Architectural SSL - November 2011

sight unseen; however, finding the sweet spot where familiarity intersects with emotion and logic is key to a more widespread adoption of LEDs as a go-to light source. [ Page 16]

SSL BUZZ Cree launches new testing to measure potential issues that impact ongoing fixture performance as a supplement to IES LM-79.

SSL IN retail At Chadstone West Mall, in Melbourne, Australia, LEDs add a touch of glamour to create a unique backdrop for a luxury retail experience.

NUMBER 20 • november 2011 www.architecturalssl.com

(familiarity / emotion / logic)

WINNING

HEARTS

& MINDS SSL Buzz: Ruud Lighting’s Founder on its Acquisition by Cree Project Profile: Palazzo Dell’Arengario, Milan, Italy

Architectural SSL • 519 Briarcliff Road, Bolingbrook, IL 60440

ARCHITECTURAL SSL • Chronicling the Advancement of LEDs in the Built Environment

Underlying improvements in SSL have been adopted literally,

LEDs in action Art in architectural lighting: In Europe and abroad, artful LED applications complement unique public art, hospitality and even historical settings.

White Pages: Fighting Glare Issues With LED

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YEARS

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∑Ov. 11

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12 Industry Brief: DOE issues SSL road lighting specification 33 Project Profile: The Cube-OMS Stage, Winnipeg, MB Canada 37 Project Profile: Palazzo dell 'Arengario, Milan, Italy

02 • 11.11 • Architectural SSL

40

28

BUZZ

PERSPECTIVES

07 CALiPER Update

05 LED Insights

Round 12 reveals more products have warmer CCTs, but not as great efficacies.

10 Major Merger

Like the silvery Sci-Fi clothing, as a kid, I thought I'd be wearing in 2011, SSL isn't quite there, but it's coming.

By Jim Crockett

Al Ruud speaks on the acquistion of Ruud and Beta Lightng by Cree.

48 SSL Observed

13 Help On Line Look to SSL Interactive for a new series on understanding the electronics of LEDs.

SSL presents a unique opportunity to impact the future of lighting. It can have the same impact with U.S. manufacturing.

By Kevin Willmorth

“Precious little that lands in the residential sector comes from here now, where investment in design and innovation has been replaced with mass marketing to clear inventories produced to forecast. Before this goes much further, should we not ask ourselves if this is the right path to take?"

www.architecturalssl.com

37

FEATURES

DESIGN & PRODUCTS

16 analysis: Winning Hearts and Minds

39 White Pages

Solid-state lighting must win within the construct of comfort, logic and emotion. Or, in other words, it must win against comfortable convention and appeal to those willing to abandon familiarity for innovation.

by Kevin Willmorth

Glaring Issues with LED

22 ARCHITECT'S VIEW: International Update Projects incorporating SSL are proliferating across Europe. Some are pure art, others purely architectural. In common to both is the innovative use of SSL to capture the eye and imagination.

by Ellen Lampert-Greaux

40 Advances Task Lighting, Area Lighting, Decorative Track, Downlighting and Sconces.

Architectural SSL, Vol. 5, No. 5 (ISSN# 19418388) is published five times per year by Construction Business Media.

Publication Office: Construction Business Media, 579 First Bank Drive, Suite 220, Palatine, IL 60067; 847 359 6493; www.architecturalssl.com. (Copyright © 2011 by Construction Business Media) POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Architectural SSL Magazine, 519 East Briarcliff Road, Bolingbrook, IL 60440.

28 FEATURED PROJECT: Chadstone West Mall, Melbourne, Au. Part of an energy-efficiency effort in greening a Down Under shopping center, LEDs rise to the top in creating a dramatic nighttime counterpart to the mall's signature skylight.

by Vilma Barr

www.architecturalssl.com

Architectural SSL • 11.11 • 03

SHINE

Rely on UL to keep you on the leading edge of lighting innovation. As technology evolves, so does UL, advancing safety, lighting performance and energy e≤ciency in new and necessary ways. UL’s century of experience provides thought leadership, R&D expertise and the confidence and peace of mind you deserve.

Specify UL to make lighting shine.

VISIT WWW.UL.COM/SHINE

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LEDInsights

Coµµ§∑T±R∞

NUMBER 20 • november 2011 www.architecturalssl.com

Gary Redmond

Managing Partner Director Publishing Operations gary@architecturalssl.com

Tim Shea

Managing Partner Director Business Development tim@architecturalssl.com

Dave Pape

Vice President Director, Art & Production dave@architecturalssl.com

EDITORIAL Jim Crockett 847 359 6493

Editorial Director jimc@architecturalssl.com

Kevin Willmorth

Editor kevin@architecturalssl.com

Megan Mazzocco 847 359 6493

Associate Editor megan@architecturalssl.com

What Does it all Mean, Basil? have been trying to get out the past couple of

So asks Mike Myers’ unfocused Austin Powers character to his boss Basil Exposition in one of the comedian’s spy movie spoofs. Like the confused international man of mystery, I too, have been looking for answers as to what SSL is all about— or should be about.

weeks, including one major revelation: Patience.

After covering this subject for five years, I’ve

been hopeful that it would be on a greater stage than it is. It reminds me of expectations I had as a kid. I remember a much younger Michael York, the actor who played Basil, in a lame sci-fi movie called Logan’s Run. At that time, the 11-year-old me thought 2011 would be very Sci Fi and that we’d all be walking around in silvery space-ageclothes. Nope. Still blue jeans… But that’s OK, just as long as we don’t think 8-tracks are the state of

Contributing Editors Craig DiLouie cd@architecturalssl.com Vilma Barr vilma@architecturalssl.com Barbara Horwitz-Bennett barbara@architecturalssl.com Ellen Lampert-Greaux ellen@architecturalssl.com Chuck Ross chuck@architecturalssl.com

In the remote case that you’ve never seen any of

the art where technology is concerned.

Mike Myers’ shagadelic Austin Powers movies,

the SNL vet portrays a silly, and somewhat thick,

This is our annual international edition and the

James Bond clone who’s brought back from the

Architect’s View feature highlights some very cool

‘60s to the ‘90s to battle his nemesis. His inser-

and inspiring work being done in Europe. Here in

Mavis Linnemann

tion into the then-present creates a state of

the states, the emphasis, for the most part, seems

confusion in the character: “Wait a tick Basil. If I

to be on reducing energy consumption. In Europe,

DESIGN & PRODUCTION Dave Pape Art Director

dave@architecturalssl.com

travel back to 1969 and I was frozen in 1967, pre-

however, perhaps because it’s produced so many

sumably, I could go back and visit my frozen self.

great artists over the centuries, it seems to look

But, if I’m still frozen in 1967, how could I have

to LED as a tool for artistry and producing some

Lauren Lenkowski

been unthawed in the ’90s and traveled back to...

pretty spectacular works. Our own Kevin Will-

[Myers goes cross-eyed].” His boss offers some

morth explores this whole right brain, left brain

sound advice: “I suggest you don’t worry about

phenomenon in the Market Setting Feature and

those things and just enjoy yourself.”

offers some thoughts about the ongoing implementation of SSL by winning hearts and minds.

Copy Editor

Associate Art Director lauren@architecturalssl.com

Advertising Sales Gary Redmond 847 359 6493 gary@architecturalssl.com

Tim Shea 847 359 6493 tim@architecturalssl.com

Trey Higgens 847 577 8980 trey@architecturalssl.com

Jim Oestmann 847 838 0500 jim@architecturalssl.com

David Haggett Ted Rzempoluch 847 934 9123 609 361 1733 davidh@architecturalssl.com ted@architecturalssl.com Jim Führer 503 679 5409 jimf@architecturalssl.com

Bob Fox 203 356 9694 bob@architecturalssl.com

subscription Inquiries There is no charge for subscriptions to qualified requestors in the U.S. All other annual subscriptions will be charged $39 for standard delivery or $55 for air mail delivery. For subscriptions, inquiries or address changes, call 630 739 0900.

A Publication of Construction Business Media

Member:

I’m trying to follow the latter, rather than

the former course, but it’s not so easy. Working

frenetically to finalize the details for our annual

hand, as while you’re reading this, I’m jetting to

ArchLED conference and close November issues,

London for a visit with Speirs + Major to hear

including something to say in this column, I was

about—and see—an interesting collaboration

stressing to bring to bear topics I hoped mattered

between the award-winning lighting design

or would make a difference. At the same time, I’ve

firm and the new SSL powerhouse of Beta/Cree.

been frustrated, because I wonder if I’m just blow-

I’ve been a big fan of the former’s work, having

ing a lot of hot air and the whole SSL movement is

featured a number of their projects over the

stuck in neutral. For example, I recently returned

years in the pages of SSL. The fine folks at Beta

from Greenbuild in Toronto, and it still seems that

and Cree have always had interesting and novel

most folks in the A/E/C world just don’t get the

products to introduce, so I’m curious to learn

role lighting has to play in sustainable design—it’s

more of this collaboration.

just about knocking down watts with CFLs and

T8s. Well “whoop dee doo” as Myers proclaims in

patience, and maybe, take a nap.

Type and globe=PMS 485

Circular blend under globe = PMS 3025

Continents, shadow, base = Black

I’m hoping to find some answers first

Stay tuned. In the meantime, exercise

the same scene noted above.

In fact, my head hurt so much the morning

I started writing this column, that I crawled back into bed and decided to take a nap. I didn’t succeed in actually sleeping, but by simply laying there, my brain was able to process some thoughts that

Some of the answers may lay overseas.

www.architecturalssl.com

Jim Crockett, editorial director

Architectural SSL • 11.11 • 05

Transforming Light LUXEON LEDs are changing the way we light the spaces we live, shop and play in. With unparalleled efficiency, quality, and reliability, LUXEON LEDs are a simple way to transform lighting and improve the well being of our environment.

Whether you’re lighting a restaurant, roadway or architectural masterpiece, you can count on LUXEON to deliver long life, high-quality white light while reducing energy consumption.

To learn how LUXEON can help you transform lighting, call our partner, Future Lighting Solutions, at +1-888-589-3662, or visit www.philipslumileds.com/assl

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SSL BUZZ & i∑DUSTR∞ BRi§FS

DOE CALiPER Testing, Round 12 CALiPER Round 12 finds Efficacies not great, but Color better

Energy Use and Light Output

Average Round 12 Results for SSL Luminaires & Replacement Lamps 100

Max

Average Efficacy (lm/W)

80

Max

70

62

60

2000 48

50 40

1041

34

30 20

530

46 980

720

19

526

1000

Min

10

Min

0 SSL A-lamps Average 8W

Track Lights Average 14W

Recessed Downlights Average 22W

Cove 51W

Average Light Output (lm)

3000

90

0

All Round 12 SSL Average 17W

Source: DOE SSL CALiPER results, 2011

ABOVE: The products tested in Round 12 exhibit a wide range of light output and efficacy performance. The overall average efficacy was 46 lumens per watt, which is lower than the average in 2010, in part because the majority of the products tested have a CCT of 3500K or below.

CALiPER Round 12 Summary — Linear Fluorescent & Cove SSL Testing Following IESNA LM-79-08 — 25ºC Ambient Temperature DO§ C±LiP§r t§St iD

Tot±L Po∆§R [∆±ttS]

[i∑iti±L Luµ§∑S]

OutPUT

§FFiC±C∞

bare lamp

Round 11

15

1368

93

In Troffer (2 lamps in

parabolic louvered troffer)

Round 11

29

2173

74

In Troffer (2 lamps in

Round 12 10-16

29

2217

77

bare lamp

Round 11

17

1533

91

In Troffer (1 lamps in

Round 12 10-18A

17

1303

79

bare lamp (fluorescent)*

Round 9

32

3246

101

In Troffer (2 lamps in

parabolic louvered troffer)

Round 9

69

4767

69

In Troffer (2 lamps in

Round 11

55

4045

74

32

3353

105

38

2708

71

[Lµ/∆]

CCT [K]

CRI

5389 [-0.004]

77

5602 [0.009]

75

3248 [0.002]

83

3387 [0.004]

82

SSL LUµi∑±iR§S

high perf. troffer BK 09-67)

high perf. troffer BK 10-34) FLuoR§SC§∑t B§∑Chµ±RKs [BK]

high perf. troffer BK 09-67)

bare lamp (fluorescent)* In Troffer (1 lamps in

high perf. troffer BK 10-34)

BK 09-67

Round 11 BK 10-34

ABOVE: The table shows Round 12 summary testing for energy performance and color metrics. Two SSL linear replacement lamps that were initially tested in Rd. 11 were retested to obtain performance in troffers. Values for the same troffers with benchmark fluorescents for reference. Results for asymmetric SSL cove light and a CFL cove light are also presented.

