HLB Lighting Design Principal Faith Baum to retire
(USA) – After an architectural lighting design career that has spanned across 35 years, Faith Baum, Principal of HLB Lighting has announced her retirement.
Led by a passion for theatre and theatre lighting, Baum discovered architectural lighting through a colleague and fell in love with the permanence of lighting design. She took classes at Parsons School of Design and started her career working at The Mintz Lighting Group, beginning as an entry-level designer and ending as an Associate before starting her own firm, Illumination Arts, with longtime friend and colleague Ken Douglas. In 2018, Illumination Arts joined HLB, which, according to Baum, “gave all of us opportunities to focus on our passions and what we do best”.
During her career, Baum has completed iconic projects all over the world – some of her favourite projects include Kenneth F. Burns Memorial Bridge in Worcester, Massachusetts; Veterans Glass City Skyway in Toledo, Ohio; National Audubon Society Headquarters in New York City’ and the Lowry Avenue Bridge in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Speaking of her retirement, Baum said: “Retiring from a profession and company I love is bittersweet. I’m thrilled to be on the precipice of an adventure, not knowing exactly where it will take me. But I will miss the joy and excitement of working with my friends and colleagues at HLB, meeting new people, and collaborating on beautiful projects.”
Baum will continue to work with HLB in a part-time consultant role for the next year, and will continue to provide meaningful contributions to the firm through select mentorship and marketing activities as she focuses on completing her years-long investment in fellow teammates and principals through the sharing of her knowledge and expertise. Her commitment to mentorship will continue to light the way for the next generation of lighting designers, both within HLB and beyond.
teamLab to open 10,000sqm immersive museum in Beijing
(China) – Art collective teamLab will launch dynamic art space teamLab Massless Beijing in November 2022. Based on the idea that digital technology liberates human expression from material substances, the exhibition will present large-scale installations with no physical boundary separating them from the viewer’s body, creating a heavily immersive experience.
One of teamLab’s largest permanent museums to date, teamLab Massless Beijing will be housed permanently on the top floor of Beijing’s Chaoyang Joy City mall, and will utilise the expansive 10,000sqm of floor space and 11-metre-high ceilings to create an “ever-changing, interactive environment that explores physicality and the borderless continuity between the self and the world”.
teamLab Massless Beijing will feature a representative selection of more than 40 teamLab works, including the likes of Massless Clouds Between Sculpture and Life, Resonating Microcosms – Solidified Light Colour, Massless Suns and Dark Spheres, Floating in the Falling Universe of Flowers and The Infinite Crystal Universe.
On the same floor as teamLab Massless will be U2 by UCCA (U2 for short), a brand-new art museum founded by UCCA Center for Contemporary Art, China’s leading contemporary art institution. The inaugural exhibition of U2 will be a collaboration with London’s Victoria and Albert Museum to present Alice: Curiouser and Curiouser. Exploring its origins, adaptations and reinventions over 157 years, this immersive and theatrical show charted the evolution of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland from manuscript to a global phenomenon beloved by all ages.
teamLab Massless Beijing will open in 19 November 2022.
Design London welcomes nearly 13,000 visitors
(UK) - The largest contemporary design fair of the London Design Festival, Design London took place from 21-24 September at Magazine London, in the city’s newest design district, Greenwich Peninsula.
The sophomore edition of the event reported a total of 12,686 visitors, from both the UK and overseas, over the course of four days.
Marlon Cera-Marle, Director of Design at Media 10, said, “We’re very pleased with what we achieved this year – not only because this was only our second edition, but also because there was a real sense of excitement and optimism from our industry as a whole, seeing products and reconnecting with our peers in person.
“This year we could not be prouder of our visitor numbers, and the quality of our overall programme. We also witnessed some of the most prominent, industry-wide issues being addressed at our show, from sustainability to waste and material innovation.
“I’d like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who has supported us in the last 12 months and made Design London another tremendous success. With my team, I very much look forward to planning our 2023 edition and welcoming the global design communities to our capital once again.”
Organisers have announced that the third edition of Design London will take place on 20-23 September 2023.
Light Collective to host Collected Light exhibition
(UK) – Comprising five artworks created by six different female artists, Collected Light is an intimate showcase of work by women light artists curated by Light Collective.
Held from 14-25 November at the SoShiro Gallery in London, the exhibition will feature a range of mediums, from neon to projection, with works from Kate McMillan (UK/AU), Karolina Halatek (PL), Jacqueline Hen (DE), Tamar Frank (NL), Lauren Baker (UK), and Chila Kumari Burman Singh (UK) on display. The exhibition is supported by formalighting.
In 2019, Light Collecteve started the global project, Women in Lighting, also supported by formalighting, creating a huge community and network of women around the world working with light. Collected Light is part of the project, and the start of the creation of a permanent collection made solely of women light artists. After the London event, the exhibition will tour other cities, with the addition of more women light artists.
The artworks on show are:
In Lucem, 2019 by Tamar Frank: A series of 20 small light panels illustrate – four of which are on display at this exhibition – a seemingly still image with a central focus that gradually blends into different colour compositions. The colour gradients are inspired by the changes in natural light over the course of one day and change very slowly so that the transition itself is not perceived. The artwork is a response to the perception of light as a natural presence. The central focus invites the spectator to slow down and allow the light to draw the viewer in. The diffusion of the image does not allow the eye to focus. As a result, the image will appear to pulsate and float.
Peacock, 2020 by Chila Singh Burman: Burman is celebrated for her radical feminist practice, which examines representation, gender and cultural identity. Peacock was part of the hugely popular neon installation on the exterior of the Tate Britain, Remembering A Brave New World in 2020. She explained: “My Peacock piece explores the birds’ symbolism of re-growth, rejuvenation, beauty and love. The peacock is native to the Indian subcontinent, in this way it is also a reference to my Indian heritage.” Burman works across a wide range of mediums including printmaking, drawing, painting, installation and film.
