Parking garages were once thought to be dirty and poorly lit. Nowadays, with new construction, design improvements and renovations, those negative views have mostly been left behind.  Designers and owners have come to realize the importance of a better looking facility with quality lighting.  They have learned that proper lighting can create a safe and secure environment and attract new customers.

Because no two facilities are the same, it is difficult to give a general assessment. Instead, we will take a look at the most common types of lighting for garage lighting applications as explore how they compare to each other.

Of course, before we begin exploring what type of lighting is best for your garage, you must first decide upon how much light you need.  While there are standard levels recommended for garages, most opt to light beyond those levels to reach better uniformity ratios that create a safer environment. Footcandles are the preferred unit of measurement for parking garages and a good rule of thumb is to reach five foot candles per square foot both horizontally and vertically.  Also note that vertical lighting is actually more important than the horizontal.

More...