Form over function?
Perth, 25th September 2013
I may have blogged about this before, but it remains a sticky design issue time again, certainly in my industry of lighting design. Again we are having a heated discussion with an architect who strives towards an aesthetically pleasing lighting solution (or so they say) against an in our eye more efficient and still very much less obstructive solution. Imagine two very big floodlights against 4 very small floodlights in which the small floodlights achieve far better lighting results than the two big ones. The argument is about the size and the visibility of the floodlights on the façade of a building. There is an additional factor that the two floodlights can be located centre of the façade panels whereas the proposed four floodlights would have to be positioned off-centre. The point is that on this high rise the panels are facing inwards and the position in relation to the panels is merely a cosmetic issue mostly visible on drawings (certainly not from the ground up) certainly considering that the lights will be way high up (the building will rise up to 300m high!).
The other issue is physical visibility of the floodlights. Argument architect: two big floodlights are less visible than 4 small ones. Our argument: two big ones or four much smaller ones is a subjective matter, the point is that the lighting effect of the four smaller ones is way better in terms of performance (uniformity, reach, coverage, brightness, energy consumption, costs!) than the two big ones. On top of that the two big ones have a far bigger weight, a bigger wind surface and hence will require a stronger structural support and securement. The discussion continuous with a client who wishes to respect the architects design but also wishes to respect our professional recommendations…hence the dilemma. Satisfy the architects ego or the professional recommendations…form or function?
Light Watch 4-163: A way to eliminate the discussion is to integrate the lighting within the building design structure. One of the trendsetting materials is the so called translucent concrete. Concrete material that has embedded fiber-optic strands that allow the light to transfer through the concrete. I have used the material in one of my projects before and now in combination with LED panels in the back can create a two-way light transfer; daylight in during the day, artificial (LED) light out at night. Here is a recent project by Lucem in Germany.
Keeping up with the industry
Perth, 24th September 2013
I don’t know how everyone does it and maybe they don’t, but how do you keep up with all industry news. At times I am inundated by the amount of newsletters and professional/ industry magazines that reach my desk and even though I wish to keep myself up to date I simply can’t find the time to go and read through everything. You can argue that I could read it in my “free” time but as a business owner you already are the company most of the time and the little “me” time that you have perhaps you would like to do other things than catch up on what’s going on in your business. Yes I do try and read up in the plane when I travel so electronic newsletters are really handy, because carrying a load full of magazines is not really ideal 🙂
This comes on top of the various internet groups I subscribe to, which are part professional lighting and part specific application oriented discussion groups. Besides the objective industry news we also have the subjective manufacturers news bulletin’s new catalogues or even the pdf/ power-point/ video presentations on new products. Don’t forget that with the internet it’s easy to bombard people with information! So you develop some sort of scanning technique, some filtering method, that allows you to get an idea what the “news” is about and then shortlist what you feel should be kept and read through at a later time, with the rest disappearing in your bin (hard or soft).
As much as I would like to read and know everything, it’s simply becoming a near impossible task, resulting in some priority and importance setting in selecting what you want to read and what not. Same as with this blog. Some may scan it, some may read it fully and even react, but I suspect most will not bother. Not so much out of non-interest but simply because of time and priorities. Nothing personal…keeping up with the industry is certainly a challenge!
Light Watch 4-162 Here is small snapshot of the magazine’s that reach my desk time and again…(yes they come in all different sizes)
Professionalism on cue
Perth, 23rd September 2013
Another lengthy meeting about design and budgets…but for a change it is refreshing to deal with professionals rather than with an individual developer. Contrary to many projects where we deal with individual owners or first time developers, this project team has institutional investors as the owners of this project and everything is tied up to the bottom line. If the design can increase the ROI (return on investment) than it’s a go. There is not really a limit on the spending perse, though of course we have always to be mindful of the budget in general. What I am saying is that whether the budget increases with a substantial amount or not, that is not the ball breaker; it’s the ROI. In other words money is not really the issue, it’s whether the money is well spent, short term or long term, which makes sense to me and which is a refreshing approach rather than nit-picking about each and every dollar because the overall budget is inadequate in the first place!
