The devil is in the (lighting) details
Perth, 18th November 2014
Today was all about lighting installation details…As we are approaching the final stages of one of my projects I went out to site with the project team to identify all lighting locations and assure ourselves that we are clear about the way to install the lights. Our design is as good as the end result so this due diligence is important so we can be clear to the contractor and detail exactly how it is to be installed. This seems easier then it is as many disciplines are involved. First of all we had the lighting supplier come in with all the relevant lighting samples including accessories like brackets, so we cold physically hold the fittings in our hand and on location to assess whether our initial design concept was achievable. We then had to check out and confirm the exact fitting locations and determine the way to install/ fix it to the building. Considering this is a heritage building there is extra pressure in regards to the location as not to or minimise any damage to the building fabric as well as making sure the locations provide maximal effect and minimal visual obtrusion. The final and most crucial piece of the puzzle is the power supply. As we are talking about façade lighting we need to get the power supply from inside the building, pierce through the walls to the outside at locations that are as concealed and non-visible as possible. All this while keeping the buildings waterproofing in mind. Finding the best cable routing from the inside switchboard to the outside light fitting location is probably the biggest challenge.
Then there are the lighting effects for which no real good locations for the lighting installations are available and special mounting brackets have to be created. This needs to be worked out in detail so that there is no misunderstanding later on when the contractor quotes for and has to install the lights. This is often overlooked or taken for granted which most of the time results in additional costs for the client through the required variations. Luckily we have an experienced project manager anticipating all this. To find the best solutions we had further recourse to the electrical consultant, the heritage architect and the buildings maintenance manager who knows the building inside out. I am pretty sure we managed to cover it all as the devil is always in the details!
Light Watch 5-196: Sketches from today…now I have to make sense out of them and convert that in proper readable lighting details 🙂
Inspired by art
Perth, 17th November 2014
I have arrived in Perth today to attend to some of my projects here over the coming days; meetings, site inspections and some final aiming and programming are scheduled.
In our work as lighting designer we are guided by experience and inspiration in the creation of our lighting concepts and for that we try to keep abreast of what is happening in lighting world. We attend fairs, we read magazines, we learn from our own project experiences and most of all we look around to what is being created in the world by other designers and artists. A few days ago an innovative project was unveiled in the Netherlands (where else… 🙂 ) in celebration of the 125th anniversary of famous Dutch painter Vincent Van Gogh. His painting, Starry Nights, one I often use in my presentations as an example of creative professionalism, was the inspiration for another Dutch artist, Daan Roosegarde. He created a Van Gogh-like artwork using more then 50,000 mosaic glow in the dark stones which were embedded into a 1km stretch of a bike path which is part of the famous Van Gogh cycle trail in Brabant, a province in the South of Holland. The luminescent stones absorb the sunlight during the day to provide a glowing magical spectacle at night. In some news reports the installation is described as “solar powered”, not sure if glow in the dark can be categorised that way, but it certainly draws its energy from the sun. The wavy shapes of the embedded glow stones are inspired by the wavy shapes of the Starry Night painting.
While not new it is certainly an innovative way of its application. We created a swimming pool with these glow in the dark stones a few years back. Using it on a bike path amidst a landscape that inspired Van Gogh is certainly a cool application and one of those lighting installations that inspire…
Light Watch 5-195: Images from the 1 km Van Gogh Bike trail in Brabant in the Netherlands that was converted in an homage to Van Gogh’s 125th anniversary…
Rumours!
Singapore, 14th November 2014
Back in Singapore I am confronted with a manufacturer’s complaint who feels that our office has defamed their product by spreading false rumours in the market. On first sight that seems like a serious complaint and one that I had to investigate as we are not in the business of badmouthing people or products. We do comment professionally on products presented to us and do that based on the information presented to us. But one thing is for sure; we can never criticise someone else’s project or product usage as we generally do not know the background and situation in which this has been applied and hence any comments can only be of an observatory general nature.
So it came as quite a surprise that a (reputable) manufacturer found it necessary to entertain and approach me on apparent “rumours” circulating the market. After checking with my team it became clear that the whole thing has been blown out of proportions and taken totally out of context! As it happened we had a sales representative come to our office on our request to demonstrate a product that we had specified ourselves in one of our projects, but unfortunately for the sales rep, the product was faulty and not working well and further assessment made us decide that the product was not suitable for our own project needs. The product was then referenced as being used in another big project which prompted our reaction that we would probably not specify that product for such application either; it was just a professional assessment and observation based on the information presented to us. It does not mean that the product is not suitable as this would totally depend on that projects site and design conditions, which of course we are not aware of let alone involved with. So how that comment could then be construed and find its way in the market as if we are criticising someone else’s project puzzles me.
