Fiber Optic Landscape Lighting

by Richard Heiner, marketing director,
Super Vision International, Orlando, Fla.

Most people still associate the topic of fiber optics with the communications variety so I frequently try and realign their perspective by having them recall those stores in the mall that sell the lamps with the turning, lighted fiber stands. The amazing thing about fiber optic lighting that fascinates people so much, may be attributed to the ability to touch the light, literally, without getting burned-plus the little points of light at the end of the fiber just look cool. Countless times, I have observed people reaching out and touching the end of the fiber, once they see that it is safe.

Perhaps, the fact that one can actually “touch the light” makes a deeper statement about whom we are, but that is a topic for a different article. Never the less, it is this fascination with fiber optic light, and the ability to use it just about anywhere, that has caught the imagination of more than a few of today’s landscape designers. The recent trend for more elaborate backyard improvements and public and private spaces have prompted fiber optic lighting manufactures to create more innovative products to illuminate just about all facets of the outdoor built environment.

Fiber Optic Basics

Before we look at a project, lets discuss the basics of fiber optic lighting (FOL). Components for a FOL system will generally consist of an illuminator, the remote source of the light. It may use a halogen, xenon or metal halide lamp; it may also have a color wheel, if desired, that turns or stops via a switch or remote control. Several illuminators may be wired together to synchronize any color changes.

Notice how the black PVC jacket has been stripped back away from this fiber optic cable. The cable is being feed though a fitting that will hold the fixture; the stake secures the acrylic light stick in the ground so it won’t move when the concrete is poured around it.

The next component is the fiber optic cable. There are two types of manufactured lighting cables, solid core and stranded. The solid core is also referred to as large core optical fiber (LCOF), made of one piece of solid fiber. Stranded fiber cables use many smaller diameter fibers inside one cable. The stranded will be more flexible than the solid core, but the solid core is denser so it will give more light than a similar diameter stranded cable. Both types of cable can be found in two styles, with a black jacket or a clear jacket. The clear jacket creates a kind of neon like effect where the light is emitted from the sides of the cable. You can find a range of diameters for both these styles.

A hole is drilled into this wood step form and the fiber optic acrylic light stick is inserted. After construction is complete, these acrylic light sticks will offer spot highlights in the vertical plane of the steps.

The third component of the FOL system is used only when light is directed out of the end of the fiber and is typically utilizes a fixture that holds the fiber and directs the light through a lens or fixture, providing a decorative light effect.

As far as skills or special tools required to work with fiber optics, the primary tool for use with stranded fiber is a hot knife. Hot knife cutting is used to sever the fiber for mounting in the fiber port or cutting fiber flush at the other end of the cable at the fixture. Think of fiber optic as a water hose, nice flush cut terminations tend to let the maximum light in or out. If the fiber cable is crimped or cut with scissors, it may restrict the light from entering or emitting. Imagine a water hose run over by your car tire; the water is restricted from exiting. You will also need a sharp razor knife to strip the jacket off of the cable at the termination points.

Project One: Residential Outdoor Pond and Patio

Landscape design build company: Artistic Concrete Design Inc., Snohomish, Wash.
Products: Super Vision Light Stick, SideGlow?EUR??,,????<

This outdoor patio had an interesting color pattern that was enhanced through accented light points at the intersecting lines of the grid. Fiber optic, acrylic rods were placed in the pattern before the pour, and cut flush after the concrete was set.

The landscape fixtures in the water feature are also fiber optically lit, tying the deck and water feature lighting together through the use of color. These fixtures are standard low-voltage fixtures with the electrical parts removed and retrofitted with fiber. Notice the side emitting fiber under the step and outlining the boundaries of the patio.

Notice the light sticks protruding from the concrete as the concrete is troweled smooth around them. These acrylic sticks be cut flush with a saw and polished smooth with fine sandpaper once the concrete has set.

Up to this point, we haven’t really discussed why landscape contractors would choose fiber optic lighting over low-voltage or standard lighting. Since there isn’t any electricity going through the fiber-only light-there aren’t any restrictions, except common sense, on where it can be installed. Basically, the electrical code doesn’t apply here, but keep in mind that there is still an illuminator and most manufactures produce one requiring 110 to 120 volts. This must be installed per the manufactures requirements and the electrical building code. In most areas, the illuminator must be 10 feet from any body of water, like a pool, pond or water feature, or five feet away with a four-foot-high barrier. Check your local building and electrical codes first.

Project Two: High End Residential and Commercial Landscape Showcase

Casa Cor, Rio de Janeiro and Casa Cor, Brasilia.
Fiber Optic Products and Installation by: SPAS VERSATI S?????o Paulo, Brazil.

This 150-watt illuminator by Super Vision International runs on 110 volts and uses a metal halide lamp. This type of illuminator can be surface mounted on a wall or on a concrete pad. A close up of the acrylic light stick with fiber optic emitting cable used in the residential patio and pond project. The acrylic sticks were implanted in the concrete, where they shine up, adding definition to architectural highlights in a patio or landscape.

