arc August/September Issue 123 by Mondiale Media

123 AUG/SEP 2021

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Deeper Underground A new lighting scheme respects the heritage of Italy’s Collepardo Caves, while showcasing the wonders within.

MUSEUM & CULTURAL LIGHTING • PAUL NULTY • DR SHELLEY JAMES [D]ARC ROOM POP-UP PREVIEW • DGA NANO TINI REVIEWED • IALD AWARDS

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02/08/2021 11:16

032 Paul Nulty As Paul Nulty celebrates his studio’s 10th anniversary this year, arc sat down with him to talk about how it all started, and what the next 10 years may bring.

Contents

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Editorial Comment Headlines Eye Opener Spotlight Snapshot Briefing GreenLight Alliance column Red Dot Design Awards David Morgan Product Review New Products Manufacturer Case Studies Event Diary Back Page Bucket List

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048 The Diet of Light Throughout lockdown, Dr. Shelley James has been spreading the word about the importance of healthy light. Here, she tells us all about the Luna Project and her goals for a better lit future.

092 The First Rule of Light Club... Earlier this year, Martin Lupton, Katia Kolovea and Annukka Larsen launched Light Club: a virtual meeting place for the lighting community on Clubhouse. Here, they explain the rules.

094 Under One Sky With installations from more than 60 renowned light artists, Saudi Arabia’s Noor Riyadh was a four-month celebration of light and art.

099 Honours List The winners of the 38th annual IALD International Lighting Design Awards, presented by Cooper Lighting Solutions, were announced in an online ceremony this June.

108 [d]arc room pop-up @ Design London preview After 18 long months of webinars, Zoom meetings and virtual events, [d]arc media returns to the real world with [d]arc room pop-up @ Design London this September. Our preview gives you the low-down on what to expect at the event.

Lynar It’s your move

An elegant (40 mm) modular profile.

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040 Google Store, USA The first ever physical Google Store opened in New York this June. Designed by Reddymade Architecture, a complementary lighting scheme was developed by Reveal Design Group. Pic: Paul Warchol

Projects

AUG/SEP 2021

060 Shanghai Astronomy Museum, China The newly opened Shanghai Astronomy Museum is characterised by its beautiful, swirling form. Designed by Ennead Architects, Brandston Partnership developed the lighting concept for this striking new centre.

070 The National Museum of the United States Army, USA The National Museum of the United States Army tells the storied history of the US Armed Forces with a dramatic lighting strategy from Available Light.

076 Collepardo Caves, Italy Italy’s Collepardo Caves have been given a mystic, ethereal new lighting scheme from OkiDoki Arkitekter that highlights the naturally-formed caverns while protecting its thriving ecosystem.

086 Museo Egizio, Italy The oldest museum dedicated to Ancient Egyptian culture, Turin’s Museo Egizio has recently undergone a renovation, with a new lighting scheme created by Belgian designer Chris Pype.

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CMY

EDITORIAL

Front cover: Collepardo Caves, Frosinone, Italy (Pic: Jansin & Hammarling)

Editorial

Managing Editor Helen Ankers h.ankers@mondiale.co.uk Editor Matt Waring m.waring@mondiale.co.uk Contributing Editor Sarah Cullen s.cullen@mondiale.co.uk

Commercial

Managing Director Paul James p.james@mondiale.co.uk Head of Business Development Jason Pennington j.pennington@mondiale.co.uk Media Sales Manager Andrew Bousfield a.bousfield@mondiale.co.uk Media Sales Executive Adam Syme a.syme@mondiale.co.uk

Guess who’s back... After 18 long months, our live events are returning with [d]arc room pop-up... It’s been a very long time coming, but here at [d]arc media, we’re all

delighted to finally be returning to the real world as our first physical event since December 2019 is just around the corner.

You may have seen us shouting about it on social media over the past couple of months, but on 22-25 September, we’re hosting [d]arc

room pop-up @ Design London, at the brand new Magazine venue

on London’s Greenwich Peninsula. It is the fifth edition of the event (after last year’s online edition, [d]arc room livestream), and we

can’t wait to get back out there amongst the people to see all of our lovely readers in person once more.

Alongside the exhibition space, we’re also thrilled to bring you the return of [d]arc thoughts - our first in-person talks programme

in two years. Taking place on the Magazine Mezzanine, the [d]arc thoughts programme will feature in-depth project conversations

and insightful discussions on the industry’s hot topics with some of the best and brightest names in the lighting design community. We

already have some great content lined up, but keep your eyes peeled for the full programme announcement soon!

Events & Marketing Manager Moses Naeem m.naeem@mondiale.co.uk

Finally, the news that I know you’ve all been desperately waiting for,

Design

much-lauded [d]arc awards party! Taking place on the opening night

Design Manager David Bell d.bell@mondiale.co.uk Production Mel Robinson m.robinson@mondiale.co.uk

Corporate

Chairman Damian Walsh d.walsh@mondiale.co.uk Finance Director Amanda Giles a.giles@mondiale.co.uk Credit Control Lynette Levi l.levi@mondiale.co.uk [d]arc media Strawberry Studios, Watson Square Stockport SK1 3AZ, United Kingdom T: +44 (0)161 476 8350 www.arc-magazine.com arc@mondiale.co.uk

with the return of live events comes the return of [d]arc night - our of Design London on 22 September, the [d]arc night party will be a chance for the lighting design community to catch up face to face

over a drink, get reacquainted and celebrate the achievements of last year’s [d]arc awards winners.

As is customary for a [d]arc night party, the celebration will also feature a number of light-art installations on show for guests to absorb. With this year’s theme focused on The Spectrum, we’re

expecting some great things from our supporting design teams.

Entry to the party is completely free, but all guests are required to register for Design London in advance.

We’re incredibly excited about finally getting back out there, and we hope that you’ll all come down to say hello - it’s been a while! See you there!

Printed by Buxton Press To subscribe visit www.arc-magazine.com or call +44 (0)161 476 5580 arc, ISSN

17535875, is published bi-monthly by Mondiale Publishing, Strawberry Studios, Watson Square, Stockport, Cheshire, SK1 3AZ.

Matt Waring Editor

Subscription records are maintained at Strawberry Studios, Watson Square, Stockport, Cheshire, SK1 3AZ. Proudly Supporting

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E Eclipse – the best contour spotlight of its kind

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26.07.2021 09:50:46

NEWS

Headlines Silhouette Awards launched to shine light on rising stars (Worldwide) - New awards to provide young designers with mentorship from senior lighting professionals. Archifos and Parrot PR and Marketing have launched the Silhouette Awards – a new awards programme designed to shine a light on emerging talent within the lighting industry. Focused on providing support to young professionals, the Silhouette Awards will provide a platform to showcase young industry talent, offering much-deserved recognition and publicity for their achievements to date, followed by six months of mentorship with a senior lighting professional. The newly launched awards have garnered significant industry support, with supporters including [d]arc media, apdi, Designers Mind, IALD, Lightecture, Skills Army and the SLL, while sponsors to date include Delta Light, Filix Lighting, formalighting and Vode Lighting. The goal for the awards is to find the industry’s rising stars, who have the vision and ambition to steer and lead the industry in the coming years. Shortlisted nominees will be invited to an interview led by an expert panel of judge mentors, comprising senior influential lighting designers who are on the lookout to nurture young talent and help other likeminded individuals benefit from their own personal experiences. The panel of judge mentors comprises a dynamic group of senior lighting professionals from across the world, all aligned with the vision of giving back to the industry. The line-up of mentors includes: Melissa Mak, Marcus Steffen, Suzan Tillotson, David Gilbey, Dario Nunez Salazar, Monica Luz Lobo, Linus Lopez, Beata Denton, Fernando Mazzetti, Sam Koerbel, Lara Elbaz, Anna Sbokou, Rouzana Kopti, Ruth Kelly Waskett, Martin Klassen, Star Davis, Michael Grubb, Marci Song, Jonathan Rush and Victor Palacio. Eve Gaut, Founder of Parrot PR and Marketing, commented: “We felt there was a real gap in the market in rewarding and supporting the latest talent in our industry through something more than a conventional awards programme. As a mentor, I feel strongly that young people

should be supported, and given the opportunity to rise and excel further, so the Silhouette Awards seemed the perfect project for Parrot and Archifos to collaborate on. We have a shared passion to nurture young people, and to give back to the industry that we love so much. We feel confident the Silhouette Awards will deliver just that.” Katia Kolovea, Founder of Archifos, added: “Having been recognised for my commitment to the industry at a young age, I strongly believe that there needs to be a platform for the rising stars of today – one that goes beyond a trophy and offers continued support. “Receiving recognition early in my career proved to be invaluable to me and my future endeavours, and I hope the Silhouette Awards will also provide others with this opportunity to shine, build confidence and discover their professional potential with the support of their mentor. Mentorship is important for growth in all aspects of life and the mentormentee relationship is vital for everyone to experience.” For more info on the Silhouette Awards and how you can get involved, contact info@silhouetteawards.com. www.silhouetteawards.com

