Presentation
Singapore, 8th February 2011
Presentations are half the work, they say. In our job it is even more important as lighting design is not always that easy to present. We have our ideas about the lighting effect but the presentation obviously needs to transmit the feeling and intent to the listeners. As an experienced presenter you generally know when you have “hooked” your audience and managed to convey “the design message”. Today I had such meeting.
The importance of these presentations whether for concept, details or other is to make sure everyone is on the same page in regards to your design. Most of all to make sure your design complies with all requirements, operational wise, mood wise, quality wise, etc. Integration with the interior design concept, providing solutions that allow easy operation and maintenance, making sure your design is easy on the budget.
Presentation is also anticipation. It is not only about “bulldozering” your great design to acceptance by the team. It is about consideration for others needs too. Hence when preparing the presentation it is key to anticipate the needs and requirements of others in relation to lighting and the use of space. Addressing those shows you understand the greater picture in which your lighting design will have to operate and perform. While there is at times a need to think out of the box and create something new which requires convincing that it will work and is worth the money, in general lighting design is an integrated part of a greater concept. Hence understanding of that greater concept and involving that into your presentation is generally the key component for acceptance of your design.
In Light Watch today I am honouring the wisdom that carries us forward in doing what we do. Our knowledge is conveyed first by our parents and later in life we learn from education and from mistakes we make. I therefore salute my dad today who celebrates his 83rd birthday and who’s wisdom has helped grow my wisdom of today! We learn a lot from history and therefore on my list to today is Singapore’s National History Museum….
Light Watch 27: Singapore’s National Museum
Samples
Singapore, 7th February 2011
With the main Chinese New Year celebrations behind us life is slowly returning to normal in Asia. For many Chinese traditional activities still continues but for most it is back to business as usual. I am rushing to complete documentation for one of the hotels for which tender is to be called soon and one of my main concerns is to have the light fitting selection (and lighting effects) right. There is an extra challenge as time is not on our side. As we are dealing with a renovation the hotel basically has to close sections one by one in order to implement the renovation without too much affecting the on-going business. This staged implementation as it is called, requires close coordination also with the lighting suppliers to assure the selected light fittings are available within the time schedule for supply and installation.
Some of the light fittings that I am considering I have not used before so I am requesting samples to make sure that it does what I wanted it to do. To be more specific I am checking out the LED versions of some down lights as too often the performance is not as visually pleasing and satisfying as the photometric data indicate. Seeing is believing, right? Specifically since LED has totally different light distribution characteristics then the traditional incandescent/halogen sources (and technology and performance continuously improve) visually satisfying yourself of the lighting effects is important.
In a related situation where we are custom making a light fixture with a different design and lamp source I am being sent a sample from the overseas manufacturer as the photo’s taken at the factory of the mock up did not sufficiently satisfy me, specifically the potential glare component. Samples for visual mock ups are elementary in our business as lighting designers.
In Light Watch today one of those “oops” situations. I recently stayed as a hotel, admittedly not a 5 star, where I couldn’t find the light switch. In the first picture the way you see it, with the only switch a red emergency/ panic switch! The next picture taken at a much lower angle shows you the (white) switch under (!) the bedside table next to the telephone jack…and I am just commenting on the light switch 🙂
Light Watch 26: Guestroom lighting oops
Chinese New Year
Throughout the world the chinese celebrate the arrival of the year of the Rabbit. Happy Chinese New Year … Gong Xi Fa Cai!
Light Watch 24-25: Fireworks in China
Lighting supply
Mumbai, 2nd February 2011
Lighting suppliers are a critical part in our lighting design chain of processes. We conceptualise, we detail, we select and specify the lights and need to approve the manufacturer/ supplier that will have to deliver the lights to the projects for installation. While we generally know the principals in the head offices of the main lighting manufacturers around the world, it is the local supplier on the ground that will determine the success of the final installation. Lighting supply is not just lighting supply, it comes with the responsibility of making sure the light fitting is properly delivered (complete with all the bells and whistles) installed and working.
This requires the supplier to be knowledgeable about their products first but most of all have the experience of the many challenges that may occur during supply and installation. I therefore make it a point to communicate and meet with my project suppliers to make sure they are on the ball when it matters. You can have the best product in the world but if the human factor is not there to support it I find it hard to specify and use the fitting. As a designer I need to be able to rely on my supplier to make sure things end up as good as possible. Mistakes and problems always occur along the way so full cooperation of the supplier is critical to the end result.
With the market in India booming, the standard and quality of the local lighting suppliers has raised considerably compared to several years ago. I like to think that the influence of international consultants like myself is helping to raise their profile even further. I have noticed that the quality of the lighting showrooms also has improved enormously over the years.