Because time is money for these people the meetings are planned “to the minute” and not surprisingly the owners appeared as on cue, presentations were made as per allocated time schedule and discussions were measured and to the point without wasting time on issues not relevant to solution to be found. This level of professionalism is on one had refreshing as everyone around the table is treated and respected as a professional but at the same time demanding as you cannot afford not to be on top of your things. It requires expert preparation to make sure you don’t waste each other’s time. When all the comes together these meetings are actually enjoyable and highly efficient with everyone delivering their professionalism on cue.
Light Watch 4-161: Last night saw Formula One’s only night race take place in Singapore again and though I was many thousands of miles away here in Perth I could not leave the event go past without watching. It remains one of the iconic races of the racing calendar with the illuminated track and city skyline in the background quite a spectacular sight…not surprisingly Sebastien Vettel showed his professionalism and great expertise around the track to lead the race from start to finish. On cue fireworks erupted as he crossed the finish line. Mark Webber, who’s engine caught fire in the last lap hitched a ride back on top of Alonso’s car…great stuff.
The show goes on
Perth, 20th September 2013
I think we all like to think we are irreplaceable, that if you are not there things will collapse, but somehow the show always goes on with or without you. Maybe not as good and maybe different than planned but it always does. Human nature is built that way. There is always a way and come decision time whoever is present takes that next step to the best of their knowledge. For years and certainly in my early years when starting up, I always felt that my clients were my first priority regardless of my personal circumstances, everything had to yield so that I could respond and satisfy my clients even if the demands seemed totally unreasonable at would come at a substantial personal cost.
I think we all go through that motion, certainly in the early days of one’s career, where we feel that without you the world will implode, in my case the lighting world of my project. But you know what, somehow it doesn’t. The strange thing however is that when you tell your client that you are not available for a certain date when they want you present in either a meeting or on site, some make a big fuss and take it as if you do not have the best interest of the project at heart, that you will cause delays and so on. But if you tell them you are seriously ill or have been in an accident for argument’s sake, then suddenly they are all full of support and wish you well and a speedy recovery. I have experienced this time and again and more find it a form of disrespect if a client can not be considerate for someone’s situation. Of course I am relating to real issues where either private circumstances or other prevent you honestly from attending. Just yesterday I had a new client from Singapore asking us to be present in a meeting this evening (note the 24 hour notice and the fact that the contract has yet to be signed!). As I am in Australia and my colleague dealing with this project is away in Malaysia as well, we replied we would not be able to meet him until next week. His answer basically was that if we would not make ourselves available he would move on and look for another lighting designer… really? Good luck!
Light Watch 4-160: As we talk about the show must go on, Michael Jackson’s tribute tour by the Cirque du Soleil has just landed on the shores of Perth…Lighting is one of the biggest ingredients of the show (after the music of course…). I heard its worth it…
Basics, people!
Perth, 19th September 2013
As I grow wiser (one would hope) I just realise how much people depend on computers to tell them what is right. Even in my own office we have computers to calculate lighting levels. But does today’s generation still know the basics of lighting? Time and again I find people in the industry, nota bene, who do not know the difference between a lux and a lumen or between colour temperature and colour rendering. Pretty basic right? Well that is the computer age for you, total reliance on what the computer tells you. When you have to select a light fitting to perform a certain lighting effect or performance you do not necessarily need to carry out complex computer calculations, a simple “manual” check should do it. With the inverse square law or the lumen method (do people still know they exist?) you can quickly figure out whether you are in the ball park performance. Really it’s not rocket science.
Likewise reading photo metric data is also becoming a lost art I feel at times. I may be getting a grumpy old man and to be honest I don’t know how long it took me to get a grasp of all these basics but everyone who is involved in lighting design should have a basic set of skills to allow him or her to assess whether a lighting system will do the job or not. I am not talking about figuring out to the decimal, just a ball park assessment whether you are in the “range”. And I say again we design for people, not for lux meters, so even if your lighting calculations show you are achieving enough brightness you still have to figure in the PEOPLE that will use the space and if the visual tasks they are (expected) to perform will be easily and comfortably achieved! Basics, people!
Light & Learn 4-159: Enough with my rant, but here are just for good order some basics for reference. Here are : spectrum and how light compares to other wavelengths, spectral light sensitivity of the eye (day/photopic-night/scotopic vision), basic units, inverse square law and reflection.