Motoko Ishii Lighting Design publishes Lightopia book (Japan) - The compilation features highlights from more than 50 years’ of Ishii’s stellar lighting career. Motoko Ishii Lighting Design has published Lightopia, a celebratory book highlighting more than 50 years of work from the renowned lighting designer. The book includes 150 words, selected from among more than 1,600 projects that Ishii has been involved in from 1968 to 2020. Written in both Japanese and English in the hope that it’ll be widely read around the world, the book features recent works from 2000-2020 when read from left to right, with archive projects from 1968-1999 running from right to left. The 2000 Millennium Version of the Rainbow Bridge, and a detailed 50-year chronology are at the book’s centre. Motoko Ishii, a world-famous lighting designer and icon to many in the industry, has been a pioneer in the field in Japan since establishing her office in 1968. She has been involved in lighting across genres and typologies, from large-scale buildings, bridges, historic buildings,

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and the city as a whole, to the development of hotel chandelier designs and optical technologies. Among her many standout projects are the light-up of Tokyo Tower, which has become a symbol colouring the Tokyo nightscape; Rainbow Bridge, Yokohama Bay Bridge, Tokyo Gate Bridge, Akashi Kaikyo Bridge; Imperial Palace Gaien (Outer Garden), Nippon Budokan, Kabukiza, Himeji Castle, Osaka Castle; Tsukuba Expo (1985), Expo 2005 Aichi; Sensoji Temple, Zenkoji Temple; Shirakawago, Kurashiki City, Onomichi City, Shimonoseki City, Hakodate City; light-up events in Paris, Berlin, Rome. In 2019, Ishii was recognised as a Person of Cultural Merit by the Japanese government. This celebratory book provides an overview of the world of light painted by Motoko Ishii, through examples from her prolific career, spanning more than 50 years. www.motoko-ishii.co.jp

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8/9/2021 8:41:05 AM

MATT3R: Origin of Creation Spain

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For Madrid’s Urban Digital Art Festival, MMMAD, Valenciabased creative studio Vitamin has created MATT3R: Origin of Creation, a real-time, interactive audiovisual experience about the origin of creation, an abstract concept that combines science and consciousness to focus on the whole as an ensemble and an equal. With eight years of experience within the artistic and technological world, developing innovative strategies and ideas and materialising unique interactive experiences, Vitamin’s approach allows users to be participants and main characters in their work in a personalised, dynamic way. MMMAD was held in Madrid throughout May 2021, with a focus on the intersection between digital culture and public space. The festival used numerous locations, and included

EYE OPENER

exhibitions, installations, workshops, and meetings throughout its schedule. With MATT3R, Vitamin created an immersive space in an 80sqm room within Madrid’s Taller de Ideas venue, using a 10x3-metre curved LED screen as a central elements, accompanied by a series of LED tubes that reacted to the audiovisuals in real-time, with light being a fundamental element within the piece. The interactive experience ponders and digitally interprets quantum physics, the fundamental forces and the numerical and geometric patterns that rule the universe and originate matter, creating realities to understand itself. Starting the journey in the first dimension, the visuals evolve incorporating physical parameters and constants to

the behaviour of the different digital particles. During the experience, the particles react to the fundamental forces of the universe such as gravitational, electromagnetic, strong and weak. Vitamin has designed the installation to incorporate interactivity. Throughout the experience, users can interact with it by modifying the audiovisual trajectories and adding parameters, making each show unique and unrepeatable. Following its appearance at MMMAD, Vitamin hope to take MATT3R on tour and display it at festivals around the world throughout 2021 and 2022. www.vitamin-arte.com Photography: CENIZA

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Hymn to the Big Wheel, Liz West

Spotlight Summer Lights UK London’s Canary Wharf has this summer been transformed into a prism of light, as it welcomes a series of dynamic artworks for the launch of Summer Lights. Created by the organisers of Canary Wharf’s Winter Lights and Connected by Light festivals, held during the year’s darkest months, Summer Lights instead celebrated the power of natural light for three months from June to August. Exploding into life from sunrise, the collection of artworks, from designers such as Liz West, toyStudio, Amberlights, Tine Bech Studio and Helena Doyle, used a combination of the sun and colour spectrums to project and celebrate light in its most natural form. While creating a world of intricate patterns and reflections that are visually dazzling, the installations also shone a light on a number of important messages. From sustainability, plastic pollution, and energy consumption to LQBTQIA+ and equality; these important themes were all highlighted through the language of light. Among the line-up of vibrant works was Ocean Rise by artist Aphra Shemza. Built using sustainable materials, the shape of the piece emulated a wave in the ocean, and was accompanied by a bespoke soundscape that visitors could

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access through a QR code. Another highlight was Whirl by Helena Doyle X Tom Cherry & Temple, which transformed the wind into a dynamic dance of colour and light. Sitting beneath the domed structure the audience could enjoy the mesmerising light show overhead. The festival also featured the latest Liz West installation, Hymn to the Big Wheel. The piece, inspired by the Massive Attack song of the same name, consisted of a multicoloured octagon nestled within a larger octagonal shape, and was designed to explore the illusion and physicality of colour and natural light in an urban space. Constructed using transparent coloured sheets, the work prompted the playful movement of visitors to explore the work in context with their surroundings. Elsewhere, toyStudio created two installations. The first, Circle of Light [Spectrum], saw the colours of the spectrum mapped out in relation to the sun’s path. From dawn to dusk, the reach of the coloured shadows moved depending on the angle of the sun. The second installation, Kilpi, was based on the celestial maps, and represented the constellations found in the skies above Canary Wharf, with perforations creating ever-changing shadows.

SPOTLIGHT

Shine Your Colours, Tine Bech Studio

Whirl, Helena Doyle X Tom Cherry & Temple

Ocean Rise, Aphra Shemza

Amberlights’ Out of the Cocoon was a colourful, interactive seating installation that could be admired both from up close and afar. As visitors walked around the structure, they could see how the colours changed before their eyes. Tine Bech Studio’s Shine Your Colours featured six transparent coloured glass panels that created a space focusing on wellbeing. Martin Richman’s Round and Round, meanwhile, created a lively space full of reflecting and refracting shapes and colours via turning circles, bringing the Jubilee Park ponds to life. Open for eight weeks, visitors were invited to download the Summer Lights map to navigate their own journey around the installations, or alternatively download a specially made podcast to hear more about the inspiration behind each piece. Lucie Moore, Group Arts and Events Manager at Canary Wharf Group, said: “We are so excited to launch Summer Lights. We’ve been the pioneer of award-winning light festivals during the winter months, so to put a new twist on the theme of summer is only natural. “The artists involved are phenomenally talented and the innovation in their pieces to display light during the brightest months is something truly special. After a difficult year, we hope that this will be a summer highlight for people to visit.” www.canarywharf.com