For 10-18, one of two lamps underperformed by a wide margin, the higher-performing lamp was used for in troffer testing in the single lamp troffer (BK10-34). Lamps 10-16 were already tested in a parabolic troffer in Round 11 and have been retested in a highperformance troffer in this round.

Results from Round 12 of DOE’s CALiPER testing focused primarily on downlights, including recessed and track fixtures, researchers also considered the latest A-lamps, linear-fluorescent replacements and cove lights.

Overall efficacy for this round’s products ranged from 16 lumens per watt to a maximum of 97 lumens per watt with an average of 46 lumens per watt. This figure is slightly lower than 2010’s overall average, a result researchers attribute to the fact that almost all of this round’s products have color-correlated temperatures below 3500K and two outliers showed efficacies below 20 lumens per watt.

In the downlight category, 10 recessed fixtures with apertures between 3 in. and 6 in. were tested.

Some of the units are sold with housing included, while others are sold as retrofit or replacement inserts. Efficacies ranged broadly, with the highest performer at 75 lumens per watt, more than double that of the least efficacious product (36 lumens per watt). Output levels ranged from 262 lumens, up to 2580 lumens.

All of the 4-in. to 6-in. tested SSL products met or exceeded average light output levels for similar, higher-wattage CFL, incandescent or halogenbased fixtures; all had higher efficacy ratings than the incandescent and halogen benchmark products.

Researchers also tested nine orientable LED track lights. All of these units exceeded the efficacy of the halogen heads used for comparison, but none of the products met the efficacy levels achieved by the three best recessed downlights tested in this round. Of the 20 recessed and track products tested, four carried Lighting Facts labels, and testing showed they all met or exceeded stated values for output, efficacy and CCT—except one product claiming a CRI of 96 only reached a tested value of 82. Study leaders noted Energy Star status is much more difficult to evaluate—the Energy Star label might be present on packaging, but there isn’t a clear connection between the packaged product Z

www.architecturalssl.com

Continued on page 08

Architectural SSL • 11.11 • 07

SSLBuzz:

Continued FROM page 07 Y

and Energy Star participant listings. Overall, however, 75% to 80% of tested units carrying either the Lighting Facts or Energy Star labels meet expectations, and the remainder only miss the target by a small margin.

CALiPER researchers also tested eight SSL A-lamps, from 6 to 13 watts, and all were found to have efficacies of at least 50 lumens per watt. In fact, for equivalent light output, some of these SSL replacement lamps surpassed CFL efficacies. Light distribution remains an issue in direct replacement, however, with most of the lamps being better options for directional applications than where omnidirectional illumination is required. Only one of the tested lamps was a direct match for both incandescent output and distribution.

The need for omnidirectional light from ceiling-mounted troffers also has been a challenge for SSL lamps designed to replace standard linear fluorescents. During Round 11 testing, researchers wondered how well SSL lamps might perform in high-performance, lensed non-planar architectural troffers, and that question was explored in this round’s efforts. Investigators selected SSL lamps with much higher CCTs than benchmark fluorescent lamps to give them a leg up in the competition.

The findings show that SSL-equipped troffers require 50% less power, but total luminaire light output is reduced by about half—however, luminaire efficacy does slightly exceed that of fluorescents. Light distribution patterns were similar to those of T8 fluorescents in high-performance troffers, but with significantly lower output.

Similarly, cove-light testing showed CFL lamps out-performing tested SSL offerings.

The best-performing SSL lamp, an asymmetric product, only provided half the output of the equivalent fluorescent cove and only one-quarter that of the benchmark symmetric CFL lamp.

Round 13 testing will include 2-ft.-x2-ft. SSL panels designed to replace similarly sized fluorescent troffers. •

08 • 11.11 • Architectural SSL

Photo: Osram Sylvania

outdoor lighting systems:

A Lesson in LED Opportunities In 2009, with a campus full of metal halide outdoor-lighting systems, Washington University in St. Louis was looking for ways to cut its energy bill and reduce outdoor light pollution. Additionally, facility managers wanted to maintain their existing poles, bases, refractors and globes to aid both their budget and the university’s sustainability goals. The solution they turned to was Osram Sylvania’s new LED Retrofit Kit for Outdoor Area Lighting.

Lighting can account for more than 20% of a campus’ total electricity use, so the fact that this new system draws only 56 watts was very attractive. Plus, the kit’s Golden Dragon LEDs deliver light only where it’s needed, minimizing light trespass.

In all, the campus-wide effort has reduced electricity demand by 196,800 kWh/year, and the retrofitted fixtures have become a visible reminder of the school’s larger effort to cut its carbon footprint.•

Washington University in St. Louis was looking for ways to cut its energy bill and reduce outdoor light pollution.

ABOVE: Facility managers at Washington University looked to Osram Sylvania’s new LED Retrofit kit as part of their strategy to reduce the energy bill while maintaining their existing infrastructure of poles, bases, refractors and globes.

www.architecturalssl.com

CREE® LRP38-10L Saves Energy: 1000 lumens at 3000K, or 950 lumens at 2700K, replaces 90W PAR38 with 13.5W No Compromise: High efficiency at 74 LPW with 92 CRI Long Life: Designed to last 50,000 hours with consistent color Versatile: Dimmable to 20% with 12°, 25°, or 40° beam angles

“THEY SAID IT COULDN’T BE DONE. WE DIDN’T LISTEN.” LED REVOLUTIONARY Tony van de Ven Co-Inventor of Cree TrueWhite® Technology

We did not accept the status quo. We dared to dream. We innovated. We pioneered.

We invented a barrier-breaking technology —Cree TrueWhite® Technology.

A revolutionary way to generate white light with LEDs; Cree TrueWhite Technology delivers high efficiency with beautiful light characteristics and color accuracy, while maintaining color consistency.

No Compromise.

Visit CreeLEDLighting.com to find out more about these revolutionary products.

Circle 05

SSLBuzz: lenfest plaza, Philadelphia perspective: AL RUUD

Plaza + “Paint Brush”

Ruud Lighting’s Founder on Cree’s Acquisition of BetaLED:

Lenfest Plaza at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts Is anchored

by Claes Oldenburg’s 51-ft-tall angled sculpture, “Paint Brush.”

By closing a previously dim stretch of Cherry Street from Broad to Fifteenth Streets in downtown Philadelphia to vehicular traffic, an elegantly lit new pedestrian amenity for the public at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts (PAFA) has taken its place on the cityscape.

Founded in 1805, PAFA is the oldest art museum and art school in the U.S. The current c.1876 main building, the work of noted nineteenth century Philadelphia architect Frank Furness with fellow designer George W. Hewitt, exhibits signature intricate ornamentation and dramatic spaces.

PAFA’s extensive collection is comprised of premier examples of over two-and-one-half centuries of American art, from 1760 to the present.

Lenfest Plaza, named in honor of the Philadelphia philanthropic couple who contributed to the design and construction fund, is 210 ft. long and 40 ft. wide.

The Lighting Practice designed the Plaza’s lighting and the sculptural accent lighting for the 51-ft.-tall representational “Paint Brush” by artist Claes Oldenburg that is angled nearly 12 ft. over the sidewalk. “Paint Brush” combines steel, fiberglass, and urethane in addition to the LED lighting.

It traveled nearly 3,000 miles from its fabrication location to be illuminated for the first time at a twilight-to-evening event on Oct. 1 attended by several thousands guests, city officials, PAFA students, and artist Oldenburg. Lenfest Plaza’s design was a collaboration between The Lighting Practice; landscape architects OLIN; SaylorGregg Architects; Becker & Frondorf, project managers; and Marvin Waxman Consulting Engineers.

“The inspiration was to create an inviting and safe place that is unique to Philadelphia,” says Helen K. Diemer of The Lighting Practice.

The south boundary of the plaza is a wall of highly detailed brick and carved stone arches covering the length of façade, a technique Furness 10 • 11.11 • Architectural SSL

Photos: Marco Melander

employed to impart architectural texture to otherwise planar surfaces. On the other side of the Plaza is the school’s Samuel M. V. Hamilton Building with three levels of additional gallery space.

Oldenburg’s “Paint Brush” combines steel, fiberglass, and urethane in addition to the LED lighting. Globe sconces on the Hamilton Building and the soft wash light on the upper portion of the Furness building were existing.

When viewed from the Plaza looking east, “Paint Brush” has a backdrop of the new Broad Street addition to the Pennsylvania Convention Center, opened last year. With the increased floor space came a new glass and steel façade and entrance, with lighting designed by The Lighting Practice. Color-changing RGB LEDs—from Acclaim Lighting XL-Bar Light Tubes—give lively dimension to the building at night. An ETC Mosaic Lighting Controller controls all programming.

Grazers are Philips/Color Kinetics 4000ºK eWGraze mounted end-to-end to the main vertical structural members of the translucent canopy. Each structural member, with the exception of the ends, has grazers mounted back-to-back as well to light in both directions across the translucent panels.•

—Vilma Barr

Above: Artist Claes Oldenburg’s, LED lit “Paint Brush” sculpture makes Philadelphia’s Lenfest Plaza an inviting and safe place unique to the city.

In Al Ruud’s mind, lines had to be drawn: You’re for LED, or you’re against. To prove his commitment to the cause—the LED revolution—in a blockbuster industry move earlier this fall, he sold his company, including BetaLED, for a cool $525 million to chip and component manufacturer Cree.

“The move was really about moving the industry to LED as fast as we can,” says Ruud.

In a press release issued the day of the acquisition, Cree’s chief executive officer Chuck Swoboda, certainly concurred: “Cree is taking another bold step in leading the LED lighting revolution, creating a company that has an unrivaled focus and commitment to driving LED lighting adoption.”

The sale was certainly profitable, particularly in comparison to some of the recent acquisitions of larger lighting companies by some of today’s major lighting conglomerates. Ruud, however, says this situation is different. Granted, if this was merely the acquisition of a pure lighting company, he says, that might have been the case, but in this situation, he says, Cree acquired an LED company, which he says has significant value in that equation alone, particularly considering the growth the company has experienced over the past few years in the development of the technology. “In many ways, I feel they got a good deal,” quips Ruud.

In fact, he adds, in his new role on the Cree board as vice chairman of lighting, he now holds a significant share of Cree’s stock, and if anything, he wants to see it rise. “It’s all about moving faster,” says Ruud. “We want to bring each company’s capabilities to the [LED adoption] party.”

For example, Cree, clearly, has made great strides in the development of quality LED chips and components, but Ruud points out they’re still pretty new to the lighting business, where his company’s

www.architecturalssl.com

experience, expertise and distribution capabilities comes to bear. Al’s son, Christopher, will also maintain his role as president of Ruud Lighting, of which Beta is a subsidiary. “We’re not going anywhere,” says Ruud who’s really stoked about the move. Cree is made up of a great group of

at first, ruud says he wasn’t interested in selling the company, but the more time he and swoboda spent talking, they found they shared a lot of similar values. in fact, both companies seemed to offer very complementary strengths. people. We’ve been working with them for years [as a chip supplier], and now to be on the same team is truly exciting.”

From the other side of the coin, he says, the acquisition by Cree will also help Ruud and Beta fulfill a shared vision to facilitate the LED revolution. “Cree is moving beyond making chips and components, which has not been at a fast enough transition as far as we’re concerned. Now they’ll be able to really push the initiatives they started at Lightfair with the introduction of their LED troffer and other products.”

It was at Lightfair that acquisition talks started heating up, says Ruud, when Cree started further investigating what they wanted to do with their recessed downlight lines. “They started thinking more about the big picture.”

At first, Ruud says he wasn’t interested in selling the company, but the more time he and Swoboda spent talking, the more they found they shared a lot of similar values. In fact, both companies seemed to offer very complementary strengths to make both companies stronger.

www.architecturalssl.com

Besides a shared vision to grow LED technology and similar company values, one of the reasons Ruud feels good about the move is that there’s “very little overlap” between the two operations and he doesn’t anticipate drastic changes or major job losses. There will be some streamlining of operations, but at the same time, Ruud anticipates expansion to both companies, particularly regarding manufacturing operations. “We already were planning to expand, just to meet demand right now, but this creates a lot of opportunity.”

