Page 10 - School Planning & Management, April/May 2019

FACILITIES { LEARNING SPACES }
New Wine in Old Bottles
Imagine the opportunities that could be created in the learning environment if there were 50 or even a 100 points of light in each classroom that could be controlled individually or grouped in zones.
THERE ARE THREE historical periods of electric lighting in schools, beginning in 1880 when Edison provided us with the incandescent light bulb. Nearly 140 years later, we can still find incandescent bulbs in use in some schools.
The second era began as a project to support the wartime needs of industry
By Andrew LaRowe and Mike Raible
in the 1940’s. Fluorescent lighting provided a brighter working environment at a reduced cost for factories, office buildings, and educational facilities.
The largest percentage of schools in this country still use fluorescent fixtures. During this era, an energy conservation initiative caused some schools to convert
costly T12 light fixtures with magnetic ballasts to more efficient T5 lighting with electronic ballasts.
The third historical period occurred with the introduction of the Light Emitting Diode or LED. Although examples of LED technology can be found in the 1960’s, commercially available
10 SCHOOL PLANNING & MANAGEMENT / APRIL/MAY 2019
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PHOTO COURTESY OF SIGNIFY