Circle of Light [Spectrum], toyStudio

Out of the Cocoon, Amberlights

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SPOTLIGHT

Pics: James Medcraft, courtesy of Jason Bruges Studio

Latent Façade UK Jason Bruges Studio has unveiled Latent Façade – a major public artwork for a new landmark building designed by architects Scott Brownrigg as part of the TusPark development at the Cambridge Science Park. Trinity College established the Park in response to a report by a University of Cambridge Committee under the Chairmanship of Sir Nevill Mott, then Cavendish Professor of Experimental Physics. Latent Façade was designed by Jason Bruges Studio as an exploration of how images are recorded, stored and creatively reimagined. Its hexagonal form references the work of Sir Nevill, who described ‘latent image’ – the process by which light transforms hexagonal silver halide crystals within photographic film to record an invisible ‘trace’. The artwork is also inspired by the pioneering research done by companies on the Cambridge Science Park into image capture and computer vision. The installation uses computer vision to track everyday movements, with motion detection cameras

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on the south west and south east façades becoming the artwork’s ‘eyes’. During the day, Latent Façade observes and mirrors pedestrian and vehicular movements in real-time. At night, or during quiet spells, it closes its eyes and ‘dreams’. Using bespoke, generative algorithms, the artwork samples a library of recorded visitor movements, randomly selecting one ‘trace’ at a time to be used as a seed for an evolving animated display. This behaviour recalls the human tendency to seek patterns – an innate condition that affords people the ability to comprehend reality but also sometimes results in the perception of images where none exist. Commissioned by Trinity College and TusPark, the installation has been created to find beauty in the mundane. By interpreting everyday actions as unpredictable, performative patterns, it explores how art can transform the built environment into a dynamic, ever-changing spectacle. www.jasonbruges.com

WHERE THERE IS LIGHT, THERE IS LIFE.

Spotlight

Pics: Cheryl Wing-Zi Wong

Current USA Current is an interactive public sculpture by Cheryl Wing-Zi Wong on the new bridge path at the Mario M. Cuomo Bridge (former Tappan Zee Bridge) in New York. By day, the sculpture’s moving shadows and refractions of sunlight passing through the glass fins are ever-changing. In the evening, Current creates a shared spatial experience through the light animations that respond to movements of passers-by. Composed of 12 illuminated steel arches, Current is a dynamic sculpture that celebrates transformation. Referencing the ebb and flow of river currents, currents of light, and currents of time, the sculpture is under continual transformation. The sculpture’s largest arch is 25ft tall, with the smallest standing at 4.5ft. During the daytime, the sculpture responds to the sunlight cast upon it. The movements of the sun are seen through the shadows the sculpture draws on the adjacent ground, and through ever-changing pink and yellow refractions of sunlight that pass through the iridescent dichroic glass fins perched on the apex of each arch. In the evening, Current creates a shared spatial experience through the light animations that respond to movements of passers-by. The sculpture is self-illuminating with integrated LEDs that form lines of white light that shimmer across the array of arches. Similar to a clock’s chime, Current plays a unique, short light animation upon each new hour. Wing-Zi Wong worked with lighting designers from Arup on the illumination of Current. Arup has been providing peer review and design assistance to the New York State Thruways Authority (NYSTA) for several years as part of the design and construction oversight of the Mario M.

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Cuomo Bridge, its support structures and approach visitor areas. Here, Arup provided technical lighting consultancy, lighting specification, assembly of control systems, construction, and system setup oversight, as well as the programming of the sculpture. Designers Xena Petkanas and Christoph Gisel worked with Wing-Zi Wong to design and develop dynamic lighting scenes that were programmed and refined during several nighttime programming sessions on site. The sculpture’s lighting system consists of 24 runs of fully encapsulated, direct mains voltage powered LED strips, connected to a DMX controlled 120V dimming rack, controlled by a cue-based lighting processor, and triggered by two motion sensors at either side of the art piece. The effects were programmed using ETC theatrical programming software, and subsequently recorded onto the lighting processor. When either motion sensor is activated, one of 16 unique lighting effects is randomly triggered. To add complexity and unpredictability, up to three effects can be layered simultaneously if multiple triggers occur. Some effects are directional, and can only be triggered by one of the two motion sensors, increasing the perception that the effect is connected to the movements of passersby. The sculpture lighting subtly pulses at a low level between effect triggers. Embodying movement, progression, connection, and change Current has become a new community hub and experience for the Westchester landing. www.cw-zw.com www.arup.com

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SPOTLIGHT

Pics: Jae Young Park

Blue Line Park South Korea Inaugurated in Busan late last year, Blue Line Park is a new, linear urban park that stretches across 5km of the eastern coastline, as part of the redevelopment of a disused railway overlooking the East Sea, with an entrance to the Haeundae district, one of the most modern and dynamic neighbourhoods in the city. The park stretches from the foot of the Haeundae skyscrapers, through Cheongsapo, a typical fishing village that stretches out onto the coast, before arriving at Songjeong a seaside resort in Busan. Milanese studio Migliore + Servetto Architects handled the complete art direction of the park, designing the pedestrian walkways, the access roads, installations, lighting, wayfinding and visual identity. The idea behind the architects’ approach was to transform the new, functional route into a place with a strong experiential connotation geared towards hospitality, reactivating the relationship between the inhabitants of Busan and a long stretch of the coast that has been neglected, despite being home to a host of beautiful landscapes. Alongside the route, Migliore + Servetto created a series of light installations that add moments of intrigue. The installations are conceived as changing presences that dialogue with both natural and artificial light: they act as a natural landscape, where shadow, light and atmospheric elements enter and modify perception. The installations therefore act as an iridescent presence that breathes and vibrates in synchronicity with the wind and the structure, allowing itself to be transformed both by daylight and darkness. The first installations, a series of vast, yellow stems that almost resemble a kind of artificial, out of scale nature by day, evoke the masts of

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sailboats in ports that are only visible by their lights at night. Elsewhere, six imposing metal arches outline Mipo Square. The arches are situated as dynamic presences in dialogue with nature, tracing variable shadow effects on the flooring with natural light, mingling with the surrounding greenery in the darkness and emphasising the design of the texture in contrast with the sky by means of artificial light. About 450 metres from Mipo Square, the route meets the Dalmaji Tunnel, a concrete tunnel that was part of the old railway. One side is backed against the hill, while the other is punctuated by arched niches open to the sea. Here, the Rainbow Tunnel installation adds chromatic dynamism to visits. The niches of the tunnel have been strengthened with suspended overhanging corten arches and painted with graded chromatic fields, combined with coloured glass panels that alternatively close them off. The coloured glass allows train passengers to view the sea through a continuous chromatic mutation, while pedestrians on the path perceive passing trains as a range of frames in different colours. After dark, the archways are illuminated, creating a vibrant wash of colours within the park. The overall vision for the Blue Line Park is to rethink the livability of metropolises, creating a space that intersects with the fabric of the city and repurposes disused land, incorporating small communities and urbanised nature to break the productive rhythm of the city in favour of a form of time and space that is restorative, built on basic actions such as breathing, walking and looking into the distance. www.miglioreservetto.com

Walk on water

Te Mata Topaki (hovering headland) Lighting Design: Switch Lighting Design Architect: LandLAB Aerial Photography: Petra Leary Photography: Sam Hartnett

Duo Luna

KREATIVE LIGHTING STUDIO Based in the North East of England, Kreative Lighting Studio, founded by Kristina Barnes, brings a creative flair to projects across the UK, with a specialism in residential and hospitality destinations. Charlton Hall Chathill, UK Charlton Hall is a Grade II* listed 18th century hall located on a private countryside estate in Northumberland. Kreative Lighting Studio was appointed to deliver the lighting design for Charlton Hall’s main function room, The Looking Glass, a beautiful, versatile space that delivers on every reflective angle, in addition to lighting for the unconventional yet incredible bathrooms. With magnificent countryside views and a minimalist exterior, The Looking Glass is captivating both inside and out. To create a starry sky effect inspired by the dark skies of Northumberland, Kreative Lighting Studio used thousands of fibre ends supplied by a local manufacturer, UFO Lighting. The silver light installations illuminate gently from within, and as day turns to night, a galaxy of shooting stars emerges from a black ceiling whilst creating a true flow of outside/in design. Discrete recessed downlights disappear into the black sky, whilst throwing beautiful warm light onto the tables. Kreative Lighting Studio was also responsible for the lighting at Pole Barn, a fabulous seven-bedroom converted barn in the grounds of Charlton Hall, which sleeps 16 guests, alongside additional cottages/outbuildings that have been converted into buildings for wedding guests. Working in partnership with interior design practice, Jeffreys Interiors to create an idyllic dream getaway, all the lighting for the project was thoughtfully designed and supplied by Kreative Lighting Studio.