Budgets and budgets
Perth, 18th September 2013
Most of what we do revolves around money and in our project world more specifically around budgets. Getting it right is an art by itself because often budgets are made in the early stages of a project with lots of assumptions in it. But what if your client wants the budget to be fixed and final? I had another round of budget talks today for one of my projects here in Perth and the bottom line really is that client wants to make us responsible for the budget to the extent that whatever happens the budget will be the budget and nothing more. So the question obviously raised is can we log in a price/ budget to 100% certainty. While the architect is budgeting his part, I have been frantically communicating with suppliers to make sure I have got my lighting part properly wrapped up. These figures then go to the QS (quantity surveyor) who himself also needs to be of top experience level to add in all the necessary additional bits and pieces including unforeseen eventualities that adds up to the final budget.
The risk of this total approach, if I may call it that way, is that each and every one will buffer up his or her quote to make sure they do not end up at the short end of the stick! So in the end we may well end up with a budget that is way over-quoted rather than a sharply tendered price. There is something to say for both approaches I guess but it is probably good financial governance to make sure budgets are properly logged in and not over-spent. In many multi-national corporations, such as with this client, getting approval for budgets goes through top level board meetings and having to go back for extra money can be a tedious process. Nobody really wants to go back to ask for more money, basically telling their bosses they got it wrong in the first place…
The morale is, there are budgets and budgets… 🙂
Light Watch 4-158: As we talk about budget we automatically think of minimising cost and what’s less than a single light source? After the sun and candle light, single artificial light source applications can be quite powerful and dramatic!
Bright future
Perth, 17th September 2013
As we are in the process of organising a company get together later in the year, I realise that most of my team are in their 20’s and 30’s, all still relatively young and with a long and bright future ahead (which I sincerely hope). Looking back on now nearly 35 years in the business I can only think back at the hurdles, hopes, disappointments and opportunities that have crossed my path. I don’t think you can really compare one generation to another, times are always different, technology is different, lifestyle is different and even norms and standards have moved on to reflect today’s way of life. Can you compare Rod Laver to Bjorn Borg or Bjorn Borg to Roger Federer? They lived in different times with different tennis “technology” From the wood-frame rackets to todays oversized composite material frames. Fitness and health knowledge has improved allowing for better performance and endurance than in the past.
I venture to say it is the same with today’s crop of lighting designers. While we were trained (and mostly self-taught) in hand sketching and manual lighting calculations, communicating by fax and telex, today’s generation has the benefit of actual certified lighting education, computerised visualisation and computation while using social media to communicate (and share) their life and work directly on line. The opportunities to be creative are abound with the LED technology offering so many options and possibility that you nearly need to be blind and deaf not to come out with original or innovative lighting solutions. In that way I think perhaps the older generation of lighting designers were even more creative in finding solutions because of the limitations of the technology and options.
Today’s new generation is growing up in LED world and it won’t be long before they will only know about the old generation lighting systems through history books and technology museums. Is it right or wrong? I don’t think there is a right or wrong.,. we just move with the times, but each of us with its own knowledge and experience baggage…we always find solutions somehow…that’s human nature…
Light Watch 4-157: As it happens Curtin University here in Perth is running their advertising campaign again, using the light bulb as the symbol for a bright future. It was shot a few years ago I believe but still conveys the message though perhaps now using in our eyes old lighting technology 🙂
Here is also the video link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=0fDwaY6VebQ
Identity crisis
Perth, 16th September 2013
Back in cold and rainy Perth! Brrrrr…..Though spring supposedly has started in this part of the world I have arrived in the middle of a cold and rainy weather spell…
Travelling back to Perth with my new passport just reminds me how much we depend on identity papers and how much passports have evolved from the early days! I can tell because I have a drawer full of my old passports! This time again despite my business size passport of 64 pages, I still by far did not manage to use it till expiry date. But its getting better as previously it would take me less than 2 years to finish all the pages of my passport due to stamps and visa’s, now I nearly managed 4 years (out of 5). The reason is not so much less travelling as well as automation of the immigration process with these auto check gates. That has considerably reduced the number of entry and exit stamps. As I only collected my new passport from the Dutch Embassy last Friday I had no time to inform the Australian authorities of my new passport. But no problem, as on check-in this morning the alert SQ staff called Canberra in Australia to inform them of my passport change in order to transfer my PR Visa (which nowadays is all electronic) and low and behold on arrival in Perth the new passport details were already in the system and I breezed through without even having to produce my old passport…I was quite impressed.