In Light Watch today a sort of must visit place made famous by the book Shantaram, called the Leopold Café, not far away from the Taj Hotel and India Gate. The café was made famous by the book and his a hang out place for tourist nowadays. It was also one of the places hit by terrorists in 2009 and when you are there you can still see the bullet holes. Lighting is really nothing, very basic, but it still has a lot of ambiance
Light Watch 23: Leopold Café & Bar, Mumbai
Poverty
Mumbai, 1st February 2011
As in many big Asian cities whether Jakarta, Bangkok or Mumbai going from A to B certainly during peak hour is a time consuming affair. I finished my meeting in down town Mumbai and as the driver finds his way back to the hotel through the snarling traffic I sit in the back of the car taking in the city views and typing my blog to pass time. It is no secret that in mega cities like Mumbai there is a lot of poverty. I just have to look out of my car window to see it. People waiting outside hotels patiently for some food, homeless people sleeping/ living alongside busy roads on the pavement, beggars knocking at your car window …and here I am in a chauffeur driven car, with an expensive laptop on my knees…
Everything is relative of course but it does make you think. I earn with one of my project lighting design fees more than some of these people possibly in a lifetime! The world is full of extremes and while we design the lighting for exclusive hotels affordable only to a happy few, others wait outside in the hope to catch some left-over food.
My point today is that we do need to realise that our world of lighting design is mostly a world of luxury. As lighting designers we tend to design for the very best in quality, the best value for money, but when confronted with life’s realities we may do without that extra light bulb. Everything is relative to the standard that we take as the guide for our design, however sometimes we may need to take a step back and have hard look at the standards…
In Light Watch today therefore an “illuminating” destination, a place I visited last year as one of the places on my “to-do” list. Some people call it the Bucket list. I am talking about Mahatma Ghandi’s house, the place where he lived and worked in Mumbai was turned into a museum. I found it a fascinating place… People like Ghandi have been an inspiration for many. Being confronted with his life story is “illuminating”.
Light Watch 22: Ghandi’s house, downtown Mumbai,
(1) his office
(2) his belongings
What’s in a name
Mumbai, 31st January 2011
Ever left one place and come back in another? It has happened to me years back when I left from one home on a business trip to come back in another after we had moved house during my trip. This time I came back to Mumbai today to find my hotel changed from one operator to another. The former Royal Meridien Hotel (Starwood) where I nearly always stay when in Mumbai changed into the Mumbai Hilton Hotel on the 1st January. Everything however is basically the same except signage and stationary, etc, whih all changed to the new name. Even most of the staff is the same. However instead of saying welcome back to the Meridien, Mr Klaasen, they say welcome to the Hilton…..it’s a rather peculiar experience.
What is interesting though is the subtle changes that are the result of different operator standards. Each hotel operator and even each brand has its own operational manual and in this case the Hilton (American) guidelines are slowly being implemented over what previously was the standard for Meridien. I am talking here about lighting specifically. The key difference I noticed straight away on arrival were the lighting levels. Where the Meridien had low, nearly cosy residential lighting levels, the Hilton has turned up the lighting to much brighter and commercial levels. When I entered I thought they were cleaning! Of course my reaction was triggered because I was used to the much lower levels. Over the next few days I may find some more changes like the replacement of some cosy warm incandescent lights to more bland CFL energy savers. The changes are subtle but are significant contributors to the ultimate hotel ambiance…with my before and after experience it is very obvious! What a difference a name makes!
By far one of the most popular movies about India from recent years is Slumdog Millionaire. In Light Watch today one of the great locations, the historic Victoria train station in down town Mumbai, background in the movie to the hit song Jai Ho!
Light Watch 21: Victoria train station, downtown Mumbai
Balance of brightness
Singapore, 28th January 2011
Yes I did make it back! With some delays, but I managed to touch down back in Singapore before midnight allowing me a good night’s rest, which I needed after the Indonesia excitement. As a result I was able to carry out my planned schedule of meetings today. One of them was reviewing the lighting of a mock up room.
One of the most important things to achieve in the lighting for a hotel guestroom is to create that welcoming feeling on arrival and that relaxing mood as you spend time in the room. Of course the interior design concept in terms of material finishes and space planning has to be there, but it is finally the balance of brightness’s that will make or break the overall end result. This balance of brightness is for instance the balance between ceiling brightness and the brightness at floor level. In my case the cove lighting in the ceiling turned out to be far too bright in relation to the rest of the lighting creating an unbalance in the room (too much attraction to the ceiling).
For a room to feel good there need to be a pleasant balance (and contrast) of light at general eye level. There must be some focal points on which you can rest (or feast) your eyes. This can be artwork, a decorative pendant or table lamp of a nice wash over beautiful curtains or wall finishes. But with the appropriate focus of light. In other words the direction and spread of the beam are critical in the way the beam hits specifically any vertical surfaces (scallops). The room definitely needs some further tweaking.
In Light Watch today an homage to good airport lighting. After having spent (too) many hours at Bali’s Airport (not the worst around I have to admit) it was a as always a delight to come back in Singapore’s Changi Airport, as far as I am concerned undisputedly one of the best airports in the world.
Light Watch 20: Terminal 3 Changi Airport, Singapore
Expect the unexpected!