Darras Road Ponteland, UK Located in the popular and sought-after village of Darras Hall, Kreative Lighting Studio upgraded the lighting for a residential property on Darras Road, Ponteland. On receiving a clear brief to make the house come to life, making it brighter and not so gloomy, Kristina Barnes and her team quickly got to work. Built by a developer more than five years ago, the owner felt the home needed an upgrade and change to the existing lighting to better suit their needs. Previously grids of GU10 downlights had been fitted, which were no longer aesthetically pleasing, and over the years several LED lamps had been added that were all of varying colours and brightness. Kreative Lighting Studio got to work and gained a real insight into how the client wanted to control the final project. There were limitations with what could be changed without too much disruption due to the wiring, small ceiling voids and beams. As such, the new lighting was sourced. Downlights with a 95+ CRI were installed, and this was a first for Kreative Lighting Studio. Casambi, a Bluetooth Wireless System was specified, and this was one of the largest residential projects Casambi had been specified on. With more than 100 modules to control, Kreative Lighting Studio programmed all the lighting throughout the house, enabling the client to make changes themself when required, which may include adding new table lights with Casambi lamps and to any new exterior lighting.

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SNAPSHOT

Rockliffe Hall County Durham, UK Rockliffe Hall is a five-star luxury golf and spa hotel set in the quiet village of Hurworth on the edge of the County Durham and North Yorkshire border. Dating back to the 18th century, Rockliffe Hall is steeped in North Eastern history. Kreative Lighting Studio played a pivotal role in Rockliffe Hall’s renovation in 2010 following the purchase of the property by Middlesbrough Football Club. Involved from the onset on what was previously a derelict site, Kreative Lighting Studio provided the lighting design for all areas including three restaurants, five bars, three function rooms, landscaped gardens, façade lighting, reception areas, spa, gym, treatment rooms, the golf club, along with 64 high end bedrooms and suites. Kreative Lighting Studio was required to work on everything, from choosing the table lights, Dialux calculations for the streetlights and designing custom-made picture lights, in addition to setting up scenes in the late hours. At this time, it was the largest leisure project to use a DALI control system, and offered huge potential for the control. It was the first product chosen due to the limitations of wiring in the old hall, however it then became the preferred option of the design team for the entire project. For the hydropool in the spa, innovative lighting was selected to create a ripple effect with the colour change lighting in the ceiling ensuring the DALI control system was used to its full potential. Meanwhile, the 3AA Rosette Orangery restaurant benefitted from custom-made lighting by Stoane Lighting. Layers of light were created by oversized wall lanterns, table lights, in-ground uplights to columns and spotlights to highlight tables. It was also important for Kreative Lighting Studio to source sensitive external lighting for the Grade II listed building.

Kreative Lighting Studio

Brancepeth County Durham, UK Making use of discrete architectural lighting can have a transformational impact on the property itself. For a private residence in County Durham, Kreative Lighting Studio received a brief to create a minimalistic design with a chic finish, and the final look was exceptional. Despite not wanting to draw too much attention to the lighting itself, the carefully thought-out design worked to maximise the space, creating depth and height, whilst at the same time drawing attention to the most impressive areas of the house. Through the use of wall lights, spotlights and pendants, Kreative Lighting Studio successfully provided multiple layers of light throughout the house.

Slimline pendant lights were installed over the stairwell to complement the expansive use of glass, which acts as a banister to provide a focal point and create a real ‘wow’ factor to the hallway. This modern concept ensured there was no need for any chandeliers that would have felt excessive given the contemporary and minimalist design of the property. The carefully considered selection of decorative lighting by Kreative Lighting Studio was perfectly suited to the architecture of the property and its simple interior, while the installation of a KNX control system enables the owner to create atmospheric lighting throughout.

Kristina Barnes has a love of all things lighting, and brings her outstanding design skills, passion for innovation, excellent commercial sense, and infectious personality into every project she works on. Before beginning her own business, Barnes spent many years in London and Edinburgh, working for a number of major lighting design practices. Following this Kristina took the plunge and started her own business, KLS Lighting Design in 2007. She worked on a number of high-profile projects during this time, spanning different sectors and both interior and exterior spaces. As the credit-crunch hit, Barnes took time out to focus on having children and growing her family. To maintain her involvement in the lighting industry, she worked for a number of years in the commercial side of the lighting industry. By 2016, Barnes was ready to dive back into business ownership and as a lighting consultant. Kreative Lighting Studio was born, and she hasn’t looked back since. www.kls-light.co.uk

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BRIEFING

David Sellam

Following a recent rebrand and the launch of its first ever lighting collection, Carra, arc sits down with TLS CEO David Sellam to talk more about the new collection, the history of TLS, from its beginnings as a printing company, and the new direction for the brand. Can you give us a brief overview of your career to date? We started out as a small printing company in Israel more than 26 years ago. We then moved to Canada in 2002, offering large-format prints on fabric, then SEG lightboxes. Years later, as we continued to grow, we had no choice but to move to another larger facility when we received a project for a large lightbox that, once it was assembled, could not fit through our shipping doors. How did you get into lighting? At one time, we were using fluorescent tubes to backlight our lightboxes and, as our production sizes grew larger and the need for higher quality and sustainable illumination increased, we designed the award-winning TLS, which stands for Tension LED System. The system, which took four years to develop, is collapsible and offers even lighting for our clients’ single or double-sided lightboxes. Can you give us a bit of background on TLS as a company? How did it start? And how has it grown to the position it is in today? TLS is our architectural lighting division. At one of our print tradeshows, we were highlighting our lighting system in our lightboxes and a designer came up to us and asked a question that changed us dramatically: “Can you take your TLS and backlight stretch fabric in a ceiling?” We then realised we had a product for the architectural lighting sector and that’s what pushed us to launch our architectural lighting division. We got to today’s position by working with our agencies and partners in each territory and providing high-quality products for different project applications. We are continuously developing a wide range of products from tunable white to a pixel-controlled RGBW system along with control systems that provide our clients with the highest quality solutions. The company launched its first-ever lighting collection, Carra, earlier this year. What was the inspiration behind the collection? We felt that we needed to simplify our process by offering a standardised, off-the-shelf type of product, that can be easily specified into projects with our standard sizes, saving on costs, shop drawings and communication time. TLS originally grew by specialising in larger and more complex projects - a good fit for our tension LED system. The flexibility in terms of design demands and structure restrictions meant that we won a lot of large-scale projects. However, we recognised the growing demand for surface lighting. Why now? What led to the launch of Carra? It came from our designers and partners. We understood that the simplicity of having various standard sizes, mountings, lighting engines and frame colours made the entire process straightforward. Having

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high-quality surface lighting as a commodity product is something that we felt was needed amongst the designers. Our technology is really unique due to our patented system, and making that more easily accessible was the smart next step for us. TLS specialises in both bespoke and larger, more complex projects. How will that change with the introduction of Carra? Will this still be your core focus? We will still be known as the bespoke architectural lighting company. Carra has just made specifying certain projects easier. We added some high-tech machinery to our arsenal to continue delivering creative largescale projects. What applications/markets would the Carra collection best serve? Where do you see it being specified? We see it being specified in small and large scale environments, such as airports, retail, hospitality and, medical. The possibilities are virtually endless. Alongside the launch of the Carra collection, TLS has undergone a full re-brand. What was the reason behind this? What do you hope to achieve with it? As our brand awareness has grown exponentially over the last few years, we decided to take the company to the next level, by re-branding ourselves for our widening worldwide clientele. Do you have any more new products/collections in the pipeline? What is next for TLS? Our pipeline is filled with new products and technology, shortly we will launch two more collections, Circa and Linéa. Circa, our circular collection, will have standard sizes like Carra, and the same mounting and frame colour options. Linéa is our linear collection, standardised widths and available up to 20ft in length. With the three collections and our bespoke offerings, designers will be able to create lines, shapes, angles, circles with colours and contrast. What do you think the future holds for the lighting industry? We see the market shifting towards immersive lighting and away from static lighting. As with our VegaRGBW lighting engine, we can programme static lighting, a circadian sequence, then have the option to control each RGB and W pixel to create a scene or a mood. The best example would be the Whitacre tower lobby at the AT&T discovery district in Dallas, Texas. More than 12,000sqft of wall-mounted and recessed LumiCLoud VegaRGB creates the entire mezzanine. www.tls-led.com

