The Society of Light and Lighting
LIGHT LINES
VOLUME 15 ISSUE 6 NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2022
SENSE AND SENSITIVITY Seeing in a new light
SHINING EXAMPLES BBB Award winners
Editorial
November/December 2022
FROM THE EDITOR SECRETARY Brendan Keely FSLL bkeely@cibse.org SLL COORDINATOR Cara Littlechild clittlechild@cibse.org EDITOR Jill Entwistle jillentwistle@yahoo.com COMMUNICATIONS COMMITTEE: Eliot Horsman MSLL (chair) James Buck Iain Carlile FSLL Jill Entwistle Chris Fordham MSLL Rebecca Hodge Stewart Langdown FSLL Luke Locke-Wheaton Rory Marples MSLL Linda Salamoun MSLL All contributions are the responsibility of the author, and do not necessarily reflect the views of the society. All contributions are personal, except where attributed to an organisation represented by the author.
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Historically, there has been something of a generalist attitude to lighting: ranks of 600mm-square downlights in the office, miles of identical street lights, the blanket sodium floodlighting of facades and the suspended fluorescents over the factory floor. The sheer scale and logistics of lighting large spaces especially seemed to militate against anything other than a universal approach. Gradually that approach has become more closely examined and more nuanced. Notions such as visual interest and the modelling of a three-dimensional space for people, not pragmatism, have taken hold. This is now evolving further. We are drilling down to a more detailed level, considering specific and individual human needs related to age, task, light sensitivity and proclivity. We are also looking more closely at the effect of lighting on wildlife. One recent Danish project, winner of a Green Build Back Better Award (Designs for the future, p8) has adopted the
radical, but research-led solution of using red light for a major road to reduce the impact on the local bat population. Jill Corbyn of the National Development Team for Inclusion and Alexia Gkika of Buro Happold have been investigating the need to consider neurodiversity in lighting (The unbearable brightness of seeing, p5). They are seeking to raise awareness of the effect lighting can have on those with autism or other light-sensitive conditions. Collaborating on the project, says Gkika, has reminded her of ‘how differently we all see/feel and perceive the world around us.’
JILL ENTWISTLE JILLENTWISTLE @YAHOO.COM
CURRENT SLL LIGHTING GUIDES SLL Lighting Guide 0: Introduction to Light and Lighting (2017) SLL Lighting Guide 1: The Industrial Environment (2018) SLL Lighting Guide 2: Lighting for Healthcare Premises (2019) SLL Lighting Guide 4: Sports (2006) SLL Lighting Guide 5: Lighting for Education (2011) SLL Lighting Guide 6: The Exterior Environment (2016) SLL Lighting Guide 7: Office Lighting (2015) SLL Lighting Guide 8: Lighting for Museums and Galleries (2021) SLL Lighting Guide 9: Lighting for Communal Residential Buildings (2022) SLL Lighting Guide 10: Daylighting – a guide for designers (2014) SLL Lighting Guide 11: Surface Reflectance and Colour (2001) SLL Lighting Guide 12: Emergency Lighting (2022) SLL Lighting Guide 13: Places of Worship (2018) SLL Lighting Guide 14: Control of Electric Lighting (2016) SLL Lighting Guide 15: Transport Buildings (2017) SLL Lighting Guide 16: Lighting for Stairs (2017) SLL Lighting Guide 17: Lighting for Retail Premises (2018) SLL Lighting Guide 18: Lighting for Licensed Premises (2018) SLL Lighting Guide 19: Lighting for Extreme Conditions (2019) SLL Lighting Guide 20: Lighting and Facilities Management (2020) SLL Lighting Guide 21: Protecting the Night-time Environment (2021) SLL Lighting Guide 22: Lighting for Control Rooms (2022) Guide to Limiting Obtrusive Light (2012) Code for Lighting (2012) Commissioning Code L (2018) SLL Lighting Handbook (2018) CIBSE TM66: Creating a Circular Economy in the Lighting Industry (2021)
sll.org.uk
Secretary’s column/Contents
November/December 2022
Contents
FROM THE SECRETARY
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We are pleased to welcome Cara Littlechild (pictured above) who has taken on the role of SLL coordinator. We are looking forward to introducing you to her at future events where she will soon become a familiar face. There has been a steady flow of new SLL publications and guidance over the past year – LG8: Lighting for museums and art galleries; LG12: Emergency Lighting; LG21: Protecting the night-time environment; LG22: Lighting for control rooms (see Light Lines September/October), as well as Lighting Factfile 18 – Lifetime metrics for LED luminaires (March 2022). We can now announce one more. The rewrite of SLL LG9: Lighting for Communal Residential Buildings, written by Nigel Monaghan and Benedict Cadbury, was published in August (see p12). This is the third edition of the guide (the last one was 2013) and it includes details of new types of multiple-occupancy buildings, the latest findings on the effect of lighting on wellbeing, and advice on how to minimise obtrusive light from external lighting. All sections have been updated to reflect the switch to LED light sources and the more widespread use of control systems. This guide is for the use of anyone involved in specifying luminaires and lighting systems for communal residential buildings, which can vary widely in purpose from luxury apartments to care homes. Meanwhile the arrival of autumn heralds some familiar annual events. SLL Ready Steady Light, in association with Rose Bruford College, took place in October and we will have a full review of the event in the January/February 2023 issue of Light Lines.
