How to Design a Lighting Control System, PART II

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In Part 1 of this Lighting Controls System Design series, we learned about key documentation including the Content Intent Narrative (CIN), Sequence of Operations (SOO), and Owner Project Requirements (OPR). The next step in design development is to turn these requirements and conceptual design into a realized design. This step typically requires flexibility as the architecture and lighting requirements change, necessitating maintaining the CIN and SOO to keep them up to date with any project changes. In this article, we will learn how to plan and coordinate the lighting control system defined in Part 1.

USING A CIN AND SOO

The CIN and SOO are “living” documents, which means they are updated throughout the project to provide a continuous roadmap for the lighting controls designer. As such, any updates to the control intent should be reflected in the CIN and SOO and communicated to the project team, particularly the owner. And because the CIN needs to be understood by all participants, it should be written in simple, plain language.

Using the CIN and SOO to design a lighting control system can be as simple as issuing their final versions to a manufacturer. From these, the manufacturer can produce a submittal that includes a bill of materials, formal documents that detail equipment, mounting locations, and any services. The lighting control systems designer then reviews the submittal. For larger, complex projects, this review can be demanding, and as such, development of diagrams, zoning plan, manuals, schedules, and performance testing criteria is recommended to supplement the CIN and SOO.