This paper presents a new method based on a sensor network for designing a lighting control system for an industrial building. An illumination mapping between the work plane and the horizontal plane was derived for sensor placement to generate rules for sensor layout. Online sensor data sampling and a control center database with a real-time update algorithm were applied to lessen the effects of interference and luminous decay. We implemented the method for the lighting system of an industrial building in Xi'an, China. Skylights combined with artificial lighting were designed for daytime lighting. The optimized placement and a scene-control strategy for the artificial lighting system were generated by simulations with DIALux and Autodesk Ecotect Analysis. Daily lighting consumption data for August, 2014, demonstrated that the control system strategy realized lighting energy savings of up to an average of 80% on cloudy days. The design can be used as a reference for new industrial construction or retrofit applications. (C) 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.