Architecture & Design

30 | Architecture & Design E mergency lighting is a vital and effective life safety tool, that provides guidance to people at critical times when they need to escape quickly and safely from a building.There are a number of emergency requirements that need to be satisfied when implementing an emergency lighting installation so as to meet international standards. Daisalux, a well-established brand in this industry, is dedicated to the design, manufacture and commercialisation of three types of facilities that need to be integrated into a building; emergency luminaires, beacon lighting equipment and safety signalling, all of which ensure the safety of the people occupying the premises in the event of an emergency. The escape route depends primarily on the people who carry it out. The main causes of panic during an emergency are: • Lack of knowledge of the building's geometry • Lock of knowledge of the route to be followed • The feeling of being penned in • The feeling of a lack of time • Confusing and faulty signalling • Insufficient lighting • Blocking of emergency exits • Crowding at emergency exits To eliminate these risks, it is essential that emergency lighting and signalling allow panic to be controlled and facilitate the safest and easiest unostructed escape route from a building. The main objective of the escape route lighting is to assist the safe exit of people from a location, by providing clear visual signage and instructions.It is also important to highlight fire fighting and safety equipment that can be easily located and used. The horizontal illuminances on the floor along the centre line of an escape route shouldn't be less than 1 lux. With regards to open areas, the horizontal illuminance cannot be less than 0.5 lux. These appropriate visual conditions and directions reduce panic and enable safe movement towards escape routes. The minimum duration of the illumination of the emergency escape lighting and open area lighting is three hours. All equipment used must be capable of being demonstrated as of adequate quality, are safe to use, and have been designed and manufactured for correct performance under emergency conditions, which means that emergency luminaires should comply with EN 60598 2-22 standard. Emergency signalling should be placed to indicate the escape routes. The visual ergonomics of safety signalling must facilitate visual accommodation even in the most adverse conditions. Regulations must be complied with but is is also important for the signalling to be highly effective. Daisalux designed the Ikus series based on these efficiency considerations, which uses a LED light source and an LGP (Light guide panel) made up of seven layers to distribute the light around the emergency sign, achieving the perfect contrast and uniformity values and thus providing high visibility even in demanding environments. Under emergency lighting conditions, it is important that the sign is sufficiently illuminated and the safety colour remains green with white as the contrasting colour, with a ratio of luminance of white colour to green colour not less than 5:1 and not greater than 15:1. In the European and international standard EN ISO 7010 no text is used. The ISO 30061 standard also recommends the use of beacon lighting as a support system for emergency lighting in the event of a fire in which smoke can reduce emergency lighting levels. While emergency lighting is critical to life safety and must function to code, no one wants to see the devices ruin the aesthetics of a building's interiors. This is why Daisalux has managed to create solutions such as the installation of recessed emergency lights that allow for a seamless, flush architectural look by hiding most of the emergency light housing within the wall or ceiling. The brand also offers the option of a track system, emergency lighting in one slim, aluminium profile. FuNdaMeNtaLs oF eMerGeNcy LIGhtING

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