Halo, 2019 by Karolina Halatek: The circular-shaped immersive installation is designed to draw out a very personal experience. Visitors interacting with the work have the possibility of discovering a new dimension of their own presence in the contemplative, pure and abstract environment. The title refers to the natural optical phenomena seen around the sun or moon, produced by light in the interaction of ice crystals. The place of the celestial body is given to the art viewer, who becomes a central part of the piece. Halatek is a Polish artist who uses light as a catalyst for experience. She often collaborates with non-artists including quantum physicists, founders of the superstring theory (Leonard Susskind, Roger Penrose, Carlo Rovelli) and precision mechanical engineers.
The Lost Girl, 2020 by Kate McMillan: The Lost Girl is an immersive film-based installation centred around the fictional character of a cave-dwelling girl on the east coast of England. Using DH Lawrence's book of the same name as a starting point, the film narrates the experiences of a young woman seemingly alone in a dystopian future, with only the debris washed up from the ocean to form meaning and language. The film combines McMillan’s various research interests, including the Anthropocene; the role of creativity in forming memory and the consequences of neglecting female histories. McMillan is based in London and is the author of the annual report 'Representation of Female Artists in Britain' commissioned by the Freelands Foundation.
Off Grid Series, 2022 by Jacqueline Hen: This installation investigates the perception of the body in space in the face of the digital realm. How is social media influencing our perception and interaction with the physical space? Mirrors and an arrangement of lights create the illusion of an infinite space of luminosity and darkness. The perception of this space changes with the viewer's perspective inviting them to investigate their self within infinity.
Stardust - The Deep Field (Lenticular), 2018 by Lauren Baker: A six-image lenticular backed by an LED light box, described by Baker as depicting ‘a galactic explosion of shooting stars and space matter’. Because of the way the lenticular lenses shift how the images are perceived, moving past the artwork brings it to life: suggesting a celestial dance of explosion and implosion, separation and unison, change and repetition. The artwork depicts a galactic explosion of shooting stars and space matter, inspired by the findings of the Hubble telescope. Hubble’s glimpse into what is known as the deep field has highlighted that we are just one tiny part of a vast system comprising of 100 billion galaxies. As people walk past, the six images appear and merge into one another from different angles, creating a moving image of an exploding star.
All the artists are featured in a new book of the same name also curated by Light Collective. The duo share their reasoning for both the book and the exhibition;
“After 25 plus years in the world of light, it became apparent, that there is an onus on and huge visibility of male artists who work with or have worked with light within their body of work. Many are well known names and are often cited as inspiration in the work of lighting designers. While there are a few names that come up when discussing female light artists – the financially successful artist; Yayoi Kusama, the political rebel; Jenny Holzer and lover of daylight; Nancy Holt, like the rest of the art world, the exposure of their work is less and our knowledge of light artists remains unbalanced in terms of gender. If you want to prove this further, just type the words “Light Artist” into Google - out of the first 15 artists shown by the world’s leading search engine only two are female.”
The Women in Lighting project inspired Light Collective to look at all aspects of representation in the field of light. They found and researched over 150 women creating light-based art, which led to the curation of a book: Collected Light Volume 1: Women Light Artists. The book is a small step towards trying to redress the unfair imbalance in visibility and will be available for purchase at both the exhibition and online, after the event has finished.
Light Collective asked more than 40 women to participate by sharing images of their work. From immersive environments to reactive light, beautiful glowing objects to light that tells a story, this collection of light art from women artists includes a multitude of manipulations of the medium. Directing the viewer to contemplate colour, nature, politics, life and even death, the true power of light as an artistic medium is perfectly portrayed by the artists included.
“Our hope is that by profiling these women artists who use light within their work, we are opening a door for others to do the same and for all to be celebrated and widely known for what they create. We also hope that the beauty of each piece of work offers inspiration to those who discover it and, whilst created by women, is valued as incredible art, non-dependent on gender.”
Pharos: New DMX & DALI controller
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Headline speakers announced for LiGHT22 talks programme
(UK) – LiGHT 22, the UK’s only dedicated high-end lighting specification event, is delighted to announce Michael Anastassiades, Sally Storey, Mark Major, and Nick Hoggett as headline speakers.
In collaboration with lighting control specialist Lutron, [d]arc thoughts returns for two-days of insightful comment and discussion on all the latest topics covering lighting design. Taking place as part of LiGHT 22 at London’s Business Design Centre on 22-23 November 2022, the event is free to attend and will see leading designers take to the stage.
Michael Anastassiades will sit down with [d]arc media's Managing Editor, Helen Ankers for a Q&A session titled 'The Detail Behind the Design' to discuss how decorative lighting has changed over the past decade, while taking a closer look at his approach to design and revisiting some of his most important collections.
Visitors to the show will be able to see his talk on the ground floor at 3.30pm on Tuesday 22 November.
Directly following this talk, lighting legends Sally Storey, Founder of Lighting Design International; Mark Major, a Founding Partner of Speirs Major; and Nick Hoggett, Partner of dpa lighting consultants, will share their thoughts and insight on the lighting design profession with arc editor, Matt Waring. Considered by many as pioneers of the lighting design community in the UK, the designers will look at how the industry has grown, predictions for the future and reflect on past projects and trends.
Visitors to the show will be able to see this talk on the ground floor at 4.45pm just before the late-night drinks event.
With more than 30 speakers taking part in the two-day talks programme, the content doesn’t stop there. Covering everything from diversity in design to sustainability and circular economy, dark skies, and materials, [d]arc thoughts @ LiGHT 22 is the must-attend talks programme for the lighting design community this winter.
