Recolight gives update on sustainability initiatives
(UK) - At a press briefing this week, Recolight CEO Nigel Harvey gave an update the company’s sustainability initiatives.
“Over the last two years, we have run nine webinars regarding resource efficiency and the circular economy,” he said. “We are delighted those webinars were attended by 1,200 delegates, and were also viewed by 1,500 afterwards. It is particularly pleasing that the topics are now moving on from ‘what we should be doing’ to ‘what is being done’. Particular thanks to Ray Molony who has chaired all the sessions, and has been instrumental in encouraging the lighting industry to embrace the circular economy.”
Harvey added: “Next week Recolight will be launching two new services intended to increase re-use and re-manufacture in the lighting industry, by diverting more product from recycling. The services will address the re-use of used lighting equipment, and also the supply of end-of-line or remaindered stock held in our producer members’ warehouses. These services have been developed directly as a response to the challenges explored during our webinar series.”
Harvey then moved on to give an update on Recolight’s net zero ambitions: “We are committed to being net zero by 2030. Data for our benchmark year, 2019, has been independently analysed. It shows that more than 90% of our carbon emissions arise from the transport of waste around the country. We have to get that down. It will be a challenge, because our waste is currently transported by diesel fuelled HGVs, but we are determined to find solutions.”
Harvey concluded by saying: “I am immensely proud of team at Recolight. They are making a major contribution to the sustainability in the lighting sector by supporting our Producer Members and their customers in their ambitions to adopt circular economy practices.”
[d]arc room pop-up @ Design London a success
(UK) – [d]arc room returned to London for special pop-up event
Returning to London for its fifth year, [d]arc room hosted a special pop-up event at Design London (previously 100% Design), which received a staggering 12 and a half thousand attendees.
Recognising the capital’s profound influence over Architecture and Design specification, [d]arc room pop-up was a new and enhanced event experience underpinned by the wealth of knowledge of both [d]arc media and Media 10, organisers of Design London.
In previous editions of 100% Design, the lighting contingent was sporadically positioned throughout the exhibition. This year saw [d]arc room pop-up as an established lighting area within Design London.
The pop-up featured a highly curated selection of lighting brands providing a unique platform for suppliers and designers to meet at what was the must-attend event during London Design Festival.
Confirmed exhibitors included Seoul Semiconductor, Franklite, Delta Light, ILP, iGuzzini, John Cullen Lighting, Thorlux Lighting, Mesh, Tryka, IALD, Nichia/Formula Luci, Light LAB, RAY Lighting and SLL.
The pop-up event also showcased this year’s [d]arc awards light art installations based on the theme ‘The Spectrum’. Displayed on the Magazine Mezzanine for the duration of Design London, a [d]arc night party celebrating all this year’s awards winners was also be held on the Wednesday evening.
This year’s installation teams included: Arup / Lumascape; Buro Happold / TLS; Hoare Lea / Seoul; Lighting Design International / LedFlex; Nulty / Erco; and Studio-29 / Kingfisher Lighting.
A series of lighting talks, [d]arc thoughts, also took place on the Magazine Mezzanine. The panel discussions were a huge success, drawing large audiences each day to listen to an esteemed line-up of industry professionals discussing topics around lighting, plus a special series of Diversity in Lighting.
www.darcroom.com / www.designlondon.co.uk
Lutron releases Athena architectural lighting solution
(UK) – Lutron brings Athena architectural lighting solution – with iOS App Control – to the global market.
Athena is inspired light that delivers a holistic experience – a simple, flexible, all-in-one solution for lighting, intelligent blinds, and connected apps.
Lutron Electronics brings the Athena architectural solution to global applications. Athena is a simple, flexible, all-in-one solution that elevates everyday experiences with the magic of light. The system marries world-class control, flexibility, and simple app-based setup in a lighting control solution that is optimal for both new construction and retrofits and is ideally suited to handle the evolving needs of commercial spaces. Especially now, as commercial spaces are rethinking occupancy patterns and ease of use, Athena is built to meet today’s uncharted design challenges while delivering flexibility for the future.