Bali, 27th January 2011
Wouldn’t you know…out of nowhere it appears Mount Bromo, an active volcano in Indonesia has erupted today throwing hundreds of international flights in cancelation mode, including my flight back to Singapore. Just as I came out of a very satisfying meeting and arrived at the airport I was greeted with the news that inbound flights to Bali had mostly been cancelled due to volcanic ash clouds over the country and therefore my outbound flight to Singapore was cancelled as a result. Frankfurt 2010 all over again! There are still a few flights going out and the airline staff is trying to get me on one of those. This is when you really appreciate being a frequent flyer as you get priority assistance!
This brings me to the ever applying adagio to always “expect the unexpected”! It is so true in life in general and in our (lighting design) business specifically. There are so many variables that can influence the outcome or direction of a project for instance. I have been involved in projects that got off to a flying and exciting start only to be abandoned later on because financing problems. Sometimes just the change of a project manager can change the course of a project dramatically. When pressure builds in a project because of looming deadlines or miss-communication, things can be said or written in the heat of the moment that suddenly change the landscape of the relationships between project team members.
One of my mentors in Philips always advised me to “sleep” on it before reacting if there was a potential conflict in the making as we are often emotional and irrational on the moment itself. Likewise you can try and fight unexpected changes or happenings or you can go with the flow and make the best of it. Right now that is what I do. I have plenty of work so I have nestled myself in a corner of the lounge with my laptop waiting for further news. It seems I may be able to get out on another airline… I’ll let you know tomorrow J
In Light Watch today another famous spot to hang out while in Bali, a little paradise by the sea called Ku De Ta located in Seminyak. The lush club is built along the Café Del Mar concept where people relax at sunset with a cocktail in one hand and cool music in the background.
Light Watch 19: Ku De Ta, Seminyak, Bali
LED or candles
Bali, 26th January 2011
Now in Bali for some further meetings and presentations. What a contrast with a Jakarta! I know that of course as I have been to Bali many times but most of the time I arrive in Bali directly from overseas. Coming from Jakarta this time, Bali looks like a calm village with a totally different pace of life. No high rise buildings, lots of green landscape, paddy fields and heaps of activity everywhere. In fact it feels more like people actually live here!
After the last meeting today I wanted to relax and opted for one of my favourite places for dinner…Jimbaran Beach. The stretch of beach between the Intercontinental Hotel and the 4 Seasons is renowned for its fresh seafood and the table setting on beach sand with the waves just a few steps away is an experience by itself. It therefore features as my choice for Light Watch today! That also triggered the subject of today…LED or candles. The tables are all fitted with real candles which of course creates a lovely ambiance. Add to that you peaceful view over the bay, the rolling waves and when dark the twinkling lights from the hilly 4 Seasons Resort on one side and those from Intercon on the other with the lights from Kuta and the airport further in the distance. In contrast vendors parade along the beach with …yes LED lights…showing of the goods in the dark! The contrast couldn’t be bigger.
Which brings me to the point of LED replacements for nearly everything…candles included. You can now get LED candles which actually flicker and by putting them in a frosted glass container you actually can’t see it is artificial. Using “LED candles” in a clear glass holder would give it away. To add another dimension to the candle experience there is a manufacturer that makes a little tea light candle which you can switch off by blowing just like the real one. You blow again it comes back on…
So how far do we take this LED retro fit? This rage of retro-fitting practically anything that lights up seems to reach outrageous proportions as far as I am concerned. There is a place and time for everything…
Light Watch 18: Seafood restaurants on the beach, Jimbaran – Bali
Life style
Jakarta, 25th January 2011
Meetings are progressing well. It is nice to see how the new company (KLD) is being welcomed into the respective project teams. It feels like everyone is embracing this as a change for the better which of course is very comforting and motivating for my team. Indonesia’s economy is definitely growing at a faster pace than many other countries and is perhaps the third economy behind China and India. With the growing economy and buying power of the public we also see the emergence of trendy pubs, café’s and lifestyle shopping malls.
I find it always fascinating to be amongst other cultures and see how the new trends contrast with their actual life styles. As I travel over the world and in Asia specifically I am lucky to have this exposure. People in Indonesia are extremely friendly with great hospitality and have a way of life that some envy but drive other people nuts. The easy going way and an attitude of “why do it today if I can do it tomorrow” reflects in all aspects of life and also in lighting we see this “relaxed” way of doing business whether in lighting supplies or as an installation contractor. I must say that with the humongous traffic jams that are locking down many highways and major roads in the city, the easy way approach probably is more healthy than stressing about it! Sitting in a traffic jam for even 20 minutes without moving an inch back or forth absolutely “drives” me nuts. Adapting to the situation by working in the back of the car on your laptop for instance (I wrote the first part of the blog this morning while in the jam) to make optimal use of your time is the best way forward. The same holds for doing business. Don’t try and change their way of life. Work with and around it!
In Light Watch I want to share a place with you that is labelled as typically authentic and imperial Indonesian cuisine. Tonight I went for dinner in a Restaurant called Lara Djonggrang part of the Tugu Hotels group. There are several different style heritage outlets in Jakarta. You can check out there website at www.tuguhotels.com. The interior decoration, the lighting and of course the food guaranty to give you a great authentic experience
Light Watch 17: Lara Djonggang Restaurant Jakarta
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