Frustration
Singapore, 13th June 2012
I guess that closely linked to inspiration there is frustration, specifically when you are not getting (to) what you want. While I had an inspirational day yesterday I had a kind of frustrating day today. Not so much in design though, but more in my dealings with my clients. Two projects have turned slightly sour due to frustration about contractual terms and conditions. Having a contract is one thing but actually implementing everything is another, specifically from client’s side. Most contracts are rather unilaterally written to protect the clients rather then the consultants as when we deal with big corporations their legal departments have that all already figured out. You want to deal with them, you follow their terms and conditions…their way or the highway.
In one of the projects we were negotiating the final contract’s terms and conditions as we had already shaken hands on the general fee proposal. However when their final legal document popped up I found one of the terms and conditions unacceptable, a 100 days payment term! What?… In this time and age? Which planet do they come from? As we have not yet started on this project I am likely to let it go as when clients impress these kind of conditions on you it is unlikely you will be treated with any trust and respect, to me key ingredients of a good relationship…frustrating as the project itself was one I was quite keen on doing…alas.
In another project (somehow when it rains it pours… 🙂 ) today I had a long discussion with the project manager imploring me to release our drawing issue for the next stage of work. While we have completed that as per schedule quite a while ago I had been withholding it as the payment for the previous stage was still not received. The payment now being well past the due day I am frustrated as on one hand the project manager is not in control of the company’s accounts department which being a big multinational company deals with hundreds of payments weekly I would imagine, but on the other hand she tries very hard to keep the project on schedule and sees it being delayed by our refusal to issue. She is trying to help but locked between a rock and a hard stone. But so am I as it is my only leverage to make sure I get paid…
Light Watch 3-85: The best way to wash away your frustration is to do something creative. Here are some images from Korean artist Lee Eunyeol’s Night Installations I came across recently when surfing the net for some inspiration…
Inspiration
Singapore, 12th June 2012
Lighting design is very much about inspiration. Every time we start a design part of our creation is inspiration. Yes we are guided by practical considerations which are either directed by the clients brief, operator guidelines or internationally applicable standards, but for me the key ingredient for a good lighting design is inspiration. Inspiration can come in many shapes and forms. It can be the use of a certain light in an unusual application, a lighting effect that blends in with the overall design intent or a series of colours and material interactions that gives you that sudden excitement that you are on to something.
You generally know when you are on to something when it sort of all clicks and comes together. Not only in the sense of the creative lighting concept, but also when it starts making common sense in regards to more practical requirements and compliances. Reversely you can be slogging it for a long while not finding “that” solution or concept. With experience you always know what works, so we are always able to come up with a good solution, one that works and delivers the result desired, but there is that distinct difference between a good solution and an inspired “wow” solution. The latter one sometimes comes after a lot of sweat and work, generally after having made design detours through all kinds of impossible but initially good looking concepts. The inspired end solution is generally simple and obvious, but to see the obvious you at times need to have looked at all kinds of other wild ideas. It is hard to describe what inspiration is and when or how you get it…it can be anytime and anywhere, you just need to be open and alert to the world around you.
Light Watch 3-84: May be these images from the international space station will inspire you. Astronaut and photographer Don Petit currently in orbit in the space station, yesterday released this set of images taken with a technique called time-lapse photography. These images sort of make the time stand still and allows you to visualise all kind of things…seeing is not only what you see but also much about what you want to see!
Mainstream media exposure
Singapore, 11th June 2012
Part of our job, when you get more established and recognised as expert lighting designer, is that your opinion is being sought by the professional media. In my life as professional lighting designer I have had numerous magazine articles written but occasionally I have had my little moment of fame in the main stream media with interviews in a daily newspaper or in a life radio and TV program.
Today was one of those days in which I was interviewed for Singapore’s main stream daily newspaper ahead of their coming weekend edition. You never know how much in the end remains from such interview, sometimes nothing! Sometimes they use little snippets of your interview in the context of a greater storyline. The difference between main stream media and professional media is that generally you don’t get to see (let alone edit) the story that will be put out. In the professional magazines you generally are being sent the artwork draft with edited text for your review and approval, but in main stream it is touch and go. Fingers crossed they got it right and understood what you were saying! The point with main stream media is generally that those who interview you are not necessarily knowledgeable in regards to your subject so you need to use simple terminology and easy to understand metaphors.
This story will be an educational piece about art lighting design techniques telling readers how to light up their art works. I have no idea how many other “specialists” they have interviewed, but I am always happy and available to share my knowledge as I believe that with my vast experience I can contribute to a better awareness of good lighting (design). Specifically when it comes to the general public who are often taken for a ride by scrupulous sales people, a professional opportunity like this is a great way to reach out to the general public. Let’s hope the article comes out well!
