On a rainy day…
Perth, 22nd May 2010
It is week-end and it’s raining. A typical wintery day in Perth, one moment the sun pierces through the dark grey clouds, the next moment heavy rains pour out of the sky. Overall it is wet, wet, wet…and the lights come on early as the night falls early.
My subject for today is the IP rated light fitting. Applying light fittings outdoor requires the lights to have various degrees of protection against ingress of water or dust and be of a quality to withstand big temperature variations and other natural elements. Light fittings therefore have a so called IP rating (Ingress Protection) and the higher the rating the better the fitting is classified to withstand the natural elements.
Unfortunately there are many “shady” manufacturers that take shortcuts when manufacturing these fittings, most of the time to beat the expensive cost of doing so. Let alone submitting these fittings to rigorous testing to obtain the required IP certificate. I once conducted a tender submission review and questioned the supplier on the IP rating of the light fitting he had proposed. I asked him repeatedly whether the fitting was rated IP65 as I had a hard time believing him, but he kept saying it was IP65. Admittedly we had a little language barrier but finally it came out that IP65 was actually the name of the fitting… 🙂
But one of the most common “tragedies” of outdoor light fittings lies in its installation. Assuring yourself of having a proper IP rated fitting is only half the work. Most of the time the lighting still fails because of poor contractor installation works. Poor cable connections, lack of drainage, etc, etc are some of the frequent causes. But I would venture to say that installing and closing the fitting in a humid environment is probably one of the most common problems, resulting in condensation, rusting and short circuiting. I was ever taught the trick to use a hairdryer to make sure the inside of the fitting is bone dry before closing it back to its original IP rating…. A bit of vanity for a good purpose….
The lighting supplier
Perth, 21st May 2010
Meeting lighting suppliers is always an interesting experience for many reasons. It is fair to say lighting suppliers are an integral part of our lighting design life as we continuously need information about the light fittings that we specify and therefore require them to be on the ball and knowledgeable. But like it takes time to become a good lighting designer, it takes time to become a good lighting supplier as well. We need people we can talk to, who understand our problem and can think along with us when we discuss a lighting problem that needs a solution. A good project lighting supplier is very similar to a lighting designer, he is just standing on the other side of the fence but with excellent knowledge about the products and its many application options.
Unfortunately some of the suppliers that visit us lack the experience and understanding we need. It wouldn’t be the first time I have a lighting supplier in my office that does not know the difference between a lux and a lumen, mixes up colour rendering and colour temperature or does not know the difference between a metal halide lamp and a halogen bulb. Should I really teach them?…I generally do…and create some goodwill and respect for the future in the process…
I remember one of my suppliers in Singapore many years ago who had a very interesting sales philosophy. He felt that it was not about what his sales staff knew, but how they looked. His sales staff consisted of a team of gorgeous ex airline stewardesses (very pleasing to the eye), with excellent communication skills, but little knowledge about lighting. But they were very popular and in high demand 🙂
But by far the worst ones are those who want to tell you what you need to do and think they have the answer to everything. The show off types….Whatever you say they know better or whatever you want to do they have done it before.
A good supplier is a listener not a talker, an action man intending to help you, not himself…
Fees
Perth, 20th May 2010
After yesterdays talk about additional fees it is logical to talk about the main fees. It is one of the most frequent activities I get involved in running the company: the preparation of client fee proposals. Another three are on my desk as we speak. I always say that as long as you are busy doing fee proposals you are in business. At least you have a foot in the door of your potential client. Historical statistics will give you a general indication about your success rate. I don’t know about my colleagues but we run on an average of about 30% as a success rate. It is irregular but averaged over a year it’s about there.
There are several ways to put together your fees, the lump sum method being the one most applied in this region. But that is also the most complicated one as you really need to cover yourself for all eventualities and make sure that all your fixed costs are included. The tricky part is the flexible cost components such as design coordination meetings, site visits, document deliverables, travel, etc. It is important to log in what is part of the fees and what is to be reimbursed separately. If you don’t control the variables in your fees you may end up providing services at infinitum. Specifically attendance to meetings can be a killer! I guess you learn along the way…I certainly did!
Ideally you have a time based fee, something we manage to apply quite regularly in Australia. An hourly or day rate is perfect as it covers your actual time spent for the client. And time is really our commodity isn’t it? If you keep reimbursable costs such as travel, etc, separate this is the safest way with no real headaches.
Finally there are also fees that are based on a percentage of the lighting equipment costs. Though not a bad approach it has some pitfalls. Certainly if you wish to be paid regularly as you progress with your work. Most of our practices are relatively small with little cash flow, so the fee structure should be such that it provides you with the quickest and best possible cash flow.
Additional works
Perth 19th May 2010
Some projects are very clear cut. You do your lighting design work, you get paid. Some projects are less clear cut, you have to hassle your client to get your payment. In some cases you get in an argument as the client believes you have not properly completed a stage of work and they stall your payment…and many variations in between…..
