Testing!
Singapore, 17th September 2014
It cannot be said enough…check and double check; test and double test. It does not matter how much experience you have, it remains always a critical part of lighting design and testing your critical lighting effects is something that you need to visually confirm one way or another. You cannot just bank on your experience and then find out once everything is installed it is not exactly what you had expected. Specifically now we deal with a relatively new LED technology that on top of that changes its performance and qualities by the day, we need to test. We now even build in the testing and visual mock ups as part of our contractual conditions to impose on our clients even more how important we feel that part of the lighting design works is.
Today we had another session on site here in Singapore, testing a few of our proposed solutions for the “retrofitting” of a pendant that from the outside needs to remain in its original state but inside needed urgent conversion to LED technology. The original design of the pendants had 2x 300W Halogen lamps which at a later stage were replaced with 2x100W induction lamps (a strange conversion btw…). We now aim to replace these with 2x 24W warm white LEDs. The pendant has enough space to built in a complete LED fixture; the purpose of the testing being primarily to determine which light distribution works best. Because of the rather pronounced light distribution compared to the more diffuse nature of the halogen light, we explored asymmetrical, projected and wide light distributions to understand the extent of the light coverage on the ceiling.
My initial thought was the asymmetric approach in consideration of the back to back location of the 2 fittings in the pendant and the coverage required, but it turned out the wider more diffuser beam worked better with a much smoother coverage. Interesting point to note, the more diffuse solution also created some upwards spill illuminating the suspension rods, an effect that felt far more natural than the clinical asymmetrical beam. The final decision in regards to the required specification therefore made easy and comfortable thanks to the testing….
Light Watch 5-156: Images from our testing earlier today…
Li-Fi
Singapore, 16th September 2014
I have mentioned it in passing in some previous blogs but Li-Fi is becoming a serious topic of discussion recently. Is Li-Fi the new Wi-Fi? Several lighting magazines have reported about it recently and as I don’t know too much about it I quote some of my knowledge from these magazine articles. It is a technology that uses the visible light spectrum as a source for wireless data transmission. The idea has been around for many years when it was discovered that the semi-conductor technology used in LED lighting could be used to transmit data as well. The Li-Fi technology seems capable of transmitting high speed data streams using the modulation capabilities of LED’s. The development is still in its infancy but experts believe the technology is capable of much bigger things.
The technology uses LED colours to transmit data with the highest speed so far recorded being 4 Gigabits per second using a single colour blue micro LED. Researches believe that by mixing RGB LEDs to white light, they should be able to achieve up to 10 Gigabits per second! The supporters of the system also claim it offers far more options in terms of capacity (with the light spectrum being far wider than the busy radio frequency spectrum currently used by WiFi), efficiency and availability (with LED technology being extremely sustainable with billions of light sources around in the world) and most of all security with LiFi only being accessible by people sitting in the immediate proximity of the Lifi enabled light source. We all know how little protection WiFI seems to provide. While there are many “Wiki leaks” in today’s Wi-Fi world, it seems unlikely with this Li-Fi technology to get a lot of “Liki leaks”. 🙂
So is this the future? Are there any downsides? The general feeling seems to be that there is great potential and since everyone has a light source somewhere in their house the spread and coverage could be global. The main disadvantage seems to be the coverage per point. Using light waves, the data transmission is intercepted by solid surfaces or objects; it cannot penetrate walls for instance. Likewise you can block the signal by covering the emitter or receiver. It is said that the coverage is about 10m from the light source, but its speed is very high allowing you to download a HD movie in less then 30 seconds. Let’s keep an eye on this development….
Light Watch 5-155: One of the key developers of this technology, is Professor Haas from the University of Edinburgh. He is pursuing his interests commercially through his Pure LIFi company.
Topic of discussion
Singapore, 15th September 2014
Deciding on a topic to write about or to build a presentation around is always a tricky issue. The organiser of the event looks at their target group of intended participants and provides you with a direction or most of the time even a title for you to build your presentation, whereas I need to think of how to convert that into an interesting presentation. When it comes to writing my column for the magazine I am often guided by the proposed contents or theme of the upcoming issue. In my blog it really depends on the events of the day. With speaking engagements later this week, at the end of this month later in October and November I have plenty to think about as the topic of presentation needs to make sense in terms of the materials and the information that is available to share. Presentations are generally around 45 mins, sometimes a bit shorter to allow some time for Q+A.