Key features include:
- Universal fixture control – control all load types from a single product with no minimum load requirements.
- A right-sized processor accommodates design and budget in both small and large spaces with no limit to the number of DALI zones making it ideal for intimate restaurants, art galleries and museums, and hotel public areas. Athena is designed for seamless integration of lights and blinds to deliver a beautiful lighting environment.
- Simple-to-use, the mobile iOS application for real-time programming and personalisation includes features such as fade times adjustable to up to four hours.
- Seamless API integration to building management systems for centralised monitoring and control. Athena is designed to deliver quality light, natural light, a connection to the outdoors, and control options that are focused on enhancing the human experience.
“Across the globe, building design and customer expectations are changing to reflect a more human centric lighting experience. As designers and business owners navigate new challenges, Athena offers a solution that supports the human experience and celebrates nuances in design and culture. For today’s lighting designs, flexibility and simplicity are paramount. Athena is built with this in mind,” said Olivier Perrigueur, Vice President and General Manager, Commercial Business at Lutron.
Most people spend their days under static light that doesn’t change. Athena invites architects and designers to change this paradigm, to extend dynamic natural light deep into the built environment, far beyond the window’s reach. Athena brings the full power of tuneable white, DALI Type 8 fixtures to the designer’s fingertips. With best-in-class fade times, and independent control of colour temperature and intensity – from 100% to 0.1% – create perfect harmony between interior light and natural daylight.
Athena expands opportunities for beautiful light in elegant spaces. Customise lighting designs with warm dimming and tuneable white control. The simple, mobile app enables dimming to 0.1% light with precision fine-tuning in 1% light level increments for visual presentation and aesthetics that are unique in each space. Customised controls are also available to meet the needs of occupants and visitors alike – touchless, responsive options like occupancy and daylight sensors or timeclock control, individual Pico remote controls and luxury aesthetics such as Palladiom keypads, or the all-new Athena Touchscreen, and mobile app integration ensure the right options for each space.
Athena processors allow the system to scale easily, making Athena systems as good for small architectural spaces such as restaurants, museums, and boutiques, as they are for large, open-plan office spaces and corporate headquarters.
New CEO for ILP appointed
(UK) – The Institution of Lighting Professionals (ILP) has announced the appointment of Justin Blades as its new Chief Executive Officer, succeeding Tracey White, who is relocating abroad.
Blades will assume the role on 1 November, and has a strong mandate to further enhance the organisation’s role in uniting the skills of engineering, design and technology in order to deliver quality lighting for the built environment.
Fiona Horgan, ILP President, said: “The Board welcomes Justin to the ILP team as our new CEO. We are excited to work with Justin at this critical time for the lighting industry as we look to address the social and economic challenges of the Covid-19 pandemic and climate change.
“As we look to the future, Justin has already brought to the table some great ideas and brings experience from a membership body organisation.
“The Board would like to thank Tracey for her leadership and work raising the ILP profile over the past three and a half years, she has provided us a voice at national level and will be missed by all who have worked with her. We wish her all the best for her new life in the sunshine.”
Speaking of his appointment as CEO, Justin Blades said: “I am delighted to be joining the ILP as CEO and I look forward to working with ILP members, the Board and the wider team to focus on extending the reach and voice of the Institution for new generations of lighting professionals, building on the significant work that has already been accomplished.”
Prior to joining the ILP, Blades held senior positions in the membership sector, including six years as Deputy Chief Executive of the Institution of Chemical Engineers, one of the largest chartered professional engineering institutions in the UK.
IES & IESSA announce Joint Memorandum of Understanding
(USA) – The Illuminating Engineering Society (IES) and the Illumination Engineering Society of South Africa (IESSA) have announced a memorandum of understanding (MOU), enabling future collaboration on consensus-based guidelines and publications.
Both parties seek to advance lighting knowledge and to provide a forum for business, training, public engagement, national standards and meaningful engagement within the lighting industry both nationally and internationally.
“With the fast pace of technology transformation in the lighting industry, it is becoming more and more challenging to keep every stakeholder educated and updated in the field of lighting,” said IESSA President Daniel Kasper. “Through our global collaboration with the IES, we aim to positively impact society and the environment while strengthening each other along the way.”
