(In)visible
Singapore 20th August 2010
Most people do not realize that we can’t see light, unless we look directly into a light source. We see reflections. Light that travels through air space is invisible, until it hits particles of dust or water. This is one of the main reasons that stage productions use smoke machines for instance so that the light beam suddenly becomes visible. A big search beam is only visible because of the dirt and pollution in the city air! Ever tried a light beam on a clear night out in the country side? Indeed zip…
One of the demonstrations we had in Philips’ lighting application center was a light beam of which the light source was hidden in a black ceiling and the floor area below the beam concealed so that any reflections from the floor could not be seen. Suddenly by moving a hand through the beam the light became visible reflecting of the hand.
Today I had some conceptual lighting discussions about using light to create unexpected scenes otherwise invisible. It is a “trick” used in stage productions but also in architectural lighting design. On stage the material is called a scrim, a sort of perforated material that act as a screen when you project light onto it but act as a see-through panel if you project light in the space behind it. Because the brightness in the first case is higher in front then behind the screen your eyes are focused on the highest brightness which is the front of the panel. The contrast with the darkness behind assures you can t see beyond it. But by creating a higher brightness behind the screen the world behind that screen suddenly becomes visible. We decided to apply that principle to create some unexpected (lighting) scenes in a corporate entertainment lounge.
This brightness contrast ratio is also key in many situations involving glass windows. Ever wondered why it is sometimes so difficult to look out of a window to enjoy the exteriors views at night? It is simply because inside is brighter then outside and as a result the window reacts as mirror! That is also one of the reasons that shop windows are often really bright inside, so they can compete with sunlight or bright exteriors. If not you would not be able to enjoy the displays but only the reflection of yourself.. 🙂
Motion sensors
Singapore 19th August 2010
One of the great ways to save further energy from lighting is through the use of motion sensors. The Singapore government has been leading the way in energy saving measures and has not only embarked on replacing all fluorescent lighting in their housing development flats to LED but also to install motion driven sensors which dim the lights to about 1/3 of the full setting when the areas are not used. Areas concerned are staircases, lift lobbies, corridors and the like.
It is claimed that the LED energy consumption is about half that of the fluorescent lighting and that the life expectancy of the LED is about 4 times longer. While the LED’s are about double the cost of fluorescent, the government claims the additional costs are recouped in less than 5 years. Now they are adding the motion sensors in low traffic areas which reduce the energy consumption with another 60%.
The use of motion sensors to control the lights has been around for ages, but with the focus on energy saving and reducing our carbon emissions these are becoming more and more popular. I recently stayed in a 5 star hotel that had motion sensors installed at every guestroom door and as you walk through the guestroom corridor the light would switch on ahead of you and gradually switch of behind you, leaving only some basic orientation lights on.
The same principle is being explored for usage on a much grander scale for public and road lighting installations with several leading lighting manufacturers developing systems that would be interactive and reactive to the density of public usage. It is not so much a matter o switching off lights as well as using the dimming capability of LED for instance to reduce non operational lighting to basic minimum levels, mostly for distant orientation, security and safety reasons.
I think we are all familiar with motion sensors around the house with lights switching on when someone approaches the front door for instance. The biggest issue with motion sensors has always been the sensitivity of the detection with lights switching on triggered even by a small mouse or a bat flying through your garden…sounds familiar?
But technology has improved and it should now be possible to set the sensor sensitivity such that it is only triggered by human motion and not by “batman” like unidentified objects! 🙂
Architects
Singapore 18th August 2010
Architects play a very important role in our lives. In a way you could say they are the breeding ground of our creativity. Their architectural concepts are the start for our inspiration to the creations of our own lighting designs. The good architects have full understanding of what light can do the success of their building. It is always a pleasure to work with an architect who enjoys what lighting can do.
What originally was scheduled as just a design coordination meeting today turned out to be a pleasurable brainstorm “duel” with the architect on one of our projects in finding solutions for a tricky lighting requirement (and a difficult client!). It is always nice to see an architect reacting enthusiastically and constructively to a lighting challenge. In this case how to integrate lighting in stairs and escalators located in high void area. Because of the ceiling height and associated obvious maintenance problems the client indicated that lighting had to be within easy reach for maintenance but at the same time out of reach for the general public for safety and potential vandalism reasons.
