent and reinforce the corporate image. There
are energy codes to follow, concerns about energy costs
and efficiency of the lighting system, as well as the need to
incorporate flexibility for easy adjustments as the company
grows and the lighting needs change.
The primary function of lighting in the office space is to
support work. It effects the ambience in the office; it
effects how employees and current, and prospective,
clients and customers view the company and it’s image.
It has a profound effect on the feeling of well-being and
productivity of the office staff. Therefore, it is essential that
office lighting be included as a vital consideration towards
the successful operation of any business.
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Considerations for
Commercial Lighting:
• Size and shape of the space
• Traffic patterns through the space
• How each room will be used: there is almost always
some type of task involved in each space and some
tasks require more light than others.
• The ceiling height and shape: if light will be
reflected off these surfaces and contribute to the
ambient light level in the room.
• Color of the walls: darker walls absorb more light
and may require higher levels of illumination. A
light, bright office will reflect a better image of a
company than a dull one.
• Art work and highlight areas: determining the
pieces and places to be highlighted helps
determine the number of accent lights needed.
• Families of luminaires: recessed downlights used
as adjustable accents and wall washers should
match in aperture size and trim finish as well as
use similar lamp types. Compliment these choices
with the same, or similar, finished fixtures to avoid
drawing attention to the lighting system.
The best lighting is integrated into the architecture of the space: enhancing the architect’s conception of
the space, reinforcing the activity occurring in the space, and highlighting prominent areas. When lighting
commercial spaces, a “one size fits all” approach is unsuccessful, as different areas require different lighting
needs. It is important to work on a spcae-by-space basis to determine specific lighting design criteria with
enough flexibility for personal touch. The lighting design needs to be kept simple to avoid visual clutter; use a
family of luminaries for cohesiveness in the design. It is important to layer the light, ambient (general), task and
accent to get the best balance of light in the space.
Lighting uses about 30% of the electricity used in an office space. Dimming controls can also reduce energy
costs by lowering light levels to conserve energy and increase lamp life and alter the intensity of light to suit
particular tasks and activities. Many of ConTech Lighting’s products can be operated by a dimming control.
A lighting designer must consider a variety of key characteristics when developing lighting designs including
lamp life, system efficiency, lumen maintenance, color rendering and appearance, daylight integration and
control, light distribution, points of interest, cost, system control and flexibility. ConTech’s extensive product
selection allows you to create the perfect lighting solution every time.
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The Basics
There are three types of lighting for a commercial space: ambient, task and accent. A
good lighting design layers these types of
light to create the most efficient and aesthetically pleasing environment.
Ambient Lighting
Ambient lighting is also referred to as “general”
lighting. It provides the area with overall illumination;
more specifically for orientation, general tasks, and
to control contrast ratios. In most commercial spaces, the general light level is produced by fluorescent
overheads. Fluorescent is a good choice for ambient lighting; these lamps have a long life, good color
qualities and high efficiency. An effective option is a
direct/indirect lighting source such as ConTech Lighting’s Duo ceiling mount fixtures. The ambient lighting
should radiate a comfortable level of brightness and provide a sense of relaxation and spaciousness. The light
level should be uniform throughout the space, inconspicuous and neutral.
Task Lighting
The main function of task lighting is to put high
light levels only where needed as a supplement to general lighting. Effective task lighting
should eliminate shadows on the specific task
area, while, at the same time, avoiding glare.
Glare impedes office work, and is easy to control by increasing the brightness of surrounding areas, decreasing the brightness of the
glare source, or both. For office spaces, utilizing a generally low level of ambient light with
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strategically placed task luminaires is an ideal solution.
Using this combination, the optimal seeing conditions in
the work environment are met, and energy is conserved
since the high-level illumination is provided only where it
is needed. Task lighting reduces the reliance on overhead
lighting, and provides a better quality of light for specific
tasks. Consider a mono-point pendant fixture over a desk
or accent lighting under cabinets for task lighting.
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Individualized task lighting maximizes visibility while saving energy because it allows the
ambient light levels to be lower.
Accent Lighting
Accent lighting reinforces design aesthetics and
creates a dramatic emphasis on shapes, textures,
finishes and colors. It creates a visual interest in the
space and can enhance almost anything. The key
to accent lighting is to make this illumination more
precise, by using an easily controlled and focused
beam of light, and one of higher intensity than the
surrounding ambient light. IESNA (Illuminating Engineering Society of North America) recommends at
least a 3:1 ratio of accent lighting to ambient light to
make objects stand out. Point sources, such as ConTech’s Magellan Flexible Track fixtures, use low voltage MR16 and AR111 lamps for their precise beam
control and direction are ideal for highlighting company logos, project awards and artwork.
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Reception Area
The first impression of your business is often formed
when visitors and potential customers enter your space.
Lighting needs to compliment the architecture, provide a
safe exterior-to-interior transition, and convey a strong
corporate image.
This area usually requires lighting two separate conditions: a task area for the receptionist as well as an area
for waiting visitors. Care should be taken to light the receptionist’s face so they appear approachable. Consider
using mono-point pendant fixtures with one of ConTech
Lighting’s exclusive Rock Cottage Glass shades for impact. Lighting in the waiting area should be restful, but
provide sufficient illuminance for simple tasks. Use accent lighting to highlight pictures, awards or corporate
logos to reinforce the company’s image.