In one of my upcoming presentations later this year I am asked to develop my storyline along lighting design as part of an integrated process; in other words how do we integrated our work with the other project team members. What are the methodologies that we follow, how do we manage expectations when we develop our creative concepts and can it logistically be realised? How crucial is cooperation and coordination to make sure our that our lighting concept is part of a common design strategy with the common goals we are trying to achieve for the project.
The interesting thing is that different people will have different views on how best to achieve this. Some high-ego designers may have the may way or the high way approach, but this generally does not work and is certainly very frustrating for others in the team. A project is only successful if all disciplines are successful, so it is crucial that we cooperate and coordinate as part of the process. Illustrating this topic with visually interesting and easy to understand pictures is another story!
Light Watch 5-154: The storyline is one part, illustrating your story is another thing altogether. Eric Caminada, my work colleague way back in my Philips time, had a great gift to illustrate his stories. Here are some of his sketches…thanks Eric!
(Unfortunately these are reproductions from old projection slides, so the quality is rather low and grainy, but you get the idea!)
Glass and art deco inspirations
Perth, 12th September 2014
My visits to crafty glass manufacturers, hand blown and machined, has inspired me. We are so into modern LED lighting these days that you tend to forget that in the older days lamp and fitting manufacturing was a real art. Nowadays everything is mass produced with little originality, but there are also boundless opportunities through imaginative manufacturing process and clever material use. But somehow it all seems “computer” generated. There seems to be little room left for actual human craftsmanship. Today’s economy requires high volumes, fast production and low prices; that by definition excludes craftsmanship I would say.
If you look at the light fittings from the early days, think also at the art deco period, they are all very crafty, very ornamental. Unless we are talking very special projects with big budgets (some casinos have a tendency to go overboard with uber ornamental fixtures and designs) in today’s world everything is mostly mass produced and it is a shame to see hand crafted products slowly disappear. For that reason I am more than pleased to have the opportunity to take on this project where we can actually work with old fashioned craftsmen and on top of that manage the whole process from design to completion.
The sad thing is that hand crafted designs are generally expensive as compared to machined, multi mass produced, items. Handcrafted products may also take much longer and as such in this fast paced world people do not have the patience. Commercial interest has moulded people’s frame of mind into thinking the mass producers way with big budgets to spent. Compare the concept of the hyper market and department stores where you can find everything you “want” to the little specialist shop at the corner of your neighbourhood (if you still have one…).
Light Watch 5-153: Here are some crafty glass and art deco inspirations…have a great weekend
Tender deadlines
Perth, 11th September 2014
One of the critical miles stones in our consultancy work are the issuance of tender documentation. And how different that process can be from client to client! We are working of the issuance of tender deadlines for two projects this week.
One a super organised project here in Australia, professionally managed with clear directions, respectful coordination and enough time build in to the documents reviewed by key members of the project team so that we can incorporate any oversight or missing gaps in the documentation. Not the slightest argument, misunderstanding or delay. Very single member of the team is a professional, focussed on their deliverables with respectful consideration to fellow consultants to allow for coordination and feedback. The final documents are all due in tomorrow and the tender will be called bang right on time, fully coordinated and detailed. While everyone has worked hard to achieve the deadline there has been a near camaraderie between the project consultants and the mood has been upbeat and cooperative. The client is happy and most of all as a result a prompt paymaster from day 1!
What a difference our other tender deadline is… Not surprisingly in Malaysia, this projects has been one big mess from the start, tender deadlines have been moved, rescheduled, delayed and changed a few times now. The scope of work has been modified and changed several times as well, packages split up, parts deleted, re-added and repackaged. It is no wonder that some consultants (us included) are scratching our heads and wonder whether we should actually pit in the effort to change things with the expectation that the deadlines will be changed again and the scope probably revised. As I write this blog I just see an email coming through from the client to hold all tender work till further instruction! The mood between the project members is highly explosive as you can see that people dig themselves in pointing fingers at others, covering their own backs! Project management (recently newly appointed) is absolutely struggling to get a grip and seems to have no control, neither over the consultants nor the client. Yet, they act as if they are…Add to that a client totally detached from professional administration, an awful paymaster with no grip or understanding on how to deal with professionals, the amount of abortive work and time is shocking…this tender is a disaster in the making….
