Atlas Passage, Turkey
An important landmark in the fabric of Istanbul, Atlas Passage has recently undergone a restoration. Lighting for the project was delivered by Lab.1 Lighting Design & Daylighting.
Atlas Cinema and Passage was built in 1870 as the winter mansion of Agop Köçeyan, one of the leading figures of the Istanbul Catholic Armenian community of the time. Opening on to Istikla’, the most famous street of Istanbul, the passage today has an important place in the hearts of Istanbul’s citizens.
As part of a wider restoration project led by Sold Lighting Design & Engineering, which was responsible for the lighting and electrical work of the entire structure, Lab.1 Lighting Design & Daylighting was invited to work on the entrance, passage circulation areas, and the special staircase hall leading to the cinema museum.
The studio’s brief included several important points: the passage should be “remarkable”, inviting people in from Istiklal Street, and more specifically there should be a directive lighting design once inside. Alongside this, as temporary exhibitions can be held in the area, the lighting system needed to be flexible. Finally, since the team was working in a historical building, the surfaces could not be altered in any way.
As such, the Lab.1 team decided to produce a simple, inviting, and elegant lighting design. One of the most important aspects was to ensure the historical building was touched as little as possible.
“We aimed to design lighting that would not steal the limelight from the building, yet work to enhance its architectural design,” said Elif Uyan, Co-Founder of Lab.1 and project lead for Atlas Passage. “For this, we analysed the building and its surrounding environment and tried to tune into what the building wanted from us.
“Our main goal was to reveal the form and details of the building itself. It was already remarkable and through the restoration project it had been stripped of all the excess that accumulated over the years. With the building’s beauty exposed, we didn’t want to start adding ‘role-stealing’ elements back in. We just focused on the light, showing the beauty of the structure.”
Because of the historic nature of the project, the Lab.1 team was not free to place lighting products wherever they wanted. The lighting was therefore designed in a linear concept, reflective of the architectural plan of the passage, emphasising the circulation line. The team positioned a track system in a detail that they discovered in the original state of the building. The spotlights mounted to this track system create illumination on the floor, while the indirect hidden light shows the specially restored vaulted ceiling. Thus, this linear axis extending from Istiklal Street to the other parts of the passage, was emphasised with simple and pleasant lighting merged with the building architecture.
In terms of the light fixtures chosen for this project, Lab.1 paid particular attention to competencies relating to light technique and quality; good glare protection for the spotlights; and the spotlights mounted on the track system needed to have flexible mobility.
While the passage and the building are not among the prime tourist buildings of Istanbul, they are areas that are of great importance and woven into the hearts and memories of most local citizens. The Lab.1 team felt a huge sense of responsibility while working on the project, with their plans checked multiple times before finalising.
“The project had a large-scale restoration, design and inspection team that we worked with for the first time,” said Uyan. “Everyone was very sensitive to the history of the building and in such an environment it wasn’t easy to explain our ideas and have them accepted. We tried to overcome this challenge by showing concept visualisations, examples of good projects and lighting simulations.
“What was useful was to be able to physically show samples of the products and make small mock-ups. In this regard, the fact our project partner Sold, which invited us on to the project, was also the general electrical contractor, made our job much easier.”
In the end it was a project where the entire design team was involved in the process and believed in the end result. Uyan concluded: “The lighting helps to express the architecture’s existing beauty without competing with the structure.”
Skills Army launch photography competition
(Online) – Skills Army has launched a photography competition, inviting participants to tell a story through shadows.
The competition, open to all through LinkedIn, asks entrants to “give a shadow a new dimension”, and to celebrate the power of shadows.
To enter, participants just need to post their images to LinkedIn, tagging Skills Army and using the hashtags #shadowart and #skillsarmy.
The winning entry will win an iGuzzini Pizza Kobra light fitting, designed by Ron Arad.
Licht Kunst Licht publishes Volume 5 of Work Reports Series
(Germany) – The office of Licht Kunst Licht has been publishing its completed projects in the form of work reports since 2005. Now, its fifth volume – Licht Kunst Licht 5: Lighting Design for Architecture – has been published.
Licht Kunst Licht 5 is a comprehensive work, spanning 340 pages, documenting the high quality and technical lighting expertise in the studio’s designs.