I don’t know about all my colleagues but we generally divide our works in stages ranging from schematic concept design all the way (via detail development and tender documents, etc) to actual project commissioning on site. Besides our appointment fees we then get paid progressively for each part (50% DD for instance) or completed stage of work. Quite straight forward, right?… I wish…..
Changes occur all the time, it is the nature of our design work and we will generally accommodate these as we go along. But we have to build in cut off points after which we freeze our design and specification works and any major changes thereafter constitute a re-design. That re-design then means additional works and thus requires additional fees. It is a sensitive process as clients are generally not keen in additional fees, certainly not in Asia, and will try to make you do it within your original scope and fees.
We have about 3 projects that call for additional works and I am currently evaluating the value of the additional works ahead. It is a careful balance between being fair to the client and fair to ourselves. But key to a successful agreement on an additional works fee is engaging the client. You need to communicate your progress and get approvals for your work progress along the road. It is then much easier to point out that we have to go back and travel that same road again 🙂
The Auction
Perth, 18th May 2010
Tomorrow will see an amazing event take place in Perth. About 1000 cars are to be auctioned in two hours time; 4 lanes will see 1 car auctioned per lane every minute! This massive auction has been organized by the insurance companies after the unprecedented hailstorm that swept Perth recently in which thousands of cars were damaged beyond repair (written off) by hail stones the size of golf balls. All cars have to go. Bids start at $200…interested? You can bid online as the auction will be streamlined on the internet! It s a shame I don’t need a car at the moment 🙂
I am of course going to link this to lighting, specificallythe salvaging of light fixtures when doing a renovation. Generally our lighting design projects are new developments, certainly in this part of the world, but occasionally we get involved in renovations or upgrades. In these cases the old interiors are ripped and cleaned out to make way for the new. There are a few scenarios. One, the contractor demolishing the building takes care of removing all the old furniture and fittings at no cost to the client. In the second scenario the client auctions off the old contents to salvage some revenue. In a third option, but rarely applied, the fixtures are re-used in the new design or in another project.
When we did the renovation of the Raffles Hotel in Singapore many years ago, some of the old historical lighting fixtures were salvaged, cleaned up and brought back into their original state. In some areas we even had additional ones remade to tally the quantities needed. We also studied some historic pictures with the interior designer and had some of the authentic period lights reproduced.
In an outdoor sports venue recently completed in Australia that required new masts and floodlights, we recommended and advised the client on potential re-use of the poles and lights to upgrade other venues in need of new lighting. Our consideration for re-use of existing equipment (of course after confirming its structural safety and quality assurance) was much appreciated by the client. I think we should at least always consider this option!
The lighting “bully”
Perth, 17th May 2010
When I graduated for my masters degree in industrial design at the University of Delft in the Netherlands ages ago, my professor had spotted a weakness in the presentation of my graduation project. The panel assessing my project had questioned me about a part of my project that obviously was not too convincing. They had rightly spotted that it had a few “holes”. Though I graduated successfully my professor later took me apart and said: “Martin, next time you decide to lie, do it convincingly! We would have bought any story told with confidence but your hesitation and obvious discomfort with the subject gave you away!” He said it tongue in cheek but it was well meant and had a lot of truth…it has stayed with me forever since.
My point today is that we face our clients everyday and present our work to the best of our ability. But we do come into situations where we know we are missing a part of the story or we have not really had the time to complete what we intended to. Yet we have to face up to the client. Generally the truth is the best way to go and we take the consequences on the chin. But sometimes the client may not really want to know the reality. They hire us for our competence and want to feel that we are in control of the task entrusted to us.
So we “bully” ourselves through the presentation with confidence and reassure the client all is well and under control. It is a judgment call which one can only make with experience and the knowledge that you can actually make good on it. If you can’t, it is always better to face the music straight away rather than to be found out later. As you grow and train your staff it is crucial they understand the distinction between “bullying” your way through with good intent and purpose rather than bullying your way through for pure personal ego and satisfaction.
Public safety
Singapore, 16th May 2010
One of the typical “luxuries” of developed countries (or cities) is a twenty four hour hot line to report faulty street or other public lights. We have that in the main cities in Australia and it is also here in Singapore. It is a sign of a developed nation when public safety has moved up the ladder of basic needs. Of course every country/city strives to be safe, but depending its wealth, priorities in public spending will be different and not necessarily on public lighting. I am talking here about big capital cities, comparing for instance Singapore to Mumbai, or London to Jakarta, which also battle anti-social behavior.
As countries develop one sees a gradual improvement and increase in the need of public lighting. It starts from lighting up the main roads to gradually lighting, important crossings, secondary roads, parks gardens etc. The higher the usage in terms of cars or pedestrians in the city, the higher the priority for lighting or lighting improvements. The sophistication of the lighting systems obviously increases with the well being of a city. In some countries, like Singapore for instance, roads and areas open to the public at night have to be lit. That is easy to say and do in a controlled environment like Singapore, but it is a totally different story when it comes to a village in rural Australia, Europe or elswhere.