Krujë castle Krujë, Albania Lighting project: L.D. Fulvio Baldeschi

The aim of the lighting project was to correctly enhance the key elements with a sort of “hierarchy of light” resulting in illumination in previously unlit areas, the rebalancing of light beams where they were overused and the accentuation of architectural details such as the entrance and a series of arches. Even the walls, which are rather irregular and ragged, underwent a detailed study of light and shadow to add depth and avoid a “flat effect”. Main products: Envelope, Archiline, Prolamp, Iris_67, Periskop

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INTERVIEW

The Quest for Excellence With Paul Nulty celebrating his studio’s 10th anniversary this year, arc sits down with him to talk about how it all got started, and what the next 10 years may bring.

ince establishing his own, eponymous studio

in 2011, Paul Nulty has become one of the most widely recognised faces in the UK lighting

design community. Under his leadership, the practice, Nulty, has grown from a one-man

band operating from his dining room table to a global company with offices in the UK, US,

Middle East and Asia, as well as two spinoff brands, Studio N and Nulty Bespoke.

With a background in theatre and set design, and having graduated from Liverpool Institute of Performing Arts, it was here that Nulty ‘discovered’ the wider world of lighting design.

“In the theatrical work that I was doing, I became more and more

interested in using light to define the space. I was designing fewer sets and just using light to tell the story,” he recalled. “I then had

this epiphany about the power of light beyond the world of theatre. “The line ‘if all the world’s a stage, I want better lighting’ is such

a cliché, but I wanted to apply what I was doing to the real world. I

started exploring other areas in the lighting sector and realised that there’s a whole fascinating industry of architectural lighting that I didn’t even know existed.”

Keen to be a part of this industry, Nulty sent his CV out far and wide, before landing a job at the Lighting Design Partnership (LDP). After

a year there, he moved on to join Paul Traynor at Light Bureau – then known as Indigo Light Planning.

“I was the junior there, and God was I a junior,” he joked. “Naivety is a wonderful thing – you never know what you don’t know until you know it.

“I look back and think how pushy and opinionated I was, and to Paul Traynor’s credit, and patience, he allowed me to flourish. I was with Paul for 11 and a half years, and I owe him an awful lot.”

Traynor was a key figure in Nulty’s burgeoning career, and he was

quick to cite him as one of his lighting role models when starting out. He also reserved special praise for LDP and its incredible track record of nurturing young talent that have since gone on to become leaders in the lighting industry: “We are so fortunate to work in an industry that has such an amazing history and a rich tapestry of talent.”

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1. One of the first projects for Nulty’s newly formed practice, the Nike Manchester United stadium store became a flagship project for the firm. Here, Nulty used light to create a sense of drama and excitement, while reducing energy consumption by 50%. (Pic: Nike) 2. Designed by Nulty’s Dubai studio, the lighting for Hakkasan Abu Dhabi’s outdoor terrace works with the existing architecture to open up the space and create a relaxed, intimate ambience. (Pic: Alex Jeffries Photography) 3. A young Paul Nulty. 4. A landmark project for Nulty came in the refurbishment of London hotel and members’ club, The Ned. Working within the parameters of a Grade I listed building, Nulty focused on surface-mounted, decorative and ornate fixtures to bring a balanced level of light and luxury to the project. (Pic: The Ned)

After 11 years of being an employee, soaking up

equity sold to E+M Tecnica, by which point, he said,

he calls his “Jerry Maguire moment”, where he

back since”.

and go out on his own.

own practice, Nulty reflected that there were two

and that there were only a handful of really well-

OK to make it up as you go along, and number

as much knowledge as possible, Nulty had what decided to leave the relative comfort of the practice “I always had a lot of frustration with the industry run professional practices in the UK. I had this

moment where I thought that there’s got to be

key lessons that he learned: “Number one is it’s

two: say ‘yes’ and then worry about how you do it afterwards. There was a bit of winging it; there’s

no denying that. I had a very clear strategy though,

a brand with exceptional marketing and PR. The

been crucial to our success. I was very clear about

“So, I left and started up on my own. I had zero

it should be achieved. Because I came at it from

creating great lighting design, it’s about delivering business of lighting design fascinated me.

and a very clear mission statement, which has

what I wanted to achieve, and I knew roughly how

savings – I bought my first Mac, printer, and

a very strategic perspective, I think that made

myself HTML and how to programme my first

“One of the biggest challenges was building a

website. I rang up a few people, who sent me a bit of work here and there. Luckily, one of those projects

growing the business a lot easier.

perception that we were credible. We were a

brand-new start-up, very small, with a limited

was the Nike store for Manchester United, which

portfolio and trading history, so trying to convince

An early partnership with engineering practice

think the solution to it was making sure that our

was a turning point for us.”

E+M Tecnica, whereby they invested in some

equity in Nulty’s self-titled studio, allowed the

firm to “springboard very quickly”, he explained, growing to six people by the end of year one, and

doubling to 12 by the end of year two. By the end of year three, Nulty was in a position to buy back the

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When considering the early years of running his

a different way of doing this. It’s not just about

camera on an interest-free credit card, taught

034

they “were off and running, and we haven’t looked

people to take a chance on us was challenging. I

story and narrative as a practice was crystal clear

so that people could understand our authenticity as a brand and come along for the ride.”

On top of this, Nulty added that he has consistently looked to build strong working relationships throughout his career – a trait that proved

Interview

“I feel very privileged that unless NASA come calling, or Liverpool want to sign me as a professional footballer, then I don’t think I could have a better career.” Paul Nulty

beneficial when starting out on his own.

whilst working at the same time on a project that’s

to people in the industry,” he said. “I’ve always

around very quickly and the learning curve on

we get. So if you have created good relationships

take a lot longer, and it’s more about the finer

upon those relationships.

Amongst the studio’s vast portfolio of projects,

“I’ve always tried to be polite, kind and respectful thought that we’re only as good as the service that with people, then they’ll hopefully want to build “We worked with some amazing people back then, won some great work and took on some really

going to take 12 weeks. Retail for example turns

these projects can be steep, whereas some projects detailing.”

which has seen them work with the likes of Nike,

Harrods, the Ritz-Carlton, J.P. Morgan, Hard Rock

fantastic employees. It’s been a runaway train ever

Hotels, BP, Google and Estée Lauder (to name a

Over the course of the past decade, Nulty’s practice

project, but rather those that have a long-lasting

known within the lighting design community,

make a difference, that are challenging and really

since.”

has grown to become one of the most well-

few), Nulty doesn’t have one specific ‘favourite’ impact. “I love projects where you really get to

working on a broad scope of projects from retail

push boundaries. My least favourite projects are

exhibition spaces.

between a husband and wife agreeing on how their

and hospitality to workspaces, museums, and

And while there is always a wide variety of projects

on the go for Nulty and his team, he explained that

those where you’re basically a marriage counsellor house should be illuminted,” he joked.

Across this spread of work, Nulty explained that

there isn’t one sector that he prefers over others.

he has always aimed to instil the same ethos and

we’re probably one of the broadest spread practices

it’s good enough, it’s not good enough,” he said.

“I love that we have such a variety of projects – in terms of sectors in the industry,” he said.