It just goes to show how careful you have to be when you say things even well meant in the privacy of your office, people easily take offence and without knowledge of the facts can take that totally out of context! It’s a shame that negative rumours like this then find their way into the market! It’s a waste of everybody’s energy!
Light Watch 5-194: I leave you with some more images of this year’s award winning green building design’s. Below subsequently Europe winner De Rotterdam, in the Netherlands, Middle East winner Cayan Towers in Dubai and US winner the Edith Green Wendell Federal Building in Portland.
Green buildings
Hong Kong- Singapore, 12-13th November 2014
I write this blog stuck in the plane on the tarmac of the Johore Bahru airport, just outside Singapore. Our return flight was diverted due to very bad weather at the airport in Singapore, a technical stop as they call it. Rather then keep circling around in a holding position awaiting clearance, the captain decided that it would be safer to land and await the weather to clear up and refuel at the same time. The perils of traveling I guess but I prefer to be on the ground than in the air that’s for sure. Worst thing we can drive back to Singapore.
Yes I missed last night’s blog, as I came back late from my meetings and did not have the energy to write anything, went straight to bed, sure many of you know the feeling…
In this morning’s newspaper I read that one of Sydney’s buildings (One Central Park designed by renowned architect Jean Nouvel) was awarded best green building in the world. Honestly I don’t know what that means and I am a bit sceptical when I hear these sort of awards as it to me these are often big exercises in public relation and marketing. Throw in a famous architect and the words green and sustainable and everyone involved looks good…anyhow that is just my first impression/feeling without knowing the details.
What can be called a green building anyhow and in my case related to lighting? There is actually little in any sustainability standard that relates to lighting, in fact the nr of points that can be scored for lighting in LEED for example are only 2-3 points out of a total of 85, hardly a dent. When you look at the components that are considered in these “green” assessment it is nothing really dramatic; watts per square meter and control of the lighting in terms of time and spill light; something that every professional designer always (should) considers in a lighting design. The difference is that now it has got a name…green!
Light Watch 5-193: This is how this building looks like (images from Google search); you may argue how “green” the lighting feature is but I bet you it was not counted into the energy calculations…
The new face of China
Hong Kong, 11th November 2014
As I am back for a few days in Hong Kong and China, with street protest in Hong Kong still going on, the inevitable question that many are asking is whether it is still business as usual in Hong Kong and China. While I am not very active in Hong Kong, mostly visiting project consultants for coordination, I am in China and to my mind there is definitely a wind of change blowing in this part of the world; possibly a more divisive one. Hong Kong leadership is under direct instruction from Beijing; it was always going to be that way after Hong Kong was handed back to China in 1997. The one country, two systems is to remain for 50 years after which it will be anybody’s guess to what will happen in Hong Kong.
It is therefore interesting to see what is currently happening in China itself. Of course I can only speak from my limited perspective of doing (my lighting design) business in China, but it does seem to indicate that the face of doing business in China is changing. It is also set against China’s economic growth (now the number two economy in the world) and its growing if not leading influence and importance in the world of business. First of all I think the years of double digit growth are behind us, because China’s growth is still much entwined with the western economies, which as we all know are struggling. While this has resulted in a marked slow-down of business it certainly does not mean a halt…on the contrary, China is still a very strong developing nation and I don’t see that changing any time soon. But the type of projects and the way business is conducted is changing, perhaps maturing, evolving when it comes to China, perhaps more “regulated and controlled” when it comes to Hong Kong.
With the ever increasing drive to stamp out the rampant corruption in China the way of doing business in China has changed as well. Lavish dinners and karaoke parties are no longer held, in fact in many cases forbidden by the government. You can no longer (openly) fete your (potential) client to get certain favors as big brother is watching you. Business is becoming more direct so to speak, for lack of a better word. But the straightening of business is a long process and many of the older generation struggle to adapt, many becoming bottlenecks in new developing projects. We, as foreign business men active in China, are part of that process, we adapt, we learn, cooperate, we help.
Light Watch 5-192: Meanwhile Hong Kong is enjoying its latest addition to its skyline, the International Commercial Centre (ICC) that features a nightly light show…a bit too much?