The scary part of all this is of course that all our information is stored in computer systems and has become so dependable and exchangeable that one wonders at times what would happen with your identity should the information in the computer systems be erased (as you see happening in movies). On top of that the Edward Snowdon affair has learned that whether you like it or not you can be pretty sure that all your personal info, telephone, internet communications and bank data are known to the authorities one way or another and accessible by probably whoever wants to! As a principle when I travel therefore I never leave my passport out of sight…it’s the only “hardcopy” evidence I have of my identity!
Light Watch 4-156: When traveling from country to country city identities are generally typified by their (recognisable) landmarks. More and more these are often the extreme high-rises. While the pyramids may well have been the high rise of the early ages, todays high rises are reaching absolute new heights! Paris- Kuala Lumpur – Taipei – Shanghai – Dubai….higher and higher and higher 🙂
Clients 2
Singapore, 13th September 2013
Another week gone…another fee proposal just left my desk; this time to a totally unknown client in China. The challenge with these fee proposals is to find the right balance between professionalism and competitiveness if that makes sense. Some argue that you need to quote what you calculate is the right fee for your services. But unfortunately with new clients you never know how demanding they will be. Some are nit-pickers some are easy going. You never know until you are well and truly on board and have sailed off with the project. If you quote to cover all eventualities you most of the time end up with a quote that looks way over the top and unless you can command extravagant pricing (just think of the $100 million transfer fee that was paid for Garreth Bale for his move from Tottenham Hotspur to Real Madrid!) your fee needs to be perceived as the “right” value for money by your client, even if you don’t know him. Probably specifically if you don’t know him!
And while we may wonder how difficult (or not) our new client will be, bare in mind that they probably have the same thoughts about you! How well will we deliver, of what quality will our deliverables be, will we be able to deliver on time? Will I deal with the proper people or will they sent junior designers to meetings…these are unfortunately legitimate thoughts by a client when they engage you. I say unfortunately as I have often experienced meetings were some consultants did not sent their key or lead designer but some junior assistant. Fair enough we may not always be able to attend all meetings because of conflicting schedules but professionalism demands that you sent someone that is expert enough to deal with client concerns. As always in a client relationship it takes two to tango…
Light Watch 4-155: Client’s may go back many years, some go way back in history 🙂 In my early days with Philips I got involved in the lighting of the Pyramids, with traditional floodlighting at the time…I came across some newer images which I share with you here…if we would have had to deal with the client at the time who would it have been… the Pharao? Would they have wanted us to light up the pyramids, which basically is a thomb? A bit different from your todays average high rise!
Have a great weekend.
Clients
Singapore, 12th September 2013
I think there is always some kind of a mystery when it comes to our clients. What makes them come to you, what makes them choose you? We sometimes have a good idea, certainly when it relates to repeat clients (they were obviously satisfied with your services in the past), but sometimes clients come out of nowhere, never heard of them before, you never contacted them before…just like that you receive a phone call or an email enquiring whether you do lighting design and whether you are interesting in the project. I always find that fascinating as somehow, they found out about you either through a “yellow pages” search (which today is more an internet search, or someone told them or even more remote, they heard about you via a friend or relation.
Just these last 2 weeks we received two totally unrelated calls with enquiries towards our services. They came direct from home owners, not from professional/ institutional investors or developers, no just ordinary John Doe’s. Even more interesting, we already received a cheque to get started within days of agreeing to do the work…no tedious corporate contracts, hoola-hoops of submission forms in triplet, company stamped, signed and witnessed, no, just a phone-call. We have yet to personally meet! The meeting is set for next week. It nice and comforting that there are still trusting clients around!
Same for the second project; as we were initially not really keen on this residential project as they can be very tedious and time consuming, we decided to offer our services on an hourly rate basis thinking they would not accept it, but lo and behold they accepted and with a 10 hour advance deposit we will be on our way there too. Same story…we have yet to meet!
Both clients are private (but obviously well to do) home owners who got to know us through referrals and internet website check. I always make it a point to find out how they got to us and what made them decide to select our company…no client is the same!
Light Watch 4-154: Lighting design can be about anything from your kitchen to your aquarium, from residential to corporate, from hospitality to urban environments, from cultural to public events…variety is the spice of life…and so are our clients!
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