[d]arc media’s Managing Editor, Helen Ankers commented: “I couldn’t be more thrilled with our line-up of speakers for the inaugural LiGHT 22 event. Ever since we launched the [d]arc thoughts talks programme we have made it our mission to bring the very best in speakers and topics to the stage and this next instalment is no different.
“By providing a completely free talks programme, we’re ensuring the entire design community is able to benefit from the knowledge and experience of the speakers involved. I’m looking forward to some lively discussion over the two-days!”
Talk highlights from Day One include:
The Future of Materials, which opens the show at 10:30am. Product designers from both architectural and decorative lighting will look to address questions such as: Should manufacturers and product designers be looking at new and environmentally friendly resources? How does technology play a role in the materials available? How does the current economic climate affect the availability of materials?
For students and those recently graduated, there is plenty of interesting content at LiGHT 22. Two particular highlights include Starting out in the Industry at 1pm on the opening day, which sees Emma Cogswell of Skills Army moderate a panel that discusses what it takes to become established in the world of design. And then at 6pm, the ILP’s much-loved ‘How to be Brilliant’ series, which sees successful senior lighting designers share their time and expertise with students, juniors and new entrants to the profession.
For all of the talks happening on Day One of LiGHT 22, click here.
Talk highlights from Day Two include:
On Day Two, the show opens with a bang; bringing together designer Jason Bruges; light artist Frankie Boyle; and Helen Marriage of Artichoke, organisers of the award-winning light art festival Lumiere, UK, for a discussion on the Distinction between ‘Light Art’ and ‘Art that uses Light’; what makes an installation a work of light art and how the medium is changing. The panel will also look to address diversity within the light art world.
Other thought-provoking topics for day two, include The Weaponisation of Light at 1.30pm. This panel sees designers Edward Bartholomew, Ruth Kelly Waskett and Satu Streatfield have an open and honest discussion around the hierarchy of lighting design, particularly how lighting in underprivileged areas can contribute to social inequalities.
The day will close with an insightful discussion on the importance of Dark Skies, a hot topic in the lighting design community. Panelists include: Nathalie Quadrio of Nature in Light; Raluca Dascalita of Delta Lighting Design; Inessa Demidova of Arup; Dan Oakley – Dark Skies Specialist.
For all the talks happening on Day Two of LiGHT 22, click here.
Taking place on the ground floor of the Business Design Centre, all the [d]arc thoughts talks are free to attend, for visitors registered for LiGHT 22.
Nulty opens new studio in India
(India) - Nulty has launched a new office in Pune to expand its project scope throughout India.
The expansion into Pune comes off the back of Nulty’s Bangkok studio launch two years ago, which gave rise to a number of projects in the region. As a result, the team is now working on a large mixed-use scheme in Hyderabad, retail and hospitality schemes in Delhi, a private residence in Goa and a Pune-owned five-star resort in the Maldives.
The studio will be led by Technical Design Manager Danish Sayed, who will work in partnership with Founder Paul Nulty and Managing Director Mark Vowles to oversee the growth plan for India. Nulty Pune launches with a five-strong team of lighting designers, which will quickly increase to eight to meet demand for the team’s lighting design services.
A highly experienced lighting designer, Sayed began his career in India working as both an Electrical Contractor and Lighting Designer, before relocating to the UAE, where he worked in Nulty’s Dubai studio for six years. Sayed returns to Pune to head up the team and will draw upon his experience of delivering projects in Dubai’s fast-paced industry to grow the firm’s portfolio of design work.
Paul Nulty, Founder, Nulty commented: “Nulty has been active in India for the last few years and a recent influx of new projects signalled to us the need for a local base. Pune felt like the right fit - it’s a vibrant city with a large pool of talented young designers that we are looking to nurture and develop.
“The city also has a well-established network of architectural engineering clients, so there’s a great synergy between India’s rapidly developing pipeline of construction projects and Nulty’s multisector lighting design experience. The new studio places us right at the heart of it all and will enable us to respond to all of the exciting opportunities that the region presents.”
Circular Lighting Live a sell-out success
(UK) – Held on 22 September, the Circular Lighting Live conference and exhibition discussed how the lighting industry can make the circular economy a reality.
The event, chaired by Ray Molony, Editor of Circular Lighting Report, welcomed 250 registered attendees from specifiers, manufacturers and suppliers, with presentations heard on forthcoming EU and UK legislation, as well as the plethora of different environmental metrics that exist, including assessments of circularity (TM66), embodied carbon (TM65), environmental product declarations and lifecycle assessments.
Practical discussions also included how to encourage more remanufacture and reuse in the lighting sector. Meanwhile, the pivotal role of the specifier in encouraging more sustainable lighting was tackled by two panels, both composed of five experts drawn from across the industry.
The conference was complemented by a supplier exhibition that included a 3D printing demonstration from Platinum sponsor Signify, as well as stands from Gold sponsors ASD Lighting, DW Windsor, Lucent, Orluna, Primelight, Silent Design and Trilux.
Commenting on the event, Nigel Harvey, Recolight CEO, said: “We have been thrilled by the level of energy and commitment expressed during Circular Lighting Live. It really does seem that we all get it: the really significant changes we need to make to address the climate crisis, and to improve material efficiency.
“We’ve received overwhelmingly positive feedback, so we’ve already announced that Circular Lighting Live 2023 will take place on 21 September 2023. We will be at a bigger venue, so we will be able to welcome many more delegates and sponsors.”
One of the main takeaways of the event was the value of TM66, the CIBSE and SLL specification for circularity in the lighting industry. TM66 is increasingly being seen as a helpful tool to allow specifiers to identify lighting products that are properly designed with circular economy principles.
