The 80-20 rule
Singapore, 12th May 2010
Arrived back in Singapore this morning after a hectic two days in India…5 hours sleep over two nights…not really ideal…coffee has kept me going 🙂
As so often in life simple and great things are generally the result of a lot of sweat. To appreciate a simple and yet beautiful design we go through heaps of complicated and sophisticated creations first…doesn’t that sound familiar? We spend a lot of time and resources with sometimes minimal results, 80% effort, 20% result…
This comes back in many other areas of our work. For instance you may find out that 80% of your turn over or profit comes from 20% of your clients…so probably worth focusing on and nurturing those clients, right? Likewise you may find that 80% of your project headaches are caused by only 20% of your projects, so you may want to consider “re-organizing” your relationships in these projects. The same applies to your suppliers, manufacturers, staff, etc, etc.
Does it also applies in our design work…surely it does. This is where you pick out the efficient people, the organized ones, those capable to multi task…they don’t spend 80% of their time on 20% of the details. Since our commodity besides our knowledge is time, we need to be efficient with our time. We need to have the overall view and direction and delegate smaller issues and details to others so we can effectively steer the design ship and not get lost in the details. Certainly when you manage a team you find out that 80% of the time you are busy managing people and only 20% actively designing (if you are lucky!). There is a jewish saying that says if you want to wish someone a lot of problem, wish them a lot of staff….
Our goal is to spend minimal effort for a maximum effect, 20% effort for 80% results!
Approve or reject
India, 11th May 2010
One of our duties as a lighting designer is to approve or reject light fittings submitted to us as possible alternatives for our specifications. Specifically in Asia it is tough to keep exact specifications as clients are always out for a bargain…just a way of life. So my day in Chennai today was spend running through the light fitting submissions and assess them against the cut sheets of our specifications.
This is not as easy as it looks. It requires professional lighting knowledge and proper understandable justifications towards the client. In other words the client needs to understand why you reject a fitting or make it subject to some conditions or even a satisfying visual mock up test. In my mind there is not just one solution or one product that can do the job, so though we should be tough on our specifications, we need to be open to equivalents that are better or cheaper. It is our professional duty towards the client, isn’t it?
The easy way is just to reject everything that is not as specifications, but that is not really professional in my opinion. In fact my client shared with me an experience he had with a Singapore based lighting consultant (I won’t mention the name…) who had send his assistant to review the supplier submissions on another of his projects. After the first 7 straight rejections the client asked for an explanation, upon which the assistant responded that she had received the instruction from her boss to reject all submission which were not as specified. Now what is the point of flying to India for that? They could have just sent an email to tell them that, as there is no need to come for a review of as specified fittings… I won’t go into the reasons why someone would do that, but I guess it is pretty obvious….
Though my supplier had the guts to suggest some design changes to accommodate his light fitting of choice and even attempted at times to convince the client with his success stories, I did not approve much of his submissions outright. In the end however I earned his and the clients respect for my professional approach and justifications.
Consume or produce
India, 10th May 2010
On my way for a 2 day blitz visit to India, Chennai today, Goa tomorrow. Two of our hotel projects are reaching their final stages and site coordination and procurement confirmations on light fitting supply are necessary to bring the projects to a good end. The “fight” between quality, time and budget……
But my topic of today is triggered by in-flight programs that I love to watch while working away a bit on my laptop (which is thank god working again!), programs like eco-solutions or worlds greenest homes, etc. The public has generally been labeled as consumers as they consume, take, but don’t really give anything back. Energy is used to power most things in our life; products are being used and then discarded after end of useful life. But a new breed is emerging, people more conscious of our environment and sustainable living…the producers.
These are the people who produce their own energy, grow their own trees to offset carbon emissions, cool their own house naturally, recycle wastage for re-use. People who do not only consume but produce and contribute to their consumption, some even more then they consume .
So how do we become contributors, producers as lighting designers? There are two basic types of consumptions in lighting, the energy required to power our lights and the light fittings we use to create the lighting. To become a “producer” for energy we need to resort to renewable energy sources such as solar power, wind energy, water energy or use bio-fuel created out of organic waste products. More and more this becomes common thought in the design development process.
There are no real “renewable” light fittings as in the energy sense, but there are light fittings and lamps of which all or most components can be recycled and used again after disposal. Durable quality and long life lamps such as the LED will help the process. But most of all we need a major thought shift, away from consuming towards producing…it’s now gradually happening.
Lighting and movies
Singapore, 9th May 2010
You know in our daily lives we use lighting or lighting metaphors in many different ways. I wrote about it previously in terms of our language for instance. Remember the light bulb in cartoons to illustrate someone got an idea? Someone ever changed that in a compact fluorescent lamp to illustrate the change of times. Last night I watched a series on TV where a developer was talking about his new building development being sustainable and that it would be LEED classified! That is keeping up with the times!
In general movies are supposedly representative of our times if it plays in today’s time and age hence you would expect to see the latest products and technologies being used. Products are often sponsored in movies, like cars, drinks, techno gadgets such as phones, etc. You see the brand name flashing for a second on the screen. But what about lighting? Do you ever notice the type of lights being used, or recognize any particular brand?