“You’re always learning on a project, and what you learn in one sector, you often airlift and apply to

another; I love the cross fertilisation of ideas and

technologies. I also enjoy the fact that you can be

working on a project that’s going to take 12 years,

approach in everything that the practice does. “If “We can always do better. We should be striving

for excellence in everything we do, whether that’s writing a single email or delivering an entire

project. Everything we do should be excellent. I

think that’s the ethos that then pushes everybody to evolve and grow.”

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035

interview

One of Nulty’s most iconic projects to date, the Leake Street Arches in London, saw Nulty implement an architectural lighting scheme to the “Graffiti Tunnel” to highlight and celebrate the vibrant, colourful street art, while improving the quality of light throughout. A suspended theatrical truss mounted with spotlights highlight the artwork, while linear RGBW uplights illuminate the arched ceiling. The lighting has helped to revitalise the space, making it a must-see destination within the city.

Another key facet of Nulty’s approach has been

the captain of the ship, but I don’t tell everybody

generation of lighting designers. This can be seen

myself more as the rudder: you tell me where you

designers at events, in feature articles, and taking

“We have a young and energetic team. I owe

Nulty explained that this was a conscious decision

Ellie Coombs, Creative Director Dan Blaker and

consistently giving opportunities to the next

from the presence of junior and intermediate part in a myriad of speaking engagements.

from the moment he set out on his own. “I came into this thinking of what frustrated me as a

so much of our success to people like our MD,

Associate Lighting Designer Phil Copland. They are powerhouses of ideas and creativity. When they talk, I listen.”

and be passionate about it, and that passion comes

importance of other, often under-recognised sides

“I don’t shy away from employing people that

effective PR and marketing strategy. “I wouldn’t

from having accountability and responsibility.

Alongside teamwork, Nulty stressed the

of running a successful business, areas such as an

are more talented than I am. It’s absolutely my

profess to be the greatest lighting designer in the

than me, as it strengthens the team, and inspires

he said. “I also have a clear understanding of

intention to employ people who I think are better me. I have an enormous amount of gratitude for

everybody that has come and gone through the life

world, but I think I’m a pretty good designer,”

marketing and PR, and I believe that unless you

celebrate your company achievements, no one is

of our practice. Success is about teamwork and I’m

going to know how you are progressing. So, success

“I’ve always described us as a merry band of pirates

service, and being passionate about what we do,

incredibly grateful to my team.

(which my team hates!). If you look at a pirate ship, you have hierarchy, you have structure, you have teamwork. But you can also make your own rules and plough your own furrows, you can go your

own way and if you want to go against the grain, you can do that collectively, as a team. So Nulty

is the pirate ship that we’re all aboard. I might be

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want to go, and I’ll help steer us there.

young designer. I want my staff to have complete ownership over their work, I want them to love it

036

where we’re going – I would actually describe

is borne out of doing great work, delivering great but also about being able to tell the story.”

However, for all of the successes that Nulty

has had as a lighting designer, it almost never

happened, as he revealed that growing up, he had

aspirations of another career entirely. “I wanted to be a doctor. When I look back at my old Record of

Achievement from school, it’s all about wanting to

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“When you get it right, lighting brings a space to

I was doing my GCSEs, who said ‘you’re going to

and get goosebumps. There’s nothing better than

fail your exams; you’d better not go to college and apply for science’.

“So, I thought ‘what else am I good at?’ I was good at drama, so I thought I’d go and be an actor – I

went to college to do a BTEC in Performing Arts and off the back of that, got into set design. The rest is now history.

“Although for the record, I actually proved her wrong, I left with an A,” he added.

“I realise now was it wasn’t so much medicine that I was interested in – I wanted a career that had a

bit of science; a bit of sociology because I’ve always loved the power of people and how they interact; I was always interested in psychology; I was

pretty good at engineering; and then I was really

passionate about the creative arts too. It’s amazing

that I’ve ended up living a life that encompasses all of the things that I was passionate about.

“I feel very privileged that unless NASA come calling, or Liverpool want to sign me as a

professional footballer, then I don’t think I could

have a better career – I love what I do, because our industry and our work affects people in such an amazing way.

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Paul Nulty

be a doctor,” he said. “But I had an unmotivating science teacher in my final year of school when

038

“There’s nothing better than turning all the lights off and slowly bringing the circuits on one at a time, to balance and compose the light within a space. It’s one of those breathtaking moments seeing a space come to life.”

life and even to this day, I can walk into a space

turning all the lights off and slowly bringing the

circuits on one at a time to balance and compose

the light within a space. It’s one of those breathtaking moments seeing a space come to life.”

As the company celebrates its 10th anniversary, Nulty can look back on a decade that has seen

the firm expand into new markets, with studios in Dubai (run by Mark Vowles), most recently

Bangkok (run by Spencer Baxter) and Miami, and

spinoff ventures, with the launch of Nulty Bespoke and Studio N. However, he says he never expected to be in such a position after just 10 years.

“I always thought that it was possible to grow a

business to 20 people and work across the world and be respected for it. A lot of people were

doubtful and said it’s not possible, and I think part

of my motivation was about proving people wrong. But I never thought it would be like this. It’s

amazing to think of what we have achieved in such a short space of time.

“Part of that is coming from genuine hard work,

not just by myself but by the whole team, and a key factor is recognising when opportunities arise and taking those opportunities.

INTERVIEW

“We’ve always been entrepreneurial, and I’ve

core aspect of lighting design remains the same.

try out ideas, just in case it leads to something

changed. You’re still breathing life into a space

always had the attitude that you have to at least amazing. We’ve always tried new things – some fail, but some have worked out well for us. It’s

good, and it constantly challenges me as well.”

Looking to the future and what the next 10 years

might bring, Nulty explained that he has a couple of bold ambitions that he is yet to meet in his

career: “My grand aim is twofold: I would love us as lighting designers and as a profession, to be taken

as seriously as architects and interior designers – I think we’re still a long way off from that.

“My other goal is that at the end of my career, I

would love to look back and find that we’ve had a

positive effect on the lives and careers of talented lighting designers. I’d like to think that we’re

creating a legacy and that future lighting practices

and successful designers made their start at Nulty. I take great pride in developing good designers through the business and giving them great

opportunities – if anything it’s one of the most satisfying things about the last 10 years.”

As for lighting design as a whole, Nulty predicts big challenges ahead with the ever-changing

technology on offer, and the growing impetus

placed on sustainable approaches, even if the actual

“At its most basic level, lighting design hasn’t and emotionally connecting people with that environment, whatever it is.

“I do think that the next 10 years are probably going to be more challenging than the last,

because of the way technology is going, the way sustainability and green thinking is going, and

because of the understanding that people have of

human psychology, and how that’s also evolving. I think lighting is going to become even more

1. Throughout his career, Nulty has been a regular speaker at lighting events, delivering seminars and CPD sessions around the world. 2. The newly completed Browns’ flagship store on London’s Brook Street features a futuristic lighting scheme that complements the building’s Grade II* listed status, while providing effective illumination to the high-end merchandise on display. (Pic: Bozho Gagovski) 3. Another landmark project for the studio, Nulty worked closely with 10Design to create a vibrant architectural lighting scheme for the Dubai International Financial Centre’s Gate Village. The outdoor lighting solution brings the village to life through light, with the brightly illuminated bridges acting as a striking focal point. (Pic: Alex Jeffries Photography)

scientific, psychological and sociological, as well

as creative. There will be more and more layers of

complexity than there ever used to be. The need for lighting design is going to grow, so it’s important that we evolve with it.

“But at the same time, when it comes to light

itself, it has been the same since the dawn of time; it will continue to be the same and it will affect

people emotionally in many different ways. I think the beauty of light, lighting and lighting design is that we get to impact those emotions. To me,

that’s why I do what I do. I love the impact that we can have on people’s lives.” www.nultylighting.co.uk

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Search Engine Optimisation The first ever physical Google Store opened in New York this June. Designed by Reddymade Architecture, a complementary, minimal lighting scheme was developed by Reveal Design Group.