Light & Learn 3-14: Lighting your private art collection is an art by itself… 🙂
Key considerations for the right selection of the lighting are:
– Value of your artwork
– Sensitivity to (UV) light and (IR) heat (material, whether stone or paper/textile for instance)
– Shape, size and form (flat or 3D)
– Colours (rendering and vibrancy)
– Location and main viewing angles (distance)
– Ability to focus light and avoid glare (lighting effect)
Budgets, copies and alternatives
Singapore, 9th June 2012
Clients can be impatient at times. In a few of our projects we have completed the concept design stage and as we move into design development we are now in the process of consolidating budgets. I don’t really like to go into tender when we already know that the prices will be way over budget, so we generally like to log in a lighting budget as early as possible. Some of our clients however can hardly wait for the design process to complete and as a result we find some of our preliminary lighting selections already floating in the market for pricing!
I can understand why, as most of the time they go into their projects not having a clue what the lighting cost would be. Ill advised by quantity surveyors or electrical consultants who base themselves on old conventional methods to capture the cost of the lighting equipment. But lighting is no longer a science of watts per square meter, or lux level compliance only. Today’s generation requires (and expects!) higher levels of comfort, mood, ambiance and control. This comes with a higher sophistication of the design and as a result often much higher budgets!
So with higher levels of lighting comfort and quality desired on one end, but incompatible budgets on the other end, we get these situations where client and QS’s are frantically trying to get a hold of costs. We oblige by working out the budgets as part of our lighting designs but find nevertheless clients impatient to let us work through our due diligence. We generally work out the lighting design based on products we know have the quality, performance and effects we want, which comes out as the first preliminary issue of our lighting specifications, merely as a design intent. We then engage with the manufacturers to work out final specifications within the value for money or when necessary value engineer the design to budgets acceptable to the client
As the ultimate proof of the client’s impatience, we received today a request from a local regional supplier to quote for light fittings we had just issued as design intent for discussion and coordination. I must say that the supplier obviously wasn’t very sharp…sending us the specs for a quote that clearly had our company’s logo as the designers… 🙂
Light Watch 3-83: My main worry with this “uncontrolled” budgeting is that we have no way of making sure the prices received directly by the client are as per specs as they may (as is generally the case in this part of the world) be quoted for not necessarily complying copies and alternatives…As we all know China is notorious for its look alike copies…
“italian” blown glass from a chinese factory
Chinese Google (Goojje) version
Red “Bottle” anyone?
and so on…
Engrish
Singapore, 7th June 2012
Back in Singapore…besides catching up on project work with the team, meeting one of my clients for a concept presentation, one of the challenges today was having to translate our documents into another language. Most of the time this means from English in Chinese. While most of my staff in Singapore is proficient in the Chinese spoken and written language, I still need to give my final approval before we sent (in these case a fee proposal) to the client. It is not only the translation but also the layout that needs and eye.
Having prepared the proposal in English as we do for all our documents, it comes with a certain corporate “house style”; the way we word and layout the proposal. Translated in Chinese, it works out differently as the sentences in either language can be longer or shorter, resulting in different page configurations. Do you translate sentence by sentence or do you translate chapter by chapter. For me it is important that it is done in close proximity so when I have to negotiate or discuss the document the subjects in original and translated language can be seen next to each other. Having two different documents does not really work for me as each document may lead another life over time, so I generally insists the translations are done in the same document and preferably on the same page.
The part that is most difficult when you translate (from English in Chinese) is the translation from a word to a meaning (symbol), as Chinese is a collection of meanings. Unfortunately for us these meanings can have different interpretations, so having someone with you understanding these meanings is pretty crucial. Cultural background also plays a role in understanding the “right” meaning. An English educated in Chinese may have different interpretations than an Chinese educated in English…
Light Watch 3-82: One of the funniest websites I know is www.engrish.com a site where they collect the most funniest signs and translations. Here are a few:
For “guts” and glory
Yangon, Myanmar, 6th June 2012
My last day in Yangon…we took the time to go visit one of the other leading hotels in the city currently undergoing renovation to have some reference in regards to the local design and contractor standards. The contractor as it turns out is also bidding for the renovation and extension work of our project. Singapore based, Malaysian born and working for a Thai company. Pretty much a typical background that we find throughout this region. The interesting coincidence is that this hotel was also build in the mid 90’s and is therefore an excellent reference when it comes to how it has stand the test of time, and how renovations over the years have kept up its 4 star rating (Myanmar 5 star).