Harvey added: “Recolight was proud to host Circular Lighting Live. It aligns perfectly with our ambition and desire to support and encourage our industry to become more sustainable. And we did our best to practice what we preach: the programme, delegate list, and feedback form were emailed rather than printed. The venue chosen favoured public transport, rather than travel by car, and the food was vegetarian, to reduce the carbon footprint.”
Blurred visions of a lighting designer
As the lighting industry continues to go through rapid growth and developments, Manas Deniz, founder of 781 Lighting, calls on the industry to slow down and take a look around.
“I sometimes think drivers do not know what grass is, or flowers, because they never see them slowly.”
Fahrenheit 451, a dystopian novel written by Ray Bradbury in 1953, is undoubtedly one of my favourite books of all time. The observation above belongs to a rebellious teenager called Clarisse, who complains about a certain law that demanded everyone to drive fast enough, so that no one could witness the pleasant details of life. “If you showed a driver a green blur, Oh yes! he would say, that is grass! A pink blur? That is a rose-garden! White blurs are horses. Brown blurs are cows,” continues Clarisse, mentioning the things they were all missing.
But because of such a speed limit, drivers ended up seeing commercials just as blurry as cows, flowers, grass, and horses, which was clearly not intended. So, authorities enlarged the size of the billboards so everyone could read them while keeping the rest blurry.
Bad news is, the world of light and lighting design recently appears no different because of laws, restrictions, and the unnecessary speed that each and every member of the lighting industry has to carry through. We are taking a leap from a dystopian novel towards professional lighting design, but let me show how similar they sometimes feel.
Since my graduation from Hochschule Wismar back in 2019, I have been thinking about how lighting design could be carried out with more sensitivity towards global, personal and social wellbeing. One thing that appeared clear to me was the speed that the lighting industry had been evolving at, thanks to ever-changing technologies, trends, methods, and approaches. Although awareness for the importance of proper lighting is getting more and more prevalent, there are still so many aspects we miss due to this extraordinary rush we are in.
Clarisse of Fahrenheit 451 was aware of what billboards ordered us to do, to buy and to think. But how about the billboards of our world, the world of light? This speed we carry disconnects us from our planet and our society and even from ourselves. We can see some things more clearly, yet others appear almost as if looked at behind some frosted glass. We are still far from seeing all those details, which make us better people, and a better lighting enthusiast in the end. Here in this article, I would like to introduce you to the visions of a lighting designer that we see and miss on our way, during this fast and long drive of ours.
For quite some time now, the call for energy efficient products, solutions, lighting methods and energy-friendly projects overall has been echoing in our ears. Lately, every single lighting designer, manufacturer, architect and even client has heard about the significance of energy efficiency at each lighting related conference and fair they attend. Speakers nowadays never forget to mention how much energy and money they have saved with the use of LED light sources, sophisticated control systems, and smart lighting gadgets. While manufacturers have been promoting their range of products with the capability of providing extraordinary efficacy data and the lighting industry gathering around “a more efficient world”, we are starting to overlook other aspects of light and lighting design.
The phasing-out of traditional incandescent lamps is one big example of how the industry has evolved around the passion for efficiency. Obviously, that is because our understanding of light has changed dramatically over the past decade. The definition of light is nowadays equal to the definition of only visible light. However, for thousands of years, living beings have benefited from the Sun and the full spectrum of wavelengths that sunlight consists of. Nowadays, production of wavelengths beyond the visible range – especially infrared – are said to be a waste of energy. Those who try to compress our understanding of light into a narrow range forget the fact that all living beings, both psychologically and physiologically, have adapted to a greater range of energy since life began. Although light without a wider range of energy might not appear as efficient in the means of visible light per consumed power, all those wavelengths we miss with newer technologies not only bring quality to light but also to our lives.
Higher ratio of distributed visible light per consumed power unit is now possibly what makes a light source a legitimate tool for design. Open a random catalogue of products that contain LED light sources, and the first information you see will be the lumens per watts data. The manufacturers are not the ones to blame for promoting it. After all it all comes down to what the customer demands, and as lighting designers it is our duty to guide those who are not working in the field of lighting. Although efficiency is a major consideration in a project, it is not everything. In other words, I do accept that efficiency is a significant benefit that LED technology has brought into our lives, however it is not significant enough to shape a project around it.
A psychological effect, the Jevons Paradox, refers to more consumption of a product than usual when that product is claimed to be efficient. A year ago, a very close friend of mine turned his living space into a Bluetooth-controlled RGB smart lighting-house. And I still spend my evenings in a living room where only two dimmed halogen lamps are turned on, which appear to be way less energy-friendly compared to LEDs. He turns the lights on 30 minutes before he gets home via his smartphone app, while I turn off my two beloved halogens whenever I leave the room. So, I do wonder who has a larger electricity bill.
Before we buy lighting products, often we are certain of how energy-friendly they will be, however there is a flipside to the coin. Examples could be supported with proper data, however my goal is not to fill pages with graphs and tables but to remind you to question the practicality of what billboards tell. Things that we believed were crystal-clear are perhaps a sequence of illusions that forbid us from seeing what we actually need to see. But what are those things? Let’s break the law, lift off from the gas pedal and take a look around.
The efficiency paranoia has initiated a rapid switch from traditional light sources to LED lighting all around the world. The residential example I gave above is just a small part of it, since the whole world is switching to LED technology on a greater scale. Streets, parks, highways, walkways, almost every outdoor space is now aimed to be illuminated with LEDs. The main reason behind the change is again the prophecy of energy-efficiency. However, the rebound effect is applicable for outdoor situations as well, probably even in bigger digits. Although fixtures with LED light sources provide much more controllable and directional outdoor lighting, the over-usage of luminaires has been increasing the light levels all around the world. Scientists and researchers have been sharing numerous before and after satellite images of LED installations. There is an increase in radiance towards the sky and the fact that night-time
dark skies all around the world have been disappearing is now undoubtable. We perhaps have started to forget what the night sky and the stars used to look like.