For example, that’s one of the things he’s most excited about the acquisition, is that Beta will be able to develop even more products and that much quicker. “Our R+D efforts will be stepped up significantly,” says Ruud.

As a private company, he says that was sometimes a frustration, in that there’s only so much one can bring to the market, “even if there was a lot more we wanted to do.”

Ruud also feels the combined companies will be able to push the envelope on product adoption by particularly creating more products geared toward specific market types. “It’s all about bringing the technology to the market in the best deliverable format that makes sense for those market segments from the perspective of lighting, financing and implementation.”

Customer reaction, although surprising, has been positive. Ruud says most of their customers see the immediate benefit of an entity such as Cree being able to really push Beta’s offerings to a new level. At the same time, Ruud acknowledges some grumbling from competitors, but is quick to point out that more products, and greater acceptance of LED products, will ultimately be good for all manufacturers of LED lighting.

“It really gives us the capability to offer tremendous packages in the market place to facilitate the LED revolution,” he says. “I know I’ll be working as hard as ever.”

—Jim Crockett

exteriors:

Superdome Gets a New Look Officials at the Mercedes Benz Superdome ‘flipped the switch’ on to illuminate the Louisiana landmark with a state-of-the art Martin Professional lighting show designed by Solomon Group, a multimedia production firm based out of New Orleans. The lights wash the building’s exterior in a spectrum of animated colors, patterns and images.

The inaugural lighting event on October 20 gathered more than 4,000 spectators and featured a special program that showcased the broad array of the system’s dynamic illumination capabilities set to a soundtrack scripted especially for the event.

The design required the installation of 288 Martin Professional Exterior 410 lighting fixtures that are capable of reproducing every color of the rainbow on all 96 concave aluminum panels that ring the building’s exterior. The project is the largest installation of an Exterior 400 Range fixture in the world.

The Exterior 410 is a bright yet compact luminaire that uses pre-mixed LEDs and RGBW color mixing, part of an award-winning Exterior 400 Range of outdoor LED wash lights that includes color calibration for more uniform color projection.•

Above: The Superdome not only got a new skin this year, it also benefited from a lighting retrofit that gives it a dynamic nighttime presence.

Architectural SSL • 11.11 • 11

i∑DUSTR∞ BRi§FS:

SSLBuzz: cree to put its products to the test

Next Gen Changes

The 2012 Next Generation Luminaires SolidState Lighting Indoor Design Competition has officially launched! Written Intents to Submit are due by Dec. 16, 2011, and must be submitted online at www.ngldc.org. Final submission forms are due by Jan. 13, 2012, and physical product samples are due by January 18. Judging takes place in February, and results will be announced at Lightfair in May.

As a leading manufacturer of LED-lighting components, Cree has seen the broad range of things that can go wrong when the companies using their components to build luminaires or other lighting systems don’t get it quite right.

To help lighting makers ensure their products live up to their customers’ expectations, the Durham, N.C.-based Cree has launched new testing services.

New DOE SSL Spec Guide The U.S. Dept. of Energy’s Municipal Solid-State Street Lighting Consortium has published guidelines for converting to LED roadway lighting. The Model Specification for LED Roadway Luminaires is for cities, utilities, and other local agencies interested in saving money and energy by switching from traditional lighting technologies to solid-state lighting. It’s available online at www.ssl. energy.gov/specification.html The flexible format allows guideline users to modify default values to fit their local design criteria – which can vary from city to city, and even from application to application within a given city.

Award Winner eldoLED’s LINEARdrive 720D has been recognized by the Illuminating Engineering Society as a unique and significant advancement to the art and science of lighting in the 2011 IES Progress Report. It is a continuation of the trend started in 2010 that saw SOLOdrive, DUALdrive and POWERdrive AC listed in the 2010 IES Progress Report.

Michigan Scores with LED This year, the University of Michigan Wolverines have “gone LED” with a new look to Michigan Stadium, now complete with newly upgraded scoreboards from Lighthouse Technologies. The state-of-the-art video displays and scoring systems feature more than three million Screen Master high-brightness LEDs by Cree, delivering crystal-clear, high definition images to fans throughout “The Big House.”

12 • 11.11 • Architectural SSL

libraries & Musuems:

Saving Artifacts from the Uv Blues Libraries and museums are famously difficult to illuminate – lighting must be bright enough to allow visitors to see books and objects on display, but luminaire heat and UV radiation can damage those very items bringing visitors through the door in the first place. As designers of the new Ray Charles Memorial Library have found, LEDs can provide a great solution to this conundrum.

The library is housed in the Los Angeles building that once was home to Charles’ business enterprises, but now is the center of the charitable and educational efforts the musician endowed. Designers with Gallagher & Assocs. had a number of requirements for any illumination system, including minimal glare, protection from light-related fading and discoloration, limited heat emittance and minimal maintenance requirements.

Flexible, non-yellowing DL-Flex strips from JESCO Lighting Group was the choice for a number of display cases and open display panels. The units can be concealed along interior seams and edges and are available in bendable lengths up to 30 ft.•

ABOVE: LEDs solve the difficult challenge of illuminating a museum. They are bright enough to illuminate books and artifacts, and stave off heat and UV radiation in order to preserve objects on display.

the IES LM-79 standard covers only half of the potential issues that can impact ongoing LED fixture performance.

According to Mark McClear, the company’s director of applications engineering, testing under the Illumination Engineering Society’s IES LM-79 standard covers only half of the potential issues that can impact ongoing LED fixture performance. It misses, for example, possible incompatibility between the chemical composition of assembly materials and LED operating conditions. Binning issues present another set of overlooked problems, McClear says.

While some may see a conflict with this company—which recently purchased Ruud Lighting, a leading luminaire maker—offering third-party testing services, McClear says it’s Cree’s unique experience across the entire manufacturing spectrum that gives the company the perspective needed to seek out potential problems.

“We really see our job as removing barriers to the market” he says.

Called TEMPO (it stands for thermal, electrical, mechanical, photometric and optical), the testing service now features two tiers. Spot testing offers quick turnaround evaluations in four to five business days to help accelerate product development. The two-week TEMPO 21 test results in a comprehensive, readable report and is designed to provide a comprehensive analysis before a product is submitted for LM-79 certification.• www.architecturalssl.com

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help in understanding electronics To help with the continuing education of specifiers to the sometimes complicated world of solid state lighting, Architectural SSL’s Kevin Willmorth has begun a series on Architectural SSL Interactive about the basics of LED electronics.

His first installment is a primer on the circuiting used in SSL. But have no fear, it won’t put you in coma. “We will not be going into explanations of theory, laws or deeper technical detail in an effort to simply present the practical information necessary to interpret information provided in manufacturer technical and marketing information,” says Willmorth.

In the next installment, Kevin will explore how circuits affect how drivers are connected and why one approach might be selected over another. Be sure to check out Kevin’s column on the back page for more of his thoughts on why lighting practitioners need to understand more about manufacturing.

Elsewhere on SSL, check out the “Hot Projects” section for more regular case studies and applications including Martin Architectural’s very cool new headquarters, Target Field, and more on white LED in PricewaterhouseCooper’s new green offices in London, as teased in this issue’s Market Setting Feature.

Visit SSL Interactive at www.architecturalssl.com/sslinteractive.

And please don’t hesitate to join in the conversation or start a new Presented by: one by hitting any of the “feedback” buttons connected to any of the stories, or simply fire me an email: jimc@architecturalssl.com.

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Circle 06

7/

SSLBuzz:

illuminating las vegas’ public transportation

Designers of the new public transit system in Las Vegas were determined to emphasize movement. Although it uses buses, it also incorporates aspects of lightrail, including stations (instead of streetcorner shelters) and level-platform boarding.

Plus, the buses use dedicated lanes, allowing them to change routes to meet shifting traffic patterns, so riders get from station to station more quickly than they might with a fixed-route bus service.

Photo: Xicato

restaurants + institutions:

In Vegas, designers long have used lighting to communicate movement and excitement, but transit-system planners turned to LEDs, not neon, to establish the stations’ presence in the city of high-rolling casinos.

This is an especially appropriate response for the first route in the system’s development, which runs from downtown Las Vegas through the Vegas Strip, home to some of the most distinctive—and well-lit—structures in the United States.

While the curved roof edge and tight space constraints seemed a challenge, initially, to designers at Tate Snyder Kimsey and WSP Flack + Kurtz, blue Plexineon from iLight Technologies proved to be the solution. It provides a neon-like visual punch, but with advantages that make it a better match for a transit installation. The product, which is available in seven colors, is resistant to vandalism and requires little maintenance.

Plus, it has a successful track record in other hot-climate installations.

The product was initially specified for a single station, but it since has been replicated throughout the Vegas transit system.

14 • 11.11 • Architectural SSL

Not Your Father’s McDonald’s McDonald’s new take on the classic European café, called—what else—McCafe includes more sophisticated design guidelines than those for its traditional Big Mac-and-fries outlets. As one of the first franchisees to roll out one of these stores in the United States, Dundalk, Md.-based owner Chris Mann wanted to ensure the lighting was both invitingly warm and highly energy efficient. While compact fluorescent fixtures were considered first, an evaluation of LED options provided an even more efficient choice.

Lighting-system installer Energy One Corp. replaced 54W CFL interior luminaires with 36-wattWila 621 downlights, incorporating Xicato 2000 lumen LED modules. The units produce 2000 lumens at a color-correlated temperature of 3000K. The LED fixtures in the dining and food-delivery areas will reduce electricity demand by more than

McDonald’s mccafe locations take on a sophisticated led lighting scheme on par with its coffee 61,000 kWh/year, compared to the CFL alternatives, according to Energy One’s analysis. The restaurant’s owner also appreciates that the LEDs are mercury-free.Plus, the LEDs have a 50,000hour rated lifespan, compared to 10,000 hours for the CFL products. Xicato modules also were used in the exterior wall packs supplied by Duraguard.

The 3000K color temperature creates a warmer atmosphere than typical 3500K options.

Both designers and the owner feel this factor helps bring out the wood finishes and other earth tones featured in the new McCafe design.•

ABOVE: One of the first U.S.-based McDonald’s to try on an elegant European accent incorporates LED modules at a color temperature of 3000K, which brings out the wood finishes and earth tones in the design creating a warmer atmosphere.

www.architecturalssl.com

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Circle 07

Winning Through Comfortably Capturing Hearts and Minds

(AND OTHER ARCHAIC TERMINOLOGY)

By Kevin Willmorth, contributing writer

OLD in technology terms founded on prior evolutionary steps will fail to adequately describe the next. The first hurdle to understanding is dissemination of meaningful information to a population unfamiliar with the technology. Similar to describing color to a blind person, defining a new technology using conventional terms often produces limited effectiveness and erroneous assumptive connections. The greater the change, the more difficult the issue becomes.

xx • 11.11 • Architectural SSL

www.architecturalssl.com

WINNING

HEARTS

&→ MINDS →

By Kevin Willmorth, Contributing Editor

New technologies, regardless of how compelling they are to those who invent them, do not always succeed. History reflects numerous great ideas that failed, while other less noble concepts have transformed entire markets.

Understanding why this might be the case is critical to

no perception of crisis, and the pain of adoption is high,

anyone hoping to reap the rewards of participating in a suc-

nothing will happen, regardless of how much is invested

cessful market transformation and avoiding the potential

to force it. The key term here is “perception”, meaning the

failure that lurks within any attempt to capitalize on change.

process of becoming aware, of gaining an understand-

In his book ‘The Change Function’ (Portfolio, 2006, New York)

ing, as well as retaining a mental impression.

Pip Coburn proposed that market transformations occur

While there are those who believe that pure

most rapidly when the perception of a crisis is met with low

logic and argument founded on objective

pain in adopting a new course. Conversely, when there is

data presented in spreadsheets and reams

Tem inim dipit, volorerat loreros at nis autat.

www.architecturalssl.com

→ →

Architectural SSL • 11.11 • xx

marketanalysis

of brochure paper—reality proves this not the case. In this regard, Albert Einstein summed this up nicely when he noted that; “Innovation is not the product of logical thought, although the result is tied to logical structure.” Putting objective engineering work in front of a market’s perception of need leads to another well known issue—engineering solutions looking for problems to solve, which rarely succeeds. Yet, asking customers—cozily ensconced in their comfort zone—what form they would like to see change take, produces useless information. As Henry Ford commented; “If I had asked my customers what they wanted, they’d have said faster horses.” There is no market-study path to innovation, as innovation means “something new.”

