Clemens Seipelt
In August of this year, Lichtvision Design expanded its footprint in the Far East with the opening of a new studio in Shanghai. arc caught up with Clemens Seipelt, Regional Director Asia at Lichtvision, to talk about the new office and the benefits that it will bring to the practice.
How did you get into lighting?
I was fascinated by lighting while jobbing at a stage and event production company when I was a teenager. I was then introduced to the field of architectural lighting design by friends and their studies at the University of Applied Science in Hildesheim, Germany.
Can you give us an overview of your career to date?
I studied the field of design with a Bachelors at HAWK in Hildesheim, Germany and one year at PUCP in Lima Peru. I then gained a Master’s of architectural lighting design at KTH Stockholm Sweden. Since graduating, I’ve worked as Lighting Designer in Lima, Peru, Berlin, Germany, Santiago, Chile, and to date have worked for seven years now in Hong Kong with Lichtvision.
Can you give us a bit of background on Lichtvision as a studio? How has it grown and changed over the years to get to this position?
Since around 2008 Lichtvision has worked on projects in Asia. Firstly, working remotely out of Berlin until we finally opened an office in Hong Kong in 2012. The office and team have been slowly but steadily growing from one to nine people in the Hong Kong office now. Hong Kong has always been a fantastic hub connecting east and west and a great city from where to enter the Chinese market. A large amount of our projects are actually located in China. The idea and dream of an office there was always there, as Hong Kong’s reach isn’t as far. We can concentrate on the greater bay area but northern and eastern China is still very far away. Clients want you to be close. It was ok, but never ideal. The pandemic however hindered us from travelling there altogether. So we adapted to the situation and opened an office to be flexible in the region. We’ve immediately felt the positive response.
What led to the opening of Lichtvision’s Shanghai office?
China is such an incredibly big market with so much potential and opportunities. Being part of this big wave of innovation and architectural development possibilities is exciting and fun. Every city is developing in their own way and is developing fantastic new buildings, landscapes and environments and it feels great to be a part of it. The bulk of our projects are located in China. Simply being local reduces travel costs and allows us to be more agile and cost efficient - flexibility and speed is a must in China. Working remotely is difficult, especially in pandemic times where travel is extremely restricted.
What benefits do you hope the new Shanghai office will bring to the wider Lichtvision team?
Expanding all of our mindsets, cultural exchange, and opening up our office even further to the east. ‘Getting out there’ and becoming an even more global and culturally inclusive team. Especially the team’s direct exposure to a wider market of Chinese designers bringing along cultural differences and design approaches.
How will the new office impact the firm’s work in the Far East?
Having an office within China now, we will be able to travel freely within the biggest market for us. In the short run, we can finally catch up on some overdue construction site visits or attend mock-ups in person for ongoing projects. We are now being present again and able to meet face to face, which is a big advantage. In the long run we will be more cost efficient and flexible, saving costs on air tickets when attending meetings in China, let alone the time spent travelling.
As Regional Director for Asia, what will your role be within the new Shanghai office?
As we keep most of the Shanghai office administration here in Hong Kong, I’m mainly responsible for the office management, administrative and operational capabilities, maintaining good contact and relationships with our existing partners and clients. A big part of my work will be to extend our client and partner base.
Lichtvision already has a base in the Far East with its Hong Kong office. How will the opening of the new Shanghai office affect this?
With our office in Hong Kong we are already very present in the greater bay area (Hong Kong, Macau, Zhuhai, Shenzhen, Guangzhou) but still far away from northern and western China. Now with this new set-up and a presence in Shanghai we are able to cover the region pretty well. The ongoing pandemic challenges us a lot as travel between Hong Kong and China is extremely restricted and until now only possible with very good reasons and lengthy quarantine procedures in both locations. Having a presence in China allows us to travel freely and a total game changer.
What have you got lined up for the new studio?
We have a few really exciting retail projects for a big German sports brand in the making. Furthermore, we currently support GMP Architects, which won a big competition for an outstanding revitalisation scheme of an old 860-metre-long old stainless steel factory. It will be turned into a wonderful complex featuring the new main location of the Shanghai Academy of Fine Arts, a museum, library, retail and F&B.
What do you think the future holds for the lighting industry?
Covid brought quite a bit of pressure onto the lighting market. We can definitely feel a more competitive environment. It is a challenge, but we need to roll up our sleeves, adapt and deal with it. China is investing a lot and there are lots of opportunities. Hence why we are looking forward to the future.
Decorex | The Edit - Nature & Biophilia in Lighting Design
Originally recorded for The Edit at Decorex, arc Editor Matt Waring hosts a panel discussion with Yah Li Toh (Light Collab), David Gilbey (d-lighting) and Julia Hartmann (lightsphere) on Nature and Biophilia in Lighting Design.
