New research project to improve London’s lighting at night
(UK) – Lighting London aims to improve lit environment for London at night.
A new Centre for London research project is exploring how London could better use lighting to create a more attractive and sustainable cityscape after dark.
The project, entitled Lighting London, will explore how councils, developers and landlords can make the city’s streets and public spaces more inviting and interesting at night, while reducing the city’s carbon footprint.
The Centre for London research team see the project, in the wake of the coronavirus crisis, as a chance to review how London is lit and to enhance its attractiveness, making it a more enjoyable place to be as more time will be spent outdoors.
The research will build on the Illuminated River project, the City of London’s lighting strategy, and the recommendations from City Hall’s Night-Time Commission. Its aims are to explore how light and darkness affect the lives of different groups of Londoners, how to use lighting more sustainably, and what it would take for London to become the best lit major city in the world.
The final report will be published in the winter, and will make recommendations to help City Hall, London’s boroughs, developers and building owners to develop a stronger and more coordinated city-wide approach to lighting, and better light their buildings and spaces.
Ben Rogers, Founding Director for Centre for London, said: “Relatively little thought goes into the way London looks and feels at night. Yet lighting has a huge impact on us, our evening and night time activities, on people who work at night, and even inside our homes from streetlights.
“With Londoners set to spend more time outside than ever as we head into autumn, now is an exciting opportunity to help policymakers develop a stronger and coordinated city-wide approach to lighting.”
Carolyn Dwyer, Director of the Built Environment at the City of London Corporation, added: “The City of London Corporation is taking a number of steps to realise our vision of a 24/7 destination and we are delighted to be a part of this revolutionary Lighting London research.
“By exploring how all parties can work together to light our streets in a more sustainable way, we can further improve upon the safe, welcoming and accessible spaces that the Square Mile offers, while celebrating our rich heritage, culture and architecture around the clock.
“This opportunity aligns with our vision developed in the City Lighting Strategy to take advantage of emerging technology to enhance what it feels like to live, work and visit the City at night.”
Neri: Nebula
Nebula is the new Neri urban lighting collection designed in collaboration with American architects, Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM). The collection is composed of lighting system, illuminating bollards and pathlight.
Amsterdam Light Festival adapts for 2020
(Netherlands) – Festival launches theatrical new walking experience entitled The Light Walk.
Due to the ongoing regulations concerning Covid-19, organisers of Amsterdam Light Festival have adapted the annual event so that it can still safely go ahead.
The ninth edition of the festival, which will take place from 10 December to 3 January under the theme ‘When Nature Calls’, will no longer feature its well-known boat experience. Instead, the event will include a new theatrical walking experience: The Light Walk.
During the Light Walk, visitors will stroll through the eastern part of the city centre of Amsterdam, crossing well-known squares and passing through hidden gardens. While on the walk, theatrical producer and creative director Lucas De Man will send visitors videos, photos and audio messages via WhatsApp.
In a story full of information and humour, visitors will learn about light art, the city and nature. The walk is interactive, meaning that the visitor decides whether they want to hear more about light art, or more about the city and its history.
“I believe that storytelling leads to a valuable experience for visitors. In this new setup you move from one work of art to another in a logical sequence,” said Lucas De Man. “We strive for more storytelling, more experience and more social involvement – at an appropriate distance because of corona, but closely connected in feeling and deeds.”
Festival Director Frédérique ter Brugge added: “It is especially important in times like these to bring relief to the city and to find and help each other. This is why we work in clusters, connecting artists with scientists, partners, primary school students and educational and governmental institutions. The social side of our festival is developing in collaboration with social partners through the so-called ‘buddy system’, where we connect people from vulnerable groups to enthusiastic volunteers.”
www.amsterdamlightfestival.com
Let There Be Light Challenge takes over social media
(Worldwide) – Social media photo challenge receives more than 3,000 posts.
For the past month, what started as a simple idea for the lighting community to share images of light has grown into a worldwide phenomenon that has taken over LinkedIn.