Corridors
The corridors throughout the office must remain
illuminated for long, if not continuous, periods of
time. To conserve energy, provide at least onefifth the illuminance level of the surrounding areas.
This is a safe, navigational level and will not effect
eye adaptation when moving in and out of the hallways. ConTech Lighting’s track system with the 22W
Ceramic Metal Halide Optica fixture can highlight
artwork and provide significant navigational light
levels for these ares. If the walls and ceilings are lit,
the area will feel larger and more open. All corridors
must have emergency lighting, as they are paths of
egress. Consider ConTech Lighting’s Emergency
Recessed Gimbal fixture with an adjustable aiming
angle of 30° and glare free light distribution.
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The Regulator™ Power Feed Limiter limits
the amount of electrical load on a track
run with an integral circuit breaker. Seven
different amperages allow you to meet almost any power requirement.
Open Plan Office Space
The ambient light level in the open plan office needs to provide
a comfortable, functional light and be lit consistently with the
overall lighting plan. The furniture used in the space will have
a major impact on the distribution characteristics and general
luminance of the ambient lighting. Therefore, the task lighting
in the space will provide the higher illuminance levels that are
needed at task locations. The lighting should be distributed uniformly, avoiding hot spots and glare. Glare contributes to eye
strain, visual fatigue and headaches, as well as making tasks
more difficult to see. It is important to keep the open lighting
plan very flexible, as the transient nature of work stations will
alter the planned lighting layout.
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ConTech Lighting has a wide selection of energy
efficient downlights featuring longer lasting compact
fluorescent and ceramic metal halide lamps. Our
Accentuate multi-lamp fixtures offer the efficiency of
Metal Halide lamps, the simplicity of one lamp type for
the whole space and the “clean-up” of the ceiling by
recessing the aimable lights into the ceiling plane.
Private Office Space
Private offices are used for individual work as well as group
meeting space. The ambient light in the room should be sufficient for navigation and conversation, with adequate task
lighting over the desk and other work surfaces. Accent
lighting can provide variety and interest, and serve a dual
purpose by creating simple light patterns on the wall while
highlighting artwork or other work-related material. This can
be achieved with adjustable recessed housings or track
heads. Luminaire design and style should compliment the
architectural and interior design qualities of the room. Wall
sconces can provide some, if not all, of the ambient light
level in the space. Consider using ConTech Lighting’s Wall
Mounted fixtures with a wide variety of lamp and face plate
options, some customizeable, to suit your environment.
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Conference Room
The conference room serves many different functions:
from video and power point presentations to brainstorming sessions, the lighting design needs to accommodate
the range of activity occurring in the space. Using two or
more adjustable lighting systems provides the flexibility
needed for the room. The general lighting in the room, at
a comfortable, navigational level, needs to be dimmable
to vary the illuminance level for visual presentations.
Appropriate task lighting needs to be provided for reading and writing at the table, and should also supply ample
illumination on the people seated at the table.
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Emergency Lighting
When the normal lighting system fails, the emergency lighting should ensure the safety of the building occupants until the general lighting is restored. If egress is required, the
system must illuminate the pathway floor leading to the exits, including all of the passageways, corridor intersections,
stair landings, and exit doors. The exits themselves must be
clearly identified and all light sources must operate continuously during a power interruption. ConTech Lighting has a
full line of emergency and exit lighting to suit your building
space’s needs.
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ConTech Lighting offers a wide selection of exit
and emergency lighting fixtures. Our exit lighting
utilizes the latest in LED technology and are tested
to the highest life safety standards; meeting or
exceeding NFPA101, NEC, and UL924.
ConTech Lighting offers many unique products
that feature the efficiency of compact fluorescent lamps in an attractive and customizeable
package. Our pendants and wall sconce products can add an efficient and unique look into
any space.
Sustainable Lighting Design
The IALD (International Association of Lighting Designers) defines sustainable lighting design as meeting the
qualitative needs of the visual environment with the least impact on the physical environment.
Five Goals of Energy Smart Design
1. Illuminate the space appropriately for its uses by considering both the architectural elements as well as
the human interaction within the space.
2. Integrate layers of light to maximize illumination where it is needed.
3. Use the most efficient lamp and ballast technology appropriate for the space.
4. Use appropriate controls for light level and energy management
5. Integrate daylight.
reducing energy
• Turn off lights when a room is not in use; especially in the over night hours
when the building is unoccupied. This can result in savings of as much as 10%
of your energy bill.
• Use Energy Star Rated fixtures, which use at least 2/3 less energy and better
system efficiency. ConTech Lighting offers a variety of Energy Star rated fixtures, from downlights to wall sconces.
• Choose the right fixtures, which also means choosing the right lamp. Incandescent lamps consume a lot of energy and burn out quickly, whereas compact fluorescent lamps use 75% less energy, are more efficient, and run at a
cooler temperature.
• Look for fixtures that use a higher wattage lamp, rather than using several
fixtures with lower wattage lamps. The higher wattage lamp will emit more
light and reduce the number of fixtures needed in the space. This also results
in fewer fixtures per branch circuit, meaning fewer branch circuits, reducing
the branch circuit wiring costs.
• Whenever possible, use dimming controls. They give flexibility to the lighting
plan and lower light levels to conserve energy and increase lamp life.
• Integrate day light. Energy can be saved by dimming or switching off lights
during times when daylight is available.
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