Twitter: @sll100
To download SLL LG9: Lighting for Communal Residential Buildings: www.cibse. org/knowledge-research/ knowledge-portal/lg9-lightingfor-communal-residentialbuildings-2022 For more details of LiGHT22: www.lightexpo.london For more details of Build2Perform (with lighting speakers): www.build2perform.co.uk
The SLL has announced the shortlist for Young Lighter 2022 (see p4). As usual the selection of topics candidates have chosen is diverse, ranging from the idea of improving circadian rhythms in children to the role of light in the practice of mindfulness. The four finalists will be selected from these six contenders and they will be notified on 3 November. The final will take place online on 15 December. We are also looking forward to having a stand at a new exhibition. LiGHT22 takes place from 22-23 November at the Business Design Centre in Islington, London. Those who have been in the lighting profession and industry for some time will be familiar with the venue’s association with lighting in the past. As well as more than 80 exhibitors, the event will feature the [d]arc thoughts talks programme with 30 speakers taking part. Finally, the SLL will join CIBSE’s Build2Perform Live from 29-30 November 2022 at ExCeL, London. The event will feature speakers from the SLL who will be addressing key themes in lighting such as sustainability, changing working practices and solutions for the future. We hope to see you there.
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EDITORIAL
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SECRETARY'S COLUMN
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NEWS
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THE UNBEARABLE BRIGHTNESS OF SEEING Jill Corbyn of the NDTi and Alexia Gkika of Buro Happold discuss their work to raise awareness of the impact of LED lighting on neurodiverse people
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DESIGNS ON THE FUTURE From Barbican exhibition to bat superhighway, Jill Entwistle looks at some of the winners in the latest Build Back Better Awards
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SHARED VALUES The new edition of LG9: Lighting for communal residential buildings is now available. Benedict Cadbury explains why the time was right for an updated version
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ON THE BRIGHT SIDE Iain Carlile examines three of the most recently published LR&T papers investigating brightness perception, discomfort glare and visual performance
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ROCK SOLID In a new series in which lighting professionals select exemplars of excellent lighting in different genres, Eliot Horsman selects his Top Five rock concerts
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EVENTS
COVER: Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, London, lighting design by BDP, winner of a Platinum Build Back Better Award
BRENDAN KEELY BKEELY @CIBSE.ORG
Tom Niven
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News
November/December 2022
THE LATEST NEWS AND STORIES
YOUNG LIGHTER SHORTLIST REFLECTS FULL SPECTRUM OF LIGHTING
WINDOW OF OPPORTUNITY
The recently announced shortlist for SLL Young Lighter 2022 reflects a wide spectrum of lighting topics. There are six contenders competing for the final four places which will be announced this month. Two of those shortlisted are lighting designers at Arup. Anna Forrester (bottom right) is concerned with improving the circadian rhythms of children using a lighting device, while her colleague Coleman Deady Ridge (top right) has been investigating adaptive lighting for multi-use spaces in homes. Scott Kluger (top centre), a senior daylight designer at Hoare Lea, is exploring his own specialism with a paper entitled Daylight Harvester: a tool to enhance lighting operational performance. Hiba Mazhar (bottom centre), a lighting designer and application specialist at Phillips Lighting in Karachi, is looking at reimagining traditional city lighting with innovative ways to avoid light pollution. Kenny Cliffe (top left), a lighting designer at Ridge, has focused on Adapting to the Digital Future, while Chia Huei Lu (bottom left), intermediate lighting designer at Nulty+, examines the role of light in the practice of mindfulness. The four finalists (announced on 3 November) will each give a presentation online for the final judging on 15 December. The winner receives a cash prize of £1000. More information at: www.cibse.org/get-involved/societies/society-of-light-and-lighting-sll/ sll-events/sll-young-lighter
Not difficult to spot what inspired these pendant lampshades by Japanese designer Nanako Kume. ‘Since childhood, I was fascinated by the shape and fleetingness of shavings that are made when sharpening pencils,’ she says. ‘I thought that by increasing the size and thickness of what must be discarded as waste, it would be possible to create new products while maintaining the beauty of the shape.’ The wood block is softened in a
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steamer, then spray painted before Kume shaves the shape using a specially designed giant pencil sharpener. Each lampshade varies depending on the species, colour and shape of wood. www.designboom.com/design/ nanako-kume
A group of French and Japanese researchers working collaboratively have developed a coating that could improve window insulation, according to a report of their findings in the journal Science and Technology of Advanced Materials (STAM). They have made metal nanocomposite coatings that improve the insulating properties of window glazing. The new coating prevents a significant portion of near-infrared (NIR) and ultraviolet rays (UV) from passing through, while at the same time admitting visible light. ‘Although the fabrication of commercial products is still a long way ahead, our work demonstrated a significant improvement in UV and NIR-blocking properties compared to previous research,’ says Fabien Grasset, research director at the French National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS). ‘A large amount of the annual energy consumption of a standard building goes to cooling and/or heating systems to maintain indoor temperatures at comfortable levels,’ adds Grasset. Having fabricated and analysed the performance of nanocomposites based on niobium-tantalum cluster compounds containing chloride or bromide ions, they found that chloride-based nanoclusters provided the best performance in terms of blocking both NIR and UV rays, while still allowing the passage of visible light. According to the researchers, NIR and UV blocking by the nanoclusters depended on their concentration, dispersion and oxidation state. By tuning these parameters, the team was able to improve the nanocluster performance. The nanoclusters were dispersed into a water-soluble polymer that was then coated on to indium-tin-oxide (ITO) glass. For more details, go to: www.tandfonline. com/doi/full/10.1080/14686996.2022.21 05659
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Light sensitivity
November/December 2022
THE UNBEARABLE BRIGHTNESS OF SEEING
JILL CORBYN his work began with autistic people sharing their experience of not being able to get into hospitals. Some of my colleagues were part of a project to review the care and treatment of autistic people and people with a learning disability in mental health hospitals. They found the sensory environments in hospitals so difficult that they couldn’t always
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Twitter: @sll100
get into the buildings and, if they could get in, they couldn’t always stay for the full day to complete the work. With the environment having this much impact on visitors, we were worried about what the impact would be on autistic people staying as patients in hospitals. We decided that we should find out more about this, and see what was working and what was causing problems in hospital environments. When we started reviewing these environments, we noticed that a lot of places used fluorescent lighting. Many autistic people are particularly sensitive to flicker or may be experiencing a strobe-like effect more intensively than others. So, with the rise of LED lighting and promotion of their added benefits over conventional lighting, we were quite optimistic that such experiences would be limited and therefore the resulting environments would be more inclusive and comfortable for all. As part of NHS England’s Sensory Friendly Ward principles (see box overleaf), we advocated this change, recommending LEDs as a viable alternative to fluorescent lighting.
