Exterior lighting differs greatly from interior lighting and therefore it is important to take into account all the specific criteria when developing a proposal for an outdoor lighting project.

When faced with producing a design for exterior projects we know that we have to consider to a much larger extent the effect and impact from and upon the environmental conditions. There are lots of details to consider, some of which may not be obvious but are nonetheless extremely important. Such considerations include: lighting pollution, surrounding ratio, threshold increment, conflict areas, type of traffic, class of road, visibility level and many more.

In addition to considering environmental conditions, there are also totally different criteria at the time of deciding lighting parameters like colour temperature, mounting height of luminaires, CRI, etc.

An outdoor space is usually a common space used by many individuals, each of them with their own specific needs. It is also a space that has different occupancy levels depending upon the time of day or night and a place in which a variety of activities take place. These factors mean that outdoor spaces can be much more difficult to be lit efficiently and so lighting control becomes more complex and important in order to do so. 

Efficient exterior lighting cannot be achieved simply by using luminaires with high lighting efficiency, there are many factors to consider and to take into account.