Emergency lighting has long been treated as a regulatory requirement rather than an active part of building safety. That perception is now shifting.
As urban infrastructure ages and buildings become increasingly digital and decentralised, the systems responsible for guiding occupants during power loss or emergency events are expected to do far more than meet code.
Rising reliance on connected technologies, new patterns of occupancy and pressure to balance safety with sustainability are reshaping expectations of what emergency lighting should deliver.
ABB is one of the companies addressing this change. Within its Smart Buildings division, emergency lighting plays a central role in creating environments that are safe, resilient and resource-efficient.
Leading this effort is Fabio Mercurio, Business Line Leader for Emergency Lighting, whose experience spans strategy, portfolio management and sustainability.
FSJA Editor Iain Hoey sat down with Fabio Mercurio, Business Line Leader for Emergency Lighting at ABB, to discuss the evolution of smart emergency lighting.
It is a compliance story. It starts there and in the industry it’s still often seen as a necessary evil, just a regulatory checkbox. But it’s evolving.
In our view it’s becoming more of a strategic element for building safety, resilience and even user experience.
One key factor is the amount of time people spend indoors. The latest estimates show we spend more than 90% of our time inside buildings.
At the same time, there’s an increasing risk of blackouts and natural disasters, which puts more pressure on buildings.
Building use itself is no longer static. Patterns of how we occupy and use space are constantly changing and that’s driving a new approach to building systems.
Fabio Mercurio
In my view, this is what’s pushing emergency lighting from being just a checkbox to something that helps buildings evolve and create safer environments for occupants.
Buildings are evolving in terms of the systems inside them. Decentralised power is one example. Today it’s important to connect buildings to different energy sources such as solar panels, microgrids and battery storage.
Infrastructure is also becoming more digital. HVAC, access control and other equipment are increasingly connected and occupancy patterns are shifting toward more hybrid and flexible use than in the past.
For emergency lighting, I see two main aspects. The first is that the technology already exists to make buildings smarter, more sustainable and safer.
But too often, systems are viewed in silos. Each discipline focuses on its own area, sometimes even expanding into others, but rarely looking at what could be achieved through true integration.
That’s the bigger challenge. We believe smart buildings require an open approach.
Some companies aim to control everything in-house, but we see more value in like-minded organisations working together, bringing different expertise and integrating on open platforms with the user and building performance in mind.
For emergency lighting, the key is not just making systems smarter, but integrating them with other building systems such as BMS and fire safety.
Fabio Mercurio
That allows the system to sense more, adapt dynamically and share data where it matters – whether it’s for facility managers, building owners, or insurers assessing risk.
If the industry works together, adoption can move faster. Right now there’s a lot of talk about smart buildings, but most are still far from reaching that potential.
This is one of the big changes in the industry for emergency lighting and other systems. Computing power has become accessible and cheap.
If you look back, emergency lighting was designed in an era where occupancy patterns were predictable – office hours from eight to five, fixed desks, everything stable.
Testing was done through manual on-site checks, with regular maintenance. The lighting system was independent, a silo, passive, rigid and reactive, relying heavily on human intervention.
Now, in the era of connectivity and smart buildings, we have IoT sensors tracking occupancy and movement in real time.
Ideally, you also have a digital, cloud-based building management system integrating HVAC, security and lighting. This enables remote diagnostics, predictive maintenance and flexible workspaces.
Fabio Mercurio
It’s a major shift that makes buildings more dynamic and responsive. In a sense, we are bringing buildings to life, with systems able to respond to contextual use and user preferences.
That’s what digital technology and low-cost computing can deliver.
But we’re not fully there yet. There are initiatives moving us in that direction, but the industry is still behind in terms of adoption.
AI adds another layer on top. Once you bring intelligence and the ability to predict how a building will evolve – not with static models but dynamic ones interpreting data – the reactivity of the building increases even more.
I see it in layers. First is the static layer. Then you have sensing and computational power from IoT connectivity. On top of that, AI adds intelligence.
That’s where integration really makes a difference, because it’s all about interpreting data in the right way and connecting different systems.
AI can only deliver real value when all the data is linked to the “AI brain,” which can then adjust the building in real time or predict future conditions.
Fabio Mercurio
If you just apply AI to emergency lighting alone, the intelligence and power of the system are limited. The true potential of AI comes from networking across systems, which brings us back to the earlier point about integration.
Traditionally, you buy the system and commission it manually. You label and test each unit, then carry out monthly functional and duration tests to check how long the lights last.
You fill in spreadsheets for inspections to prove compliance. If a light fails, you send a team for reactive maintenance. This workflow is labour intensive, prone to mistakes and often means you only react once there’s a clear problem.
An intelligent system works differently. Using a wireless mesh network – Bluetooth is a common example – the luminaires connect automatically.
Self-testing and diagnostics remove the need for manual checks and automatic fault alerts replace spreadsheets. Everything can be cloud-based, with a platform or app giving centralized status reports and a visual overview of the entire system.
Add AI on top and the system can analyse performance, predict issues and even recommend optimal luminaire placement at the design stage.
These are very pragmatic improvements. And when emergency lighting is integrated into broader building systems, the benefits multiply even further.
Safety professionals and designers have a key role in the industry. They are the enablers for advancing it, which means creating buildings that are safer, smarter and more sustainable.
Building design is getting more complicated and the capabilities needed are evolving quickly.
Fabio Mercurio
It’s important for the industry to stay aware and focus on the right coaching and training, highlighting the added value that new technologies and more open approaches can bring.
In my view, there’s a strong need for upskilling to capture the opportunities this new environment offers. That will create more value for customers and occupants, even against the backdrop of a traditionally conservative industry.
As professionals and solution providers, we have a major role to play in helping the industry advance faster.