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Following the second release of the technical note Sensory Friendly LED Lighting for Healthcare Environments, Jill Corbyn of the National Development Team for Inclusion, and Alexia Gkika of Buro Happold discuss their work to raise awareness of the impact of LED lighting on neurodiverse people With NHS England focusing on aligning the organisation’s facilities to national sustainability targets, healthcare buildings are granted funding to realise fast-paced plans to reduce energy and resources consumption, and optimise operations. However, when we visited a hospital that had received funding from an NHS grant to meet net zero targets, we found that LEDs impacted our team members as much as fluorescent lights had. The reasons behind this continued experience were not clear at the time so we started talking about it and asking for help to understand it. One such opportunity presented itself when I attended an event associated with the recent draft release of PAS 6463 Design for the mind – Neurodiversity and the built environment1 developed by the British Standards Institution (BSI). I approached Jean Hewitt, Buro Happold’s inclusive design consultant and author of the PAS, who I thought would be interested and able to ‘shed some light’ on this, and put me in touch with suitable people with technical expertise on the topic.
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Light sensitivity
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ALEXIA GKIKA On a company level, Buro Happold is committed to promoting and creating equitable and inclusive environments for our communities. Having already contributed to the lighting chapter of PAS 6463, our Buro Happold lighting team had a close relationship with inclusive designer Jean Hewitt. With a view to maximising multidisciplinary expertise within the practice, I was brought on board to provide input on the technical aspects and quality principles of LED lighting. Being the lighting team’s sustainability and wellbeing champion, I have a keen interest in learning more, and providing best practice and topic-specific lighting guidance to improve spatial experience, while keeping sustainability and operational considerations in mind. The developing product of this working group was shared internally for review and input by colleagues from the asset team advising on operational aspects, the inclusive team advising on multi-user/behavioural considerations and, of course, my colleagues in the lighting team sharing their broad
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and thorough knowledge on technical and experiential aspects of lighting. The strength of the team we gradually formed stemmed from the mix of experience and understanding. Sharing thoughts and lived experience led us to realise the potential impact of unconsidered lighting schemes on neurodivergent populations. In turn, this led to a growing intent to approach policy writers and contribute towards improving existing guidance to address the identified problems. This became our joint mission and the top priority in the group’s agenda.