The IES and IESSA have agreed to establish a mutually beneficial relationship between the parties that will encourage coordination among each organisation’s documents, where appropriate and, when mutually beneficial, create joint documents, share in educational opportunities, designate committee representatives and advocate for each other’s organisation. Potential research projects and increased participation in committee activities are anticipated.
IES Director of Education Brienne Musselman added: “Formalising relationships with organisations such as the IESSA will support our efforts to educate, advocate and engage with the global lighting community.”
Recolight announce autumn webinar series
(Online) – Recolight has announced that its webinar series on the Circular Economy of Lighting will continue into the autumn, with three news sessions to be chaired by Ray Maloney.
“There’s definitely a shift in attitudes happening in the lighting industry, and we’re starting to look seriously at the implications of adopting circular economy principles. Companies that ignore this shift risk looking out of touch,” Maloney said.
The sessions, held on 16 September, 7 October and 28 October, will cover ‘The specifier’s role in the Circular Economy’, ‘Extending the life of luminaires’ and ‘Designing sustainable luminaires’.
During these webinars, a range of lighting producers, specifiers and designers will share their insight and positive initiatives being undertaken to reduce the impact on the environment. Defra will also provide input on how they may encourage and incentivise product reuse.
Recolight CEO Nigel Harvey added: “The Recolight webinars have brought together the lighting industry, helping all to adopt a Circular Economy approach. Much progress has been made since we started, not just with action undertaken by the industry, but also legislation.
“The generosity of our panelists to share their knowledge and experience is invaluable with helping to move the industry towards a sustainable model. It has been genuinely heartening to see the continuing high level of interest and attendance our webinars have attracted.”
All sessions are free to join. More info on how to register can be found on the Events tab of the Recolight website.
Trilux announce partnership with Smart Building Technology specialist
(Germany) – In an effort to simplify the integration of lighting into the hardware and software infrastructure of digitised buildings, Trilux has invested in IT expert wtec.
wtec specialises in building automation and IT infrastructure, its smartengine technology enables the complete lighting network to be implemented via data cabling and seamlessly integrates into the building management system.
With an investment of 25.1% in wtec, a subsidiary of German real estate developer Zech, Trilux aims to expand its competence in IT and building automation, strengthening its position as a holistic room and building solutions provider.
Particularly in the development of newly planned office buildings, digitalisation and automation of services will soon play a central role – by integrated IoT system modules, lighting will increasingly take on tasks in the future that go beyond the classic lighting tasks.
“The lighting network acts as a flexible technology carrier that is responsible for communication and control of the other trades, becoming the backbone of digitalisation,” said Joachim Geiger, CSO at Trilux. “Futureproof lighting provides high-quality and efficient light, and at the same time makes the room and building smart.”
Dr Frank Schmitt, Managing Director at wtec and General Manager Smart Buildings at the Zech Group, added: “The IP conversion of secure internet use of building data is the logical and necessary step towards more customer benefits. We are pleased that with Trilux we have a strong partner at our side for our growth and our path to a technological standard.”
SLL Ready Steady Light to return this Autumn
(UK) – One of the Society of Light and Lighting’s (SLL) flagship events, Ready Steady Light will be returning this Autumn. Taking place in partnership with Rose Bruford College, the competition will take place at the college’s leafy Sidcup campus on 19 October.
As is tradition, the SLL is inviting teams of lighting professionals to compete against each other in a back-to-basics celebration of the art of science and light. Each time will be challenged with creating an exterior light installation, with a limited range of kit in just 180 minutes.
“Whilst the lighting community has worked to overcome the challenges presented by the pandemic, day to day work has continued. There have been new starters and the same requirements to support development but without the crucial interaction that comes with working alongside colleagues in a shared space,” the SLL said. “The Society feels it is more important than ever to provide design practices and lighting professionals with an opportunity to have fun and work together, with the added element of some friendly competition.”
As in previous years, there will be three awards up for grabs. A panel of expert judges from the SLL and the IALD will decide the winners of the Technical and Artistic Awards, with the Peer Prize decided by the contestants taking part.
