This photograph shows a fairly typical commercial lighting installation on the eve of the Energy Crisis. The recessed fluorescent fixtures in the "luminous ceiling" throw a blanket of ambient light across the space. Notice the additional recessed fixtures above the teller stations and the decorative chandeliers hanging along the centerline.

In 1972, the recommended illuminance rating for bank lobbies listed in the Illuminating Engineering Society Handbook was 50 foot-candles. The handbook's next edition, published in 1981, recommended 20 to 30 foot-candles. Despite the energy efficiency of fluorescent lighting, soaring energy costs made this type of design uneconomical.

Return to New Ways of Commercial Lighting

© 2001 Smithsonian Institution
Last Updated: February 2000