Day lighting
Singapore, 10th November 2014
It sounds a bit like moonlighting and quite honestly I still feel that anything to do with day lighting is still a bit off the beaten track, like something you do on the side as an extra on top of your daily work. Of course it should be an integral part of our thinking but most of the time when we get involved this part is already “thought through” by the architect, but it is rare to see an architect thinking this through to an extend that they really think of conducting and manipulating natural lighting into the buildings.
I met with one of my suppliers today who also represents Alanod a company we all know for its high quality reflective and optical materials. In their attempts to avoid a Kodak moment for their company they have moved into the harvesting of day and sun light and developed products for the same. In cooperation with Bartenbach light studios, so it appears they are developing light shelves, light blades, daylight louvres, building reflection materials, heliostats, skylights and light collectors (some towards energy production).
It particularly interest me as this is one of the areas hot-listed as a future growth and need area. There is no doubt in any one’s mind that harvesting of natural daylight is key to future sustainability and management of our natural resources. Enormous R+D or innovation and lifestyle developments as someone mentioned it to me the other day, are being undertaken to find commercially viable ways to do this. Many of these systems still have a very hefty price tag attached to it leaving it out of reach for many. That is why it is important for people like ourselves, specialists in lighting, to get involved at the earliest possible stages where we can collaborate with the architect and end user to achieve the best possible outcome, affordable and value for money.
Light Watch 5-191: I generally do not promote specific product brands for wanting to remain objective and professionally neutral, but at times I do need to mention names. In this I am using some extracts from the Alanod brochure.
The lighting supplier
Singapore, 7th November 2014
As lighting designers our prime point of contact is mostly our local lighting suppliers, those who represent the big and smaller brands, sometimes their own makes. Now in LED Cowboy world life must be really tough being a supplier and keeping up with the Joneses…! Over the years I have met most of them of course, but now in LED world life is a bit different as there are a lot of new players around, which I am gradually learning to know; some with no previous background in lighting (semiconductor or building material backgrounds). Over the years I have seen many come and go in many different shapes and forms, some came and had their Kodak moment, they have vanished from the market, some made a smooth and even strong transition into LED and went from average me-too supplier to being a strong player, some popped up out of nowhere, one day they ring at our door and the next thing you know they are all over the place.
Today I would venture that one of their biggest challenge is also to keep representing the brands they have in their portfolio. Becoming an accredited supplier, agent or representative is not easy and comes generally with a lot of strings (turnover targets) attached. While this may seems straight forward, one have to realise that suppliers also play their game and often have multiple brand representation which often are also competing with each other. If you add your own brand in the mix you get an interesting cocktail of say 2 or 3 competing main brands as well as a competing (generally much cheaper) own brand. The thing is that the margins on their own brands are generally much higher so the sales incentive also is bigger. In an ideal world if you have 3 competing product/ brands to offer, they would be in 3 different price ranges (high/medium/low) so that there is a fair and clear choice to make, life in reality unfortunately is not always that straight forward giving rise often to in my view perceived conflicts of interest by suppliers advising on their products. I could write a book about the sales tactics employed!
Point in case in one of our projects where we were brought in late, we inherited some preliminary specifications based on a leading brand. The approach was good but the product selection needed some serious refinement so rather than talking to the local supplier who had recommended the brands to the architect we spoke directly to the manufacturer. That is when we found out that that supplier was not even authorised to sell the product. The contractor subsequently was told that unless the product was sold through the authorised supplier all standard company warranties and services would be void!
Light Watch 5-190: Enjoy the weekend!
Becoming a lumen being!
Singapore, 6th November 2014
Part of the development into the new LED age is finding ways to express lighting performances in understandable, comparable and communicable ways and one of the biggest hurdles in LED world has been the assessment and comparison of lighting performances. So far most manufacturers, probably driven by the need to show of sustainability and energy saving in justification of the LED proposals, have been using the power consumption (Watts) as principal indicator sometimes combined with the lumen output (lumens/watt). The main challenge for every designer being the near impossibility to get a just feel of the lighting effects and the intensity. Specifying based on watts alone does not give you enough information to confidently predict its lighting result. Using the lumens per watt does give you a good measure of efficiency but most of the time these are ideal LED chip values and not actual light fitting outcome measurements.
