Lifelong Lighting

By BUILDER Magazine Staff. Did you know that adding more light to a room without regard to how that light is delivered can actually make it harder to see? If not, and if you’re building for older adults, check out the lighting guidelines just published by AARP’s Andrus Foundation (www.andrus.org/Independence/lightingbuilders.html). The guidelines show how to use lighting to minimize some of the negative changes that occur with age. Andrus’ Web site also includes details on how to select light sources and to install fixtures. Research for the guidelines was funded by Andrus but carried out by the Lighting Research Center at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, N.Y. It is also being published as a booklet entitled, “Lighting the Way: A Key to Independence.”