One of the main things I came away with from the visit was the importance to make sure we have totally new “guts” (electrical cabling) as over nearly 20 years the reliability may have suffered. While lots of the original design was salvaged, making sure the “engine” is new, seems crucial. I can install new lights with the latest technology but if the cabling is dodgy and unreliable it will be cause for lots of headaches. Also today’s technology is more demanding, more sensitive, so it makes sense. I hope our client agrees!
Many of the original light fixtures were re-used after a proper clean-up and re-lamping re-applied in the interiors. It was somehow refreshing to see good old halogen lamps and even PAR56 adjustable down lights used! I’m not sure of the longevity of this strategy with incandescent lamps gradually being phased out, but as for now in Myanmar there are still plenty available! It looked really good, warm and inviting. I will certainly consider the re-use of “old” light fittings if they can be patched up to look as new, though this strategy may not really work for us as the light fittings I saw were in poor condition due to obvious lack of maintenance. Over the next few days I will digest all this information as to formulate a sustainable lighting strategy for the long run…who knows it may take another 18 years before the next major renovation!
Light Watch 3-81: Here are some more pictures from today…
Street view; high mast lighting and LED traffic lights!
Streetview…
Re-use of light fittings…100% Incandescent!
Same view but from mezzanine level
Redoing the “guts”
Yangon city centre
The Strand, Yangon’s most famous hotel…
World Environment Day
Yangon, Myanmar, 5th June 2012
As I am ploughing through the hotel area by area to inventorise the lighting and list out the current state of affairs, it seems apt that today is world environment day. At least so I am told here in Myanmar, but assume everywhere else too :). One of my key tasks is to develop a sensible lighting approach considering long term sustainability, not just for today and tomorrow, but for years to come. My task as a lighting designer here is to analyse at what state the lighting is in, highlight the current issues that operations is facing and prepare a lighting strategy for the renovation that will allow the hotel to keep leading the pack in Myanmar. From my understanding there are only 3 major high(er) end hotels in Yangon, probably considered 4 star level, in a country where players like Hyatt, Starwood, Intercon have yet start their accounts! But that is only a matter of time as far as I can see, so it is important that this renovation, which will take 2-3 years (including the extension), will be build on future technology and not be a catch up on what is considered acceptable today.
What strikes me most in my assessment of the hotel condition is the “irresponsible” impact that so called energy consultants have on our environment. Why do I say that (on world environment day)? As it appears, the hotel consulted an “energy specialist” some time ago towards becoming more sustainable and the only thing that they were advised is to change all the light bulbs to energy saving types. Unfortunately the energy consultant had no clue about what good lighting means and as a result of his (unfounded and irresponsible) advice, the hotel is in an absolute horrible state where it comes to mood, ambiance and lighting performance. Measurements have shown that current lighting levels are down to less than 25% of the originally designed levels. Down lights designed for reflector/ beam controlled lighting effects have hap-hazardly been changed into CFL or other unsuitable light sources, taking all punch and vibrancy out of the visual environment. Most areas look dead and totally run down as a result. Besides down lights lamps in decorative pendants and wall sconses have been replaced by CFL regardless whether the circuit is on dimming. Some still with a mix of CFL and GLS in the same fixture. As a result all the scene setting does not work and most lighting control panels are faulty. In the Italian Restaurant the staff have to call engineering department in the morning and evening to switch on and off the lights…what environment, mr energy consultant??
We will have our work cut out…
Light Watch 3-80: Here are some more pictures…
Another view towards Inya Lake
At night the building disappears; facade and landscape lighting are no longer working
Great! Landscape spot mounted next to a tap!
Planter spot…taped together
Overhead look inside a pendant…half visible CFL (left) mixed with working and non working GLS Krypton types
Overview of the lamps currently being used…
Poor maintenance…a killer
Yangon, Myanmar, 6th June 2012
My first day back in Yangon since a long time…I was last here around 2003-2004 invited as guest speaker at an architectural lighting event. Not much has changed on the road from the airport to the hotel other than that the airport is new…it was a breeze to go through, quite a difference from what I remember from my last visit, in an old, air-condition-less building without aero bridges, with a lot of noise, people going in all directions and hard to make out how to get out of the building. The hotel, one of the very view “high end” hotels in the country looks out over Inya Lake and from the hotel I can see Ang San Suu Kyi’s house (!), just at edge of the lake. Quite symbolic I feel….
Today I had my first round through the hotel I designed the lighting for 18 years ago and in this blog I will share some of my first impressions. First of all I have to say that despite the time the hotel still has character, overall the design (architecture/interiors/etc) is still strong, but time and poor maintenance have caught up with the place. Why? Because over the years we have come to be used to higher performance and comfort levels, so our expectation levels are much higher the two decades ago. On top of that technology has moved on and the use of old technology (incandescent bulbs, yes!) is very obvious.