Now some of the leading and trendsetting LED manufacturers are starting to use the actual lumen package as reference and start developing standard packages. If the efficiency due to technological progress increases the idea is that the lumen output remains consistent, but the power consumption needed to achieve this reduces. Like we used to have standard wattages in the conventional technologies like 40, 60, 75 or 100 Watts for incandescent, or 20, 35 70 or 150 Watt for metal halide with more or less typical lumen packages, in LED world today we will now start to see standard lumen packages for down lights. For instance we can have 400, 800, 1200, 1500, 2000 lumen down lights, with varying wattages depending on the efficiency of the applied LED technology and optical system. This will then come in typical beam ranges from super narrow (say 6-10 degree), narrow (10-15 degree), medium (15-25 degree), flood (25-35 degree) and wide (35 and above). This will make the selection and specification process for lighting designers much easier and allow for a much tighter result then previously. Way to go! We need to become lumen beings again! 🙂
Light Watch 5-189: Today some graphs to give an idea of how things are moving in LED lumen world and the variety that exists between individual LED brands…
The power of innovation
Singapore, 5th November 2014
As I met with IGuzzini the other day I came to realise why some of the established companies (who mostly earned their stripes in conventional lighting technologies) are struggling to survive and others seemingly are making the transition to the new age of LED lighting seamlessly. Giants like Philips and Samsung are giving up on mass producing LED lighting to focus on more lucrative businesses. I understand that Philips, while selling their LED business will still hold a stake (and licences) in these businesses but will focus on lifestyle developments instead. As a sign of the future we had already noticed that the huge Philips sign that was adorning the Hong Kong island skyline had been taken down and replaced by one from LG. I am not clear about the Samsung strategy but I am sure it is all cost driven.
It is clear that one of the major drivers to sustained profitability and longevity as a lighting manufacturing company lies in innovation. While it is possibly ok for the new LED kids on the block, the new start-ups, to provide “me-too” quality solutions competing on price mainly, this is a very difficult proposition for the big established boys. Their existing overheads are way higher, many still based on the old conventional lighting manufacturing infra-structure. So while they transit to the new LED age with their infra-structure, only one key element keeps them alive and that is innovation, coming up with new innovative concepts and products. IGuzzini with the Laser Blade and Trick fixtures has shown us that. These products are the magnets that attracts designers and specifiers. Others are following their example. Likewise the new generation LED makers such as Cree, Xicato etc thrive by continuously setting the tone with bench mark products.
Add to that the seemingly unavoidable integration with smart technology and you can see how LED innovation is moving fast forward. I attended a presentation in Hong Kong last week talking about the evolution over time of LED technology referring to LED V1.0 and V2.0 with integrated smart technology announced as LED V3.0.
Light Watch 5-188: We may not realise it but the new LED technology is being integrated in practically any common application or product that we know…here are a few
Tuning to the colour of LED
Singapore, 4th November 2014
I came back from Hong Kong with a nice little tool in my back, a mobile colour spectrometer. I had wanted to get one for a long time specifically with my constant frustration in regards to colour inconsistency in LEDs…yes the Cowboys…I was put into contact with Asensetek, a Taiwanese producer of a new generation of a smart colour spectrum meter. The meter, called Lighting Passport, is a small little unit that can be used as a stand-alone or attached to your mobile phone. It uses the latest blue tooth technology to communicate and measures and displays the result via an app that you can download from the web. It is available for IOS and Android platform as well as for Windows/ Apple PC’s.
The advanced professional version that I bought reads the exact colour temperature, colour rendering R1-15 individually and as an average, spectral energy distribution and points out the measured location on the CIE 1931 and CIE 1976 colour diagram’s black body line including its location within the relevant McAdams ellipses. I can now instantly check out suppliers claims in regards to colour and I did so when IGuzzini came to present their latest colour tuneable Reflex down light (a great light by the way).
The claim of 2700K was proven right with a measurement of 2689K, very close! The colour rendering of 95 was bettered with an Ra of 97 (R1-8) and an average Re of 96 (R1-15) with only one of the colours dipping under the 90 (R12 at 87). Interesting reading! The location was practically right on the black body line and a binning between 1 and 3 IEC_SDCM (Mc Adams)! Impressive! I did the same readings again for the cool white at 5700K and the results were similar. This was done of course with a reputable manufacturer. I can’t wait to test it on one of the LED Cowboys!
The main feature is its mobility. I can hook it to my Samsung Galaxy Note 3, take a picture of the fitting in question and measure all its colour characteristics on the spot. No longer do I have to endure discussions about whether it actually is 2700K or not! I can now measure and compare the results of two light sources that are supposed to be identical in colour and provide hard evidence of the actual facts…be warned, no more bull@#$%ting! 🙂
Light Watch 5-187: Some impressions of the Lighting Passport and its Spectrum Genius program (see also the website at www.asensetek.com) Cool!
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