The Let There Be Light Challenge has inspired hundreds of people from across the lighting community to look back through their photo libraries and share inspiring images of light, with results ranging from light art installations, to beautiful natural sunsets, to stunning pieces of architecture.
The challenge was initiated by Melissa Mak, Lighting Designer at Arup, who hoped to “activate people’s engagement, and encourage positivity during a year full of unprecedented challenges”.
“It began with my turn to do a presentation at Arup’s weekly Design Share session,” she explained. “I thought instead of showing my design project that I have recently worked on, I wanted to share something about myself to my colleagues, i.e. my personal experience of light.
“During the lockdown period, while working from home, I have noticed some amazing lighting phenomena, which has excited and surprised me. During some recent renovations on my house, I captured some pictures of light on the construction site with my phone, so I thought that it was a golden opportunity for me to share with my colleagues some pictures from my personal collection. However, I did not want to stop there, I wanted to extend this sharing experience to everyone and encourage others to do the same as everyone, whether they are within the lighting industry or not, has experienced light and its many hidden moments.”
Since Mak started the challenge, which calls for the participant to share seven photos of their experience with light over seven days before nominating others to take part, more than 3,000 photos have been shared under the #LetThereBeLightChallenge hashtag, and Mak said she’s surprised at how popular it has become. “I think after just one week there were around 100+ posts shared,” she said. “I was amazed that after four weeks it had reached more than 2,000, not including those posts not using the hashtag.
“I am thrilled and amazed by the popularity, and by everyone’s contribution. I feel very satisfied to have curated something that has got so many people connected, and it’s such a beautiful scenario to see the lighting community full of energy and passion, sharing without boundary.
“On my Day 1 post, I started off by nominating three of my Arup colleagues, Arfon Davies, Aliki Vaina and Dima Zogheib, and I wanted to thank them for their help in spreading the challenge.”
When asked why she thought that the challenge has become so popular across the lighting community, Mak said that it taps into peoples’ desire to connect. “It is the cascading effect of connection and the network that each person has,” she said. “Communication through visual images is a powerful medium for drawing attention – a picture paints a thousand words. Each post shared is unique on its own, as each contains its own story and memory, as well as the thought and idea behind it.
“For this, it is a collective activity that sets an encouragement for one another to engage through nomination and participation. It’s not just about the inspiration of light, but it’s about connection; connection to people, connection to emotions, connection to memories and stories.
“Through the challenge, it’s been so nice not just to have reconnected with my colleagues and ex-colleagues, and professional friends who are scattered across different parts of the world, but also people I haven’t met. But now I’m getting to know them and have made many new friends as well.”
Despite the fact that the challenge has now received more than 3,000 images, Mak said that she is still following along and keeping an eye on the latest images, and she has been touched by the vast scope of photos, and their accompanying stories, that people have shared.
“I am hooked! Every day there are more than 100 new posts to process. They’re all so valuable with all the stories and memories that people have shared,” she said.
“I love the multifaced nature of light – light really does come in different forms. It gives us so many possibilities. 3,000+ posts, and no single one is the same. The collective participation from everyone has captured the spirit, and made the best and most beautiful picture for the summer of 2020. It will certainly become my new memory of light.”
To see the range of posts, search #LetThereBeLightChallenge on LinkedIn.
Light Reach launches Light for Lebanon
(Lebanon) – Light for Lebanon is a new partnership between Light Reach and Manale Kahale.
On 4 August, the largest non-nuclear explosion in history tore through Beirut, destroying homes, businesses and entire neighbourhoods in the Lebanese capital city – once dubbed the Parish of the Middle East.
The blast killed more than 180 people, injured 6,000 and left more than 500,000 residents in immediate need of basic support. It damaged 80% of the residential buildings and infrastructure within a 1-2-mile radius, including 50,000 residential units, and tipped an already unstable electrical infrastructure into partial collapse, plunging much of the city into darkness after sunset.