In this session, the panelists break down what biophilia is in relation to lighting design, and discuss how lighting can enhance wider biophilic designs.
Video courtesy of Decorex.
www.decorex.com
www.lightcollab.com
www.d-lighting.co.uk
www.lightsphere.ch
Valmont Structures: Koli Tapered Wood Poles
Decorative Koli wooden poles from Valmont Structures are naturally captivating and sustainably resourced. These square tapered Koli columns bring unique personality to pedestrian and traffic areas through natural beauty and creative application.
Valmont harvests the raw materials from sustainably managed, PEFC certified forests and manufactures the shafts from GL28h glued-laminated timber. Beautiful, environmentally friendly - just one way the company conserves resources and improves life.
LUCI to hold AGM during TAVA2021
The LUCI Association is hosting its Annual General Meeting next week (27-30 October) in the Estonian city of Tartu, to coincide with the TAVA - Tartu in Light festival.
A key event within the LUCI network's calendar, the LUCI AGM is the only international forum for cities on urban lighting. The event will feature plenary conferences, working group meetings and open conference sessions on new lighting trends and projects from cities around the world.
Although hosted in Tartu, Estonia, the AGM will be a hybrid online/on-site conference, showcasing the city's lighting projects, as well as the TAVA - Tartu in Light festival.
Some of the themes and discussions taking place during the AGM include:
- Lighting in European Capitals of Culture
How have previous, future, and recently awarded EU Capitals of Culture integrated lighting into their wider cultural policies?
- Beatriz Garcia, Associate Director of the Centre for Cultural Value
- Helen Marriage, Director, Artichoke / Creative Director, Galway 2020
- Piia Rantala-Korhonen, Director of Oulu2026
- Massimiliano Burgi, Project Manager for Lumen-Social Light, Matera 2019
- Smart steps towards smart lighting
How can cities build their vision on smart lighting, choose their paths, and take steps towards realisation?
- Helene Qvist, Smart City Consultant, City of Albertslund
- Zoltán Pap, Managing Director, BDK Budapest
- Rik van Stiphout, Programme advisor Light & Culture, City of Eindhoven
- Youngho Baik, Member of Advisory Committee Urban Lighting Seoul
- Philip Ross, Studio Philip Ross, co-author of the white paper
- Lighting projects from cities worldwide
Speakers from cities worldwide will be presenting projects and research on diverse topics such as light’s impact on health, lighting masterplans, public lighting design criteria, measuring light pollution, real-time smart lighting and more. Hear about projects in Helsinki, Kazan, Lyon, Brussels, Medellin, Pessac, Putrajaya, Reykjavík, Tallinn and Vilnius.
- Light and light art in Tartu
Learn about host city Tartu's urban lighting and light art projects, join a fun lantern-making workshop and experience the TAVA - Tartu in Light festival.
Online participation is free and attendees can register here.
DW Windsor acquired by Luceco
(UK) – Luceco, manufacturer and distributor of high-quality wiring accessories, LED lighting, and portable power products, has acquired the entire issued share capital of DW Windsor Group.
DW Windsor Group, based in Hertfordshire, UK, operates through three business units – DW Windsor, Urban Control and Pulsar. DW Windsor specialises in the design and UK-based manufacture of high quality outdoor and streetlighting equipment for the specification market; Urban Control provides network solutions for infrastructure assets facilitating data collection and control, including the monitoring and control of streetlights; Pulsar supplies architectural floodlighting solutions for landmark buildings across the world.
The business will continue to operate from its existing headquarters and the senior management team will remain with the business post-acquisition.
John Hornby, CEO of Luceco, commented: “DW Windsor is one of the strongest brands in the UK’s specification exterior lighting industry with a strong track record of delivery on public sector lighting projects and impressive network technology credentials. It is highly complementary with the Group’s Kingfisher Lighting business, which supplies non-public sector projects, and we are excited about the opportunity to offer the expanded product portfolio to both customer groups.”
Terry Dean, CEO of DW Windsor Group, added: “I am delighted that DW Windsor Group has been acquired by a new owner who understands our industry, can support the next phase of growth and offers a wealth of opportunities for our team. I will continue to lead the business and I look forward to working with John to bring the two companies together.”
www.luceco.com
www.dwwindsor.com
Applelec: Green Applelec LED Light Sheet
Supplying the design industry with the first, fully environmentally friendly light panel, Applelec Lighting announces the launch of its Green Applelec LED Light Sheet.
Manufactured at Applelec’s West Yorkshire premises, Green Applelec LED Light Sheet has been developed to help improve its carbon footprint, whilst still delivering a premium backlighting product. Providing a more sustainable option, Green Applelec LED Light Sheet is the first light panel to utilise recycled and recyclable materials.
Buro Happold and Paladino join forces
(USA) – As part of a concerted effort to improve its sustainability consultancy offering to clients, Buro Happold has acquired Paladino Company, one of the world’s leading sustainability consultancies.