Remember the pre-LED, traditional street lights we used to have? High-pressure and low-pressure sodium lamps, which had a warm amber-like colour. This monochromatic colour of light consisted of a narrow-band spectral power distribution, and had no high-energy wavelengths (UV to blue light) within their spectrum. Although outdoor LED lighting can mimic the correlated colour temperature (CCT) of a sodium lamp, it is quite rare to see an LED light source that eliminates high-energy wavelengths within its spectrum.
Human beings have been using incandescent light sources at night for thousands of years. Fire, torches, candles, oil lamps, gas lamps and later with the invention of electricity, incandescent light bulbs. Our introduction to artificial UV and blue light is very recent. We have received shorter wavelengths of light only from the Sun, during daytime. And during all those years we have developed an internal clock that is regulated by light. But we are not the only occupants of this planet we live on.
Plants and animals have been exposed to artificial blue light very recently. And just like humans, there are insects, animals and plants who see, eat, hunt, emigrate and live according to the patterns of day and night-time. Imagine the impact those LED lights make on nocturnal beings. Are they really ready for this change? Can they adapt to these newer technologies as fast as the industry has? This shiny world is polluted with light, and we only get a quick glance of it, since we are too busy finishing exterior lighting projects with purely aesthetic purposes. This blurred vision of ours is preventing us from seeing the size of the impact we are making to our environment. The damage that light is capable of doing is real, what we believed to be a saviour is like to kill what we promised to protect. Yet, what if the environment is not the only one who is suffering so secretly and silently?
Have you ever felt a sneaky headache after spending hours in a shopping mall or had trouble falling asleep after a long session on social media? How about that feeling of laziness and sluggishness when you spend too many days at home without even going out? All of these situations of discomfort are caused by the rapid evolution of lighting technologies that have invaded our daily lives. It is not only the animals, insects and the cities that are hurt; but we have been suffering from unpleasant lighting conditions just as much.
New technologies of LED lighting have occupied each and every corner of our lives, without leaving a doubt of their benefits. However, our body has developed a rhythm that generates hormones according to the changes in the quality and quantity of light, in that case natural light.
Hormones do not only impact how well our body physically functions, but they also have a direct impact on our mood and psychology. Only a small portion of concerned experts and designers are familiar with the principles of white light distribution from LED light sources and the amount of blue light that they consist of regardless of their CCT. This Trojan Horse, blue light, is sneaking through every little crack it finds into our lives; not only from light fittings, but from smartphones, tablets, and other types of screen.
As lighting designers, it is not quite realistic to attempt to alter the screen habits of society, but at least we can understand and teach multiple aspects of good and healthy lighting. One important aspect of understanding good lighting comes from expanding its definition, and not limiting it only to light that our eyes can see. The benefits of proper lighting do not only serve the wellbeing of the globe and individuals, but also the wellbeing of society.
Back in 2018, alongside my 22 classmates at the Architectural Lighting Design Master’s programme in Wismar, I had an unforgettable experience in a city called Neuruppin, located north-west of Berlin. We took part in a lighting workshop that had aimed at illuminating multiple locations around the city. When we arrived at the city centre, it was very quiet, maybe because of the October weather. Our group of lighting designers started working in the woods, illuminating trees, the lake, and other landscapes. We were quite far away from the city centre, yet still visible from the city’s beautiful promenade. We worked near the lake, had multiple detours between the centre and the woods for equipment and food and saw very few people here and there throughout the workshop.
The lighting installation was complete after a couple of days, and we started gathering out in the cold for the celebrations. Only then a few locals started to appear and celebrate with us. There was one single road nearby where only a few vehicles had passed by in the last few days. But a few hours after the lights were on, people started to gather around our installation, with an impression on their faces that showed how amazed and thankful they were. Some even showed up with some cups of tea and coffee and biscuits just for us to enjoy. Until that hour, we were positive that not a single individual was even aware that we were in Neuruppin, experimenting with light. But quite magically they appeared from nowhere, thanking us and caring for us. This was the moment we realised the power of light, bringing people together, bringing joy and amazement to their lives. We talked, cheered, and celebrated together as if Germany had won the World Cup! Perhaps it meant much more to the locals of Neuruppin. The power of light on our society is undeniable and the outcomes can be tremendous when it is used properly. During these times of disconnection and desolation, light is a beautiful tool to help us come back together and collaborate for a “brighter” future.
Just like Clarisse, my intention was not to bring something new to the table, but to remind you that there is already plenty on it. Not only the lighting industry, but the whole world has been suffering due to this ridiculous speed at which everything has been done: massive projects being completed in weeks or even days; quantity being prioritised by designers; quality, depth and meaning getting disrespected and considered as inefficient have been the norms of a welcomed lighting design process. I would like to recall three aspects; global, personal and social wellbeing, that every lighting enthusiast should prioritise in their projects, products, conference talks and catalogues. Let’s slow down for a while, rub our eyes, and take a look around. We have so much power, yet we tend to waste it by constantly accelerating with everything we do. Let’s remember what we are capable of, considering we possess the most overpowered tool ever invented!
Designers Mind: Communication as Empathy
Designers Mind contributor Kael Gillam discusses how taking an empathetic approach is integral when communicating new workplace boundaries and practices.
In the last several years, there seems to have been a quiet acceptance of the sentiment that we feel more alone the more connected we are. We have more and more tools to communicate, to share, and to learn from one another, and yet depression rates and social anxiety look to be on an ever-increasing upward trend. The pandemic, climate change, political crises, and so many more widespread events have made novices of us all in trying to navigate ‘the new normal’.