or move away from them, lighting exposure can lead to sensory overload, causing people to ‘freeze’. For people who don’t understand their own sensory sensitivity, or whose experience isn’t heard or supported, this can lead to further misunderstanding, restrictions and more time in hospital. Typically, key complaints expressed by people with some level of light sensitivity are:
THE EFFECT OF POORLY DESIGNED LIGHTING Based on available studies, an estimated 15-20 per cent of the world's population exhibits some form of neurodivergence. It is proven that people of neurodivergent profiles are more susceptible to external factors such as noise or light. However, both neurotypical and neurodiverse people can be light sensitive. Everyone has a different sensory profile – some people aren’t at all affected by lighting, and other people are very sensitive to lighting. For those of us who experience some photosensitivity, lighting can be physically painful and disabling. It might result in feeling overwhelmed and not being able to process or take part in conversation, it might result in headaches or nausea. If it’s not possible to turn lights off
THE CHALLENGES FOR LIGHTING DESIGNERS, ARCHITECTS AND FACILITIES TEAMS We often associate inclusive design with ‘a design that fits all’. Through this process, we’ve come to realise that it is important to remember that a space designed with neurodivergence in mind is likely to benefit everyone that uses the space, regardless of their cognitive profile. So, if I was to paraphrase the above, I’d say ‘a design that fits neurodivergent people, fits all’. In addition, given the energy crisis and current focus on sustainable design, we need to bear in mind that the most energy efficient solution won’t necessarily be the most visually comfortable. Therefore, clear design drivers and stakeholder commitment in delivering a balanced scheme is key to
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Control of lighting operation/intensity Brightness and glare Colour of light Flicker
‘They found the sensory environments in hospitals so difficult that they couldn’t always get into the buildings’
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p Hospital corridor as viewed by a person with no light sensitivity (left) and with light hypersensitivity (right)
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Light sensitivity
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delivering the project vision. This requires diligence and devotion from all project parties including the design team, the project management team, the client and the cost consultant. All need to be on board, having a common target. Often during the course of a project financial challenges result in compromising those important values that shape user experience. No matter how inclusive a project is designed to be, it will never fulfil its purpose unless it’s implemented. WHAT SHOULD HAPPEN NEXT? JILL CORBYN One of the key next steps would be to see funding for more research projects involving comparative studies between neurotypical and neurodiverse subjects. This is needed to better understand the impact of specific lighting parameters on behavioural expressions and sensory stimulation. It’s been positive to see engagement from NHS colleagues and lighting professionals, but without solid evidence expressing clear patterns, we can’t mandate change. I would also like to see the involvement of autistic and/or otherwise neurodivergent people in the design process and decision making to ensure spaces are accessible for all. I’ve learnt a lot about lighting and the reasons it affects us to such a great extent. I have no technical or engineering expertise, but I have had some great mentors on this project who work hard to explain things in a way I can understand, and have reviewed the documents to help improve them. Their cooperation and collaboration has reminded me that change is always possible where there’s a commitment to learning and working together. WHAT SHOULD HAPPEN NEXT? ALEXIA GKIKA We definitely need extensive research on these topics. We see the work completed so far as a trigger for interest from key stakeholders. In the meantime, there are technical characteristics that can form part of the specification guidance to ensure that quality lighting is installed,
providing a comfortable experience. Recommendations include integration of smart and intuitive systems that allow user control, as well as a good balance between visual comfort and luminaire efficacy. Testing of flicker rates and benchmarking of proposed strategies can add significant value to the end result as they enable real-time verification of design intent, while benefiting from collection of user feedback. I feel privileged to have developed this close relationship with the members of our working group. Listening to their views first hand and receiving input from experienced people with different backgrounds has broadened my horizon and reminded me of how differently we all see/feel and perceive the world around us. What's more, working on topics involving inclusivity and wellbeing makes me feel I’m becoming a more useful lighting designer. I am grateful to Buro Happold for allowing me to invest time on this initiative. This work has already found application in current projects where user consultation with a wide representation of profiles is informing the design process. Jill Corbyn is an associate of the National Development Team for Inclusion (NDTi), and Alexia Gkika is a senior lighting designer at Buro Happold
Sensory Friendly LED Lighting for Healthcare Environments: www.ndti.org.uk/resources/ publication/lighting NHS England’s Sensory Friendly Ward principles: www.ndti.org.uk/resources/ sensory-friendly-wardprinciples-1
‘For those of us who experience some photosensitivity, lighting can be physically painful and disabling’
Twitter: @sll100
References 1 The final release of PAS 6463 is scheduled to be published by the BSI in autumn 2022
The process that produced the technical note (JC and AG) We run frequent workshop meetings to discuss content and important aspects to be covered in the document. It became clear from the early stages that the language would need to strike a balance between accessible text for all readers while providing sufficient technical detail. The working group grew progressively to include Dr Jemima Unwin Teji, lecturer and module leader at University College London (UCL) and Nicholas Bukorovic, chair of CIBSE SLL Lighting Guide 2 – Lighting for Healthcare Premises (LG2). Combining representatives from experiential, academic, technical and scientific backgrounds, we ensured a holistic view of the topic was adopted. Using NDTi’s motto, ‘design for us, with us’, the most important part of this initiative was to listen, understand and develop practical guidance based on personal user experience. Our group is privileged to comprise members of neurodivergent profiles that have exposure to a wider community of people experiencing various levels of light hypersensitivity. This meant that we were able to collect views and feedback that enabled us to identify key parameters to be addressed. We all know that human cognition is complex and drawing conclusions needs scientific-based input from long research projects. Even though we knew that to create enough interest to generate funding for such a research project would take time, we learned to celebrate the small wins in the long-distance journey we have embarked on.
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Awards
November/December 2022
DESIGNS ON THE FUTURE Award: Platinum + Green Our Time on Earth, Barbican Centre, London Lighting design: Speirs Major A temporary exhibition featuring creative solutions for climate change, Our Time on Earth has been designed to travel for five years after closure at the Barbican. Reflecting the theme of the exhibition, lighting consultant Speirs Major set out to create ‘its most sustainable project ever’. The team, led by senior lighting designer Benz Roos, based the scheme on four key principles: use as much existing equipment
as possible; design with a minimal number of luminaires; specify light fittings suitable for the circular economy; ensure that the visitor experience is excellent. According to Roos, the new CIBSE SLL documents on the circular economy were very timely. ‘Circular economic and minimal embodied carbon were crucial principles from the start,’ explains Roos. ‘The new CIBSE guidelines, TM65 and TM66, helped us to direct the specification towards circularity and low embodied carbon.’ Following an assessment of available luminaires, the ZTA spotlight from Stoane Lighting was found to be the ‘natural choice’.