I remember that Philips ever got involved in the James Bond movies and sponsored some modern looking lighting installation for “M’s” laboratory. I don’t remember exactly which Bond movie it was but clearly remember looking out for it when watching the movie. It is that I knew what to look for, but for sure most people didn’t even notice. At least a Swarovski chandelier or specific exposed fixtures you will notice, but will you recognize an LED down light used in a movie? Probably not, unless specifically pointed out as part of the storyline.
But you can bet your bottom dollar that the latest lighting technologies and lighting trends will more and more appear in movies. Next time you watch a movie look out for it…you will be surprised. Let me know!
The lighting design fraternity
Singapore, 8th May 2010
Last night I went out for some drinks with friends and met some fellow lighting designers based in Singapore that I had not met before. Our lighting design community is quite small and generally speaking we are mostly friendly competitors. There seems to be plenty of work around in this area of the world anyhow, specifically in China, India, etc so we don’t find each other fighting often for the same projects. Occasionally we bump into each other at project qualification interviews.
I was told that worldwide there are only about 5000 professional and independent lighting designers…that is not much. In Singapore for instance there are only a handful, compared to hundreds of architects and interior designers. The same goes elsewhere in the region. From the same source I heard that for every project that would need a professional lighting designer less than 5% actually does…so plenty of opportunities I would say!
One of the things that we spoke of last night was the lack (or better absence) of community feeling, get togethers, in Asia. In Australia the lighting community comes together once a quarter or so for drinks on the back of some of event organized by the local lighting association or manufacturers, but in Singapore or elsewhere in Asia it does not really exist. It is very sporadic if it does. In Europe PLDA is looking after the community and in the USA it is the IALD. The PLDC event in Berlin last year and the PLDA night in Frankfurt recently were two great events where we could all meet and exchange our experiences.
When ELDA (the predecessor of PLDA) started some 15 years ago in Europe, I ever tried to set up a local chapter in Asia Pacific. Though with good intentions I did that rather clumsily, without much consultation with my fellow lighting designers, stepping on many toes in the process. Not really a recipe for success…but the idea still remains and I hope that somewhere in the near future we will have such organization for this region that can oranise get togethers and functions where we can meet and share our experiences.
Digital dependency
Singapore, 7th May 2010
Don’t you hate it when your laptop or computer doesn’t do what it is supposed to do? I am from the older generation and already proud of myself that I am reasonably proficient in using a computer, the internet, etc. But that is only as long as everything works! We have become so “digitally depended” these days that the moment the computer or internet does not work we are stuck…everything nearly stops and we become out of sorts (ever been at the airport when the computer system is down??? …pandemonium!).
I operate my company through my laptop. It follows me wherever I go and is on practically from the moment I get up to the time I go to bed. I communicate with my staff, with my clients, with my suppliers through it. It’s my office, it’s my “brain”. Earlier this week my laptop crashed during my flight to Chengdu and only now, back in Singapore, my IT guy has managed to get it back up and running…I love this guy! I admire these people who understand the computer language, know how to find their way and diagnose the problem. You may not have noticed but my last 3 blogs were conceived on and uploaded from hotel business center computers!
Just serves as a good reminder how much we depend on our laptops, computers and internet in this digital age. All our design work is done on computers through artist renderings, CAD drawings, power point presentations, documents, spread sheets, etc. All our project information is digitally filed and most of our project correspondence is through emails. Who still sends out hard copies? Admittedly hard copies are still needed but nowadays the onus is on the receiving party to print out the documents they need. In the past the onus was mostly on us, the sending party, to print documents.
Since we hardly print or keep hard copies anymore there is an ever increasing need for professional design companies like us to continuously create back up files of all project (and other office operational) information to make sure nothing is lost when the digital system crashes!
View from the top
Beijing – Shanghai, 6th May 2010
As I write this I am back in Shanghai but last night I flew from Chengdu to Beijing for a project coordination meeting this morning, this time attending a kick off design meeting for a shopping mall renovation. As we approached Beijing airport I had a splendid view on the city as it was a (rare) clear cloudless sky. Of course because of our profession we always look at the lighting. So I looked at the endless stretch of city lights, a mix of fixed and moving (cars) lights, glaring and non glaring lights, sodium and metal halide lights, as well as some colored lighting from mainly signage.
As lighting designers one of our tasks is to minimize (avoid) light pollution. In other words to control the amount of spill light. There is sort of first and second degree spill light. The first is the spill that trespasses the boundary of the area that is to be lit and then there is the light at spills above the horizon. In case of lighting vertical planes it is even more obvious as “spilled” light directly disappears into space.
With my “view from the top” I could clearly see a few things. A lot of lights were shining directly at me, in other words lights with a direct upward spill to the extend that I could see the light source from the plane (= wasted energy)! I assume from badly planned area or building flood lights. That was contrasting very strongly with some of the road lighting that had no noticeable upward spill and clearly showed the road and the brightness distribution as a reflection on the road surface, nearly like a live Dialux visualization. Though the lighting was predominantly (yellow) sodium lighting I did notice some roads and areas in a whiter light (purposedly?).