It was a concept that I think many of us looked forward to; a better, shinier world where we all got along because we had been through the thick of it together and we’d all learned something about ourselves and the way that we want to treat one another. Perhaps it’s just my interpretation, but the sheen seems to have worn off quickly and we’ve devolved back into old habits. I am still getting emails late at night, demands for meetings with only an hours’ notice, and I am still tempted to ‘just do a bit’ on the weekend to get myself ready for a busy week ahead. Are unreasonable working hours and an always-on mentality part of my new normal, when they were a part of my old normal that I fought so hard to shed?
We’ve spent much of the last two and a half years at Designers Mind talking about how boundary setting is at the core of so many of our wellbeing practices. Boundaries have many layers to them, but at their core level are simply an agreement to stay true to a commitment. ‘I will not work on the weekend’, ‘I will set aside half an hour every week for my passion project’; these are just examples of non-negotiables that we can set for the benefit of our wellbeing.
Other people accepting these boundaries can be an onerous task. Accepting that our boundaries are different from others’ can also be a challenge when we prioritise different things in different aspects of our lives. We’ll get back to that.
Communicating these boundaries – and having the confidence to stick with them – can also feel challenging and uncomfortable. How, after years of working with an employer, can you one day walk up to them and find a way to tell them you’ll no longer be answering emails after your working hours? How do you communicate to a new employer that you have familial care demands that take priority in your life without feeling like you might lose your job for not looking ‘as committed’ as colleagues without those demands? We can never predict how another person might respond to our needs, no matter how well we know them or feel that we have prepared for the situation.
Practising empathy is key to both boundary setting and communication. It is perhaps one of the most valuable transferrable skills we can take away from our collective human journey over the last two and a half years. Empathy is a difficult skill to teach; some of us are innately more sensitive to the emotional needs of others whereas some people find it truly impossible to intuit implied meaning and feeling. Whether a challenge or not, being an empathetic communicator is about putting aside your own needs, personality, and emotions to understand the whole context of what’s being communicated to you.
For example, we can begin asking ourselves how to approach these conversations with ‘how is this person doing in their life?’ rather than ‘why are they bringing this up now?’, and ‘what might have brought this to their attention?’ rather than ‘I don’t care about this, so why should they?’. If we start to frame conversations in the context of other people’s needs and wants, then we can better begin to understand why they are raising an issue, calling a meeting, or sending emails at ungodly hours.
When we do receive these confounding requests, we can practice framing our responses in a way to de-escalate the situation and come to a mutually beneficial solution. For example, to a last-minute meeting request: ‘I’m terribly sorry, but I’m unable to make a meeting on such short notice. Can you please let me know what the urgent actions are so I can take them away and we can set up a meeting to discuss at a mutually beneficial time?’ You’re setting a boundary (my time is precious and should be respected) but also acknowledging their internalised urgency and offering to help (I hear your need and will work to understand it better).
In tandem with this introspective approach is being diligent about the energy of the response matching the energy of the prompt. Unreasonable responses to reasonable requests are, unfortunately, altogether too common in the fast-paced design world. Replying-all and copying in the Managing Director when you’re upset with an email never solved a deadline dispute. Demanding to speak to someone’s boss instead of working through an issue collaboratively never produced a good design package. When we receive negative and disproportionate responses to our communication, we then must practice empathy to de-escalate the situation. What part of what was said might have triggered this response? Is it what I’ve asked or is it any number of things happening in the person’s life that has driven them to make a quick, rash, and/or unproductive response to my query? Would this be better resolved over the phone, so I can speak to them less formally to get a better picture of the presumed conflict?
If done with patience and a bit of grace, boundary-setting and practicing empathy in communication should make our interactions both in and out of work easier and more enjoyable. When we learn to take a step back and evaluate our own needs and the needs of those around us, we can find common ground and agreements more quickly than arbitrarily digging our heels in on our own principles. We can figure out why the deadline matters, how to prioritise tasks, and who in our team is most capable at any given point in time. Yes, this is all an exercise in patience and kindness. Being a good communicator, truly listening to people, is difficult work that is never truly complete.
David Morgan Review: GVA Lighting STR9 Gen 3
Building on the success of its previous iterations, GVA Lighting has unveiled Generation 3 of its STR 9 linear system. David Morgan gets stuck into the new model.
Thinking differently about luminaire design is an approach that should be encouraged in the architectural lighting market. Too many companies produce derivative designs that are difficult to differentiate from their competitors. One company that does stand out for being different is GVA Lighting, based in Oakville, near Toronto in Canada.
The company was founded by Vladimir Grigorik in 1997 within a few days of arriving in Canada as an immigrant from Belarus, where he had become disillusioned with the political regime. Grigorik is an electronics engineer with a degree in Radio Physics and Electronics, and he has used this expertise to develop a range of innovative LED-based luminaires for use in challenging environmental conditions. The company has grown over the past 25 years and now employs around 140 people.
Grigorik, now Chairman and President of GVA, still leads the new product development process, supported by an in-house team of designers and engineers. All electronics, including drivers and light engines, are designed and assembled by GVA in the company’s factory, with mechanical components being sourced locally.
The company exports to many major architectural lighting markets including the USA, EU, and the UAE.
The first LED product developed by GVA in 2002 was a simple LED linear strip for use in a US library project, named the STR1, and that simple naming strategy has continued up to the current STR9. The current product range includes linear luminaires and projectors for both interior and exterior applications.
One of the key innovations that GVA has introduced to the architectural lighting market is the high voltage Infinity system. This system operates on 380 volts DC with a remote power supply and on-board LED constant current drivers. This system allows luminaire runs of more than 300-metres from a single power feed and data source. These long runs allow the exterior of tall buildings, bridges and other large structures to be lit with the minimum cabling runs and building penetrations. 380VDC is becoming an accepted power rating for use in data centres and from renewable sources, and thus is helping to reduce the available component costs for this approach. The system was first proposed in 2010 as a custom solution for the exterior linear lighting of a 300-metre-tall tower in Canada, and has been further developed for use on a wide variety of iconic projects.