“We understand light as an integral part of architecture and always try to realise our projects with as few elements as possible in order to focus on the overall atmosphere,” said Andreas Schulz, Founder of Licht Kunst Licht on the premise of his office’s work.
The respectful and analytical view of the architectural design or the existing built space forms a solid foundation for aesthetically, functionally, and technically sophisticated lighting concepts. Examples include the Oscar Niemeyer Sphere in Leipzig, the National Museum of Qatar in Doha, and the Baden-Württemberg State Parliament in Stuttgart – three of the 18 selected projects presented in the new work report in text and images, with large-format illustrations and comparisons of day and night views. The complexity and special challenges in the design processes for projects such as the German Ivory Museum or the Underground Bicycle Parking Garage on the Novartis Campus in Basel are vividly illustrated using scaled models, as well as 1:1 mock-ups.
Licht Kunst Licht, however, does not exclusively cater to rational lighting design that is tied to architecture. “Our publication shows the entire spectrum of our work and also documents many projects that are known through other press releases, and above all, through the many international architecture and lighting awards that these projects have won,” added Schulz.
The luminaire development department is also featured in the new work report and presents not only the lighting design competence of Licht Kunst Licht but also its special expertise in product design.
In a separate chapter, for the first time, the office introduces selected projects on which the team is currently working. The informative collages include impressions of the Elbtower in Hamburg, the Sagrada Família Basilica in Barcelona, and the large-scale Frankfurt Airport Terminal 3 project.
In her introduction “Light – Space – Art”, Dr. Vera Simone Bader, art historian and research associate at the Architectural Museum of the Technical University Munich, addresses the questions of how light functions in space and spaces with light and invites a discourse on the theory and background of design with light. Using examples from history, art, and architecture, she illustrates the different ways in which light can be perceived on an emotional and aesthetic level.
The fifth volume was once again designed in collaboration with the dedicated team from the Cologne-based studio polylog (formerly F1rstdesign) and, like its predecessors, is published by av edition in Stuttgart. Just like in 2016, the release of the book is to be celebrated again this year: A big book release party will take place in late summer in Berlin.
Entries open for Surface Design Awards 2023
(UK) – The Surface Design Awards 2023 is now open for entries. Now in its 11th year, the awards recognise excellence in material innovation from around the world.
Organised by the Surface Design Show, the awards attracted 180 projects from 24 different countries in 2022, reflecting the desire for international recognition for projects and the architects and designers responsible for them.
The awards are judged by an expert panel, co-chaired by Jonathan Hagos, Director of Freehaus, and Nasim Koerting, Head of Design, The Office Group. The judges are made up of architects and interior designers who have made a name for themselves amongst their peers. They include Charlotte McCarthy, Head of Interiors at Heatherwick Studio; Fiona MacDonald, Head of Learning at the Design Museum; and Nimi Attanayake, Director & co-founder, NimTim Architects.
Together they will determine the winners of the Awards. There are six categories for projects: Commercial Building; Housing, Landscape + Public Realm; Light + Surface; Public Building; and Temporary Structure, plus an Architectural Photography Award. From the individual category winners, the judges will then decide on a Supreme Award.
Last year’s Supreme Winner, the BAFTA Headquarters in London by Benedetti Architects, was described as being ‘truly impressive’ by the judges. Other past Supreme Winners include Squire and Partners, India’s IMK Architects and Steven Holl Architects, headquartered in New York. Sustainability will once again be a leading criterion for every entry and applicants must produce a statement and calculation for the carbon footprint of the cladding/materials used.
Entry into the Surface Design Awards is free, the closing date for entries is Friday 23 September 2022. Judging will take place at the start of November 2022 and finalists will be notified by mid- November. The eventual winners will be announced on the final day of the Surface Design Show at London’s Business Design Centre on 9th February 2023.
Lighting top of the agenda for Landscape 2022
(UK) – Taking place on 28-29 September at Birmingham’s NEC, Landscape 2022 is set to welcome hundreds of exhibitors with a vast collection of products, services, and innovations for the design, build and management of exterior landscaping projects.
Lighting will take a prominent role within the two-day event, with three full CPD-accredited sessions dedicated to the topic across Landscape’s seminar programme.