Students enrolled in Rose Bruford College’s Lighting and Design BA courses will support the event, with the opportunity to learn from and assist lighting professionals working in this unique environment.
Previous winners have included dpa lighting consultants, UCL, WSP, Arup, Hoare Lea, Speirs Major and AECOM.
More info on how to register your team for the event can be found online here.
LED Expo brings focus on women in lighting industry through virtual LED Summit
(India) – Supported by the IALD and event partner K-Lite Industries, Messe Frankfurt India held an online webinar, LED Summit, which sought to unite successful women entrepreneurs from the lighting industry to address the challenges that female employees continue to face in the arena of lighting.
With the IALD as the knowledge partner, the LED Summit webinar organised earlier this month, united some of the most influential and successful women entrepreneurs from the lighting industry to discuss the topic of ‘Women & The Lighting Profession – Understanding their role’.
The panellists were forthcoming in highlighting the struggles and prejudices they face as women in the lighting profession: “In academics, there are a vast number of women going in to learn lighting design, but very few of them actually end up becoming a part of the industry,” shared Shailee Trivedi, IALD Member and IIID (Institute of Indian Interior Designers) Chair Elect.
Further elaborating on the issue, Surbhi Jindal, who is also the India Ambassador for Women in Lighting (WIL), added how WIL has been working relentlessly to profile, celebrate and support the women working in lighting. She also shared how women are facing the brunt of the severely affected job market due to the current pandemic.
The event partner for LED Summit, K-LITE actively seeks to create opportunities and support aspiring women. The company employs more than 50% women under its workforce across the spectrum.
An influential lighting professional herself and one of the panellists at the virtual session, Sharmila Kumbhat, Director, K-LITE described the significance of women employees and leaders in the industry: “Lighting being both an art and science, women by their very nature have the insights and temperament for art, architecture and design. Yet it is important to overcome these gender barriers and allow talent to come through regardless of gender.”
Empowerment of women in lighting profession is not only a case of gender equity but more so about celebrating the accomplishments of female professionals to inspire the next generation of women workers and decision makers.
As one of India’s leading lighting trade fairs, LED Expo aims to continue to provide a B2B platform where lighting professionals can gain equal access to sourcing and networking opportunities through its New Delhi edition, scheduled to take place on 18 – 20 November 2021 at India Expo Mart, Greater Noida.
LIA President’s Award winner revealed
(UK) – On 30 July, the Lighting Industry Association (LIA) held its Annual General Meeting, which concluded with the presentation of the LIA President’s Award. This year’s recipient is David Wright, Managing Director of Emergency Lighting Products and Jordan Reflectors.
The LIA President’s Award recognises exceptional service to the lighting industry, and LIA President Terry Dean bestowed the award on Wright, not just for his distinguished career in lighting, but also to acknowledge the support and guidance that he has given to the LIA and Lumicom over the years.
Wright began his career in Research and Development with Thorn Lighting followed by eight years managing the lighting laboratories at BSI (British Standards Institution). He later joined Existalite / Thomas & Betts as Technical Director, and was promoted to Managing Director while also handling the Group roles of European Product Manager and World Standards Manager. Wright joined the Jordan Group in 2003, initially as Managing Director of Emergency Lighting Products, but took control of both Jordan UK companies in 2009.
An active member of the LIA, Wright is also Chairman of the Industry Committee for Emergency Lighting (ICEL). Its mission is to strengthen the industry and promote the benefits of good quality emergency lighting. He also sits on the LIA Council of Management and is a Director of Lumicom – the UK’s leading independent, not-for-profit WEEE Compliance Scheme, which is a part of the LIA.
On receiving the award, he said: “It was an unexpected honour to receive this year’s President’s award. I am particularly delighted to have been recognised at a time when our industry has been enduring obvious difficulties and by a President that, with the Board and Council, has been so instrumental in bringing positive change to the LIA.”
LIA President, Terry Dean, added: “When it came to thinking about this year’s President’s Award, David was a quick and obvious choice. Having known David for more than 25 years, he has always struck me as someone who cares about our industry and has made a significant contribution to the LIA Council and ICEL. I’m sure you all agree he is a very worthy recipient.”