The latest product introduction from GVA is the Generation 3 of the STR 9 linear system.
The STR 9 was first introduced in 2007, so it is not exactly a new product, but the existing and new design features make it worthwhile reviewing. The STR 9 is an extruded linear lighting system designed around 45mm diameter colour mixing lenses which, in combination with a series of optical films, produce very well blended colour changing, tuneable white light and mono white light outputs suitable for close offset wall grazing applications. The range includes both surface mounted and in-ground versions.
By combining colour mixing lenses with optical films, a wide variety of beam angles can be produced, ranging from a narrow 5° symmetric up to 80° symmetric for the mono white. The range also includes eight different elliptical distributions. For the mono white version, the available colour temperatures range from 2200K up to 6500K. Lumen output from this version is up to 3,700 lm/m with a maximum power consumption of 50W/m.
The lumen output from the colour changing versions is enhanced with the GVA Colour Amp system, and provides more than 2,000lm/m with a power consumption of 66W/m. Colour Amp is another GVA point of difference where the power of each colour channel is controlled in a ratio to the maximum luminaire power. For example, if only the blue LEDs are lit then these can be run at the maximum luminaire power. As other colours are added to the mix then the blue power will be reduced so that the combined power equals the maximum for the luminaire. eldoLED drivers offer a similar control feature but only a few other luminaire manufacturers seem to have adopted this idea so far.
In the RGBW elliptical sample that I tested, the colours were well blended when the luminaire was positioned very close to the lit surface. A variety of anti-glare accessories are available, including external louvres, integral micro louvres, and integral honeycomb louvres. One unusual accessory is a heated front glass, which is used in cold climate projects to melt snow accumulating on the luminaire.
Dimming control for colour change and tuneable white versions is via DMX with DALI and 0-10V being offered for the mono white types. For colour changing luminaires, every 300mm can be controlled independently with four DMX addresses for colour chasing and other dynamic effects.
The new version of the STR 9 is available in three different power supply options. 48 VDC, the 380V DC Infinity system that I have already mentioned, and also with a new integral line voltage driver option.
The drivers built into the STR 9 luminaires not only incorporate thermal sensors, which integrate with a thermal control system to ensure that the LEDs always operate at the optimum temperature, even in very high ambient conditions, but also pressure and moisture sensors are included so that any deviations from expected values would generate a fault alarm.
Mechanically the STR 9 is also differentiated from the way that other manufacturers produce exterior linear luminaires. The body is made from extruded aluminium, but rather than screwing machined or die cast end caps to the extrusion to achieve an IP66 rating, GVA machines the extrusion to create a solid one-piece body with integral end caps – branded Unibody. The low iron tempered glass window is bonded directly to the body using a proprietary adhesive.
The combination of the one-piece body and bonded window gives a highly water-resistant enclosure that allows GVA to offer a standard warranty of five years, that can be extended up to 10 years. It is understood that there are projects in the Middle East that have been in service for well over 10 years without any failures, although of course the lumen output will have depreciated over this period. This construction does not allow the light engines to be replaced on site at the end of life and currently the luminaires would need to be returned to Canada for servicing. Future generations of the STR 9 range may incorporate onsite replaceable light engines to fit into a more circular economy model.
In the meantime, the long and reliable working life of the GVA luminaires is also a significant way of minimising carbon footprint, as their products need to be replaced less often.
The STR 9 range is impressive, with a high quality of engineering and several design features that are not offered by other luminaire companies. It will be interesting to review future developments of the range.
GreenLight Alliance: Code of Practice for luminaire remanufacture
Tom Ruddell, Lead Remanufacture Engineer at EGG Lighting, provides guidance on how a code of practice for the remanufacture of luminaires can help the lighting industry shift to a circular economy.
Remanufacture is an industrial process that creates a new product from used and new products or parts/components. Lighting equipment has always been changed, modified, fixed, converted and everything in-between. Yet while other industries such as electronics, automotive and others have well-established and well-defined circular economy processes built into their industries, these models are still at the periphery of the lighting industry.
As the lighting industry starts offering not only upgradeable fittings but developing the capabilities to do so alongside traditional manufacturing models, we will need generally understood terminology and processes to successfully bridge the gap to the circular economy.
At the end of 2020, a group of lighting industry professionals formed around the idea of writing a standard that would do just that - and offer the industry a general process for the remanufacture of luminaires, building on existing best practice in the BS 8887 family of standards.
Motivations
Why are we so enthusiastic about remanufacture and circular processes? In the context of a climate crisis remanufacture is a critical technique – it can reduce cost, reduce waste, reduce carbon, and improve performance – all at the same time.
Luminaires are complex assemblies and cleaning, shredding, and recycling them is energy and resource-intensive – so keeping components in their finished condition can save a lot of waste and carbon. Take the example of a cast aluminium housing – it’s clear that blasting and re-coating will entail less embodied carbon than making the component again from scratch. Remanufacture also tends to shorten supply chains – shifting the focus away from importing finished goods and thereby reducing transport emissions.
Remanufacture also goes hand-in-hand with technology upgrades, which is crucial in the lighting industry. Replacing outdated lighting components with today’s technology, and re-investing cost savings derived from reusing components means that remanufactured products can be better than new. This means remanufacture can be a force for reducing energy costs, improving lighting quality and delivering connected lighting – while offering an alternative to scrapping entire lighting systems and starting again.