In order to achieve our lighting requirements one of the options was to create some integrated handrail lighting and rather than pushing the problem back to us the architect engaged us and actually took the lead in finding a solution with us. The enjoyable part of these types of architects is that they work with you as equals and with respect of your expertise like we respect theirs. That level footed platform is very stimulating and brings out the best in all parties.
Unfortunately not all architects are like that. Some are very up with themselves and treat consultants like us as a sort of subordinates. They look down on you, send you away as if for you to do your homework and if they don’t like what you subsequently come up with just reject your solution without offering any direction or support. That generally turns out to be abortive and non-stimulating with an end result that often leaves a lot to desire.
Architects, we love them, we hate them 🙂
The “hidden” lighting benefits
Singapore 17th August 2010
As always when we do a lighting design we have a couple of choices when it comes to the selection of the light fittings that we believe will do the job. Our starting point is nearly always the lighting effect that we want to achieve and then we work backwards to the light fitting that will produce the effect. At least that is how I work. Occasionally it is the other way around when I find a light fitting with an interesting lighting effect. I then work around it to see how it would fit in the overall lighting concept.
But that is the obvious and visible part of lighting. It always amazes me how little some lighting suppliers actually understand their products and how some are not aware their fittings have very strong sales features that can very convincingly favor their selection over other systems. It was therefore refreshing to meet some lighting suppliers the last two days that knew their lighting business. One specialized in the solar lighting business, the other in the durable quality outdoor products.
Light fittings have many so called “hidden” features which to the untrained person are not so obvious. For instance a company that provides 10 year (!) warranty on the material finishes of their outdoor products. Now that is some assurance that the product will not rust away under your eyes. For seaside and tropical projects with extreme weather conditions a reassuring thought for the client!
Another hidden benefit could be the efficiency of the lighting system. Very efficient lighting systems generally require lesser quantities. Though more expensive on a one to one basis, the total system requirements can be much cheaper, resulting in lower system costs and generally also lower energy requirements. And so on…
While we are trained to look for these benefits and make sure our lighting systems selected provide as much value for money as possible, we cannot always “smell” all these hidden benefits so it is really helpful to us to deal with lighting suppliers that know their business and most of all know what sets their product apart from the competition and what can provide that added benefit for our clients!
The magic of light
Singapore 16th August 2010
Seems like LED lighting has also made it’s entrance in the world of magic. While relaxing last night, I watched a TV program called the “Magicians Secrets Revealed” or something like that in which some magician dude, explains how all the magician tricks work. I think we all know when watching the great magicians like Houdini, David Copperfield and the like that we are tricked into believing the magic. We know there is a logical trick to it but most of the time we can’t really figure out how they do it. It is always easy when you know isn’t it!
Last night the magician dude was going to explain how he can take a conventional light bulb that is working in a lampshade (obviously powered by electricity), remove it from the shade and magically make it light up in his hand without power…yeah, right!
The trick was simple, hidden in his hand (out of sight) was a small LED light with some sticky glue and a mini switch. Once he picks up the lamp out of the shade he sticks the mini LED to the back of the lamp (out of your sight of course) and after some magic movements caressing the lamp, he flips on the mini switch at the back of the LED in the process and …voila, the light bulb now seems to be burning without power! However what we really see is an LED stuck to the back of the light bulb, making it look like the actual bulb is burining on the inside.
He then reverses the process, removing the LED in the process (now handily stuck inside his hand) and reinstalls the light bulb in the shade…and oh, look it works again!
Lighting designers are creators of a “make believe” world as well. We create ambiances and emotions by the lighting effects we design. But in the end everybody experiences the world around them within their own belief and knowledge system. “Seeing is believing” is the saying…but we manipulate what you see!
PS: I still remeber one of the best reviews I ever got on a project when we were called “the lighting magicians of the Petronas Twin Towers” in reference of our lighting design works for Kuala Lumpurs Twin Towers in Malaysia, many years back….