What struck me most in the end was the enormous stretched out area so brightly lit still (I arrived around midnight !), the sheer size of the city, its busy road arteries all lit, the buildings, etc. I can but imagine the amount of energy that was being consumed (and wasted!)…
Meeting of the minds
Chengdu, 5th May 2010
Design coordination workshops are crucial for the success of a project, certainly when many overseas consultants are involved. I am in Chengdu to attend such design workshop for one of our hotel projects. It is never too early to be involved in a propject design process is one of my sayings when it comes to lighting design. Most of the time we get involved too late, have too rush the lighting design to meet the deadlines and most importantly because of the late involvement there was no real thought put into what the budget should be for lighting, if any.
Lighting is often the last item on the budget and most of the time the allocated budget is totally insufficient as it was based on some engineered input with no consideration to any artwork, visual orientation, comfort (dimming controls) etc. So by the time we come up with our design in these cases the clients fall of their chair…
So these kind of early design coordination meetings are crucial as they allow us as lighting designer to prepare the client for the requirements of the lighting. Our role at the same time is that of a mediator between the interior designer/architect, the operator and the client who all have different wants and needs when it comes to lighting requirements. The client wants to make sure his capital investment is value for money (or simply said as cheap as possible), the operator wants the running costs (their monthly electricty and maintenance bill) to be as low as possible, which most of the time translates in premium lighting products that have a durable quality with minimal maintenance requirements. If the operator and the client are two different parties you can imagine the challenge to bring this together. The interior designer/ architect just want us to validate their design intent.
It is easy to see that these design coordination meetings serve as a “meeting of the minds”. By understanding each others needs and requirements, combined with basic and common application standards and regulations, we have much greater chance to a successful project.
Money and quality
Chengdu, 4th May 2010
Today I traveled to Chengdu, about 3 hours flight west from Shanghai to attend to a project design workshop. During the flight I kept thinking back about my visit to the Expo and what I saw in regards to lighting. I mentioned yesterday that I felt that there was a real missed opportunity to showcase lighting as a sustainable energy consumer. Maybe I was expecting too much on the back of visiting the Light + Building Fair in Frankfurt….
But besides the sustainable energy story, I have two major concerns which are basically summarised by the title, money (budgets) and quality, a recurrent and constant issue in China. I encounter it daily in my work. But I think it is a pity that it has also creped into the World Expo, a place where China wants to showcase its technological prowess. Rather then focussing on some quality lighting installations it feels like too much has been cramped into the Expo site. When I saw the opening ceremony I didn’t know where to look and as a result could not understand the story or concept that was being painted with light. A good visual feast is not always about quantity but more about quality. So while the actual budget may not have been an issue the quality got lost somewhere inside the quantity.
This is also reflected by the physical quality of the lights. It does not take an expert to notice that the LED lights are already starting to fail at some major locations. I know this is only a temporary exhibition, I know that preference is given (and with good reason) to local manufacturers and suppliers, but does that mean that quality has to suffer?
This is one of my continuous bones of contention in Asia in general. Sure the public may not mind, in fact they may even accept it as part of life here. They are being dazzled by the cacophony of lights and colours…who cares whether some lights work or not…but to us it is very visible and a measure of the quality standards and my fear is that come the end of the Expo it will even be more visible.
World Expo, my second visit
Shanghai, 3rd May 2010
Today is a public holiday in China, another perfect day to visit the Expo. It being my birthday too, going to the Expo is like inviting a kid to Disneyland, isn’t it? So the perfect birthday treat for me and I really enjoyed it, thanks again to my magic VIP pass which allowed me direct access to the pavilions without having to queue….
Most of the countries display themselves, their technologies, their lifestyles, showing off so to say… basically to attract interest and promote the country in the best possible light. Though someone called the Expo the Olympics of Technology, really at the base of all are the dollars and cents in the shape of possible future business, tourism, etc. With China being such a magnet to the world for business, one can easily understand why every Tom, Dick and Harry wants to be here at the Expo.
But looking past that, did I really see much of the future? Not in the country pavilions, so I went to the Pavilion of the Future expecting to see new technologies in action, but besides some futuristic decorations, not really. I had expected to see new technologies in action but what I saw where some meager displays, some video presentations but nothing new really, in an otherwise largely empty hall.
What about lighting then? … Same story… Nothing that was really new. In fact to me, there seems to be an overkill of LED, though I did still see some pavilions using conventional floodlights. LED is the magic word in the lighting of each and every pavilion as well as for the whole expo site, but unfortunately there seem to have been no real thoughts in the overall realization of the lighting at the Expo. I know a good lighting master plan was developed originally but something got lost in translation, specifically in regards to sustainability. A real missed opportunity.
PS: Note that I have not seen all pavilions and areas, but this is my first impression after seeing 20 odd pavilions and most areas over 2 days.
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