In the aftermath of the explosion, Light Reach and Lebanese lighting designer and activist Manale Kahale have partnered to launch Light for Lebanon – a new programme that will aim to immediately support communities in Beirut with solar lighting solutions for both indoor and outdoor use, helping to bring some light back to the city.
Kahale contacted Light Reach to assist her in her drive to bring solar-powered lighting to the damaged areas.
Led by Nathalie Rozot of PhoScope, the global charity initiative Light Reach uses a proven replicable and expandable project model to support global communities affected by light poverty with stationary and portable solar lighting products.
“Our existing replicable and scalable model is readily adaptable to quickly bring some illumination to the darkened streets, without having to wait for grid restoration or construction,” said Rozot.
Light for Lebanon is seeking donations to help in its efforts. More information can be found at www.lightreach.net/light-for-lebanon.
Mulvey & Banani Lighting: Thermally Speaking
As part of Toronto's Nuit Blanche 2019, Mulvey & Banani Lighting collaborated with LeuWebb projects to create Thermally Speaking, an immersive lighting installation that uses thermography and infrared measuring instruments to uncover the fields of energy of which we're all a part.
The responsive installation transformed Toronto's Fort York Visitor Centre for Nuit Blanche 2019, providing a glimpse into a future of body temperature readings, creative data visualisation and surveillance fields.
Women in Lighting: Magali Mendez
As part of its series of interviews with designers around the world, Women in Lighting sat down with Magali Mendez. Mendez is a lighting designer, entrepreneur and the founder of SaaS Lighting Conception in Mexico City. She is also the Ambassador for the Women in Lighting project in Mexico.
Video courtesy of Light Collective.
IALD: Business Transition Planning – The Who, What, When, Why
Carrying on the conversation that began in arc 116, Barbara Horton and Carrie Hawley of HLB Lighting Design, alongside Lawson & Weitzen's Trish Farnsworth, discuss the importance of having a transition plan in place, regardless of the age of the business or owner.
Throughout the presentation, the panel outline the various exit strategies for different corporate structures, and share models for planning and processes for success. Including examples of successes and failures as part of a learning opportunity for our young entrepreneurial members.
Video courtesy of IALD.
www.iald.org
www.hlblighting.com
Jason Bruges Studio: Archive & Process Part 2
In part 2 of Jason Bruges Studio's Archive & Process series, the studio continues to look back through its archive to revisit some experiments and prototypes, offering a behind-the-scenes insight into the creative process behind some of its well-known projects.
Signify achieves carbon neutrality
(Netherlands) – Signify already looking to double its positive impact on environment and society by 2025.
Signify has achieved carbon neutrality for all its operations across the world, as well as using 100% renewable electricity, the company has announced.
While it progresses towards its remaining commitments for 2020, Signify is already embarking on a new five-year journey in which it will focus on doubling its positive impact on the environment and society.
Signify has reduced its operational emissions by more than 70% since 2010, having shifted to more energy-efficient technologies at its sites, to more sustainable modes of transport and optimised logistics planning, and to less travel in a more sustainable way. It also uses 100% renewable electricity, supported through two power purchase agreements, one in Texas, and a second in Poland. The balance of emission reductions is achieved through a carbon offsetting programme, with projects aimed at benefitting the wellbeing of local communities.
Helen Clarkson, CEO of the Climate Group, said: “We would like to congratulate Signify on its fantastic achievement of carbon neutrality across all operations in 2020. We have been working in partnership with Signify for more than 10 years to accelerate the global adoption of energy efficient LED lighting, and through Signify’s support of RE100 and EV100.
“The 2020s are the Climate Decade, as we need to have global emissions by 2030 to get us on track to mee the goals of the Paris agreement, so we need more companies to follow Signify’s lead in setting their own net zero targets.”