Solid-state lighting is obviously a very

promising innovation in lighting—from the perspective of energy efficiency, sustainability (if properly configured), and general lighting performance overall. Yet, its market adoption has been somewhat slower than many anticipated.

This is as much an error in pre-conception of how fast the market absorbs technology as much as it is a failure in the product to garner ener-

innovation as important as solid-state light-

getic adoption. While LEDs have captured the

ing promises to be. The first is depth of the

elegant and efficient

minds of many who consider themselves innova-

comfort everyone feels in familiarity with their

tors, and enthralls marketers into pressing for-

surroundings. This is manifest in a combined

ward, the issue may be one of perception of need.

resistance to change without a compelling

To the chagrin of engineers and technocrats

reason (crisis) and a slowness in making any

everywhere, this does not necessarily require

change before it is necessary—resulting in an

a connection with an identified environmental

inherent laggardly behavior overall. The second

At the London offices of PricewaterhouseCoopers, in the More London Complex designed by Foster + Partners, white Xicato LED downlights seamlessly helped the professional services firm meet its carbon neutrality goals as well as earn an "outstanding" BREEAM rating, the British equivalent of top LEED honors.

or practical reality. The smart phone serves up

is the rate of information absorption in markets

a perfect example of a revolution founded on a

already flooded by communication. The explo-

combination of practical need (communication

sion of the Internet, electronic marketing and

device), wrapped in perceived desire (everything

public relations, exposure to information from

else they do.) The building market is rich with

email, smart phones, tablet PCs, social networks,

demonstrating examples of perceived emotional

and entertainment, has created an overwhelm-

behavior above practical need. From large

ing mass of information that is sorted by imme-

impressive corporate headquarter buildings

diate relevance. Information is also very easy to

using large expanses of energy wasting glass to

discard. Simply select “delete” and it disappears.

location of homes far from work environments,

Add the source to the black list and it won’t

emotion remains a significant part of definition

reappear through the selected channel. The

of need as any rational thought. Lighting, and

result is that little is absorbed beyond superficial

lighting systems design are part of this market

first impressions. Regardless of how important

space, and cannot be separated from it to satisfy

the information is, unless it is prioritized as

technology innovators' desires for rapid returns.

important by the receiver, it will be discarded as

irrelevant. This slows market reaction to innova-

There are three characteristics of the

building market at play in the absorption of an

18 • 11.11 • Architectural SSL

Quality design and value

Nearly 1,000 downlights from Designed Architectural Lighting's Cool Ambiance line—roughly 30% of the lighting in PricewaterhouseCoopers project—used Xicato's 1,000 lumen, 3,000K spot modules.

tion, as it requires a significantly long period

www.architecturalssl.com

marketanalysis

of repetitive messaging, from many sources, to

Site/Roadway SSL Systems

produce results. Meanwhile, negative countermessaging is absorbed at a greater rate than positive, creating noise in an otherwise deafen-

The promotion and adoption of LEDs for site and

ing storm. The third and most critical character-

roadway lighting has been addressed on every

istic of the building market is that it is a design

level. The products and lighting produced are

based industry, filled with creative people at

familiar, often applied as direct replacement to

every level. From the top of the design chain

existing products. In most case studies, there

envisioning a finished project, to the installers,

is a factor of subjective evaluation included,

who are charged with building structures that

particularly on color and uniformity, to support

are custom assemblies of products from thou-

the empirical results with observer response.

sands of sources, into an acceptable facsimile of

Logically, the savings in energy and maintenance

the owners' own desires. This is an emotionally

costs are well represented. Overall, the momen-

charged industry, illogically adapting and inno-

tum gathering around this application of SSL is

vating within a logical structure.

throttled only by the costs involved, and sluggish

economic conditions, and the lack of emotional

Solid-state lighting must win within this

construct of comfort, logic, and emotion. Or, put

attraction of this type of product.

another way, it must win against comfortable conventions, through the hearts and minds of those

LED Retrofit Lamps

who chose to abandon their familiarity in favor of innovation. A look at this balance is revealing of the effort to understand where deployment and

While the marketers of the products are con-

market absorption has been to date.

vinced this is a large opportunity, and the lamps offered are generally similar to conventional sources they replace, there are several issues

Solid-state lighting is obviously a very promising innovation in lighting—from the perspective of energy efficiency, sustainability, and general performance overall.

Yet, its market adoption has been somewhat slower than many anticipated

= Comfort/Familiarity Level (1-5 rating, 1 being low, 5 being high) = Heart/Emotional Attraction Level (1-5 rating, 1 being low, 5 being high) = Mind/Logical Rationalization Success Level (1-5 rating, 1 being low, 5 being high)

yet to be resolved. The optics of LED retrofits detract from their perception of familiarity.

Delivering what customers already attain with far cheaper products does little to attain strong emotional attraction, while poor performing products have created strong emotional kickback. High costs fight the realization of logical investment return, while consumer markets remain resilient to concern for energy efficiency unless forced. The result is a lackluster absorp-

Color LED Uses and Effects

tion rate. The only way to overcome this slowness is to increase familiarity of the appearance of the products and significantly decrease costs

While somewhat familiar, the expansive adapta-

to produce results that overcome a lack of emo-

tion of color using LED technology is neither

tional interest that haunts one-for-one retrofit

familiar nor logical. The addition of LED color

products.

effects often consumes energy at a time when reduction in energy use is the cause du jour. The

LED Downlighting

limiting factor to expanding color LED use is the Seeing the light

Christian Dior, certainly is trying to win the hearts and minds of busy Manhattan shoppers with the art-like facade of its 57th St. store designed by Barteluce Architects and made manifest by Rosco Architectural and its LED LitePads.

www.architecturalssl.com

lack of true rational need, and a lack of comfort with its use by a large enough population

Recent product introductions have proven to be

to cause it to become a new paradigm. Yet, in

high performing while remaining very familiar.

balance, color LED lighting is applied primarily

However, unlike the replacement of undesir-

because it is emotionally appealing.

able HID sources experienced with site/roadway

Architectural SSL • 11.11 • 19

marketanalysis

lighting, there is little emotionally engaging

visually. The CFL lamp was born of necessity, not

about downlights made to look like conventional

of emotional attraction. SSL efficiency, coupled

counterparts, and a great deal to be disliked

with LED directionality and compact size, has

when the LED product produces unwanted glare

created opportunities that are just beginning

and brightness, or is too high in price. Regard-

to be exploited. Unfortunately, CFL technol-

less, there is a strong practical case to be made

ogy has attained a level of economic advantage

for this products use, even if the lack of emo-

that will take some time to overcome, unless

tional reaction will demand they deliver greater

the target products deliver more than a simple

logical rationalization.

replacement. SSL has the potential of creating an emotional ground swell against the CFL lamp,

Linear Fluorescent Replacements

if subjective factors are fully addressed over purely objective efforts.

The dilemma of innovation is that mar-

In an odd twist of logic, familiarity with exist-

kets rarely jump directly from one paradigm to

ing fluorescent lighting systems may prove to

another of significant departure from familiar

be a liability, not an asset. Fluorescent lighting

conventions. In the aforementioned smart

has long been considered a necessary evil, and

phone instance, without the stepping stones of

is rarely considered a form that is chosen on

the land-line phone, to cell phone, to PDA and

emotional merit. Add to this the challenge of the

cell phone first separate then in combination,

T8 fluorescent lamp, delivering highly efficient

growth of interest in digital photography, and

light and potential for long life with minimal

the recent explosion of social networking, the

lumen depreciation. Compound this with the T5

current success of smart phones would not have

fluorescent lamp and its compact size and high

had a foundation upon which to build. Lighting

progression, there is little market success to be

luminous intensity, and linear fluorescent prod-

has been mired in a fixed wire, hard switched,

realized in the attempt to convince customers to

ucts represent a significant challenge. The cost

gas and glass paradigm for over a century, with

move when they lack familiarity, cannot connect

of SSL replacements in familiar forms to conven-

a slow pace of innovation. Meanwhile, solid-state

emotionally, and force rationalization they are

tional products, and reduced output lamps with

technology in general has advanced at a rate

unwilling to accept. This means that some truly

multiple visible LEDs, generates little emotional

well beyond anything lighting has experienced

great potential applications for SSL, from con-

or logical attraction. New LED based products,

visibly, since most solid-state advances have

trols that enhance human health to color blends

offering attractive forms and new lighting value

occurred inside products, in controls and bal-

that optimize visual performance, may be years

in the form of reduced maintenance cost, and

lasts, hidden from view. Because of this, the level

down the road. However, one can be comforted

improved visual performance, coupled with

of comfort in the SSL community differs a great

in the knowledge that with every step forward

breaking from undesirable conventionality will

deal from that of the lighting and building mar-

today, the opportunity to reach even higher levels

eventually create greater market response.

kets. Overcoming this disconnect requires the

of performance is improved. With this growing

However, until there is an effort to capitalize on

progression of adoption that is playing out now.

foundation of familiarity with SSL, the emotional

an emotional qualitative approach, the linear

The first step will continue to be placement of as

connection that has emerged to see them in use,

fluorescent is long from being dead.

many LEDs into the mind of the public, through

and the advancements in performance being

retrofitting of familiar products, and new prod-

delivered at ever-improved costing, there appears

ucts that are easily recognizable and attractive.

to be no reason to believe this will be anything

Riding a balance between comfort, emotion, and

but a continued success story. It just won’t be the

rationality is a difficult stage to work through,

short story many hoped it would be.•

CFL Product Substitutions

As it is with linear fluorescent, familiarity with

but is necessary to lay the foundation for future

existing CFL lighting and light sources is a

iterative steps.

liability best avoided. LED products that replace

those now using the much maligned CFL are

ers requires a level of comfort that cannot be

highly desirable. For example, CFL downlights

attained by force or over-reaching. Uncomfort-

are inefficient and poor performing visually,

able decision makers become defensive, caus-

while many decorative products incorporating

ing push back or delays in adoption. While far

CFL lamps are overly bright or unattractive

sighted visionaries will find frustration in the

20 • 11.11 • Architectural SSL

Winning the hearts and minds of customInspiration

Spanish ceramic tile manufacturer Roca, took the deep dive as far as weaving SSL into its Madrid showroom and gallery, sublimely using the medium to make the gallery visit a memorable one. Image: Roca

www.architecturalssl.com

surprise*

* RAB Vaporproof is now available with high-performance LED. That means you can light both the darkest tunnels and the trendiest lofts for a long, long time – without changing a thing.

Request a free sample on RABLED.com.

Circle 08

ARCHITECT’S VIEW

ART & ARCHITECTURE ABROAD Leds Make a Strong Visual Statement Internationally Art and architecture projects incorporating solid-state lighting are proliferating and redefining the international landscape. Some are pure art, others purely architectural, but the one thing they have in common is the use of solid-state lighting to illuminate innovative designs that capture the eye as well as the imagination.