But by far the biggest impact is the lack of maintenance. I will have discussions with the engineers tomorrow, so I just share my observations without knowing too much about the reasons. One of the key seems to be the lack of local support and low quality of locally available replacement products. On top of that in a drive to “save energy” halogen light bulbs have been replaced with CFL creating awkward situations where the CFL does not really fit with the optics and the resulting lighting effect is creating a dull and sombre mood. Focal brightness as per initial intention has made way for general illumination at sometimes less than half the lighting levels with no visual impact! Add to that, that many fittings have reached end of life, lights after lamp replacement are out of focus or the poor replacement quality provides different colors or light intensities and one can see how an originally vibrant interior has turned into a rather sombre and unexciting interior.
Light Watch 3-79: Here are some pictures to illustrate:
Ang San Suu Kyi’s house far top right (red roof) along the lake
CFL in halogen optics
Lighting controls, the upper one now manually operated, below 3 different actions (toggle, rotate, press)
(Poor quality picture) but left same fitting replaced with CFL, right still with halogen
Colour issues after replacement
Fix-it solutions…just add some floodlights!
No comments 🙂
Dazzling lights
Singapore, 2nd June 2012
Couldn’t use my laptop last evening as it was in the capable hands of Gerard, IT expert extra-ordinaire…My external hard disc had crashed on me and my laptop needed some serious clean up! All done now, though still doubtful if I can recover the info from my hard disc. Most of the business stuff is backed up in our server, but some of my private files may be lost…fingers crossed.
In this weekend edition I am touching on the inspirational journey of Aung San Suu Kyi, the Nobel Peace Prize laureate and democracy icon from Myanmar (Birma) who is taking the world stage this weekend at the World Economic Forum in Bangkok, her first trip abroad in 24 years! It has an additional meaning to me as I am off to Yangon (Rangoon) on Monday as we embark on a new project over there. What touched me and made me realise (like her!) how much the world has changed over the last 20 years, is her touching story on how she experienced the dazzling lights of Bangkok on arrival.
Having been locked up in Myanmar for the last 24 years and used to the frequent black outs, power shortages and minimal lighting, arriving in Bangkok must have been a real shock to the system! The captain of the Thai Airways flight apparently had been so kind to invite her up in the cockpit (where are the good old times we could do that?) so she would have had a real first-hand view. As she put it:”I was completely fascinated by the lights”…
To show how well she is aware of the world energy situation she added cunningly that Myanmar would be needing an energy policy as it develops towards a new future! As I am off to Myanmar it seems a very timely observation! I will report back on my trip next week…
Light Watch 3-78: When you compare the skylines of the two cities there is an obvious difference. While Bangkok as many high-rises and is densely populated, Yangon’s main feature is its famous temple, one of the few lit structures at night. Below some pictures…
Myanmar…a new dawn?
Sorry it’s the system!
Singapore, 31st May 2012
One of biggest “fights” has to be against those multi-national companies when it comes to payment. Today again I had to deal with two of these cases where the project director hides behind “the system”. The due date for the payment of our invoices has come and gone and when we query the client they hide behind “the system”. How often have I not heard that…yes it has all gone to accounts, …yes I can confirm it is being processed, …no I cannot tell you when you will receive it! The muscle power of the big company versus the limited options of a small lighting design practice. When you query them, you get invariably answers like:” Don’t you trust us? We are a big company!” Exactly that is the point! Because they are big, they know they can easily wrestle you when it comes to finances often supported by their own legal department and counsel. As a small practice we don’t really have the means to take them to court and they know that. And if you threaten to stop work or not attend meetings until the matter has been settled, somehow they manage to turn it in such way that you are the party pooper, not them! What?
I am just running my rant today and I am sure many of my colleagues in the business have similar experiences. As a small practice we basically live by our cash flow…that’s our petrol to move forward. Bigger companies have so much cloud with the banks they can run on borrowings, loans, over-drafts, I don’t think they are too much bothered with everyday cash flow. The same goes for contracts by the way. You may well submit you fee proposal with all your terms and conditions, but many of the big wig companies will then matter-of-factly tell you that your fee is fine but you will have to sign their standard company terms and conditions. Why is it that they only let you know these once they have accepted your fees? Again the intimidation of big companies as they know that generally you want the job (not many of us are in a position where we can dictate our terms and conditions to the client!). But there are limits …we too have our system and standards!
Light Watch 3-77: Some more funny lighting cartoons…
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