As our principal, Paul Ruffles, is highly regarded as a technical expert within the lighting world: he is often called on to give expert advice in lighting disputes. These can be highly complex involving issues of design responsibility, component failure, compliance with legislation or interpretation of briefs or professional guidance.

Fitness for purpose

We were appointed independent joint-expert by the court in a case between a contractor and a lighting manufacturer. It mainly revolved around the fitness for purpose of the luminaire for the installation. The investigation included the careful analysis of the meaning and intent of a number of European Standards and the way the manufacturer and two independent national test-houses had interpreted them. The expert report we produced was used as the basis of a court settlement of the dispute.

Dispute over lighting levels, London

We were called in to act as independent experts in a dispute between the landlords of a large complex of inter-linked office buildings in the City of London and some of their tenants. The dispute revolved around two issues: whether the luminaires were suitable for use in offices where there was widespread use of computer screens and whether the lighting level in the office spaces met the levels set out in the lease. We carried out extensive surveys of the lighting system and witnessed lighting tests carried out in some of the spaces. This resulted in a series of reports about the various issues raised by the tenants.

Lighting causing burns

This was a case where a light within an exterior lighting installation caused burns to a member of the public. The owner of the lighting had then to both pay compensation and turn off part of the lighting system. They sought redress from the lighting system’s original designers. When this was not forthcoming they took action through the courts to recover money and to seek damages.

We acted as expert witnesses in this case and carried out extensive thermal and lighting trials on site and a literature search and technical investigation into burn thresholds for various types of materials used in the construction of the lights. The results of all this was put into a report that was used in out of court negotiations between the lighting system’s owners and the designers. We later prepared  designs for replacement of various parts of the original scheme.

Potential loss of daylight by proposed new development

We were asked by the developers of a new block of apartments to carry out an analysis of the effect on the daylight and sunlight availability for residents living near to the new block. The Local Authority had just refused planning permission as they had worries over the likely impact of the new building on existing local residents. The report that we used was submitted in evidence to Public Enquiry in which we also gave evidence. The enquiry found in favour of the developers.