L4H Online Course is Officially Launched
(Online) - On 20th of August 2021 the online course L4H Course of Health Research for Lighting Design was officially launched. It was developed by a consortium of six partner-universities from around the world as a part of the Erasmus + Strategic Partnership grant programme. This includes Thomas Jefferson University (USA), University of Wolverhampton (UK), Aalborg University (Denmark), Hochschule Wismar (Germany), KTH Royal Institute of Technology (Sweden) and ITMO University (Russia).
The course consists of five educational modules. It contains multiple concepts, tools, and results of health-related research to inform lighting design. Students are exposed to knowledge and research related to lighting and health in different fields of physiology and psychology. They are also guided to learn how to conduct their own evaluation and data collection to enable lighting designs that support health and wellbeing. Students will also learn how to interpret the necessary measurements.
Module One introduces the topic and addresses the question of why health should be considered as a factor in lighting. Students will investigate aspects such as the physics of light and the physiology of vision, and the impact of light on the human body. The module also includes a short history of light and health.
Module Two reviews the basics of lighting and aspects of health related to lighting. This involves the role of daylight in architecture, daylight’s impact on health, and, in general, the neuroendocrine, neurobehavioral, and circadian effects of light on the human body. Students will also explore the psychology of light and additional topics such as glare and flicker are covered.
Module Three is dedicated to software, measuring devices, and evaluation tools. Metrics are provided that can be used to evaluate the physiological impact of lighting. The module also covers different software and measurement tools. Some assessment techniques for subjective impressions of a space are presented. At the end of the module there is a virtual tour of the Jefferson Research Lab.
Module Four provides an overview of standards and good practices. Metrics for daylight evaluations are presented, and students will be introduced to “Manchester Recommendations” for healthy daytime, evening, and nighttime indoor light exposure. Moreover, design integrations are discussed that employ measurements and design criteria for physiological impact and visual perception.
In Module Five, there are examples of applications and case studies from research and practice. Students will be provided with project examples from workspaces, educational, and healthcare environments, and they will be shown specialty applications (e.g., space travel, users with autism). Concepts of spectral modelling for light and health considerations, double dynamic lighting, biophilia, and information on therapeutic lighting applications will also be supplied.
Prior to the course launch, there was a conference organised by the consortium members. Those who joined the conference were lecturers, students, and professional designers. All experts agreed that the course was the result of a successful collaboration of representatives from different disciplines and different backgrounds.
Asst. Prof. Dr. Karolina Zielinska-Dabkowska from the Hochschule Wismar (Germany): “The topic of light and health is a very complex one, especially with recent medical and biological discoveries. Therefore, it’s essential that different groups collaborate in order to overcome the difficulty of putting research into practice. This collaboration requires the involvement of scientists, academics, lighting professionals, and representatives of the lighting industry. The proposed approach can help identify the gaps and then be used to find solutions to resolve those gaps.”
With lighting design as a profession developing very fast as new approaches and technology are applied, this course makes a contribution to this evolving field. Assoc. Prof. Lyn Godley, from the Thomas Jefferson University (USA) explained: “The field of lighting design has changed dramatically over the last 10 years, and it has become much more diverse in terms of what it entails regarding science, and visual and non-visual effects. For all of us working within the consortium, it’s been remarkable to team with the researchers, so that we have a dialogue together rather than separately”.
When exploring the topic of light and health it is important to understand that the numerous discussed issues extend beyond design and architecture. Asst. Prof. Dr. Georgios Triantafyllidis from the Aalborg University (Denmark) said: “10 years ago, everything was much simpler because it was only about daylight or engineering for artificial lighting, but now everything has been mixed with biology, architecture, engineering, and technology. The students are asked to understand everything, which is very difficult. That’s why I think this project, and this online course can contribute to organising and providing easy-to-understand knowledge to everybody: students, practitioners, and anyone who is a light enthusiast. Thus, we can all better understand how light works in regard to health”.