Eco cities
Singapore 15th August 2010
His weekend I read a report about the progress of the so called eco-cities in China. There are many projects underway, about 8 or so in various parts of China, most of them in the vicinity of major cities such as Shanghai, Beijing or Shenzhen. From all of them Tianjin Eco City seems to be the most on track, but like all these developments it seems that the dream is much bigger than the actual reality.
The main issue with all of those is that there is a huge outlay of money required to build the infrastructure required for an eco city. Public transportation such as subway trains is one of the key requirements to minimize environmentally unfriendly cars. One of the other key ingredients for an eco city is the use of solar energy to power all (or as much as possible) of the cities energy needs, lighting being one of them. It is easy to see that the costs of a railway network and solar energy to name just these two among the many others, are a big demand and it is therefore not surprising that many of the eco-cities in development, according to the report, fail to really deliver on the green promise. I suspect that political issues and potential kickbacks, a fact of life around the world, do not help.
For lighting it also means the use of energy friendly lighting systems (LED seems the magical word here), the control of light pollution and most of all the actual usage control of light. In other words where, when and how long to use how much light. All these efficient and energy saving lighting systems come with a premium too, some up to double the conventional price. Add to that the costs of the lighting control systems and the outlay for “green” lighting becomes another hurdle for many of the eco city developers. I have bogged about this before.
Considering my own experience in regards to the application of “green” lighting so far the report about the eco cities does not surprise me at all. We have just started a project in Tianjin. Let’s see how green it will be……
Youth Olympic Games
Singapore 14th August 2010
Over the next 2 weeks Singapore is host to the inaugural Youth Olympic Games so it is hard being in Singapore without being caught up in the hype. I just finished watching the opening ceremony (on TV) which was held at Marina Bay, with pretty mixed feelings.
Lighting plays a key role in these events so it is obviously interests me to see if there is any creative use of lighting and lighting effects …and that is where my mixed feelings come in. From the onset one could see that a lot of effort had been put into the ceremony with clever use of the water element and the city skyline as backdrop, making it different from the usual stadium experience. But at the same time I felt a lack of experience in recording the event properly for TV audiences. It may have been great at location but the majority of the people would have watched it on their TV’s hence generally these events are designed for TV viewing. The TV camera did not really engage, with camera angles and timing not really providing the wow factor, but maybe this was due to the open space location…
To me the resulting images were of poor quality with little contrast, too many colors which at times made it difficult to make out what was happening. At one time they managed to create a green background against which dancers dressed in a green attire were hard to see. So the whole show really got a bit lost on me and was not so memorable, possibly reinforced by frequent commercial breaks.
The only thing that I thought was really original and making full use of the venue was the lighting of the Olympic flame. The arrival over water in dragon boats and subsequent walking on the water to the cauldron build into a light house was really fitting. The light house tower is very symbolic and having the fire as the light of the lighthouse is a very clever design.
Despite my criticism ( I am probably spoiled anyhow) Singapore put in a great effort. Though not spectacular in lighting it was very refreshing and if anything the lighthouse is what I will remember from this ceremony.
There is also another very important message with these Olympic Games…the future is with our youth! Also in our lighting world!
Design in 3D
Singapore 13th August 2010
No, I am not talking about putting on your 3D glasses to watch a 3D movie, though the metaphor is actually quite close to what I want to blog about. As with most of my blogs I am guided by the events of the day and today was one of those days I could fully focus on doing lighting design, yeah! No meetings, hardly any calls, not too much staff disturbance…maybe it has something to do with today being Friday the 13th? People keeping a low profile as to not tempt the gods…or the devil! 🙂 Who knows….
Anyhow I had one of those very fruitful and effective design days where I could really dig myself into a project (in this case the landscape lighting design of a resort hotel in a mountainous region). Lighting design is very much about understanding the space, the environment and the architectural and landscape components that make out the project. With today’s visualization technologies we are able to create images that help visualize how the space will look like even if it only exists on paper yet, hence my metaphor “in 3D”. We mostly work from 2D plans, but our lighting effects are to be developed for a 3D reality so it is very important to understand the “lay of the land”, so to say. Slopes, retaining walls, bridges, big trees, canopies, steps, paving, water bodies, you name it.