Michael Grubb, Founder of Michael Grubb Studio, has an extensive portfolio of landscape projects, and in his presentation will focus on one in particular – Lightplay. During his session, he will share the inspiration behind the project, the beauty of the landscaping, and how the area is now celebrating the natural world.
Elsewhere, Lee Gunner from LightPad will discuss the human response to light, and what to consider in order to harmonise lighting within the public realm in terms of light colour, strategies, visual volume and visual hierarchy within the nightscape.
Day Two of Landscape will be focused on women in the industry, and will start off with a networking morning running in conjunction with #YesSheCan. All based at the central bar area, visitors can enjoy a full day of interviews led by #YesSheCan and leading women from different specialties. Women in Lighting have put forward Emily Bedwei and Arianna Ghezzi from Lighting Design International to talk about their experiences, how they push forward in their field, and what they hope for the future.
Registration for Landscape 2022 is free. More information about attending can be found online.
IALD Enlighten Americas announce keynote speaker
(USA) – World-renowned artist Janet Echelman will deliver the keynote presentation at IALD Enlighten Americas 2022, the IALD has announced.
Known for her sculptural pieces around the globe, Echelman works at the scale of buildings and city blocks. Interactions between her work, light, wind and the local environment transfer her pieces from objects you look at into an experience that you can get lost in.
Her TED Talk, “Taking Imagination Seriously” has been translated into 35 languages, with more than two million views. Recipient of the Guggenheim Fellowship, Harvard Loeb Fellowship, Aspen Institute Henry Crown Fellowship, and Fulbright Sr. Lectureship, Echelman received the Smithsonian American Ingenuity Award in Visual Arts, honouring “the greatest innovators in America today.” In popular culture, Oprah ranked Echelman’s work #1 on her List of 50 Things That Make You Say Wow!, and Echelman was named an Architectural Digest Innovator for "changing the very essence of urban spaces."
IALD Enlighten Americas 2022 will take place on 29 September – 1 October at the Westin Rancho Mirage in Palm Springs, California. The full conference schedule includes 29 experts speaking across more than 18 educational sessions. Registration is open, with more information available here.
Michael Grubb Studio promotes Daniela Rendon to Project Lighting Designer
(UK) – As part of its ongoing response to significant levels of rapid growth, Michael Grubb Studio has promoted Daniela Rendon to Project Lighting Designer.
Having worked for the studio since 2019, Rendon has demonstrated her commitment to the lighting design industry. Her skills and knowledge have undoubtedly contributed to the success of many of the company’s recent projects.
In her new role, Rendon will manage design projects at varying stages of completion, working with a senior team member to ensure deadlines are met. She will put her self-motivation, good initiative and organisational skills to good use, as well as demonstrating her ability to liaise with suppliers, clients and design teams.
Rendon will be able to draw on her vast experience of working on projects of varying scales, across multiple sectors. These include the award-winning Bath Abbey project, King’s Walk Shopping Centre in Gloucester, and Woolsery in Devon. She has also been an active participant in industry events such as the creation of a lighting installation at the [d]arc Awards 2019, as well as being crowned a Technical Award Winner at the 2021 SLL Ready Steady Light challenge.
Speaking of her new role, Rendon said: “I am very excited to start my new position. I truly appreciate the opportunity and look forward to continuing to grow, as well as contribute to the creative and talented team of Michael Grubb Studio. I feel extremely motivated and encouraged by the team support, which makes coming to work an absolute joy.”
Michael Grubb, Founder and Managing Director of Michael Grubb Studios, added: “Daniela has proven herself to be a committed team member, with excellent lighting design and project management skills. In her new role, she will be able to build on these, as well as taking a more prominent position with clients and other stakeholders.
“I’m extremely proud of Daniela and it has been wonderful to watch her grow and develop as part of the Michael Grubb Studio team.”
GILE 2022 attracts more than 128,000 visitors
(China) – The 27th edition of the Guangzhou International Lighting Exhibition (GILE) took place at the beginning of August at the China Import and Export Centre. Taking place alongside the concurrent Guangzhou Electrical Building Technology (GEBT) show, this year’s event saw a significant rise in visitor numbers, with the two fairs attracting more than 128,000 visitors from 58 countries and regions over the four days – a 31% increase from the previous edition.