Prof. Michael F. Rohde from the Hochschule Wismar (Germany) emphasized: “I think this Erasmus + project from the EU is pointing in the right direction, and distributing this information through the website is a really good idea. It is important that we share this knowledge with all those who are interested on an international level. I think in the future, with the help of this course, students, clients, light designers, and manufacturers will comprehend how a modern, intelligent lighting concept should be developed in healthcare units or hospitals”.
The project has been extremely productive, however the field of light and health is very broad so the topic needs to be explored even further. Assoc. Prof. Dr. Ute Besenecker from the Royal Institute of Technology (KTH), (Sweden) explained: “I do think that this project provides a great starting point to bridge knowledge from research and design applications, yet it still needs to be developed to more fully integrate it.”
Head of the international Master’s program “Lighting design” from the ITMO University, Natalya Bystryantseva observed: “The L4H project appeared as a response to a global demand of the lighting industry in the development of knowledge, skills and competence for young specialists. This demonstrates that the profession of lighting designer is becoming more significant and demanding regarding the quality of lighting. Scientific and practical experience of the partners, and work with different types of spaces, have helped to specify the most relevant questions that researchers have nowadays. In the future, this course will also help enhance and systemise the knowledge of young students and graduates when they write their master’s and postgraduate theses”.
The L4H project has highlighted the importance of light and health not only for scientists and practitioners, but also for those who use lighting in their homes, working environments, and in hospitals and healthcare facilities etc. Prof. Paul Hampton from the University of Wolverhampton (UK) added: “I would also suggest that a lot of the work and intelligence we have gathered here should be shared with clients, so that clients can better understand the impacts lighting can have. This might influence them to have lighting designers involved earlier in the design stage. I think we have to move away from the attitude that lighting is something to consider later, only if there’s a little money left, whereas, it needs to be at the forefront of the design”.
The online course is available on the official site of the project (https://www.light4health.net/) under the “L4H Online Course'' tab. All course content is available for open-access use either in part or in its entirety, and free for everybody interested in the field, with proper crediting: Copyright © Light4Health 2021. For educational use only. Not for Commercial Use. Available to third parties under Creative Commons (Attribution, Non-Commercial, No Derivatives) 4.0 Public License.
For first time login, a user account needs to be created at: https://course.light4health.net. This is the same process for all users of the platform (e.g. students, teachers, professionals).
Nichia H6 LED Series
Nichia will be exhibiting at the first in-person lighting exhibition of the year at [d]arc room pop-up @ Design London on 22-25 September. [d]arc room pop-up is a dedicated lighting area within Design London, featuring a highly curated selection of brands. The exclusive event brings lighting designers, architects, interior designers, developers and retailers together under one roof.
At [d]arc room pop-up, Nichia will present its award-winning H6 LED series. This new family of LEDs delivers the highest multi-level boost in colour rendition and efficacy, while maintaining the outstanding lifetime expected from Nichia. The H6 series delivers a CRI of 90, while maintaining a level of efficacy seen in standard CRI 80 LEDs, meaning that lighting professionals no longer have to choose between high colour rendering and high efficacy.
Nichia’s H6 LED series provides better all-round performance for those luminaires targeting demanding environments, especially in shops, restaurants, hotels and galleries where colour rendering and energy savings are imperative design considerations. The solutions are particularly useful for general illumination fixtures – such as troffers, tracks, downlights and spotlights, among others – to boost the vividness of rich coloured objects as well as to set mood and add accents in retail and hospitality venues.
Nichia’s H6 series takes advantage of a unique red narrow band phosphor technology, among other semiconductor processes and packaging techniques, to develop LEDs that achieve a colour quality better than traditional CRI 90 LEDs with R9 content greater than 50 while maintaining an efficacy better than many CRI 80 LEDs. The 0.2W H6 series delivers a typical luminous efficacy of 200lm/W, a 20% increase in efficacy compared to many CRI 90 LEDs available in the market.
Nichia will be joined by Formula Luci Italia, a luminaire manufacturer specialising in luxury store lighting. Together at stand DR12, they will showcase H6 as an unrivalled lighting solution in luxury retail.