By Ellen Lampert-Gréaux, contributing writer

HatChing A High-Tech Egg

and transparent, allowing visitors

Istanbul, one is going to be installed

OVO’s outline and allows colored

One extremely eye-catching

to walk inside and see through the

in France, and one goes on tour to

light to mix with the vapor. A black

project that can be seen in vari-

structure. OVO measures 22.5-ft.

various light festivals and special

rubber surface in the basin reflects

ous locales is OVO, an egg-shaped

high and 13-ft. in diameter at its

events. It comes apart, taking up

the egg-like sculpture, the color-

structure created by Belgian-based

widest point.

only a 3.5 cubic meter space for

changing light patterns and the

ACT Lighting Design in conjunc-

transporting, a size that fits easily

silhouettes of visitors.

tion with Ode Au Bois, another

with 336 Traxon IP67-rated indi-

in a SUV or van. Once OVO arrives at

Belgian company that specializes

vidually addressable Dot XL RGB

its specific location, it is constructed

for the small size of the structure,

in wooden structures. OVO made

LED fixtures with an optical dome

on a platform that sits in a basin of

also in terms of the dynamic range

its debut at la “Fête des Lumières”

lens. These are fully integrated into

water that measures 100 square

of color and efficiency,” notes

in Lyon, France, December 8-11,

the wooden architecture of the egg

meters, with stepping stones placed

Vermeulen, who points out that

2010, and has been traveling ever

with snoots to control any glare.

just under the surface so it looks

the project consumes only 700

since, as it is both a permanent and

The LEDs, mounted on a flexible

as if people are literally walking on

watts of continuous light—which

portable installation with color-

cable with customizable pitch, proj-

water to get in or out of the egg.

would be double that at 110V in

changing light and an original

ect upward to light each diamond

the United States. “That is only

sound track.

in the structure, like a high-tech

Jerusalem,” says Vermeulen. “OVO

achievable with LEDs,” he adds. “All

Faberge egg.

was placed near the temple and the

of my recent projects include LED

spirals, based on the Golden Pro-

Wailing Wall, and everyone could

elements. Three years ago about

portion found in the universe (such

OVOs,” explains Koert Vermeulen,

walk on water.” In addition to the

40% of our projects had LEDs, two

as DNA helixes), OVO is built of

principal designer at ACT Lighting

basin, there is a water vaporization

years ago, many of them had LEDs

special high-tech wood that is both

Design, who worked on the project

system fitting inside of each egg

together with other sources like

waterproof and UVA resistant, then

with ACT’s artistic director/scenog-

with 100 nozzles that adds a water

CDM, fluorescent. One year ago, we

computer-cut into the precise ele-

rapher Marcos Vinals Bassols. “One

mist, creating a dense reflection

had the first projects completed

ments required. The egg is hollow

OVO is permanently installed in

element for the lighting, as it blurs

with 100% LED systems. I still think

A series of 24 intertwined

22 • 11.11 • Architectural SSL

Once assembled, OVO is lit

“There are actually three

“It was really amazing in

“The LED solution was perfect

www.architecturalssl.com

An English Translation of CRI and SSL in Retail

OVO at “Fête des Lumières”, Lyon, France

OVO

The 24 intertwined wooden spirals of OVO sparkle with 336 Traxon IP67-rated individually addressable Dot XL RGB LED fixtures with an optical dome lens, and mounted on a flexible cable as uplights. Photo: Traxon

that metal halide and CDM for sure

really doesn’t matter to us how we

are still in our toolbox for at least

achieve the result. That is part of

another three to four years.

the design development where we

look at the balance between, bud-

But where LED was first a

part of the toolbox, it now is also

get, quality, integration, and detail.”

the dominant solution. In exterior

But LEDs have definitely taken the

lighting it’s even more so. Except

lead, for example at Eclaireur, a

for the really powerful projectors

high-end fashion boutique in Paris

like 400W or 1000W spotlights, we

that Vermeulen lit with Citizen LED

can really use a full range of LED

modules in custom fixtures by Lux

instruments that gives us about

Lumen, Osram and Zumtobel.

80% of the instruments we need.”

In designing a project, such as

MEADOW LIGHTS

the Schaerbeek City Hall in Brus-

Solid-state lighting also sets the

sels, with a mix of Philips metal

mood for “Mute Meadow,” a public-

halide and Philips LED luminaires

art installation in Londonderry,

of different types grazing the walls,

Northern Ireland. Here, a series of

Vermeulen explains: First we do

80 contemporary shapes sit along

the concept itself. At that moment

the banks of the River Foyle, scat-

we don’t even think about the

tered in twos with 40 ILUMINARC

“bulbs.” It is only after the approval

Ilumipod Inground 36 IP fixtures

of the concept design that we

between each pair of sculptures

start to think how to achieve the

as designed by London-based art-

image we want to present. So it

ists Vong Phaophanit and Claire

In retail lighting, there is a strong link between the quality of accent light sources, in terms of color rendering ability and in particular the rendering of deep reds, and the attention-grabbing potential of retail displays.

There is also a fear that despite the energy-saving attributes LEDs bring to the table, poor CRI associated with the technology will hamper sales. To put this to the test LED module manufacturer Xicato contracted independent researcher Colette Knight to study the reaction of shoppers and lighting designers at London’s House of Fraser.

Specifically, participants were asked to evaluate a ladies shoe display where three identical alcoves were illuminated with halogen lamps and two sets of LED sources, one at Ra 80 (R9=16), the other at Ra 95+ (R9>95). The latter were based on Xicato’s standard modules for Ra 80 and the Artist Series modules for Ra95. Over the course of several weeks quantitative research was conducted with 19 targeted shoppers as well as interviews with 31 lighting designers to gain a deeper understanding of how professionals perceived the differences in lighting quality between the three solutions.

The results with both groups showed no statistical difference between the rated lighting quality of halogen sources and the Ra 95 LED sources. A statistically significant lower rating, however, was given to the Ra 80 LED sources compared to the other two.

The research was peer reviewed by the University College London.

www.architecturalssl.com Architectural SSL • 11.11 • 23

Stadhuis, Schaarbeek, Belgium

Schaerbeek city hall

The illumination of the historic Schaerbeek City Hall shows the growing opportunities for LED technology in major architectural lighting projects. This illumination here is based on very subtle uplighting enhancing the pilasters and numerous details of this 19th-century building. Using Philips LEDs, the fixtures are hidden, and used in various intensities to accent the architecture, yet softened by the use of low-power discharge luminaires mounted on surrounding facades as floodlighting. Photo: Philips

Oboussier, who at the end of a six-

incorporated into the landscape.

part, we guided them with what

year development process, have

was technically possible and helped

created the largest public artwork

sign firm in Saffron Walden, Essex,

guide the overall design based on

on the island of Ireland.

wrote software to collate the lights

our experience with large instal-

with the random sound bites that

lations. The choice of fixture was

are juxtaposed against the sky

make up the “breathing pattern” of

based on a number of suitability

and seem to shoot upward with

the piece. Neon Circus spent weeks

factors including: intensity; power

undulating light programmed

on the project staggering the

consumption; housing design;

in a wide color palette to give

dimming curves to accompany the

price.”

“Mute Meadow” the appearance of

right audio triggers, which mixed

something organic at night with a

the light from each color palette.

more prevalent in both art and

sound track that seems to breathe.

“We spent over three years work-

architecture,” notes Ellis. “They

To light the sculptures, each of

ing closely with Vong & Claire on

are becoming a viable alternative

the LED-fitted Ilumipod Inground

this project, from inception to in-

to more traditional lighting due to

36 IP wash lights was carefully

stallation,” says Dominic Ellis, lead

the quality of light output, both in

encased in a custom structure and

designer for Neon Circus. “For our

intensity and color temperatures

The 80 reed-like steel shapes

24 • 11.11 • Architectural SSL

Neon Circus, a UK-based de-

Stadhuis, Schaerbeek, Belgium

“LEDs are certainly becoming The Schaerbeek City Hall in Brussels is subtly lit with a mix of Philips metal halide and Philips LED luminaires of different types grazing the walls.

www.architecturalssl.com

ARCHITECT’S VIEW

Mute Meadow, Londonderry, Derry, UK

mute meadow

“Mute Meadow,” a public-art installation whose 80 steel sculptures sit along the River Foyle has transformed the landscape in Londonderry, Northern Ireland. Lighting design firm Neon Circus collaborated with the artists, illuminating the concept with 40 ILUMINARC Ilumipod Inground 36 IP fixtures that shoot upward with undulating light programmed in a wide color palette to give “Mute Meadow” the appearance of something organic at night with a sound track that seems to breathe. Photo: Iluminarc

Mute Meadow Londonderry, Derry, UK

Designed by London-based artists Vong Phaophanit and Claire Obossuier, solid-state lighting sets the mood for “Mute Meadow,” the largest public art installation on the island of Ireland.

available.” The ‘Green’ aspect of

individual colors, with over 60 col-

sounds (verbal and musical) from

LEDs is certainly also driving de-

ors lighting the entire piece. “Along

the people of Londonderry (or

mand.” But he warns: “My personal

with the artists we color-matched

Derry as it is also known) with

opinion is that whilst LEDs can be a

their choice of palette with our LED

the core purpose to represent the

major part in a lighting installation,

fixtures,” Ellis explains. “Each day,

‘breath’ of the city, beyond narra-

it is all too easy to forget the funda-

a random palette is selected and

tives, translated into light.

mentals of lighting design and rely

will run for the rest of the day. At

on them in unsuitable applications

one stage of the lighting program

revival for Londonderry as it trans-

simply because they are in fashion.”

(approximately once every 10 min-

forms itself from a city of conflict to

The lighting for “Mute

utes), the colors in the palette are

a city of culture, as well as the first

Meadow” was designed to match

‘mixed’ through analysis of audio

U.K. City of Culture in 2013 when it

the stained glass windows of the

data provided by other local artists.”

will play host to a year-long celebra-

historic Guild Hall on the opposite

tion of culture in the city, opening

bank of the river Foyle. Each of

that was “unpredictable within

its doors to visitors from across the

these 12 windows was translated

reason.” The artists collaborated

world, who will share in the magical

into a color palette of four to six

with Verbal Arts Centre to capture

LED lighting of “Mute Meadow.”

The goal was to achieve a look

“Mute Meadow” heralds a

www.architecturalssl.com Architectural SSL • 11.11 • 25

ARCHITECT’S VIEW

BY THE GLOW OF THE LED New York–based Focus Lighting has updated the concept of dining by candlelight to dining by LED. A recent example of this is at Atmosphere, a restaurant on the top, or 122nd floor, of Dubai’s half-mile-high tower, Burj Khalifa, currently the tallest building in the world. Paul Gregory and Brett Andersen, principal designers at Focus Lighting, along with project designer Juan Pablo Lira, collaborated with interior designer Adam Tihany, who has designed visually compelling decor for restaurants and hotels worldwide. “Design-wise,” says Gregory, “the views are spectacular at 122

L’Eclaireur, Paris, France

stories. The space is like a “big warm hug” with sky all around you.”

Andersen sees it: “Atmosphere is a

tower known as the Gherkin). The

use of LEDs we have ever used in a

very different style.

space spans three floors and looks

lighting source is a game changer,

restaurant,” notes Andersen, who

out over all of London. “Nearly

not only in terms of power and

spent a few weeks at the top of the

replace what five years ago would

everything will be LED,” says Greg-

longevity, but also more impor-

tower. “We wanted to make sure the

have been xenon low-voltage light

ory. “There is a Mondrian wall, a

tantly in terms of the visual intent

quality of light illuminates the archi-

strips (25 watts/ft.). Today, with

three-story staircase, and a three-

in art and architecture projects. As

tecture in a special way and makes

the LEDs, we are looking at three

story chandelier with LED lamps

Gregory so succinctly phrases it:

the people in the space feel comfort-

to six watts per foot. The color

that look like they have a filament,

“The long life of LEDs has allowed

able and warm that high up.”

temperature is 2700K—CRI of

and wall washers to light glass. The

the lighting designer to create

93—so your eye feels very comfort-

important thing is picking the right

more complex schemes without

tures at Atmosphere are from Boca

able with the light.”

light for the right job.”

the terror that the design will be

Flasher. “We worked with them to

reduced to chaos with the first

customize two fixtures,” Andersen

cern was the dimming. “LEDs don’t

says: “The storyline goes back to the

adds. “The first is a high CRI LED

change warmth when they dim,

pyramids, they are 4,000 years old

to graze the walls at the perim-

but we wanted them to dim to 2%

and they look great. Wouldn’t it be

eter of the space, and the other to

at night without any flicker,” says

great if your lighting design could

backlight acrylic panels.” Rectan-

Andersen, who points out that Boca

look that good for 4,000 years or

gular and square LED fixtures from

Flasher sent fixture samples to

even just 50 years? At this point, my

Specialty Lighting worked well

Philips Dynalite for testing on their

designs might now outlive me.” He

with the rectilinear wooden design

dimming system and determined

points out that LED projects done

of the ceiling for downlight in din-

that they were the proper solution.

12 years ago still look exactly the

ing room and lounge, while Lucifer

“Standing inside, looking out to the

same: “They don’t change,” he says.

Lighting fixtures were used for

darkness at night, any lit surfaces

“That is what is appealing to me.

downlights in lobby entry area, and

behind you would be reflected and

accents by Edge Lighting for the

obstruct your view. By keeping the

piece of art or architecture will

entry sculpture.

level low you can see more of the

stay put for 100 years. We want the

skyline below.”

lighting to do the same thing. With

are all white. There is no color

LEDs, there are no more light bulbs

at all (a big shift in design style

restaurant in New York, Miami, and

burning out, which means very,

for Gregory since his firm did the

Las Vegas, that will be opening a

very low maintenance is required.

groundbreaking color-changing

London branch in February 2012 in

We’ve had a power supply fail but

room dividers at Morimoto in

the Herron Tower (the skyscraper

not the LED, and there is no color

Above: At Eclaireur, a high-end fashion boutique in Paris, Citizen LED modules in custom fixtures by Lux Lumen, Osram, and Zumtobel create strong contrasts between a cold light enhancing the metallic decor and a warm light in the display alcoves.

