Written by Neil Parslow
Optimal Step Lighting: Balancing Safety, Aesthetics, and Glare Control
Lighting for steps can be achieved in numerous ways, with my personal favourite being downlighting from high above with spotlight fixtures mounted on nearby structures or overhanging trees. This lighting approach offers the most natural form of lighting, with fixtures mounted above and out of the way. They also require far less maintenance while covering a much wider area, so fewer products need to be used.
Unfortunately, it is rare to find convenient mounting locations from above, and installers typically prefer to use recessed and integrated lighting types instead.
In garden and landscape design, we illuminate steps to identify an elevation change predominately. Still, hazards can be caused if the type of lighting used is not thought through properly beforehand. Using unshielded light sources, whether they are recessed in the tread, riser, or flanking walls, will produce a form of disability glare, which reduces visibility so you cannot see the stair treads easily, thus making it more dangerous than not having lighting at all in some cases. Our eyes are extremely good at adjusting to low light levels when given the time to do so, and providing that the surrounding garden lighting is at similar light intensities to the steps, this hugely reduces high contrast levels. It would help further if the garden lighting had a cohesive approach rather than areas of brightly lit elements and pockets of darkness leading to the steps, as this contrast imbalance would also cause visibility issues.
The use of above-ground pole mount path spread lights are sometimes used when flanking plant beds are at the same level as the steps. Still, these are not a good choice of fixture for when navigating the step from lower to higher levels, as you will naturally be looking up the steps and to the underside of the pole lights, which will reveal the light source directly, causing glare.
Linear LED tape has existed for many years, and the relative newcomer is continuous linear neon COB (chip-on-board). These types of LED are extremely popular in landscape design, with the neon type offering higher IP ratings, robustness and customisations. One of the main problems with linear LEDs is that manufacturers continually increase their efficiency, so they are becoming far brighter than needed, which may be helpful for interior projects but not gardens and landscapes. Suppose these types of products are being used on hardscape surfaces. Adding an inline dimmer unit on the secondary low-volt side is highly recommended. It can be installed inside a suitable IP-rated enclosure and dimmed to a level far less than the surrounding landscape lighting. Steps with brighter linear LEDs automatically become the main focal point within the garden as they are now at the brightest level within the garden. Still, they should only be bright enough to denote the elevation change.
Also, placing the dimmer inside an enclosure to keep it out of the client’s reach eliminates the temptation to alter the brightness level.
Recessed step or marker lights are another great choice and are extremely compact in size. Some offer an eyelid style and are great when nestled into the walls of steps. They also provide a grazing or wash effect on stair treads and risers. Again, keep the outputs to the minimum setting, especially if the colour of the illuminated surface is light in colour. When deciding the placement of the lights, ensure a suitable height above the tread. The treads will become too bright through reflectance if it is too close.