Having worked together on a number of world-renowned projects for nearly a decade, the two companies have helped to deliver some of the most innovative engineering and design solutions, such as the Tower at PNC Plaza in Pittsburgh, PA – a LEED Platinum-certified project that has been dubbed “the world’s greenest high-rise”.
Paladino Company is internationally recognised as a climate action trailblazer, and work with world-leading multidisciplinary engineers and consultants. The acquisition increases Buro Happold’s breadth and depth of expertise to help architects, developers, corporations and the public sector use sustainability as a business tool.
The move also creates a platform for the continued growth of Paladino and Company. The firm is known for bringing wellness, resilience and sustainability to real estate projects, into new sectors and US markets, working with clients to minimise costs, increase profitability, create market demand and increase occupant satisfaction through its building design and operations.
Mike Seyle, United States Regional President, Buro Happold, said of the move: “Driving our growth strategy in the United States, joining forces with Paladino and Company not only broadens our geographical reach but also enriches our sustainability strategy and consultancy offerings to our clients. Both Buro Happold and the team at Paladino recognise the pressing global challenges of climate action, community building and human wellness that require solutions at scale.”
Tom Paladino, CEO of Paladino and Company, added: “Formalising the collaboration between our likeminded firms will bring a new level of speed and intensity to our sustainability solutions. Our boutique consulting DNA pioneering playbook and diverse national client base add points of leverage to Buro Happold’s mature platform. This expanded practice field [of offering] creates space for our people to learn and grow, which in turn will grow the firm.”
James Bruce, CEO of Buro Happold, concluded: “This exciting move underscores not only our core expertise area but also our commitment to climate action and to delivering sustainability solutions for all our clients. Having worked alongside Paladino and Company for nearly a decade, it’s a natural evolution to formally bring them into the wider Buro Happold portfolio to create significant new opportunities for our clients.”
www.burohappold.com
www.paladinoandco.com
Luminii acquires Precision Lighting and RCL
(USA) – Chicago-based manufacturer Luminii has announced the acquisition of two British lighting manufacturers: Precision Lighting and Remote Controlled Lighting (RCL).
Precision Lighting and RCL are sister companies under common ownership and management that produce individually unique product lines. By bringing both brands into the Luminii fold, it is hoped that it will allow the collective companies to broaden their global reach into new territories, while enabling Luminii to further innovate by engineering new LED lighting technologies and products that service commercial and residential markets.
Jeff Parker, CEO of Luminii, said of the acquisition: “The mutual benefits of this dual acquisition are far-reaching. With the addition of Precision Lighting and Remote Controlled Lighting, we are well positioned to immediately expand our product offerings across geographies, including the US, where we are already well established.
“The company is concentrating heavily on engineering efforts in the miniaturisation space, as evident from our Stenos launch earlier this year. With Precision Lighting’s micro-lighting products and systems, we can now offer a broader range of micro-LED solutions to our customers while also expanding opportunities globally to introduce Luminii’s flagship products in major hubs including London, Europe and the Far East. RCL also brings an entirely new category of remote-controlled lighting solutions, opening doors to be specified into applications we were previously unable to support.”
Alex Ruston, Managing Director of Precision and RCL, added: “We are delighted and I can’t imagine a better partner to accelerate our growth worldwide. Luminii’s track record and complementary product strategy felt naturally aligned to ours, making this an easy decision for our team. With our distinctive product innovation in the micro-LED and remote lighting category, and Luminii’s linear expertise, we feel we have an amazing opportunity to multiply our joint innovation in the lighting space.
“The US has been a vastly untapped market for both Precision and RCL. This strategic company advancement with Luminii helps us further diversify our customer base, expedites our product visibility in the US, and gives us the momentum we need to bring our products to new markets.”
www.luminii.com
www.precisionlighting.co.uk
www.rclighting.com
eldoLED: Tunable White Lighting Reimagined
eldoLED has implemented Human-Centric Lighting for the Handelshuys renovation in Uden, the Netherlands. The company’s LED drivers with its signature LightShape technology resulted in perfect Tunable White lighting for a flawless flicker-safe and deep-dimming experience. This solution paired well with eldoLED’s Bluetooth radio for Casambi wireless control. View the results and specify LightShape for your upcoming projects.
Sally Storey publishes new book
(UK) - Sally Storey, Founding Director of Lighting Design International and Creative Director of John Cullen Lighting, has published a new book in partnership with RIBA Books.
Entitled Inspired by Light: A design guide to transforming the home, the book aims to provide practical insight to designers with an abundance of visual inspiration on successful lighting solutions and schemes - from the fundamental principles of lighting design, to working with LEDs, to advice on lighting unusual spaces.
Accompanied by lavish photography and accompanying lighting plans, Inspired by Light looks to showcase the most up-to-date information on trending and lighting technologies that aim to transform how light is used within a space.