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project

PROJECT DETAILS Google Store, New York, USA Client: Google Lighting Design: Reveal Design Group, USA Architect: Reddymade Architecture, USA Photography: Paul Warchol

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project

The landmark Google Store - the first physical retail space for the brand - is characterised by the use of soft, tactile surfaces and natural materials such as cork and wood, contributing to a warm, calming ambience.

he opening of a new retail space for one

Florida, which started in 2017 with Suchi Reddy.

with a buzz of excitement – whether it’s

very compatible; we have a lot of fun designing and

of the global tech giants always comes the latest Apple store, a new flagship

location for Microsoft, or Amazon’s supermarket

to assist on A Space for Being, the Google

partnership for Salone del Mobile. The success and

of Google’s first ever physical retail space in New

collaboration between Reveal Design Group and

York this June.

The store, located on the ground floor of Google’s

headquarters in Chelsea, Manhattan, was designed

by Suchi Reddy, Founder of Reddymade Architecture and Design, with the concept centred on the core

principles of Neuroaesthetics – a theme that Reddy explored in A Space for Being, a collaboration with

Google and its VP of Hardware Design, Ivy Ross, at Salone del Mobile in Milan.

The architect’s work follows the belief that “form

follows feeling”, meaning that the design has been carefully calibrated to the human, and positively

influences wellbeing, creativity, and productivity. The architecture and interiors of the store are a pragmatic, playful expression of this motto,

bringing a unique focus to the interplay of good

design with human perception. The intention from Reddy was to “re-awaken visitors to the childlike wonder found in the technology and digital innovation on display”.

The architectural lighting for this landmark store was designed by Reveal Design Group and co-

founder Levia Lew explained how the firm got

involved in the project: “My firm and I are currently working on a large residential/hotel project in

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problem-solving together. In 2019, she invited me

chains.

This buzz has once again been seen with the opening

042

Suchi and I found that our creative processes are

impact of the installation paved the way for the Reddymade for the flagship store.”

The overall design for the store is warm and

calming, with an abundance of soft, tactile surfaces and natural materials such as cork and wood. Lew explained how this impacted on the brief for the

lighting design: “The overarching goal and design vision was focused on sustainability and natural

materials to convey a sense of light, openness and

possibility, as well as a feeling of ‘home’ given the products and services that Google planned to

showcase in the space. The goal of LEED Platinum certification also set very clear boundaries as to what kind of lighting could be used in terms of energy consumption.”

Lew explained that because of the material palette selection and “flow” of the space, the lighting concept was kept deliberately minimalist and restrained. As such, a precise and orderly

arrangement of fixtures in the 16ft ceiling, with an

aperture size and warmer colour temperature more

typically found in hospitality and residential spaces, was used. This, Lew added, served to highlight the dramatic architecture, while simultaneously

bringing the visual focus down to the human level to create the sense of home.

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Alongside this, moments of intimacy and relaxed

coming in through the windows was a major force that

integrated lighting, with illuminated display cubes

“The room, with its light, wide open planes and

organising the expansive space into comfortable areas

window directed the choice to continue that gesture

“The goal was to create a sense of differentiation

rather than to accent them with dramatic beams.”

embody the various experiences of the products and

ambience with relatively few fixtures; Lew then

a homey living room setting, another is a gaming

areas with direct illumination to create visual contrast

all had distinct personalities to be shared.”

She continued: “Lighting designers often speak about

in when developing the lighting scheme was the

like watercolours, to wash and blend surfaces,

how to marry this with artificial lighting. With the

own path through it. The paintings of Morris Louis

daylight, and the ambient brightness of streetlights

Turrell, were initial inspirations for the design of this

the space.

Thanks to a strong pre-existing relationship with

was eager to create a scheme that would complement

trust and freedom to create a lighting scheme that

enhance the natural materials and clean lines of the

She explained: “My team worked closely with Suchi’s

“The space was already naturally lit though the

contact, problem-solving and coordinating field

the sun,” she said. “One of my mentors years ago said

up during the design and construction process.

seen. In this case, the sheer amount of daylight

established, we were given the freedom to come up

ambience were intended through the selective use of

we could not fight, nor did we want to.

and focused lighting casting a warmth, while visually

surfaces that gently reflect the ambient light from the

and differentiated zones.

by gently washing the interior surfaces with light

between each ‘room’ as Google wanted them to

Softly diffused and reflected light creates an even

services featured within,” said Lew. “Thus, one area is

selectively accented gathering and product showcase

setting, and another a product showcase setting. They

to add emphasis on certain zones.

One of the key design elements that Lew had to factor

painting a space with light. In this case, I used light

abundance of natural light that fills the store, and

allowing the crisp lines of the architecture to cut its

lofty, 16ft ceilings and huge, double height windows,

and Mark Rothko, as well as the works of James

outside, were prominent influences on the interior of

project.”

However, instead of seeing this as a challenge, Lew

architect Reddy, Lew and her team were given the

the ambient daylighting, while using this as a tool to

would sit in harmony with the store’s interior design.

interior design.

team from start to finish. We were in near-constant

curtain wall with the most powerful source we have:

conditions along with the usual challenges that come

to me that a space will tell you how it wants to be

“However, once Suchi’s vision was strongly

project

with our own lighting scheme and ideas to

ceiling and the floor refracts light and invites

design. We have an exceptional, open dialogue

technologies on an individual level.

and rewarding when ideas flow both ways with

helps to bring this key element of the store to life:

creative freedom and trust.”

elegantly minimalist with its clean, austere lines

follows feeling” was an integral facet of the

visitor in a glass cathedral of light that it seemed

interpretation of this mantra for the lighting.

was necessary to make it sparkle.

field, I was trained in the theatre, where I learned

fluting by using a simple, uninterrupted circle of

script and story. My design methodology is

kinetic experience changes depending on whether

whether it’s a sculpture, space or building. I’m

“I am always looking for inspiration and had an

to evoke an intended feeling.

light reacts through the crystal strands of my

scientific at the same time. The Google store’s

exactly the same principle at the Imagination

specific things, but from a lighting perspective, in

With the store designed according to the highest

science and calculations are required to make light

receiving LEED Platinum certification in the

Inside the store, the warm lighting and neutral

for any fixtures specified for the project. “What

dubbed the “Imagination Space”. Standing at the

lighting fixtures, stringent energy efficiency and

extruded glass tubing suspended between the

the use of sensors that limit energy consumption,”

communicate the intended feeling within her

visitors to interact with Google’s products and

between our two firms. It is incredibly refreshing

Lew explained how a minimal lighting approach

such honesty and clarity, allowing for that rare

“Suchi’s vision for the Imagination Space was so

This trust meant that, while the approach of “form

and magnificent fluted tubes enveloping the

architectural design, Lew could bring her own

vulgar to treat the volume with more than what

“Like many lighting designers in the architectural

“We exploited the physical optics of the vertical

to use light to elicit audience emotion based on

light from inside of the column so that the visitor’s

inspired by the way something makes us feel,

they are inside or outside of the cylindrical space.

driven to discover and tell a meaningful story, and

‘aha!’ moment one night at home, noticing how

“However, light is both abstract and technically

selenite votive when a candle is lit within. It is

space and architecture made me feel and see

Space, only on a much larger scale.”

order to realise those feelings in reality, hard

standards of sustainable and renewable practices,

behave as we envision.”

process, Lew was given limited wattage allowances

tones guide the eye to one of its main focal points,

that translates into is minimal quantities of

entryway to the store, a semi-circular node of

functional longevity criteria for those fixtures, and

1. The main focal point of the store, the Imagination Space is comprised of a semicircular node of extruded glass tubing suspended between the ceiling and floor. With the glass itself refracts the natural light in the store, the architectrual lighting remained minimal, allowing the glass to take centre stage. 2 & 3. Alongside the main retail space, the store includes a number of breakout zones, each designed to embody the various experiences of the products and services that Google offer - from entertainment to home products and gaming. 4. With its light, wide open planes and surfaces that gently reflect ambient light, Reveal Design Group continued this gesture by gently washing the interior surfaces with light, rather than accenting them with dramatic beams.