Commenting on this year’s fair, Lucia Wong, Deputy General Manager of Messe Frankfurt (HK), said: “As the industry steps into the new era of lighting, new technologies and business models will need to be discovered to meet the changing demands of consumers. That’s why GILE is such a key industry platform, helping the lighting market to develop more rapidly. I would therefore like to thank the industry for their incredible support in continuing to stand behind the show. The high number of exchanges that took place across the show floor this year proves that face-to-face interaction is in high demand.
“The industry is constantly evolving, with smart technologies, as well as more human-centric and low carbon approaches driving the development of new lighting products,” she continued. “While lighting design is moving towards “smart and healthy lighting”, the current trend is to use innovative ways of thinking to create more energy efficient lighting products. This year, GILE created more opportunities for business exchange. In addition, the fair’s fringe events explored the challenges faced by the industry, and the opportunities brought by technological change, which garnered much positive feedback from participants.”
Under the theme “New era, new opportunity”, the show aimed to encourage industry players to find new applications for lighting technology. This year’s fair was organised under nine key themes, discussing how new technologies can change people's lives, and how industry players can use this to create new business opportunities. Key topics included light art, lighting control technologies, smart cities, residential and commercial lighting.
The next editions of Guangzhou International Lighting Exhibition and Guangzhou Electrical Building Technology will be held from 9 – 12 June 2023.
www.guangzhou-international-lighting-exhibition.hk.messefrankfurt.com
Illuminated River to participate in Totally Thames' Reflections event
(UK) – As part of Totally Thames’ Reflections event on 24 September, Illuminated River will be lit in a celebratory sequence of majestically evolving light and colour.
The specially programmed display, created by Illuminated River artist Leo Villareal, will celebrate the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee, accompanying an illuminated flotilla along the River Thames, organised by the Thames Festival Trust. Comprised of 150 boats adorned with white lights, the procession will travel at dusk from Chelsea to Tower Bridge, creating a ribbon of light reflected across the water.
Illuminated River’s main colour scheme will be threaded with tones of platinum and purple in a synchronised flow of subtly moving LED lights across nine central London Thames bridges, from Lambeth to London Bridge. The display will be unveiled at sunset on Saturday 24 September and will run until 2am on Sunday 25 September.
The Reflections flotilla will include Gloriana, the Queen’s Rowbarge, which was made for Her Majesty’s Diamond Jubilee; and all participating crews are raising funds for the RNLI, to support the construction of a new lifeboat station at Waterloo Bridge.
Adrian Evans LVO, Pageant Master and Director of Totally Thames Festival, said:“The river was centre stage for Her Majesty’s Diamond Jubilee. Ten years on, the Thames joins her Platinum Jubilee celebrations in magnificent style with a sumptuous, illuminated flotilla and its bridges given gorgeous bespoke lighting specially for this historic occasion.”
Jayne George, Director of Fundraising, Media and Marketing at the RNLI, added: “We are so grateful that Reflections has chosen to fundraise for the new Tower Lifeboat Station. The crew there respond to around 600 calls for help on the Thames each year. The building no longer meets our operational needs, but our new floating lifeboat station at Tower will provide much improved facilities for our casualties and crews and will help us save many lives in the heart of the capital for decades to come.”
Entries open for SLL Young Lighter 2022
(UK) – The Society of Light and Lighting (SLL) has announced that entries for the SLL Young Lighter 2022 are now open. Aimed at people in the early stages of their lighting career, the competition is open to anyone under the age of 30 with an interest in light and lighting.
Entries can be based on any light-related topic, and the winner will receive £1,000 in prize money, along with the prestigious title of SLL Young Lighter 2022.
The competition is designed to provide people with a platform to share their lighting ideas – this could be a piece of research, a lighting concept or design, a new technology or product, or even a proposal for a new lighting metric or design methodology.
Previous winners include Maria Englezou, whose winning paper questioned current approaches to the design of lighting for healthcare facilities rooms; Aluwaine Manyonga, who proposed an off-grid solar lighting system to help provide improved access to education in Africa; and Anna Wawrzyniak, who proposed a light boosting system to support the circadian rhythms of commuters using underground transportation for their commute to and from work.