Philadelphia back in 2002). But as

next to the famous Norman Foster

fade over many years.”

Photo: Zumtobel

“This represents the biggest

The primary solid-state fix-

Interestingly, the LEDs here

26 • 11.11 • Architectural SSL

We are using white LEDs to

The designers’ biggest con-

Coming up is Sushi Samba, a

In talking about LEDs, Gregory

Internationally, the solid-state

re-lamping.”•

L’Eclaireur, Paris, France

A Frank Gehry or Cesar Pelli

www.architecturalssl.com

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Chadstone West Mall Expansion Melbourne, Australia

Star Power for Down Under Mall A glass canopy glitters with faceted crystal LEDs at the newest addition to the Chadstone Shopping Centre, Australia’s premier retail destination.

Owners: Colonial First State Global Asset Management and The Gandel Group Architects: Executive Architect: The Buchan Group Project Architect: RTKL, L.A. Lighting Design: Electrolight Sustainability Consultant: Simpson Kotzman General Contractor: Probuild Construction Australia Text: Vilma Barr Photos: Timothy Burgess, Aaron Pocock, Courtesy of Electrolight The Challenge: Chadstone Shopping Centre, in 1960, represented Australia’s shift from individual retail storefront districts to the contemporary shopping center. Located a few miles outside of Melbourne, the mall has undergone a series of renovations in both design and retail planning by the collaboration of The Buchan Group, Melbourne and RTKL. A major expansion in 1983 enclosed the mall and a 20-year plan was created that added a column-free, two-level grand skylight dome comprised of three interconnected, glass-vaulted roofs.

By the mid-1990s, the owners made the decision to expand the mall with a major addition to add a new two-level fashion district at its southern end.

Designated as the West Mall, the owners were intent that the expansion follow their commitment to sustainability which had been implemented in their other properties across Australia.

The Solution: Green design has been recognized as difficult to achieve for shopping centers because of the heavy energy demands from multiple tenancies, including the loads generated by supermarkets and food courts, as well as the energy necessary for heating, cooling and illuminating public spaces.

28 • 11.11 • Architectural SSL

Lighting, however, has played a key role in that effort in that daylighting and ceramic metal halide lamps have helped reduce electricity use in the interior courts and walkways. High-performance reflective insulated double glazed panels were installed in the exterior shop-front windows and in the barrel vault ceiling. Customized,

www.architecturalssl.com

The architects created an “active edge” where retail tenants face the plaza and the pedestrian walkway.

Sun-shading elements provide weather protection and visually bring the building down to pedestrian scale.

Crescent shaped, the curved facade and the angled roof create a central entry that establishes a sense of arrival and a high level of expectation for the visitor.

low-power LEDs produce a glittering overhead effect in the atrium.

In all, greenhouse gas emissions have been lowered by 61% compared to typical retail developments. In fact, the West Mall expansion received a Five-Star Green Star Certified rating from the Green Building Council of Australia, the 2011 Property Council of Australia/

www.architecturalssl.com

Rider Levett Bucknall Innovation, and the Laing O’Rourke Award from Excellent Awards for Best Shopping Centre Development. “We’ve been involved with this project for more than a decade,” says Norman Garden AIA, LEED AP, RTKL executive vice president. “It’s so rewarding to see it achieve this recognition and level of success.”

Architectural SSL • 11.11 • 29

Star Support System As far as daylighting, Chadstone’s West’s skylight system is supported by +/-200MM double-stacked painted steel tubes which are tied together with evenly spaced short metal plates to create a truss system that looks elegant, contemporary and completely structural. “This innovative system allowed us to provide a long-span, column-free environment. Completing the skylight is the use of doubleglazed lightly tinted low-e glazing that brings in a fabulous amount of natural light and very minimal heat gain,” says RTKL’s Ildefonso Fantonel.

“The use of LEDs integrated with the nodes in the overhead structural element creates a distinctive backdrop to the retail environment.”

LED comes to bear in the nighttime illumination of the skylight. The project’s lighting designer, Electrolight, had a custom fixture created that is attached to each node of the atrium’s curved skylight (see below and opposite pages). “Tiny diamonds of light that are spun across the atrium structure, against a black sky, evoke a special ambience of luxury,” describes Elisha Howard, practice manager for Melbourne-based Electrolight.

Howard explains the LED luminaires follow the undulation of the atrium architecture and when viewed in perspective by the visitors appear to form “a mass of illuminated stars,” she says.

With a 4000K white color temperature, and a programmed lighting control system, the LED installation creates subtle scene settings and transitions. Power consumption for the LED crystals is 0.12 watts per sq. ft.• 30 • 11.11 • Architectural SSL

LED up Close Electrolight customized the Linealight i-LED Beriel lamp that is attached to each node of the atrium’s curved skylight. The ground, prismatic transparent crystal lamp end measures one inch in length. A flat, puck-style attachment functions as a modified heat sink. The cable tie is routed behind to the electrical cable. According to Electrolight’s Elisha Howard, practice manager for Melbourne-based lighting design firm. “The use of LEDs integrated with the nodes in the overhead structural element creates a giant lighting installation that is both a dynamic art piece and a media facade. At Chadstone, it is a distinctive backdrop to the retail environment, contributing to a positive visitor experience,” she concludes.

www.architecturalssl.com

lit in luxury Customized luminaires fitted with Beriel LED 2-watt crystal lamps create a sparkling canopy across the atrium ceiling of the mall. “Tiny diamonds of light that are spun across the atrium structure, against a black sky, evoke a special ambience of luxury,” says Electrolight’s Howard. “The LED luminaires follow the undulation of the atrium architecture and when viewed in perspective by the visitors appear to form a mass of illuminated stars,” she indicates. With a 4000K white color temperature, and a programmed lighting control system, the installation creates subtle scene settings and transitions. Power consumption is 0.12 watts per sq. ft.

Photos courtesy of Electrolight

the right accent General lighting for the new 46,300-sq-ft. West Mall double-level expansion to the Chadstone Shopping Centre is provided by Erco’s Compar recessed 70watt wide flood spotlight in a white housing. It carries a rating of 3000K, with a 6,600-lumen output. “The distinctive night and daytime experience of light within the Centre is deliberately constructed to accentuate the architecture and provide contrasting experiences to the space,” Howard points out.

More than 50 Australian and international boutiques are tenants at Chadestone. For the West Mall, the owner’s objective of attracting worldclass luxury brands was achieved. A dozen top makers comprise this collection of style signatures: Chanel, Jimmy Choo, Louis Vuitton, Prada, Tiffany & Co., Gucci, Burberry, Coach, Ralph Lauren, Omega, Hugo Boss, and Mui Mui.

www.architecturalssl.com

Architectural SSL • 11.11 • 31

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SSLprofile: chain mail-clad stage and pavilion Glistens with the glow of RGB The cube—OLD MARKET SQUARE Winnipeg, Canada

By Vilma Barr, contributing writer

The Cube–OMS Stage is an open-air performance venue located in Winnipeg’s Old Market Square, a small green space surrounded by historic warehouses in the city’s Exchange District. During events, the Cube’s skin, a membrane composed of custom-cut metal extrusions linked together to create a flexible curtain, is drawn back into a draped and undulating panel, revealing the exposed concrete stage within.

When closed, the angled pieces refract light

and images to the outside, creating a unique pixel matrix. Its adaptability allows the OMS Stage to easily shift from a performance venue to a quiet, glowing pavilion and urban focal point.

Old Market Square’s Master Plan by land-

scape architects Scatliff+Miller+Murray Inc., included a new stage as the logical next step in the redevelopment of the space for the urban park. A competition for the stage’s design, sponsored by the city of Winnipeg, was won by a local firm, 5468796 Architecture Inc. Their design for the $1.2-million structure was a 28-ft. cube that would be in use as a performance venue during mild weather and as an illuminated, year-round, interactive dimensional icon at other times.

“During performance events, the front skin

of the cube is drawn back to reveal the cast-inplace concrete stage inside. It also serves as an acoustical backdrop,” explains Johanna Hurme, a co-founder of 5468796. “The cube is shaped to

above: Winnepeg’s Cube/OMS Stage brings life and drama to the city’s Old Market Square year round.

When not being used for performance events, the structure serves a dramatic icon for the area. It’s also used for various multi-media events involving projection. The structure, itself, a unique construct that combines a flexible metal skin with RGB lighting at night, creates a dynamic presence for the city.

Images: 5468796 Architecture Inc.

www.architecturalssl.com

boost sound projection for the audience, and also houses a secure projection room,” she says.

When not hosting live acts, the skin assumes

the role of a giant projection screen for video or film events beamed on its metal chain mail-like links. Comprised of sliced sections of extruded

Architectural SSL • 11.11 • 33

SSLprofile:

old market square, Winnipeg, Canada

The Challenge: The master plan for the new park at Old Market Square in Winnipeg called for the construction of a stage. It would be used for live performances and also provide an exterior surface on which films and other projected visual works could be viewed. 5468796 Architecture Inc., a local 12-person firm of innovative designers involved in a range of activities, won the city-sponsored competition.

Their project proposal took into consideration Winnipeg’s annual weather patterns when a six-month-long winter season is not unusual. With a limited window for outdoor use, the architects envisioned the stage surrounded by a glowing, interactive envelope. It would be a structurally strong cube covered by a material flexible enough to act like a curtain in a legitimate theater that opens at showtime to reveal the presenters.

All lighting solutions would be integrated inside the structure to light the concrete stage and frame, the performers, and the entire structure with its front panel pull-back capabilities.

The solution: Working with a local manufacturer, the architects created a system of aluminum extrusions from which 18,000 individual pieces were cut. A polishing drum rolled each piece to grind down and finish the edge surfaces. Individual extrusions were strung together through pre-cut holes using aircraft cable to hold the cells in place.

The orientation of each piece alternates up and down vertically along the line of the cable, with adjacent rows of cells being riveted together at every third piece. This allows the front-facing screen panel to drape and cascade, emulating a fabric.

For the illumination scheme, a trio of light levels was created to achieve the functional and aesthetic objectives. Two types of in-ground fixtures—one utilizing CDM lamps, the other fitted with LEDs—is coordinated with CDM wallwash fixtures and surface-mounted color-changing LEDs. Multiple lighting programs evolve throughout the year. Total watts per sq. ft. is 0.6, calculated at full output of fixtures.

Metal minded

Working with a local manufacturer, the architects created a system of aluminum extrusions from which 18,000 individual pieces were cut.

go with the flow

The orientation of each piece alternates up and down vertically along the line of the cable, with adjacent rows of cells being riveted together at every third piece. This allows the front-facing screen panel to drape and cascade, emulating a fabric.

aluminum, each link—or module—acts as a

faceted light reflector so that images from the

very confined space and complex internal geo-

projection are projected out to the eyes of the

graphics,” Gagnon points out.

audience. “When it is fully enclosed, the flexible

metal skin takes on the role of a sculptural art

cept, a three-layer solution using multiple layers

object. Our design took into consideration its abil-

of kinetic lighting techniques was devised for

ity to change according to the season and lighting

the 6,190 sq ft of lit surfaces. “One layer illumi-

conditions,” Hurme describes.

nates the exterior with in-ground color changing

Senior lighting designer Martin Gagnon of

fixtures; the second layer lights up the interior

Ambiances Lighting & Visual Design, Longueuil,

surfaces. Finally, the third layer acts as a stage

Québec, approached this one-of-a-kind project

wash for the performers, or as another layer of

as a combination of stage lighting, architectural

light while The Cube is in its closed position.”

lighting, and art works lighting.

lenses were used in order to fill all necessary sur-

“Given the transparency of the external alu-

Using the structure’s multifunctional con-

Wide beam lenses and asymmetrical beam

minum curtain skin, the lighting concept was to

faces with a minimal amount of fixtures, Gagnon

create a luminous beacon that becomes a part of

indicates. All components of the installation are

Winnipeg’s urban environment,” Gagnon explains.

controlled by a central DMX system using an

astronomical clock with optional user interface

Gagnon and his team brought with them

to this project their experience in lighting other extraordinary outdoor scenarios. In 2010, Ambiances, in conjunction with Robert Lepage, designed the lighting for Quebec City’s Aurora Borealis kinetic lighting installation. The nightly attraction illuminates 2,000 feet of a grain terminal façade with a program of 574 colorchanging LED spotlights. It is scheduled to run through 2013.