The life style in a big city is also totally different then in a rural village and hence the needs for public lighting. I often spend my holidays in a rural village in the south of France. Till today there is still no public lighting at all. Is it unsafe…not at all, besides that most villagers go to bed early it is part of rural living. In fact it would totally change the dynamics of living if we were to have even a single street light!
Digital expression wall
Singapore, 15th May 2010
After yesterday’s search for the dance floor lighting tiles I found some other interesting links, notably regarding the future of LED touch panels. As can be expected the future of lighting will be very much changed with full wall LED touch panels, a bit like your IPhone but then on your full wall or on your table, all interactive and operated by the touch of your finger.
The way this is going in the future is that we may hardly have any down lights or local lights anymore. It will be the architectural envelope such as complete walls and ceilings, but also furniture like tables, etc which will be fully electronic and illuminated as needed. No need for a TV anymore, it’s just integrated in the LED panels. Check the link below for an idea what I am talking about.
With the touch panels being interactive and responsive to human input there is also a big scope for creativity and digital art. In one of the links I found a digital expression wall, where artists can express themselves with free hand “painting”. A device allows them to change colour and their movement is recorded on the LED canvas.
What attracts me is the idea that we can create a canvas and infra structure of light that can be changed to personal taste, brightness, colours, shapes and integrate functions such as TV, music, telecommunication in the process…imagine the possibilities…endless. See the other link below to get some sense of the future.
Home of the future:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2mxocMgUrvo&feature=related
Digital expression wall:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OqTLg7uPd5U&NR=1
Piezo-electric power generated lighting
Singapore, 14th May 2010
And now for something completely different…… 🙂
I have been talking about renewable energy such as solar and wind energy etc, but missed out on one of the most logical power sources… our own human body! When we move and are in action we produce energy, through our weight and speed! Piezo-electric power generating technology has been around for some time but is only now becoming more popular because of the increasing drive to become sustainable.
In our search for an illuminated dance floor in a bar cum night club for one of our projects we found a company that is offering interactive LED dance floors, activated by the energy of the dancers. The LED floor modules have embedded micro sensors that generate electricity through the piezo effect. When squeezed by the pressure from the dancers on the floor above, electricity is generated that then powers RGB LED’s. With the lighting effects reacting to the varying pressure it is easy to see how this technology adds to the fun of dancing and encourages moving and dancing to change the effects. It is credited of being the first sustainable dance floor!
A totally different application of this technology is being researched and tested for urban street lighting. In this case the energy provided by pedestrians pressuring tiles in the pavement is used to generate the electricity to run the street lights. Combined with the use of LED street lighting to minimize the energy intake, this can potentially be a very interesting way to create sustainable lighting solutions. This application has some different technological requirements as a strolling pedestrian walking on a pavement creates much lower energy levels then a hip hopping person on a dance floor. The idea here of course is to have the lights only on when needed, directly interactive with usage.
Though the cost is still a prohibitive factor I am sure that like solar energy, this technology has a promising and very interesting future ahead.
PS: This is a You Tube link to a video clip of the dance floor, have a look: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NNBOfUwRLgw&feature=player_embedded
Lighting and the economy 2
Singapore, 13th May 2010
Lighting is somehow linked to a countries economy did you realize that? Today I read in the newspaper that last month saw a record surge in the use of power (in Singapore). Though it was a sizzling hot month and obviously households guzzled more power for their air-conditioning and electric fans, one of the reasons mentioned weas a hot economy…in other words because of the economic recovery people were less worried about their energy bill.
Isn’t it “interesting” to see that when you have lesser money worries you are also becoming less frantic about switching off lights to safe energy (and costs)? People may also replace that broken light bulb faster or decide to buy that extra spotlight or table lamp they had wanted for so long. But with an improving economy generally oil prices will go up and as a result electricity tariffs which are pegged to it. Lighting your house becomes thus more expensive again. That is on a consumer scale.
On a grander development scale we have seen a resurrection of projects in this region. Hence an increase demand for lighting design consultancy. While previously mainly China and India were the drivers for the project business, we see the re-emergence of other Asian countries like Vietnam for instance, launching new project developments courtesy of the economic recovery.
In China however there is a fear of an overheating economy. While the economic growth dipped to around 6% (!) during the crisis it is back up in the double digits again. To combat this, the Chinese government recently introduced new regulations in the property market to quell speculations and make life for speculative investors more difficult. Buying a second property now requires a much bigger cash payment upfront with some loans restricted to about 50% of the purchase price only.
As many developers in China come out of the residential property sector it is expected that these regulations will affect their cash flow and thus the construction boom. Will see how that pens out….
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