It has an ‘excellent’ TM66 rating of 2.6 and was the winner of both Build Back Better platinum and green awards in 2021. The overall design data was also assessed by Dr Irene Mazzei of Edinburgh’s Napier University. She concluded that the new lighting would have embedded carbon of 2263kg, with the drivers alone accounting for 472kg, or 20 per cent, of that figure. ‘To put this in context,’ says Roos, ‘thirty eight seedlings would need to grow into trees for at least 10 years to offset these emissions.’ He says that Mazzei’s assessment was an ‘eye-opener’. ‘Until now our studio has always put the experience and the visual effect of the light as the primary focus at concept stage, with the choice of lighting equipment not considered until later in the process. This relatively small project has allowed us to begin to adjust our approach.’
Mark Allan Photography/Tim P Whitby
From Barbican exhibition to bat superhighway, Jill Entwistle looks at some of the winning projects in the latest Build Back Better Awards
p Our Time on Earth exhibition with lighting by Speirs Major: the aim was to 'make it our most sustainable project ever'
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Awards
November/December 2022
Licht Kunst Licht and Staab Architekten collaborated on a renovation scheme designed to increase daylight levels, bringing both diffuse and direct natural light into the debating chamber. This was achieved by installing 12 large circular skylights (diameter 2.60m) and 36 smaller ones (0.80m) inserted flush with the flat roof. The larger openings have conical light tubes which emit diffuse light from their translucent surface, as well as bringing direct light to the space. The smaller fittings bring reflective light into the space through a translucent and satinised ceiling made of plastic panels. The daylight is supplemented by LED light sources. The result is that each seat in the chamber is guaranteed a direct and nearly unobstructed visual connection to the sky.
Marcus Ebener
Award: Platinum + Green State Parliament of BadenWuerttemberg, Stuttgart, Germany Lighting design: Licht Kunst Licht
p LKL's scheme for the debating chamber of a German state parliament was to increase daylight levels. Each seat now has a direct visual connection to the sky
A self-evidently massive project and long in the gestation (some 13 years) the aim for the design and lighting was to create a passenger experience that was both practical and pleasant – a modern, minimal but not clinical, functional transport system. From today’s perspective, LEDs were an obvious choice but a bold one in 2009, especially given London Underground’s desire to stick with fluorescent. The scheme also goes against the grain of what is customarily a downlight-driven, utilitarian environment. Indirect lighting is used in the concourses, escalator tunnels and platforms to emphasise the space itself rather than drawing attention to the luminaires. Good vertical illuminance was prioritised in the lighting design to improve facial recognition of fellow passengers, and make the space more legible and visually interesting. Ambient and accent lighting are clearly distinguished, and colour temperature applied to help make navigation intuitive: cool white (5000K) for areas classified as ‘transition spaces’ and warm white (3000K) for ‘wayfinding spaces’. Equal access for people with disabilities and reduced
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Morley von Sternberg
Award: Platinum Line-wide design, Elizabeth Line, London Underground Lighting design: Equation Lighting Design
mobility was also one of the cornerstones of the design. A family of custom-designed products with a similar aesthetic and appearance ensures visual consistency, with the various luminaire components carefully integrated into the architectural design. The use of indirect lighting and luminaires with diffuse luminous surfaces help to create a more visually comfortable environment with fewer shadows and veiling reflections. Maintainability, continuous refurbishment of luminaire housings and component recovery principles were embedded in the design of light fittings and systems to ensure the extended design life of the installation. Key lighting suppliers to the project were Future Designs, Designplan and Designed Architectural Lighting.
p Centre: the scheme for the Elizabeth Line was designed to be both practical and pleasant for the passenger, with emphasis on good vertical illuminance. Above: CGI of concourse with Totem fitting by Future Designs
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Designed by architect Benjamin Dean Wyatt and opened on the site of several previous theatres in 1812, the Grade I-listed Theatre Royal Drury Lane has been completely refurbished for the first time in a century. Central to the £60m project was revealing and restoring Wyatt’s original foyers and staircase – arguably the most impressive sequence of Georgian public interior spaces in existence. The lighting involved a granular attention to detail. BDP’s team worked with Haworth Tompkins Architects to determine the appearance of each paint finish both in daylight and under the warm candlelight in the evenings. From the outset, archive records were used to determine the original intent of the lighting. Drawings and publications from the theatre’s history were studied to determine the focus of the lighting in each space, whether low level standard, wall sconce or chandelier. ‘The lighting is so intrinsic to the space that part of our idea was to create a sense of timelessness – the feeling that the lighting has always been that way, but you can’t quite tell when it was installed,’ says Colin Ball, lighting director at BDP. Rather than replicate period fittings, the intention was to make them look contemporary, yet historically appropriate – all diffusers in the chandeliers and sconces were hand blown and cut, according to 19th-century techniques – with equipment updated to meet modern requirements. The lighting is integrated within the original historic forms and uses hidden spotlights and local accents to ensure all ages and visual impairments are catered for at every stage of the theatre experience. The three crystal bowl pendants in the foyer (by crystal specialist Wilkinson), for example, were scaled up to 2m in diameter and fitted with a series of diffuse lamps and chrome spotlights to create a balance of ambient wash and focused spotlighting. The BDP team even realised that the lamps in the hands of the four muse statues in the Rotunda could be used to deliver the emergency lighting. To keep light levels as low as possible throughout the day and evening BDP
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p The intention was to make fittings look contemporary, yet historically appropriate: 'the feeling that the lighting has always been that way'
designed the optics and finishes of the corridors and spaces as a sequence to ensure that the eye can comfortably adjust from daylight into the relatively low 50-lux interior of the auditorium. Each change of level or collection of vertical details are illuminated locally to create a space that appears ‘warm’ rather than ‘dark’.