Most of my design time goes into this preparation and understanding how everything sticks together. With a concept already agreed this lighting design develops the details and intricacies to make it all work. Do we use a bollard or can we recess a light in a retainer wall, should we light up a tree or silhouette it against a wall, and so on. The landscape design gives you the clues or what will create the best lighting effects within the concept that has been agreed. I can’t emphasize enough how important 3 dimensional understanding of space is to lighting design…
I had an enjoyable 3D design day today….
When lighting is the difference
Singapore 12th August 2010
As far as we are concerned lighting is always the difference, right? It all comes together with the lighting switched on. But most of the time our lighting is part of an overall project design, integrated as part of the architectural, interior or urban/landscape works. New or renovation. It is not that often that lighting is the sole ingredient of a project. When it is you really see how light makes the difference.
Some years back I was the lighting designer for the lighting renovation of the Burswood Casino in Perth, Western Australia, a project that involved only lighting. The design brief called for a complete overhaul of the lighting installation without any changes to its interior design. In fact the lighting “change over” would be implemented without majorly interrupting the casino operations, by implementing the changes by predetermined zones. It was one of those projects where the impact of lighting could be measured by looking at the before and after results as lighting was the only difference. I found that an extremely “enlightening” experience. We achieved many firsts at the time in terms of energy and costs savings, maintenance simplifications and new lighting technologies (fiber optic). The project proudly won us an IES lighting design award.
Specifically in the commercial sector (shops/ department stores) it happens that lighting is the key differential when it comes to upgrading. Statistics have shown that well designed new lighting can push sales up with more than 25% compared with the old installation!! There are of course also the projects were there was no lighting at all first (like a building façade or a street, etc). But these projects are the so called from “zero to hero” projects. From nothing to something, success guaranteed. It is much more challenging (and rewarding) to go from something to something great as this involves beating people’s expectations who are already used and familiar with an existing level of lighting comfort.
Today I was called in by a new client to offer my creative lighting design expertise in designing some extra lighting to their track site corporate club suites for the upcoming Singapore F1 night race. Not happy with last year’s set up, this client obviously understands that lighting will be the difference between good and great. It’s now up to me to fulfill their expectations!
Return to the Dark Age
Singapore 11th August 2010
Today’s I read a news report about desperate attempts by American state governments to save money that came as quite a “culture” shock to me…. Some states like California seem to be on the verge of bankruptcy (if that is even possible for a government) so any measure to safe money seems to be justifiable even if it means returning to the Dark Ages. Cities around America are literally returning to the Dark Ages by turning off parts of their street lights so saving electricity and maintenance costs. Other cities are contemplating the same. Some roads in other states are being broken up and returned to gravel as they can no longer afford the cost of maintaining the roads. Have we over industrialized our world? Are we artificially growing a huge luxury and comfort bubble that one day will blow up in our face? It’s a scary thought.
It is in our nature to want more, better, finer, longer, etc, but where do you stop? Are we ever satisfied? I recently read an interesting statement about what people thought the computer age would do to our future with some predicting that with the arrival of computer technology we would be “doomed” to a life of relaxation and entertainment as there would be no more need for humans to do work. But quite the contrary has happened. The computer allows us to do more, faster and everywhere. While we used to go to work and come home to our families, modern age with wireless internet, mobile phones and messaging/ telecommunication facilities has created a life where work follows us home. Instead of less stress and more relaxation the computer has brought us more stress and a 24/7 lifestyle.
The article was muffled away in a corner on one of the back pages, but is in my opinion of great significance. The recent economic down turn may be at the heart of it all, and many optimists (like me) may see it as a temporary side effect. But somehow I feel there is quite some substance in this news report and as a lighting designer I should certainly be (and become more) mindful about where we are going and whether all these “bigger-and-better” projects we are involved with can sustain the sophisticated lighting designs we create and recommend….
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