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REPORT CALLS FOR ENLIGHTENED STRATEGY FOR LONDON

A new report highlights the need to improve the quality of London's lighting and create more cohesive strategies. 'Our capital has the potential to be one of the best-lit cities in the world, yet for a mix of reasons, it hasn’t treated lighting as a priority,' says the report, published by the city's think tank, the Centre for London. 'This is despite growing evidence of the benefits that good lighting can bring to cities – and the costs if it is ignored.'

Seeing Clearly: How Lighting can make London a Better City is designed to stimulate public debate, says CFL, a politically independent charity. It is based on analysis of recent investments into lighting upgrades made by London boroughs, and reviews of academic articles, policy documents and development plans, with findings tested in interviews with policymakers and practitioners.

The report makes wide-ranging recommendations, including that boroughs should develop lighting strategies based on a framework provided by the Mayor of London, that a hub for lighting resources should be created for both the public and building professionals, and that lighting designers should be engaged early on in the design process.

It also suggests that resources should be made available for residents’ or community groups to bid for funding to carry out lighting improvements, with professional support as part of the package. The report also features a toolkit of basic principles for communities and decision makers working with lighting.

The report was triggered by the Illuminated River Foundation, behind the ambitious project to light up to 15 of the bridges along the Thames, which approached Centre for London to conduct the research. Lighting advisors include Mark Major of Speirs + Major, Elettra Bordonaro, principal of Light Follows Behaviour, Mark Burton-Page, general director of LUCI, and Don Slater, director of Configuring Light. 'We hope it will start a conversation about what we can all do to help create a thoughtful nightscape in London that is more environmentally friendly, makes the city feel more inclusive, celebrates our historic capital and works better for Londoners and visitors alike,' said IRF director Sarah Gaventa.

To read the report go to: www.centreforlondon.org/publication/lighting-london/

ON THE LIGHTER SIDE...

Billed as the first light-emitting tattoo, an OLED device developed by scientists from UCL and the Italian Institute of Technology could be used for purposes as diverse as monitoring the human body (bloodglucose levels, for instance) or the freshness of food.

The tattoo, 2.3 micrometers thick, can be applied with the help of water and pressure like a temporary tattoo. 'The tattooable OLEDs can be made at scale and very cheaply,' said UCL's Professor Franco Cacialli, senior author of the paper published in Advanced Electronic Materials. 'They can be combined with other forms of tattoo electronics for a wide range of possible uses.' The Illumination Engineering Society (IES) has published a collection of essays, papers and 'snapshots' on the theme of what developments lighting experts foresee in the next decade. An open invitation to contribute was issued by the IES and the resultant entries judged by a specialist panel

Drawing on a wide range of academic and lighting expertise, the Visionary Challenge encompasses all aspects of lighting from technology to cultural impacts, envisioning what the state of the lighting industry will be in 2030, what the biggest challenges might be and how thinking in lighting should move forward.

To download the document free of charge, go to: https://ies.informz.net/ies/pages/ Visionary_Challenge_2020_Sign_Up

LET TAKES ON NEW STUDENTS AFTER PANDEMIC PAUSE

The Lighting Education Trust's (LET) Diploma in Lighting Design is scheduled to restart for new students in May following a year's hiatus caused by the pandemic. While no new students were admitted to the course in 2020, full support was maintained for students already enrolled. 'Though the pandemic presented no significant threat to the survival of LET, the trustees temporarily suspended all activities that incur cost other than maintaining the necessary support to those students able to continue their studies,' said Hugh Ogus, chair of the trustees. 'Thanks to the umbrella of CIBSE, LET has no fixed overheads to drain resources, so has survived in good shape.'

It was also decided not to solicit backing from sponsors until the future was clearer, added Ogus. 'We hope that the support of the companies that contribute to the funding of the trust will continue in the future. The scope of further developments will be determined by the ability of our sponsors to resume their generosity when there is a degree of normality in the marketplace.' • Current trustees of the LET are Hugh Ogus (chair), Mike Simpson, Bob Venning and John Aston (representing CIBSE).