The Theatre Royal Drury Lane was one of the first to use innovations such as whale oil, gas and, later, electricity. It has continued that pioneering tradition with the first use of dimming technologies across an entire theatre in the West End, creating flexibility throughout, allowing light levels to be tuned for both ambience and sensitivity.
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Tom Niven
Award: Platinum Theatre Royal Drury Lane, London Lighting design: BDP
Awards
Award: Green We Share The Night bat ‘superhighway’ Frederiksborgvej, Denmark Lighting design: Light Bureau One of the more unusual projects in the BBB Awards was a scheme to light a 700m-stretch of a major road, the Frederiksborgvej in the outskirts of Copenhagen, which includes a cycle superhighway, ‘the Farum route’. What made the project challenging was that the area is also home to several species of roosting and foraging bats. Central to the brief therefore was that the lighting for the road and bicycle path must have the lowest possible impact on the nearby bat colony. The solution was a radical one: the use of red rather than white light. Research shows that red light is less disruptive for wildlife – insects and therefore bats gravitate to white/green light – while allowing people to find their way and even maintain their dark adaptation for night-time viewing. To preempt the inevitable questions and probable criticism from road users and locals, the authority concerned, Gladsaxe Municipality, made an effort to explain this very particular approach to street lighting and its purpose through local media, and in discussions on social media. It emphasised
that the project was part of the municipality’s implementation of UN Sustainable Development Goals, with the aim of taking the lead in ensuring the best conditions locally for both animals, humans and biodiversity. The lighting scheme involves an installation of 30 bollards, each 1m high and spaced 30m apart. The bollards are placed far apart to create corridors of complete darkness, ensuring low impact on the bats and allowing light-shy, ground-based species to cross the area without being exposed as potential prey, while still providing ample lighting for the bicycle path. Where cyclists and pedestrians need to cross the road, 12 taller poles (3.5m high) have been positioned to create a change in the environment, which helps improve awareness and increase safety in these specific areas. The light level where cyclists cross the street is 2.5 hemispherical lux and has a uniformity of 0.15. Lighting designer Philip Jelvard acknowledges that the approach is an experimental one. ‘This is a new type of project for us and we had several discussions with biologists and bat experts to establish how we could achieve the best compromise between fulfilling both human and bat needs. In the coming year we want to establish more cooperation with the biologists, to evaluate
if it has had the planned effect and learn from this case.’ The project also has wider implications, says Jelvard. ‘It will form the basis for future discussions on how we translate scientific research and technical knowledge into sitespecific lighting projects and how to design low-impact lighting solutions.’ The winners of the latest Build Back Better Awards were announced on 12 September. For full details, including winning product concepts, go to: www.buildbackbetterawards.com/ winners-2022 PLATINUM: exceptional exemplars with the potential to transform and disrupt their sector GOLD: for candidate products and projects which exhibit true innovation and unique points of difference GREEN: products designed and made with an exceptional commitment to circular economy and sustainability principles, as opposed to merely low energy
Rune Brandt Hermannsson
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p Higher poles indicate where cyclists and pedestrians cross the road: 'this scheme will form the basis for future discussions on how we translate research into site-specific lighting projects'
Twitter: @sll100
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Guidance
November/December 2022
SHARED VALUES
The new edition of Lighting Guide 9: Lighting for Communal Residential Buildings is now available. In the nine years since the previous version in 2013 there have been dramatic changes both in LED technology and in statutory efficiency standards. Benedict Cadbury explains why the time was right for an updated (third) version
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he aim of LG9 is to outline the principles involved in this area and demonstrate their application with examples of good practice. The communal residential category covers a very wide range of building types and sizes, from a small hostel to a student residence block with 200 rooms. It covers both public and private sectors. It could mean the communal areas of a town house divided into three flats, but could equally apply to a large home for the elderly providing 24-hour care for 100 residents. The following are five key changes that have been made to the 2013 document: • Wellbeing of residents has become a priority • Dimming and controls play a much more important part in a lighting scheme and a much wider range of products is available. These form an integral part of a lighting specification, and compatibility aspects between
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these and the luminaires specified have to be considered • Emergency lighting starts with a Risk Assessment and identification of the Responsible Person. Each building must be considered individually, so it is no longer permissible simply to reproduce a template arrangement • Daylight is an important consideration, both to maximise access to it for residents, and also to meet energy efficiency targets. Daylight controls of lighting in communal areas generate substantial cost savings compared with lighting in operation 24 hours a day • Energy efficiency standards have increased significantly. In 2011 Building Regulations Part L required lighting efficiency of 55 luminaire lumens per circuit watt (LLCW). Ten years later the 2021 Approved Documents prescribe: – Dwellings: 75 light source lumens per circuit watt – Other types of building:
95 luminaire lumens per circuit watt (LLCW). The latter represents a 72 per cent increase in luminous efficacy; the former is less precise because of the pragmatic move from luminaire lumens to lamp efficacy, but nevertheless means 25-30 per cent Lighting is the most important determinant of the character and atmosphere of a room. When this is a person’s living space, in which they may spend many (if not all) hours of the day, lighting needs to be selected and specified with the occupants in mind. Two things are of fundamental importance to the wellbeing of residents: • •
Individual control over lighting Variety of luminaires and lighting methods in the building
While from a procurement, planning and installation point of view it is efficient to use
sll.org.uk
Guidance
November/December 2022
Billy Bolton/Lodha
‘Occupants may spend many – if not all – hours of the day in a living space, so lighting needs to be selected and specified with them in mind’
only a small number of different luminaires, this typically results in bland uniformity for residents. It is recommended that varied lighting schemes be considered for different areas and, in large establishments, on separate floors. A chapter is therefore devoted to discussing alternative lighting methods, with their advantages and disadvantages. Many luminaires are illustrated, and suggested methods of lighting different types of rooms and areas are given. Also addressed are the considerations for lighting external areas around communal residential buildings. This could be the approach road built by the new developer to be adopted by the local authority, the car parking spaces, the external pathways, or the entrance areas and signage. Any exterior lighting involves wider considerations: avoiding light spill on to neighbouring