Each year in downtown S?????o Paulo, Brazil, a six-week showcase of designs by local architects, landscape architects and interior designers is constructed and displayed for public viewing. Innovative products and designs are the central focus of the event with the objective being to inspire and create interest in the latest design trends. It is no surprise to find fiber optic lighting products for applications on interior and exterior decks, floors, waterfalls and pool and spa underwater lighting, not to mention path lighting and up-lighting of the landscape. The color aspects of fiber optic lighting are crucial in the designers thinking; the color is used to develop themes, stir emotional responses, create or define spaces and also focus the viewer?EUR??,,????'???s attention on a particular area.

Layout

With any design project the planning steps are crucial and it’s no different for a FOL project. The cost of FOL can be controlled through careful planning and placement of the illuminator. The cost of fiber optic cable can vary with the diameter size. The farther away the fixture is you may require a larger diameter fiber as the light may “bleed” out. A general rule is to place the illuminator in a central and inconspicuous place. The object in centrally locating the illuminator is to keep the cable runs, like the arms of an octopus, at near equal lengths so the light output is even. Runs between 15 and 40 feet will be even; after 40 feet some dimming may be observed; with runs less than 10 to 15 feet, the fixture may appear brighter than it would in 45-foot-runs.

Illuminators

Some illuminators mount on a concrete pad, and some mount directly in the ground, in a tower configuration with the fibers coming up through a conduit. It is wise to run the fiber optic cables inside a PVC pipe, if nothing more than to protect them from aggressive landscape maintenance equipment like edger’s or shovels. Make sure that you don’t use hard 90-degree bends, or you may find the light will bleed out of the hard corner. Use sweeps instead of bends. Stranded fiber is made of PMMA acrylic and can withstand direct environmental exposure; it’s usually covered with a PVC jacket so the product is pretty durable.

Side-emitting fiber optic lighting outlines the perimeter of the deck. For an added decorative touch, fiber optic acrylic sticks (implanted in the concrete) shine up, highlighting each corner of contrasting concrete squares. Notice the acrylic light sticks installed horizontally in the step up to the spa.

Another key in the design process involves understanding what size fiber to use in the fixtures. The manufacturers specifications should recommend fiber sizes for particular fixtures or applications. Illuminators can handle a set amount of fibers in the “fiber port” or “fiber head,” once that limit has been reached, an additional illuminator may be required. If color changing is desired, a synchronizing system will be needed to coordinate the two or more systems. This is generally accomplished by running low-voltage wires to connect the illuminators. However, new wireless systems are showing up in the market and may become a trend. Many manufactures offer design and layout services to their customers. They may also provide contractors with a bill of materials to assist in the planning process.

Design

With all that said, don’t lose focus on the lighting design itself. Good lighting design practices still apply. With the versatility of fiber optic, landscape contractors may find themselves placing lighting in uncharted territory. In general, keep in mind that light is invisible until it is reflected off something. This may sound simple, and it is, but it’s still a basic fundamental in any lighting design. Whether you’re lighting a wall, tree, rock, mist or other object, always give careful consideration to their color, texture and shape-examining their reflective properties.

The pond, waterfall and tulip lights are all fiber optically lit; the light green color is synchronized with the patio, tying the two together.

If you are using colored light, then know in advance what it will look like when you shine a filtered light on it, be it a blue, magenta or other color light.

There is also color temperature of the light to consider. Most people are familiar with “cool” fluorescent lamp and “warm” lamps. The temperature rating refers to the color, not the heat output of the light. A cool light has a high Kelvin rating and will exhibit a bluish tone; warm lights project a yellowish tone and are positioned lower on the Kelvin scale. The color rendering properties of light can make a difference in the way the final project is perceived.

Powerful, adjustable fiber optic flood lights were used to add dramatic element to these trees. A color wheel allows optional color changes to vary the mood.

When determining where to place fixtures, the viewing angle should be considered. In most settings, keeping the source of the light hidden, or at least inconspicuous, is usually desirable-unless the fixture is to be the object of the design, like a path light or the acrylic light-rods mentioned earlier.

There are several good books out about outdoor lighting, and numerous design resources exist at your library, bookstore or on-line. A good resource will discuss ideas like silhouetting, grazing, flood lighting, spot lighting, up lighting and down lighting. If these terms are familiar to you, you’re probably already familiar with lighting design, if not, you may want to consider doing some more research and expand your knowledge a bit.

The ramp leading up to the building is bordered with subtle side-emitting fiber optic cable. The light is not too bright, just vivid enough to direct your attention along the path.

Fiber optics won’t likely provide an end all solution to your landscape lighting requirements, but perhaps it can offer a solution to a difficult lighting problem or help to achieve a unique atmosphere or effect that your client is looking for.

About the author: Richard Heiner is the marketing director for Super Vision International, www.svision.com, a LED and fiber optic lighting company in Orlando, Fla. that manufactures lighting systems for signs, architectural, landscape and pool and spa applications. rheiner@svision.com