Today's Industrial Products and Solutions February 2019 | Page 7

Design-Conscious Emergency Lights
Dedicated emergency lighting is often utilitarian,
obtrusive and unsightly.  One of the most common,
low cost options involves two lamps and a bulky
battery pack that is often referred to as a “bug-eye”
light.
Fortunately, more stylish options exist.  At the top
of the list is incorporating existing architectural
lighting into the emergency lighting plan.  In this
approach, the architectural lights operate as nor-
mal.  If utility power is lost, however, supplemental
power can be supplied via an inverter or generator.
While this approach is ideal, there are many situa-
tions in which the existing lighting will not provide
the requisite illumination along the entire path. 
When this occurs, lighting designers often seek out
more high-end, stylish fixtures.  Even items such
as bug-eyes and exit signs are available in more
aesthetic versions.
When emergency lighting is necessary, one of the
most aesthetic options is actually to conceal it until
it is required.  Some ingenious units are even de-
signed to blend in with the existing decor by being
painted or covered with wallpaper.
For example, one manufacturer of specifica-
tion-grade emergency lighting products, Isolite, of-
fers the Genie, along with a more compact version
called the Mini Genie, that remain fully recessed
behind two flat panel doors until required. 
“If power is lost, the battery-powered units auto-
matically open to light the way,” explains Lynch.
Exit Signs
Although exit signs must be functional, they do not