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p Lincoln Square, a 10-storey luxury residential scheme in London’s Strand conservation area, lighting by StudioFractal: communal residential is a broad category ranging from private apartments to student accommodation and social housing
properties and mitigating negative effects on nocturnal animal and bird life. Maintenance is another important consideration. Whatever the context, any lighting installation is only as good as its maintenance regime. The light output of all luminaires will drop over time, caused by a reduction in the output of the light source itself and an increase in environmental pollutants to the exterior surfaces of the luminaire. While not all projects are large enough to be required to include CDM requirements, this does not mean that these should be ignored. Luminaires positioned such that they require costly-to-hire specialist access equipment for maintenance or replacement, or that could potentially
put the installer at unnecessary risk, should therefore be avoided. This document is not intended to be prescriptive or restrict innovative ideas, but to provide sufficient information and guidance to allow readers to make informed choices for any proposed lighting system in this category of building. SLL Lighting Guide 9 (LG9): Lighting for Communal Residential Buildings, authored by Nigel Monaghan, FSLL, and Benedict Cadbury, FSLL, can now be downloaded (free for members) or purchased at: www.cibse.org/knowledgeresearch/knowledge-portal/lg9-lightingfor-communal-residential-buildings-2022
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LR&T essentials
November/December 2022
ON THE BRIGHT SIDE Iain Carlile examines three of the most recently published papers from Lighting Research and Technology, which investigate brightness perception, discomfort glare and visual performance arrying out investigations into predicting brightness, de Vries et al undertook three different experiments in which participants assessed brightness in an open-plan office environment. The experiments each varied a different aspect of the visual field, the first varying luminance distribution on the wall, the second varying the desk illuminance, and the third the ceiling illumination. High-resolution luminance images were correlated with the participants’ brightness ratings in order to identify to what extent brightness could be predicted. It was found that participants could be grouped into two categories: the first group substantially and consistently varied in their brightness assessments for the different settings, while the second comprised participants who responded more evenly, regardless of setting. The authors go on to present parameters that provide a good estimation of brightness within their experiments, and which confirm results from other studies. They note that further research is required to explore other parameters which may affect brightness perception. Vissenberg et al have looked at discomfort glare. They note that current discomfort glare measures are typically based on glare source properties such as luminance or luminous
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intensity, and are valid only with specific situations and types of light sources – an example being unified glare rating (UGR) which is intended for indoor applications with medium-sized glare sources. The CIE has recently established technical committee TC 3-37 with the aim of developing a generic sensation model based on the physiology of the human visual system, considering elements such as pupil size, eye optics and movements, as well as cones, ganglion cells and neural processing. Within their paper, Vissenberg et al present an example of such a glare model and compare the model to UGR in an indoor environment and to subjective glare responses in an outdoor-like environment. The comparative results showed a good correlation with the different application settings, and they conclude that the model based on the human visual system may be considered generic. Examining the application of road lighting for pedestrians, Fotios et al consider the use of the Relative Visual Performance (RVP) model to predict the performance of a face-based interpersonal evaluation task. The authors note that there have been many previous studies into how changes in lighting conditions affect the ability to make interpersonal evaluations, typically considering light levels or light spectrum. Instead, by using
the RVP model, an investigation was conducted into the effects of adaptation luminance, pavement surface reflectance, observer age, and the skin tone of the observed person (it is also noted that previous studies tended to use young participants evaluating Caucasian or Asian faces). It was found that the studied variables all impacted on the ability of the task. A road surface illuminance of around 7.5 lux was suggested as optimal for a young (25-year-old) observer to evaluate a face of either Caucasian or South African skin tone, while this same value was also suggested as optimal for an elderly (65-year-old) observer to evaluate a face of Caucasian skin tone. However, this would need to be doubled to 15 lux to reach an optimal level for the elderly person to evaluate a face of South African skin tone. Iain Carlile, FSLL, is a past president of the SLL and a senior associate at dpa lighting consultants
Lighting Research and Technology: OnlineFirst In advance of being published in the print version of Lighting Research and Technology (LR&T), all papers accepted for publishing are available online. SLL members can gain access to these papers via the SLL website (www.sll.org.uk) From luminance to brightness: A data-driven approach to support brightness assessments in openplan offices A de Vries, I Heynderickx and YAW de Kort A generic, visual system-based model for discomfort from glare MCJM Vissenberg, M Perz, MAH Donners and D Sekulovski Using relative visual performance to predict performance of an interpersonal evaluation task with variation in adaptation luminance, observer age, skin tone, pavement reflection and interpersonal distance S Fotios, Y Mao, K Hamoodh and C Cheal
p Visualisation of the areas used to extract luminance distribution characteristics (de Vries et al)
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sll.org.uk
Top five
November/December 2022
Eliot Horsman, MSLL, is chair of the SLL communications committee and head of application – urban life and architectural, at Thorn Lighting
Twitter: @sll100
Arf & Yes lighting/set design Dom Fellowes/Flickr
3 Paul Carless, St Albans, UK
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orking, as all we lighters do, within a certain discipline of the lighting industry, some are lucky enough to be involved in concert lighting on a daily basis. The rest of us are perhaps even luckier because we get the chance to experience live concert lighting with fresh eyes in the moment. Eyes which widen, searching for the narrative behind the design, the tricks of the trade used to create the visual effect, or how various new technologies have been integrated to push boundaries of what is possible. Until eventually our analytical lighting minds surrender and we just immerse ourselves in the sensory experience. Like many of us over the years, I’ve been fortunate enough to attend countless live concerts and gigs. We all have our favourites, those that stick in the memory. Most of mine inspired either the product or lighting design I was involved in at the time. Or they stand out purely for the impression they made on me at various stages of my professional lighting journey. Some may even be the very reason why I got hooked into the world of lighting and never let go. The following are my Top Five.