Speaking of the new book, Storey said: “With the arrival of LEDs, which revolutionised the industry, I felt that a book that explored how to use this new tool would be of benefit to the industry. There is very little advice currently available for designers and the design savvy to fully understand how to select LEDs. The outlining of all the important technical elements within the book is critical to the understanding and proper selection of LEDs, and to illustrate the various techniques that can be used and how they are important to distinct styles of interior.
“Good LED technology has allowed for greater opportunities and benefits within the industry, due to its miniaturisation, which allows for more discreet integration into architecture and joinery. With LEDs lasting longer than ever before, it is so important to get the lighting right from the outset or it will be a costly mistake.”
Throughout the book, Storey draws inspiration from across the UK and around the globe, including a contemporary villa in Dubai and an alpine chalet, and presents a variety of interior and exterior real-world projects old and new large and small.
With its visually engaging and approachable style, it is hoped that the book will provide a fascinating insight into current and emerging lighting technologies, and will appeal not only to architects and designers, but anyone interested in making the most of lighting at home or at work.
Inspired by Light is available now on the Riba Books website.
www.lightingdesigninternational.com
www.johncullenlighting.com
SLL to publish new guidance on protecting nighttime environment
(UK) - The Society of Light and Lighting (SLL) has published its first Lighting Guide dedicated to protecting the nighttime environment.
Lighting Guide (LG) 21: Protecting the Nighttime Environment aims to set out the consequences of light pollution and the right questions to ask when designing exterior lighting schemes. It considers common applications, including façade lighting, heritage buildings, sports lighting and security lighting. It also outlines potential mitigation measures.
The late Liz Peck, Past President and Fellow of the SLL, carried out most of the work on LG21 in the months before her death in January 2021, bringing it very near to completion.The guide was then completed and prepared for publication by Benedict Cadbury of Lampholder Lighting Design.
Whilst working to develop further practical guidance on the application of lighting design for the protection of the night-time environment, the Society felt it prescient to recognise Liz’s commitment and dedication in producing this Guide.
Within the forward, SLL immediate past president, Bob Bohannon MSc, FSLL, MIET wrote of his friend and colleague; “I had the privilege to work alongside Liz on the Iron Bridge at Telford project and on reading this guide it was good to see just how much of the knowledge and advice set out within it were incorporated into the lighting design of the Bridge. Liz had long expertise in mitigating the negative effects of lighting on bats and I had long experience in delivering zero direct
upward light schemes, so this guide could almost have formed a checklist for the project: skyglow, obtrusive light, bat flyways, fish, visitor views, extending the economic day of Ironbridge, curfews, luminance-based design, spectral reflectance and light source spectral radiation, daytime appearance, glare mitigation through positioning, aiming and louvres and finally an overall lighting impact assessment — all were included.”
The appendix includes a list of protected species as identified by the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, which include the 113 vertebrates, together with 68 invertebrates (butterflies, moths, insects, and marine species) and 176 plants. (There are some further species of which the sale/offer for sale is prohibited). Badgers are treated separately under the Protection of Badgers Act (1992).
Members of the Society of Light and Lighting receive unlimited online access to all Guidance from the SLL and the Chartered Institute of Building Services Engineers, with the option to purchase hard copies at a reduced rate. All guidance is available to purchase as pdf or hard copy on the SLL website.
Wila confirmed as Carbon Neutral organisation
(UK) - Wila Lighting has confirmed its green credentials, securing its position as a Carbon Neutral company.
The standard is awarded by Carbon Footprint Ltd; an organisation working with blue-chip and mid-market companies to support them in reducing their carbon emissions and engaging in carbon offsetting.
As part of its work, Carbon Footprint Ltd awards an industry-recognised standard to those companies that can demonstrate their carbon footprint status. To achieve this, organisations must complete a carbon footprint appraisal.
For 2021, Wila has gone one step further and has been recognised at the highest level of Carbon Neutral+ standard. This demonstrates their commitment to supporting a range of additional environmental projects.
Since 2008, when Wila committed to a carbon offsetting programme, the organisation has reduced its carbon emissions by 84%. This demonstrates the company’s true dedication to not only offsetting to neutralise, but also actively reducing their initial output, which they have achieved significantly over the past 13 years.
As part of their carbon neutral activity, Wila has chosen to support a UK tree planting project. In addition to VCS offset – a project that aims to reduce deforestation in Brazil – trees will be planted that will sequester carbon over their lifetime, as well as providing habitats for wildlife.
Matt Vogel, Managing Director from Wila said: “We’re very proud of our work over the past decade to offset our carbon emissions, as well as significantly reducing our initial output. Our team has worked hard to achieve the Carbon Neutral+ Standard, and we continue to be committed to being more sustainable in our activities and processes.”