Light Watch 5-152: We had another visit to a glass maker for our project today, this time manufactured glass…
Old-fashioned craftsmanship
Perth-Margaret River, 10th September 2014
On the day that Apple unveiled its latest Iphone (nr6 already!) and the long awaited smartwatch in a world where everything seems to revolve around IT technology nowadays, it is nice to know that there are still some old-fashioned craftsmen around. I had the pleasure of driving all the way down to Margaret River today (South of Perth) to meet one of the last hand glass blowing specialists in the country. The passion that these crafts people exude in creating their work is heart-warming and an immensely gratifying and stimulating experience. Our reason for meeting the husband and wife team was to find out if we could achieve the desired lighting effects with the hand blown glass shades we are after for our heritage project. I blogged about it a few days ago.
Equipped with my “doctor’s case”, a supplier converted briefcase with different lamp holders allowing us to test different lamp types, we spent our time trying out glass qualities and combinations with different light sources, different colours of light, different intensities and so on to determine the ideal material mix to later blow the glass shades into shape. It is absolutely amazing to realise that there is so much knowledge and experience that goes into creating pieces of glass that look simple from the outside but create stunning effects once it is “touched” by light. Let’s not forget glass was invented for light. There is no reason for the existence of glass if not for its unique quality to let light through! In that process we (through our eyes), are able to enjoy the lighting effects created by the interaction between light and the variety of glass qualities.
We managed to determine what glass and colour mix combinations will allow us to create the effects we are after but don’t tell me to try and write down a specification because that ultimate result with be down to their old fashioned craftsmanship. A truly enjoyable day…
Light Watch 5-151: A selection of images from our testing….
WA
Perth, 9th September 2014
Western Australia is generally shortened to WA, but in business and in general WA has grown to mean Wait Awhile…you certainly should not be in a hurry to get things done here. Besides that you will need to make sure you comply with all rules and regulations, things take a while to reach their “destination”. I had a meeting today in regards to “His Majesty’s Theatre” Perth’s landmark theatre that will be 110 years old later this year. We are engaged to design the façade lighting for this iconic building, but boy does it take long to implement! A few financial years and theatre managements later and we are yet to start on the actual works!
The original lighting design concept was received with much acclaim but when the dollars and cents came through, the wheels started to fall off. Despite grants from Heritage Perth the then management of the Theatre was not very cooperative in finding the solution. One of the biggest hurdles being the fact that the 110 year building is in dire needs of an electrical overhaul and because of that there are many unknowns factored into the cost of the electrical works as so often with old buildings you will only know the real situation until you open up the ceilings!
Having acknowledged that the building should be brought up to the latest electrical and mechanical standards, this has now taken precedence over our façade lighting works. Originally scheduled for completion end of this year it has now been pushed back to late 2015 early 2016 to coincide with the re-opening of the Theatre which will have to be closed for several months to allow for the internal infrastructure works to take place. The positive that rolled out of this is that the related electrical works needed for the façade lighting can be package within the infrastructural works greatly reducing the costs in the process.
As everyone is really sold to the lighting design concept for the theatre, the client has confidently decided to order the lights already to make sure we get them at today’s costs, even though we will need to store them for a year or so before we will actually get to install them! WA, wait awhile…I guess that is also the charm of this countryside city with its enviable lifestyle!
Light Watch 5-150: Theatres have always been a great way for architectural expressions, in the past and in today’s world!
Knowledge sharing
Perth, 8th September 2014
Over the coming months I have several speaking engagements and rather than repeating myself (some people call that leveraging J) I am doing my best to differentiate each presentation in a fine tune to the audience that is expected to attend. As the presentations will be in different countries, I will need to integrate the local culture and economy in the story as well. Yes, they may like to hear my international experience but in the end they want to hear how that can relate to their personal or local situation. I submitted my regular Light Talk column for Lighting Today magazine over the weekend as well as a new project feature showcasing one of our recently completed projects.