34 • 11.11 • Architectural SSL

“For The Cube, we were presented with a

presets.• Project Credits:

Project: The Cube Location: Exchange District, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada Owner: City of Winnipeg Architect: 5468796 Architecture Inc. Lighting Design: Ambiances Lighting & Visual Design Electrical Engineer: Williams Engineering Canada, Inc.

www.architecturalssl.com

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SSLprofile: a subtle touch of SSL in milanese palace to museum makeoVER Palazzo dell´Arengario Milan, Italy

Despite its prominent position only a stone‘s throw away from Milan’s main cathedral, the somewhat forbidding Palazzo dell´Arengario was not really a civic icon high in public awareness.

The construction of the Palazzo commenced at the end of the 1930s using the typical monumental design language of that period, but was never completed until the 1950s, due to WW II. The city of Milan, however, recognized the potential of the buildings as a home for its extensive collection of 20th century Italian art. A competition, won by a group of designers under the direction of Milanese architect and designer, Italo Rota, was held to convert the premises into office and exhibition space for the Museo del Novecento, including a long rear wing and the second floor of the Palazzo Reale. Rota’s design connects the existing buildings creating a stimulating museum where the architectural remains of former are supplemented with contemporary interventions, including the use of white LED lighting.

Although the facade was hardly changed,

the tower-like front now looks like a transparent shell at night, appearing back-lit and permitting glimpses of its new inner life. The dynamic, spiralling entrance ramp and café are also visible behind a large glazed area, with artist Lucio Fontana’s original lighting art piece‚ Struttura al neon, shining all the way out on to the Piazza del Duomo.

The building was extensively gutted to

achieve this new openness and reorganized into

above: Beyond creating a neutral and unobtrusive environment for the museum, lighting control was also critical. Zumtobel’s Luxmate Litenet ensures optimal and efficient utilization of the Cielos light squares above.

“Our aim was to create a peaceful atmosphere with soft, neutral colors and homogenous lighting. After all, the works of art are the stars here,” says Alessandro Pedretti, the designer responsible for the interior lighting.

freely accessible areas. The ramp screws itself upwards around a central reinforced concrete core, leading visitors from the museum‘s own subway access to the exhibition areas via an aquamarine-colored walkway. The glass facade

Images: Zumtobel

www.architecturalssl.com

encasing the ramp permits a view into and out of

Architectural SSL • 11.11 • 37

SSLprofile:

PALAZZO DELL´ARENGARIO, Milan, Italy

Form square The Cielos fixtures are arranged in squares or linear light bands, depending on the room structure.

The Challenge: Subtly lluminate a transformed Palazzo into a museum of contemporary art so that the lighting does not take away from the art.

The solution: Unobtrusive LED lighting closely mirrors the architecture accentuating spatial effect.

ramped up Panos Infinity Q 190 down light in both square (left) and round forms (below), also played a key role in illuminating the museum.

Project Credits:

Client: Comune di Milano, Milan Architect: Italo Rota, Fabio Fornasari, Milan Lighting Design: Alessandro Perdetti, Milan

In Tune Tunable Panos Infinity modules were key in lighting the glowing entrance portals.

products:

Products: Zumtobel PANOS INFINITY LED downlights and LED spots HEDERA LED luminaire CIELOS modular lighting system LINARIA light line SCUBA moisture-proof luminaire PERLUCE louvre luminaire LUXMATE LITENET lighting management system ARTSIGN and COMSIGN escape sign luminaires

diffused and Homogeneous The luminous ceilings, lit with Cielos fixtures, help walls and floors maintain uniform base colors.

the building, which—similar to a film sequence—

of the Arengario wing were completely redeco-

arch windows of the Palazzo Reale are disconcert-

changes with every step. This progression is

rated. “Our aim was to create a peaceful atmo-

ingly close through the completely glazed facade

emphasized by the illumination points used in

sphere with soft, neutral colors and homogeneous

in this area. The top-most floor of the Arengario

the lighting concept of the ramp, accentuating

lighting—the works of art are the stars here, after

tower accommodates a light-flooded room with

the spatial effect and lightness of this archi-

all,” explains Alessandro Pedretti, the architect at

works by Lucio Fontana and a fantastic panorama

tectural statement. The light points follow

Studio Italo Rota responsible for the interior and

of the Piazza del Duomo. Impressive views of the

the curves in two different ways: downlights

lighting design of this project. Walls and floors

surrounding area can also be obtained from the

integrated in the ceiling trace the route and

are tone in tone; new presentation areas and col-

lofty height of the new glass connection bridge

illuminate the ramp area, while small LED spots

umns designed by the architects are integrated

leading to the Palazzo Reale.

on the balustrade emanate blue-green light

in elegantly subdued white and grey tones. An

inwards. The spiral is turned into a luminous

even, diffuse basic illumination is achieved with a

carried into the introverted exhibition galleries. A

object—a representation of 20th century moder-

Cielos luminous ceiling. Depending on the layout

tour of the collection of 400 works of art ranging

nity almost suggestively attracting passers.

of the room, the modules are arranged as linear

from Futurism to Arte Povera is complemented

light bands or as squares. The homogeneous

by a walk through the history of the city. This

used at the interfaces of the museum. The

illumination of the rooms is controlled using the

parallel experience is achieved by the conscious

entrances to the exhibition rooms are portals

central lighting management system Luxmate

integration of still life images of the city—with

of light where light modules cover the frames

Litenet. The luminous ceilings in the galleries are

architecture from various centuries, from Gothic

of the doors and emphasize the passages to the

contrasted by the vertical light lines integrated

cathedral to contemporary bank building—

introverted gallery rooms. The main room of the

flush into the walls, which serve to illuminate the

throughout the museum. A stony witness of the

piano nobile surprises with monumental marble

access areas.

Duce years, the converted Palazzo dell´Arengario

columns and a richly decorated ceiling. It is dedi-

can now make a new contribution to the historic

cated to Futurists such as Umberto Boccioni and

by means of escalators located in a new building

fabric of the city, connecting old to new in the

his contemporaries. The smaller exhibition rooms

part at the end of the Arengario wing. The pointed

illuminated entity of the Museo del Novecento.•

Light is also an important design element

38 • 11.11 • Architectural SSL

The various exhibition levels are connected

The presence of these urban images is even

www.architecturalssl.com

the White pages

By Seth Warren Rose, Director Eneref Institute

Glaring Issues with LED Reflectors vs. Diffuse Lenses May Be The Way To Deal With Glare LEDs have come a long way since the days when they were used almost

exclusively in handheld calculators. In fact, today’s LEDs have become

average efficiency remains a disadvantage. Beyond reduced illumi-

so powerful a light source that they often require lenses to protect

nance, lenses can also add to thermal resistance, chromatic aberration

users from glare. But lenses are inherently inefficient as a solution for

and aging. Glass lenses avoid some of these downsides, but at higher

controlling glare. Therefore, several questions must be asked: 1) Will

development and production costs.

the growth of LEDs, a point source, pose a visual disruption in many

commercial spaces, which are often poorly designed to begin with?; 2)

of the light source with a reflector by pointing the LEDs directly into

Will an aging population, more sensitive to glare, find spaces lit with

a reflective material and bouncing the lumens off. Not only does this

poorly-designed LED luminaires, especially challenging?; 3) Is there a

solution hide the LEDs glare, but a material that is somewhat specular

better solution for controlling glare than increasingly diffuse lenses?

could also control the photometric distribution—spreading or focusing

the beam as needed for the task.

The solution to glare may come in the form of reflectors designed

While lenses can offer a cost-efficient solution to glare, their low

One solution we will begin to see more often is to shield the view

to shield us from the LED light source. Well-designed reflector systems

made from highly reflective materials have the potential to offer

be much greater than with a typical lens solution. However, this

greater light output ratios (LOR) than a typical lens system while

solution assumes the reflector is designed with a minimal number

reducing or eliminating glare. Lenses, on the other hand, by their very

of bounces—or reflections—and the reflector design takes advantage

nature reduce light output.

of the light controlled offered by the material. With diffuse white-

painted reflectors, distribution control is essentially lost; and placing

The reflector market has made significant advances in materi-

With a highly reflective material the light output ratio could

als and design. For example, aluminum’s optical material has found

light on surfaces where light is unwanted or not needed, can be a

its way into many advanced luminaire designs beyond simple linear

waste of energy.

fixtures explains George Dieckmann of OEM Lighting Sales, a leading

supplier of lighting controls and highly reflective optical materials.

component part opens the door to some innovative luminaire design

Controlling the LED light distribution with a second reflector

More and more luminaire designers are developing segmented

options. The first reflector would hide a direct view of the LEDs, and

reflectors to optimize efficiency. And for years, HID reflectors have taken

direct the light into a second reflector, which controls light distribu-

advantage of segmented optics and increased light output ratio (LOR) to

tion. With a second reflector the distribution can be increased. Or dif-

nearly 90%. Can the next generation of LEDs take advantage of what we

ferent surfaces can be mixed.

have learned about reflectors in fluorescent and HID systems?

offers opportunities to combine modules with a variety of reflectors;

In typical HID outdoor lighting system, light distribution, glare

And as LED modules systems become common, standardization

control and system efficiency are determined by reflector design and

where the same modules can be combined with different reflector sys-

reflector materials. The luminance of the HID lamp is hidden within the

tems to tailor light distribution to a specific application. In such a case,

luminaire and the light is distributed over a wider area. In this case,

only the light source would need to change.

light loss is dependent on the reflector.

prevalent. Electronic component parts can fail. Modularity may help

In many of today’s LED outdoor lighting systems, the quality of

Modularity will offer other advantages as LEDs become more

the lens determines light distribution and efficiency. Preventing glare

reduce maintenance costs. Interchangeable systems should reduce

while at the same time maximize lumens per watt is challenging. And

production costs for luminaire manufacturers while at the same time

since the light is beamed in one direction, it creates unwanted high

increase the number of light distribution variations. As raw materials

luminance spots.

grow in cost, replacing modules will not only become more cost effec-

tive, but will reduce material waste. And modular systems will offer

Certainly lenses can reduce glare, however they do so at a

cost–reducing light output anywhere from 10% to 30% depending on

easier or greater supplier options.

various factors. Lenses are therefore a balance between efficiency and

visual comfort: between high transmission rates and reduced glare.

ments, will the new luminaires introduce more glare along with new

As LEDs grow more common in workplaces and retail environ-

Lenses can also increase maintenance. For one thing, lenses are

opportunities? Not likely when lighting professionals are involved the

unlikely to hide the appearance of a single LED failure, necessitating

decision-making process. However, as Eneref Institute discovered in a

replacements. And as lenses age they tend to grow more opaque, losing

recent survey, most commercial retrofit projects are completed with-

transparency, and thereby reducing illuminance.

out the help of a lighting professional.•

www.architecturalssl.com Architectural SSL • 11.11 • 39

ADVANCES

Product Introductions

Optics Options With its high-efficiency secondary optics, the WashGrazeLV allows designers to select up to six beam angles and six color temperatures to illuminate or accent any architectural feature. The 850-lm fixture from DDP draws only 17 W and is available in CCTs ranging from 2700K to 6300K. Systems are available in lengths from 1 ft. to 4 ft., with flexible end-to-end connectors allowing continuous runs of up to 266 linear feet. Visit www.emerglighting.com or Circle 306.

Here in the States, the emphasis is on reducing energy consumption; Europe, however, seems to look to LEDs as tools for artistry and producing some pretty spectacular works.

1 Utility Rebate-Plan Approval The KiaroLED from EYE Lighting International qualifies for energy-efficiency program incentives offered by many utilities. The line of luminaires is available with IES Types II, III, IV and V light-distribution patterns. Advanced control features include current control, thermal control, late-night dimming and motion control. Visit www.kiaroled.com or Circle 305.