Variety in all ways
Around 40,000 tonnes of lighting equipment is placed on the UK market alone each year – a massive amount. The variety therein is so vast that no single approach could encompass them all – so the committee has taken great care to ensure the standard will be as widely applicable as possible. We’ve considered an exhausting range of remanufacture scenarios – from heritage products to barely-used LED fittings (for example Class A fit-outs or trade shows), warranty returns, manufacturing rejects, emergency conversions, damaged products, lighting with failed control systems, lighting installations needing to adapt to a change-of-use – and the list goes on.
The committee has also been careful to consider different remanufacture models. While remanufacture is traditionally conducted at an industrial facility, we recognise that lighting can and will be remanufactured wholly or partly ‘on-site’ or even in temporary or mobile workshops. The same goes for business models – ranging from OEMs remanufacturing own-brand fittings inhouse or through third party operators to independent remanufacturers – we may soon see the development of markets for remanufactured and used components. Being open to and aware of all these options will encourage innovative circular approaches, specific to the needs of our industry.
Compliance
Compliance is a key consideration at all stages of remanufacture and is certainly the most-discussed topic by the committee. How do you ensure a remanufactured luminaire is ‘compliant’ and suitable for CE or UKCA marking? What is the implication of remanufacturing on-site? How do you deal with variety in product condition? These are the challenges that remanufacturers will need to build into their processes, considering the use-case, known (and unknown) product history, the quantity for remanufacturing and other factors to determine their approach.
Some of the considerations dealt with by the standard include luminaires where manufacturer identification is integral to the construction, assessing compliance changes since the equipment was originally placed on the market, non-destructive testing, hazardous materials that may be present in the luminaire and compliance of reused components.
In many cases these are not simple discussions, and the objective has been to provide a framework of guidance now, which won’t prevent the industry from innovating and developing new circular economy processes and methods in the future.
About the Standard
This process standard is within the “8887” family which already has a kitemark programme and a history of use in other industries. It is not a design standard and won’t instruct “what” to do, only guidance on “how” to go about doing it.
It will probably initially be published as a code of practice, allowing the industry to use the process while giving space for learning and improvement as the state of the art develops. This standard has been in drafting for about a year and a half and will soon begin the process of formatting and editorial, supported by an expert from the BSi, to dot the i’s and cross the t’s. Committees overseeing relevant and related standards will be contacted for comment before the standard will be made available for public comment.
We hope this will play a part in helping the lighting industry offer robust and high-quality remanufacturing models and embrace a common language. Anyone interested in sharing ideas or becoming involved in this voluntary work should contact the Committee Manager Sarah Kelly (Sarah.Kelly@bsigroup.com). Now, over to you!
Remanufacture routes and considerations:
Original Luminaire Manufacturer (OEM) Remanufacture
• Ideally there should be planned remanufacture stages from initial design stage.
• May be able to build this into a commercial agreement with customer.
• Should hold valid design documents for the product and thus able to accelerate reverse engineering process.
• If remanufactured to original specification, they can retain original product designation.
• May have spares / components available if this is an active SKU.
• Must be aware of regulatory changes since original build and have compliance methodology to reflect that.
Independent Remanufacturer
In many instances original manufacturers may not be equipped or prepared to remanufacture their own fittings.
• Third party Original Equipment Reproduction businesses (OERs) develop a specialism for remanufacture, meaning they can assess and remanufacture a variety of products.
• Third party OERs may be working at lower volumes or with greater variety of products than OEMs would be.
• OERs may develop specialisms for certain types of product or even specific products.
• OERs may offer remanufacturer as a service to the OEM (i.e., the end user may not consult directly with the OER, but through the OEM)
• OERs often in contact with a client for a specific site remanufacturing project, where there may be multiple products from different manufacturers. A single OER may be better able to deal with this situation.
On site intervention
Feasibility of this route likely to be dependent on factors relating to the site.
Products specifically designed for on-site remanufacture will facilitate this approach. Many products, however, will not be suitable.
• Reduction in transportation of fittings is likely to reduce cost, carbon and pollution.
• Sub-assemblies may be selected or designed to suit client needs and fitting specifics.
• Assessment of fitting’s condition integral to strategy. Contingency for deeper repair/replacement.
• Prior compliance assessment should be done on a representative sample fitting. Final testing on all units essential.
• BS 60598 Annex Q electrical safety tests cannot be conducted without suitable mobile test facilities.
User/owner upgrade
• Clarity where liability rests.
• Not likely to receive warranty.
• Installer competence level.
• Is the luminaire accurately assessed for suitability with the off-the-shelf retrofit product?
Buy back schemes
• An effective way for manufacturers to prove their commitment and trust in a product.
• Should result in an incentive for manufacturers to remanufacture and re-sell products.
• Buyback rather than remanufacturing for a site can overcome issues with lighting downtime and turnaround time for the remanufacturer.
• Manufacturers need to keep good analysis on the circular outcomes of these processes, because buying-back products isn’t the desired outcome, but a tool.
Definitions
The EU’s ESPR (Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation) definitions give an interesting preview of how EU policy makers see this topic. It is a proposal for a regulation establishing a framework for setting Ecodesign requirements for sustainable products and repealing Directive 2009/125/EC. A consultation period allows specific industries to make comment potentially for changes to better suit theirs e.g., lighting. In it are several helpful definitions:
• Remanufacturing - industrial process in which a product is produced from objects that are waste, products or components and in which at least one change is made to the product that affects the safety, performance, purpose, or type of the product typically placed on the market with a commercial guarantee.
• Upgrading - enhancing functionality, performance, capacity, or aesthetics of a product.
• Refurbishment - preparing or modifying an object that is waste or a product to restore its performance or functionality within the intended use, range of performance and maintenance originally conceived at the design stage, or to meet applicable technical standards or regulatory requirements, with the result of making a fully functional product.
• Maintenance - an action conducted to keep a product in a condition where it is able to function as required.
• Repair - returning a defective product or waste to a condition where it fulfils its intended use.