Eric Rondolat, CEO of Signify, added: “I’m extremely proud of all the Signify employees and thank them for supporting our carbon neutrality objective. It is a truly significant achievement for us, and we call on many others to join us.
“However, the world is still facing a demographic change, urbanisation, climate change and resource scarcity. This is not a time to pause and celebrate, but a time to become even more ambitious and accelerate our efforts to address these challenges.
“Growth for sustainability and providing a great place to work are firmly anchored as central parts of our company strategy. This means that when it comes to sustainability, we will go beyond carbon neutrality and double our positive impact on the environment and on society in 2025.”
After achieving carbon neutrality, Signify has now begun implementing its new sustainability programme, which will aim to double its positive impact on the environment and society. Through this, Signify hopes to go beyond carbon neutrality and reduce carbon emissions over its entire value chain, and by 2025, the company hopes to achieve the 2031 target set out for companies in the Paris Agreement to limit temperature rises to 1.5°C over pre-industrial times.
Paule Constable to present SLL Trotter Paterson Lecture
(UK) - Lecture to be held on 10 September at 13:00 BST.
Acclaimed lighting designer Paule Constable will deliver the 2020 Trotter Paterson Lecture, taking place on 10 September, the Society of Light and Lighting (SLL) has announced. During the free-to-attend online presentation, Constable will discuss her award-winning work, motivations and experience as a lighting designer.
Constable's experience in theatre and stage lighting will follow on from previous speakers, including lighting researcher Dr Peter Boyce and neurobiologist Sir Colin Blakemore, who have both presented the SLL Trotter Patterson Lecture in recent years. The first Trotter Patterson Lecture was given in 1951 in honour of Alexander Trotter and Sir Clifford Patterson, both founding members of the Society in 1909.
After studying English and Drama at Goldsmith University, Constable trained in lighting design while working in the music industry. In 2005, she was the first woman to receive the Olivier Award for Best Lighting. Since then, she has gone on to win it three more times, and has been nominated a further ten times. She has won the Tony Award for Best Lighting twice and has received four additional nominations, amongst many other accolades.
An Associate Director of the National Theatre and an Associate of the Lyric Hammersmith, Constable's shows include Ocean at the End of the Lane, Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night, The Chalk Garden, Warhorse, His Dark Materials and Follies. Alongside this, she is an Honorary Fellow of Goldsmith's College, Rose Bruford College and the Central School of Speech and Drama. She also received an Honorary Doctorate from the Royal Scottish Acadamy. Constable has also championed the freelance lobbying of Parliament, which contributed to securing the £1.57billion investment to protect Britain's cultural, arts and heritage institutions, designed to help weather the impact of coronavirus.
Constable said of her involvement: "I am thrilled to be presenting this year's Trotter Paterson Lecture. It is always both intimidating and exciting to walk into a room following the worlds of so many brilliant scientific minds. My relationship to light and lighting is often as much felt as measured. I look forward to sharing a slightly different approach to this mercurial and wonderful element."
The lecture will be introduced by Peter Phillipson and Society Coordinator Juliet Rennie.
Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the SLL has made the decision to hold the lecture online. It will be the first time the event has been held virtually, and the Society are hopeful that it will attract audiences from around the world.
Full details and registration information can be found here.
www.cibse.org/society-of-light-and-lighting-sll
Skira: GTC Matrix
GTC Matrix is a LEED-Gold standard development in the central business district in Zagreb, Croatia. New façade lighting from Skira uses the latest technology in fixture design, optics and control systems, combined with an understanding of the form of light that follows the form of the horizontal pattern above and below the brise soleil façade shading system.
By positioning an RGB version of the IP66-rated 360-degree Trick fixture from iGuzzini on the building's sunscreens, it acts as a secondary reflector. The lighting on each building is connected via a fibre optic cable to enable controlled scenes simultaneously. Random patterns of light were programmed to create dynamic, vibrant and colourful scenes that accentuate the horizontal, linear architectural detail.
Video: Super produkcija/Marko Mihaljevic
