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Luminance Requirements

What is luminance and why consider it?

Luminance can be defined as a measure (in candelas per sq. metre) of the brightness of a point on a     surface that is  radiating or reflecting light. 

Sufficient luminance contrast of surfaces can visually warn  people of impending hazards such as kerb ramps, stairs, bus stops and railway station platform edges.

And using colour on or within concrete can greatly assist in improving the luminance factor of these areas, particularly for visually impaired people.

Requirements under the Disability Discrimination Act

Section 23 and 24 of the Disability Discrimination Act seeks to ensure that people with a disability have equal access to premises, goods, services and facilities. The Building Code of Australia (BCA) includes the Australian Standards for access and mobility, AS 1428.1 which requires that surfaces required to comply with disabled access, have sufficient luminance contrast such as stair nosings to clearly delineate the step edge.

Testing the luminance of your building will help to ensure that your building complies with disabled access requirements for visually impaired people. Luminance Contrast Testing involves testing the difference in how black or white a colour is (luminance reflectance) compared with adjacent colours, using a colour meter. A formula is then used to determine the contrast using the two luminance reflectance values.

For further assistance and advice on the luminance of your proposed coloured concrete surfaces, as well as testing procedures, please contact us on 1800 077 744 or 07 3287 6444.