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subetheric /Flickr
Beginning a new series which will see different lighting professionals select exemplars of excellent lighting in different genres, Eliot Horsman selects his Top Five rock concerts
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Melanie Smith/www.mudkissphotography.co.uk
ROCK SOLID
Artist: Jean-Michel Jarre Concert: Live in Monaco 2011 Famous for bringing architectural lighting design principles into the hedonistic world of rock concert lighting, Jarre rewrote the rule book again by staging a floating concert in Monaco harbour and arriving at the stage on a speed boat. With perhaps the most literal combination of light and sound – the laser harp. Artist: Pet Shop Boys Concert: Dreamworld Tour 2022 They took mundane, functional road and street luminaires and used them as the centrepiece of the synth pop extravaganza. Imagine my excitement to learn that smart city technology can also have the benefit of tracking Neil Tennant’s onstage manoeuvres.
Artist: Pink Floyd Concert: Pulse, live at Earls Court 1994 They pushed the boundaries in a pre-LED world. This is the concert which triggered my love for lighting. Inflatable pigs with laser-beam eyes and a 12-kW metal halide gas discharge lamp within a giant expanding mirror ball were the focal points of the infamous liquid light show.
Artist: Grace Jones Concert: Hurricane Tour 2009 The formidable Miss Grace Jones, renowned for her presence on stage. What captivated me during the Hurricane Tour was the use of light to accentuate intricate detail. Careful selection of beam angles, their positioning and aiming supported the grandeur of Grace.
Artist: Liam Gallagher Concert: The Ritz, Manchester 2017 A local hero comeback gig overshadowed by the terrorist attack in Manchester just eight days before. Twenty-two candles represented each of the victims, lit in their memory during one of Manchester’s anthems – Live Forever. Sometimes the most impactful and evocative lighting is the simplest.
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Events 2022
For details of all upcoming webinars, go to: www.cibse.org/society-oflight-and-lighting-sll/sll-events/upcoming-webinars-and-online-content For previously recorded CPD webinars (including regional webinars), go to: www.cibse.org/society-of-light-and-lighting-sll/sll-events/pastpresentations
ONLINE EVENTS AGILE LIGHTING RESEARCH: BRIDGING THE GAP BETWEEN THEORY AND PRACTICE IN HUMANCENTRED LIGHTING (Interdisciplinary debate sponsored by the SLL) Date: 3 November Curator: Shelley James, Age of Light Innovations Chair: Ruth Kelly-Waskett, senior associate, Hoare Lea Panel: Peter Fordham, electrical engineering design manager, Sainsbury's; Christina Friis Blach, co-founder and CEO, LYS Technologies; Florence Lam, Arup fellow and global lighting design director; Peter Raynham, professor of the lit environment, UCL; Prof Debra Skene, University of Surrey; Karim Sorefan, lecturer, University of Sheffield The aim: to understand obstacles and identify opportunities for collaborative research partnerships that will offer reliable, data about effective lighting interventions in business settings www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/agile-lighting-research-bridging-the-gapbetween-theory-and-practice-tickets-388497655947
EVENTS LIGHT MIDDLE EAST 2022 (Messe Frankfurt Middle East) Date: 21-23 November Venue: Dubai World Trade Centre www.lightme.net LIGHT22 Date: 22-23 November Venue: Business Design Centre, Islington, London www.lightexpo.london CIBSE BUILD2PERFORM Date: 29-30 November Venue: London ExCeL www.build2perform.co.uk
AVAILABLE WEBINARS INCLUDE SLL IN CONVERSATION (in assocation with Signify) With Dr Eleonora Brembilla, assistant professor at TU Delft, and Dr Kynthia Chamilothori, assistant professor at Eindhoven University of Technology, who discuss their research into climate-based daylight modelling, and human interaction and perception of daylight and sunlight in spaces
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