2 Triple Play The Tripod family of interior and exterior sconces, pendants and landscape bollards is CNC machined from solid stainless steel, brass or aluminum and features stainless steel hardware. The V2 Lighting Group products are focusable and dimmable and are available in a range of color temperatures. Visit www. v2lightinggroup.com or Circle 304.

3 UL-Recognized With up to 100W of constant voltage output power along with a slim design, the The E100W24V-D LED driver from ERG Lighting offers onboard dimming to less than 10% and is designed for linear lighting applications requiring a single driver for multiple LED strings. Visit www.erglighting.com or Circle 303.

40 • 11.11 • Architectural SSL

www.architecturalssl.com

Product Introductions

ADVANCES

Low-Profile Monorail Besa Lighting has introduced new 12 V LED monorail kits, which include 8 ft. of monorail, along with the company’s new low-profile power supply, which eliminates surface or remote transformers— instead, a small, no-load 60W electronic transformer fits into the connecting junction box.

Kits also are available including spotlights or a mix of spots and pendants – like the Scope kit shown here. All kits support up to 9 dimmable luminaires.

Visit www.besalighting.com or Circle 302.

Whilst LEDs can be a major part in an installation, it is all too easy to forget the fundamentals of lighting design and rely on them in unsuitable applications simply because they are in fashion.

4 Wall-Pack Alternative The LEDWP-250 wall-pack fixture provides light output comparable to a 250W halogen unit while drawing only 36W. From Larson Electronics’ Magnalight division, the luminaires are constructed from powder-coated aluminum and feature shatterproof polycarbonate lenses with water-tight seals. Visit www.magnalight.com or Circle 301.

5 Low-Profile Connectors To meet the needs of manufacturers of LED fixtures intended to replace fluorescent strip units, AVX Corp. has introduced the 9608 and 9609 Series of lighting and LED backlight connectors. Various styles and mounting options are available. Visit www.avx.com or Circle 300.

6 Retrofit Downlight The Vertical Retro System LED Downlight can be installed into an existing downlight mounting frame using the same J-box and mounting hardware. The system, from Delray Lighting, includes a precisely designed reflector, appropriate socket, flex cap and wire attached to the J-box. Visit www.delraylighting. com or Circle 299.

www.architecturalssl.com

Architectural SSL • 11.11 • 41

ADVANCES

Product Introductions

Big Light, Little Package At a size of 4 cubic in., the Brickblaster WNC LED fixture from The Black Tank can output 3110 lumens at any temperature between 2800K and 6500K at a variety of beam angles. The 50W fixture incorporates patent-pending heat-sink technology as well as precise output control, and it can be powder coated, custom painted or anodized in a range of finishes.

Applications include museums and galleries, restaurants and retail stores. Visit www.theblacktank.com or Circle 298.

“The long life of LEDs has allowed

the lighting designer to create more complex schemes without the terror that the design will be reduced to chaos with the first re-lamping.�

Circle 12

Product Introductions

ADVANCES

Get It On Tape Tapelights, from Connexx, are LED lighting strips that can be installed under cabinets and in other tight locations to provide added task and ambient lighting. Up to 24 units can be linked together and attached to any surface, using either the included, pre-fixed adhesive strips or with mounting screws.

A switched outlet isn’t required—the plug-in transformer just needs an available electrical outlet.

Visit www.tapelight.com or Circle 297.

“The first step will continue to be placement of as many LEDs into the mind of the public through retrofitting of familiar products and new products that are easily recognizable and attractive.”

Circle 13

ADVANCES

Product Introductions

Make Me a Troffer The VTLED from Acuity Brands’ Lithonia Lighting subsidiary is designed for general-purpose illumination in a range of interior applications. The troffer-shaped fixture is available in a 2-ft.-x-2-ft. configuration with a 2200- or 3200-lumen package, and a 2-ft.-x-4.-ft. configuration with a 4600-lumen package. Full-range (zero-10-volt) dimming is standard, and products come enabled with the company’s proprietary nLight intelligent controls interface. Visit www.lithonia.com or Circle 296

“Fluorescents hate to be frequently switched or dimmed as it adversely affects lifetime and efficiency. LEDs, on the other hand, thrive in this same scenario. Dim an LED and you increase efficiency and lifetime.”

1 Grid-Connected The 1200 Series Grid Lay-in Fixture from Lunera Lighting features a backlit design with removable LED modules enabling easy field servicing and upgrading. The dimmable, 2-ft.-x-2-ft. fixture provides 30 ft.-candles of illumination at color temperatures of 3500K, 4000K and 5000K. Visit www.lunera.com or Circle 295.

2 Now That’s Dimming Phase-cut deep dimming drivers from Light-Based Technologies emulate the smooth zero to 100% light output curve of incandescent lamps and work with both leading- and trailing-edge dimmers.

Flicker-free dimming is even possible below 0.1%.

Visit www.lightbased.com or Circle 294.

3 Take It to Task The HeronLED task light from Little Footprint Lighting is manufactured from recycled ABS plastic along with recycled scrap steel. The replaceable 3W LED produces approximately 200 lumens, with a color temperature of 3000K and a CRI of 80. Visit www.littlefootprintlighting.com or Circle 293.

44 • 11.11 • Architectural SSL

www.architecturalssl.com

Product Introductions

ADVANCES

All In The Family Finelite has introduced the HPR-LED series, a complete family of LED recessed luminaires. The collection – which includes 2x4, 2x2, 1x4 , 1x2, 1x1 and wall-wash fixtures – was selected by the Illuminating Engineering Society for its annual 2011 Progress Report. All units feature glare-free illumination and 0-10v dimmability. Units are available with two door designs (which allow for service from below the ceiling) and three center optic choices, and all come with a five-year warranty. Visit www.finelite.com or Circle 292.

The need for omnidirectional light from ceiling-mounted troffers has been a challenge for SSL lamps designed to replace standard linear fluorescent products.

1 New Sconce Offerings The Betty wall sconce from Alva features a common, curved platform that can be paired with numerous fabric shade options (or customized) to create warm, diffuse lighting. The fixtures are available in both warm (2700K) and neutral (3500K) color configurations, with cooler color temperatures available by special order. Visit www.alvalight.com or Circle 291.

2 Expanded Module Offerings Xicato XSM Artist Series of LED modules with 700-lm and 1000-lm offerings to suit applications involving higher ceiling-mount heights or where stronger accents are needed. The 700-lm module is backward-compatible with existing installations.

Visit www.xicato.com or Circle 290.

3 On The Road, Again Autobahn Roadway Luminaire from Acuity Brands’ American Electric Lighting subsidiary can be a direct replacement for high-pressure sodium cobrahead fixtures. Highly controlled optics minimize night-sky pollution and is compatible with Acuity’s ROAM wireless lighting monitoring and control system Visit www.acuitybrands.com or Circle 289.

www.architecturalssl.com

Architectural SSL • 11.11 • 45

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finelite

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01

focal point

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IALD

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led engin

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lightsearch

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lumileds / philips

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RAB lighting

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21, 46

seoul semiconductor

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terralux

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the continuing architect

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UL

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IBC

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Circle 15

MARCH 2012:

SSL Product Awards & Analytics Annual

Beyond the second installment of our annual SSL Product Innovation Awards, we’ll also take a look at the state of LED manufacturing in our new “SSL at the Front” feature. Specifically, the story will examine where the technology is at as far as innovations, advancements, including cost, and steps being taken to help make SSL less expensive.

Elsewhere, in our White Pages/Technology section, we’ll take a look at something very important: How to read an LM79 report so you can actually get some answers about the products you’re evaluating.

CreeLEDLighting.com questions? comments?

Email your thoughts to: jimc@architecturalssl.com

Circle 14

46 • 11.11 • Architectural SSL CR4073 ASSL 11/11 LRP38-10L Fractional AF.indd 1

www.architecturalssl.com 9/27/11 12:42 PM

ANOTHER PERSON’S DARK SPACE IS OUR BLANK CANVAS. AN IALD PROFESSIONAL LIGHTING DESIGNER SEES THE POSSIBILITIES IN EVERY ENVIRONMENT. LEARN HOW AN IALD LIGHTING DESIGNER CAN TURN YOUR VISION INTO REALITY. VISIT IALD.ORG AND CLICK ON "FIND A LIGHTING DESIGNER" TO REFINE YOUR SEARCH.

PUBLIC PASSAGE | MUNICH, GERMANY | LIGHTING DESIGN, PFARRÉ LIGHTING DESIGN | © ANDREAS J. FOCKE

Search at the Speed of Light

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Lightsearch is a FREE online resource with query options designed by professional specifiers.

It works the way you think

SSL_4_2007_Ver1.indd 1

4/16/07 9:25:12 PM

SSLObserved:

By Kevin Willmorth

Are We Ready to Send More Manufacturing Packing?

As SSL for the built environment comes to maturity, it’s at a crossroads: push forward with mass-produced, standardized and often imported products, or stay in suit with more customized products better suited to individually designed buildings.

ucts ranged from 1930s vintage to modern.

the importing of core products from Asia, sup-

I don’t buy a lot of late model product to dis-

posedly to save money, but also due to significant

mantle, as I know most is made from lightweight

financial incentives intent on keeping the technol-

plastics that snap with little force, or are riveted

ogy there. While commercial lighting was once

together in such a way as to be impossible to

dominated by U.S. manufacturing, this is slipping

repair. I have had my share of broken plastic, no

to imports from Mexico and Asia. Precious little

reason to flog that horse any more—especially

that lands in the residential market comes from

since the plastic flogging device is likely to snap

here now—where investment in design and inno-

off and puncture my hand should I attempt an

vation has been replaced with mass marketing to

overly exuberant flog.

clear inventories produced to forecast.

Taking lighting products apart from differ-

Before this goes too much further, should

ent periods in manufacturing is revealing. For

we not ask ourselves if this is the right path to

example, the idea of lean design is obviously not

take? How will we reconcile an industry founded

In the course of blasting forward into the future,

widely applied in this industry. To start, a 1930s

on customization to suit a building’s design, with

we frequently forget how we got where we are.

product often is a blend of castings of mixed

standardized imports? When we have lost the

For example, the transformation of this country,

materials, with hand working marks, and several

talent pool, the production equipment, and the

in my lifetime, from a gross producer of things to

machining steps. As you move on in time, tooling

supporting infrastructures, can we get it all back

an over-consuming landfill nation, is shocking.

changes from sand casting to die casting, hand

if we discover this was not the right approach?

What makes me feel truly old is realizing there

work marks disappear, and the use of rivets

are fewer and fewer people around that actually

through stamped parts replaces heavy castings

the declining manufacturing base. We are just

make things, surrounded by a growing number

and threaded fasteners. While the 1960s presents

now feeling the brunt of impact from allowing

that know little or nothing about how anything

some interesting uses of aluminum, the products

manufacturing to be systematically shut down

is made at all. In 1960, the odds were that over

tend to be a little flimsy, with thin aluminum spin-

here. Recovering an economy without a strong

half of everyone you knew worked in producing

nings anodized gold, held with old brittle phenolic

manufacturing base is going to be a neat trick

something, and another 1 in 3 worked to build

plastic bits and sockets. The 1970s presents

never before attempted. Maybe keeping an eye

buildings. Today, those odds are now less than

overly complex contrivances made from too many

on retaining some of the best of U.S. lighting

1 in 12. In 1960, the clothes in your closet would

small parts and springy bits in assemblies that

manufacturing alive is a way for us to play a

have been 95% made in the USA. Today, less than

fly apart if you drill out the wrong rivet without

role in finding a new balance—before we lose

5% is still made here. What’s strange is that we

a proper holding device. This results in the loss

something we will dearly miss after it’s no longer

don’t seem bothered by this change.

of tiny parts of critical importance to the small

parts fairies that live in my shop. We may be an

recoverable.•

As a tinkerer, I enjoy taking things apart

and evaluating how they were made. Recently I

innovative nation, but we too frequently suffer

purchased several task lights, with the intent of

from “complexitocity”—where simple solutions

using their arms for mounting my own lighting

are buried under gimmicky fidgets.

heads and to see how they were made. The prod-

48 • 11.11 • Architectural SSL

Solid-state lighting has a strong footing in

I believe strongly in the need to re-dress

about the author:

Kevin Willmorth, a lighting expert and fixture designer, has been instrumental in helping create a vision and mission statement for Architectural SSL.

www.architecturalssl.com

Lighting as it should be…

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Circle 16

ERA速 LED This is LED Site Lighting Perfection.

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www.kimlighting.com Circle 17