The competition is open to entrants from all over the world and is broken into three stages. Entry Stage One calls for six introductory Powerpoint slides outlining the entry. These could include images, illustrations, graphics, animations, text, voice etc; at Stage Two, the SLL will ask entrants to elaborate with a short presentation to expand on their initial ideas. This can be in whichever format they feel illustrates the entry best; for Stage Three, finalists will be selected and invited to deliver a 15-minute presentation in front of an online audience.
Entries are open until 25 August. More information can be found on the SLL website here. Or you can email sll@cibse.org for further details.
Recolight to spearhead circular economy for lighting industry
(UK) – Recolight has announced that it is bringing together a comprehensive range of services to help the lighting industry to fully embrace the circular economy.
Speaking at a key stakeholder event in London yesterday (21 July), Recolight CEO Nigel Harvey said: “The unprecedented heatwave we recently experienced is a salutary reminder of the need for us all to redouble our efforts to tackle the climate emergency, and that has been one of the key drivers for the way Recolight has transformed its business over the last three years. The circular economy is a vital component of the response to the climate crisis.
“We are now doing more than ever to support a circular economy. That includes product design training workshops to help lighting producers design for circularity, and to navigate the emerging voluntary and mandatory specifications.
“The Circular Lighting Report news service keeps the industry abreast of the latest developments. A certification service will help manufacturers demonstrate their level of compliance with the CIBSE TM66 circular lighting standard. And vitally, the new in-person event, Circular Lighting Live, which takes place in London on 22 September, will provide a unique forum to consider forthcoming standards and legislation, emerging technologies, and new business models.”
Harvey added that the new events and services complement the changes that Recolight has already implemented to try to reduce the level of luminaire recycling, and increase reuse of old lighting equipment, and of excess lighting equipment stock.
“At Recolight, we’re also doing our best to ‘walk the walk’ on the climate,” he continued. “All of our events are hosted at locations that favour travel by public transport. Climate action is one of the criteria in our tenders, and we’ve set an annual internal target for all staff to reduce the carbon footprint of our lamp collection services by 10% this year.
“It is particularly important to mention the pivotal role of the Recolight team in this transformation. I am immensely proud of their passion, energy, and commitment. None of this would have happened without them.”
LEDFlex Group and Lichtvision Design shine a light on hospitality lighting
LEDFlex Group and Lichtvision Design, joined forces last month to host their first collaborative VIP event. Held at the prestigious Great Scotland Yard Hotel, guests were welcomed to an evening filled with workshops, canapés, drinks and networking. The extravagant cocktail reception was sponsored by Atrium Lighting, Northern Lights and Zico Lighting.
‘Hospitality Light Lounge - A VIP Lichtvision and LEDFlex event’ offered architects and interior designers the opportunity to understand more about hospitality lighting in an evening that inspired education, collaboration and creativity for a variety of people within the design industry. LEDFlex Group and Lichtvision wanted to share their years of hospitality knowledge through conversation, networking and informative workshop-style talks.
The talks, presented by Laura Čižauskaitė from Lichtvision and Anthony Kerr from LEDFlex, covered a range of topics, from the pitfalls of poor lighting applications to benefits of building relationships with professional lighting manufacturers and develop a better understanding of the importance of hospitality lighting when it comes to curating the perfect ambience.
One of the highlights of the evening was the interactive pods that were custom-made by LEDFlex Group; a standout feature in demonstrating the ways designers could achieve effective lighting in different luxurious environments through applications such as cove, wall grazing, etc. Guests were able to interact with the pods and the mini environments that inhabited them, allowing for more stimulating experiences to be had.
With more than 40 renowned architects, interior designers and press, this was an event that raised awareness of light, and also enlightened guests about the significance it plays in architecture and hospitality.
“We are overwhelmed by the attendance and feedback from the Hospitality Light Lounge event. The guests were fully engaged in an evening of workshops and networking honouring hospitality lighting. Not only did they come away feeling inspired, but also enjoyed a fun-filled evening,” said Anthony Kerr, LEDFlex Group.
Laura Čižauskaitė, Lichtvision Design, added: “I wanted to create a different concept for future events - an event where people can meet and network with different industries, entertain, learn and visit a new, inspiring place. Put all that in one place, and you get a remarkable experience for everyone to remember.”
www.lichtvision.com
www.ledflexgroup.com