Now I am back in wintery Perth, where wind and rain are battling my house; the heater is on and I have a nice sweater to keep me warm. While I don’t mind the heat from Singapore it is oh so nice to be exposed to the seasonal weather elements! I personally like it and find that seasonal weather can be creatively stimulating! Besides attending to projects here this week will also be in the sign of knowledge sharing, or better said in the preparation of knowledge sharing as my papers are due for submission real soon. The thing with knowledge sharing is that you need to know 150% if you want to share 100%, so time and again I need to study and prepare myself. The power point presentations may not look like much but the time that goes into the outlining, research and putting together of the slides is critical to the success of the presentation. Each slide has a story, triggers my memory and with that my years of experience. My slides generally have little words, the image or illustration should say it all, it is my knowledge that is triggered with that picture and pushes me to share what I know, what I have experienced in my life as lighting designer. I don’t have to write it down…it’s all there for me to share…
Light Watch 5-149: Knowledge shared may open doors to the future for others…
Application technology mix
Singapore, 5th September 2014
With the week coming to a close I feel like exploring something totally different…away from my daily work, just something light hearted to finish the week of in a relaxed mood. Some of you may have caught the article that was run amongst others by the BBC in regards to smart chopsticks…yes you read it right. Apparently born out of an April fools’ joke, someone picked up on the idea and developed chopsticks capable of detecting if food is poisonous. Don’t ask the details but assuming this is not an April fools’ story anymore, the chopsticks will warn you if the food is poisonous…
I guess that set me off thinking about how technologies are mixed up in different technologies. Technologies developed for different ways of use being applied in an out of the box or new innovative manner. Could did also happen with lighting? Let’s dream a bit…We already see smart light bulbs with build in sensors that can be activated with wireless controls or communicate with mobile phone apps. Are there other things that could happen as an integrated technology mix with lighting? Could it be integrated with a mini camera and a sensor switching on when an unwanted person accesses a room and be video-ed and the pictures relayed to your mobile phone…surely that should be possible. With the drone technology becoming so popular, could there be a future when we will have our own personal drone following us wherever we go with all personal needs including localised task lighting, like being your personal intelligent torch?
As we need lighting wherever we go to execute our daily activities one could imagine that the light bulb becomes a super smart intelligent hub in which lighting is just one of the functions. Cloud storage and internet communication, preference mood scene memory (including colour hues), with call up function, identification technologies on who’s in the room, tracking of space usage, habits…already there is intelligent hard and software build in to commercial lighting applications where potential customers are identified, tracked through GPS (using the mobile phone app) and directed to promotions and other sales opportunities. Reversely lighting can now be integrated in practically anything you can imagine….head lights in your shoes? Light in your glasses…endless
Most of these applications will have a commercial benefit intent, but also safety, security and comfort will be drivers to these developments. The question is do we really want technology to spell everything out for us…where is the time we actually need to use our brains and work out where we are, what we want to do and where we want go or even how we want to feel…I am rather apprehensive about all these technologies preferring to use my own judgement and making my own decisions… I don’t need nor don’t want machines to do that for me…have a great weekend!
Light watch 5-148: The future?
Inspiration
Singapore, 4th September 2014
The thing with lighting design and any design for that matter is that you need inspirational people and an inspirational environment to flourish. Designers are creative people and we need stimulation, motivation and passion to thrive. Passion is either something you have or not, I don’t think you learn passion. It is something that you can acquire though over the course of getting involved, but it is something that you will know quickly. When I joined the lighting world I did not know it would be for life, but I quickly figured out that people who start in lighting either leave after a short while or they are in it for good.
The other aspect of being an inspired lighting designer is to find a conducive environment to express your passion, your skills and over time your expertise. This environment relates to your design studio, your daily work environment, your colleagues. My philosophy has always been that of a family, we all have each-others back, we help each other. Yes, we have a hierarchy of experience and seniority but we all respect and support each-other. Work is to be in balance with your private and family life. Too often we see a “bossy” work structure where the “bosses” enjoy and the staff endures, they are not given the opportunity to create a balance in their life and end up working long hours with little appreciation. Invariably these people quit after a while for “greener” pastures. The “family” approach generally results in longevity for all, private and for the company.
Finally working with inspirational people is highly motivating, people who are creative, who have vision, but most of all who show respect and appreciate other people’s expertise. They are leaders and visionaries in their own field of work. You will find that there is seldom a friction in such project teams. You sit through a daylong meeting without the slightest bore or disinterest; you feel grateful to be part of the project. I had such an inspirational day today which reminds me that I am lucky doing what I do meeting people that inspire and motivate you to keep doing what you do.
Light watch 5-147: Inspiration means different things to different people…
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