Lighting design and UNI 11630 standard: choosing a LED is not enough

When a company decides to invest in lighting refurbishment, the focus almost always falls on technology. The discussion revolves around LEDs, energy savings, reduced consumption, and incentives. However, the true value of a lighting intervention originates before product selection—it comes from the design.

In Italy, the main reference for professional lighting design is UNI 11630, the standard that defines the criteria for drafting a complete and structured lighting project.

This standard does not specify particular lighting performance parameters, such as illuminance levels or light uniformity, but establishes the working method. In other words, it indicates how to analyze the environment, set up technical checks, and document design choices.

Often in relamping interventions, a logic of direct replacement of fixtures is followed. This approach, however, can lead to suboptimal results, as each space has different requirements depending on the activities carried out and the characteristics of the environment.

A project compliant with the standard allows starting from the actual needs of the company, obtaining concrete benefits not only in terms of energy but also in light quality and safety.

Specifically, design according to the standard allows:

• Assessing the area conditions before intervention
• Optimizing the number and placement of luminaires
• Verifying technical parameters required by regulations
• Reducing installed power without compromising performance

UNI 11630 integrates with other reference technical standards, such as UNI EN 12464-1 for indoor environments and UNI EN 12464-2 for outdoor areas, which set performance parameters for workplace lighting.

At Quantum, every intervention starts with design. We operate nationwide in industrial, commercial, public, and naval sectors, developing refurbishment solutions that combine technical analysis, regulatory compliance, and connected LED technologies. For us, energy efficiency is truly effective only when the result of a solid and documented project, because lighting quality depends not only on technology but, above all, on how that technology is conceived and integrated into the environment.