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project

she explained. To achieve this, she opted for

“Lighting is crucial to creating a subconscious

alongside Lutron’s Vive wireless control system.

emotional response to the viewer,” she said.

fixtures from USAI, DMF Lighting, Kelvix and ETC, As the first physical retail space for the tech giants, the Google Store will no doubt be compared to

those of its rivals. However, Lew said that such

comparisons didn’t factor into her approach to this landmark project. “I try very hard not to get distracted by previous projects and design

gestures, since every project has its own DNA and story it wants to tell,” she said.

“In the theatre, we learned early on that as every show is unique, you must approach each

production like a blank slate. This also goes back to my belief that every space will tell you how it wants to be seen. What I consider and strive for

above all is that each client sees the best possible reflection of themselves and their intentions in the final result.”

This final result is a space that encapsulates the warm yet inspiring aesthetic that both the

architects and lighting designers aimed for. And

while the environmentally conscious, sustainable interior design is gaining plaudits, Lew feels that the lighting goes a long way to creating a strong impression on visitors.

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impression that presents itself through an

“Suchi wanted to create a welcoming feeling of

openness and possibility. By taking our cues from

her vision and material palette as well as the actual spatial conditions, we were able to create a cohesive layer that ties all interior and architectural elements together.”

1. Situated on Chelsea’s 9th Avenue, the store’s design is built on the philosophy of “form follows feeling”, where good design positively influences wellbeing, creativity and productivity. 2. Selective accent lighting in product showcase areas creates a visual contrast for visitors, while adding emphasis on certain zones. 3. The store’s double-height windows fill the space with plentiful natural light. Reveal Design Group therefore tailored its lighting design to work alongside the daylight, complementing and enhancing it with softly diffused and reflected light.

Adding this landmark project to the Reveal Design Group portfolio was a singular opportunty and

privilege for Lew, yet she says the greatest joy is seeing the pride her team has on completing a winning project.

“It is certainly exciting and gratifying to add such a successful, groundbreaking endeavour to our

portfolio,” she said. “However, what I find most

rewarding is seeing our team’s pride in a successful project after tirelessly investing tremendous dedication and effort.

“Our Google Store project management team -

Josh Klein and Ashton Allin - spent more than two years of hard work and careful coordination to

achieve the design and I am incredibly proud of them and their teamwork.”

www.revealdesigngroup.com

lighting specified ALW MoonRing OnePointFive DMF Lighting DRD5S ETC Irideon H.E. Williams Slimline Suspended & MX2W Kelvix Performance 300 Series Lutron Vive USAI Lighting BeveLED 2.2

The Diet of Light Throughout lockdown, Dr. Shelley James has been spreading the word about the importance of healthy light. Here, she tells us all about the Luna project, the Age of Light Innovations Group, and her goals for a better lit future.

r. Shelley James is on a mission to bring healthy lighting to the masses.

Founder of the Age of Light Innovations, the

self-proclaimed “lumenologist” has been making waves in the lighting industry and beyond,

working to educate the wider public on the power of light and the lasting impact that it can have on

both mental and physical wellbeing.

With a well-travelled upbringing that has seen her move from Jamaica to Kent, Nigeria, South Carolina, Paris and back to the UK, James has

experienced a diverse array of cultures, and attitudes towards light and

colour. “I’ve been all over the world growing up. That led to a fascination in the way that changes in climate shape culture and colour,” she said. This fascination firstly led to her studying textiles in Paris, before

entering the world of corporate branding, “working with clients to help them to bring together different types of visual, textual clues to create the experience of an organisation”.

A traumatic head injury meant that James had to learn first-hand about light and vision as she had to retrain her own central nervous system.

From here, she moved on to working in printmaking at the University of Bristol, integrating prints into glass to create illusions of space and

depth; before eventually undertaking a PhD at the Royal College of Art on Perception, which led to working with glass that changes colour in different lights.

It is here that James’ interest in artificial light began to grow, as she

sought to use more light in her own work and as such undertook a City

and Guilds qualification in electrical installation, after which she began to work with artists, designing lighting to complement their work.

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Pic: Marcus Ahmad

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1. Royal Academy Summer Ball 2019, featuring an immersive audio-visual installation and performance, coordinated by James. (Pic: Bittersuite) 2. Crystalline Constellations, created by James and exhibited at the Saatchi Gallery in 2017, combines cast glass, steel and light in a beautiful display of light, shadow and colour. 3. Throughout James’ career, she has looked to educate children on the importance of healthy lighting. This has included a number of workshops and public engagement events, such as the Festival of Making, in 2018, where children worked with laser-cut glasses and coloured gels. 4. For the installation Resonant Spaces in Leeds, UK, held in 2016, James worked with Dr. Scott McLoughlin on an immersive performance of glass, light and sound.

“I also got funding from the LIA to do a

depression, putting on weight, bad behaviour.

parallels in the way the brain is wired to how lights

the number of children presenting with myopia

qualification in lighting design, and discovered are wired in a house.”

In 2019, James founded the Age of Light

Innovations Group, where her goal is twofold: “I work as a consultant for individuals and

organisations, where I work with them to see how light can help them to be healthier, happier and more productive – and more environmentally sustainable too,” she explained. “I work with

architects and interior designers, and also large

organisations, on how light can contribute to their

offer, whether that be to do with staff engagement or product development, and that draws on my

background in branding and product innovation.

“Alongside this, I also work as a teacher, teaching and mentoring at the Royal College of Art and

King’s College, and part of that is working with

artists, and looking at how they can use light to create experiences and tell stories.”

However, as with everyone else around the world, things took an unexpected break in early 2020,

when Covid-19, and the resultant lockdown hit. It was during this enforced isolation that James realised that there was a dearth of information about the ramifications of poor lighting.

“When lockdown happened, I found myself in

Bridport with my mum and my nieces struggling to be indoors with a badly wired-up lightbulb in

their back bedrooms, seeing them struggle with

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“I did some more research, and during lockdown, has tripled between the ages of six and eight. The people presenting with depression is up 40%,

obesity levels are rising, and a lot of that has got to

do with not getting the right light at the right time. “With what I knew about how the power of light, I

started to see how little other people knew about it.” Sensing an opportunity to do some good for the

world, James, along with her brother, “cooked up a plan” to create LunaTM – a series of YouTube

videos to educate the wider public on the “right” kind of lighting for the environments that they now found themselves in.

“I talked to some amazing people from around

the world – scientists and education specialists – on how light affects the brain. I also reached

out to some manufacturers that I thought were doing great work. Fagerhult, Signify and Seoul

Semiconductor came on board as sponsors; they saw that there was a body of knowledge that

needed to be shared, and came in to help us to do that.”

The series, which includes short, 40-second

TikTok-style videos and longer, more in-depth

videos incorporating solutions and interviews with scientists, launched in the UK in mid-January, and

James was amazed by the response that it received. “I started to promote it on Facebook and

Instagram, and it suddenly took off. We’ve had 1.9

women in lighting

“The technology is there to deliver good quality, full spectrum, flickerfree, time appropriate lighting for everybody, and yet we don’t.” Dr. Shelley James

million views, reaching 1.9 million kids. We

received for both the LunaTM and LunaPro

and maintenance costs – but be designed

and again, had a great reaction in these

keynotes for the IES, interviews with the

just switch out the parts that are broken,”

then translated it into German and Italian, countries too.

“I then tried to promote it in India, and we

had a quarter of a million views in four days, which is just amazing.”

Following the success of the LunaTM

project, James expanded this to LunaPro,

the next iteration, which is connecting with

professionals from across the business chain – from architects and facilities managers to specifiers and installers – about the value of investing in lighting. This time, the

sponsorship team has expanded to include

Bios, Phos, Glamox Luxonic and Zumtobel – alongside Seoul Semiconductor and Signify. “There’s a growing awareness that the way that decisions are made about lighting for

the homes and offices where we spend 90% of our lives – and the schools and hospitals we send our most vulnerable people – is

being made in a very inefficient way,” she

continued. “To me, we’re missing a chance, for a very marginal increase in the overall spend, to not only reduce energy use and

waste in terms of landfill, but to improve

performance and improve health outcomes.

The minute that you make the business case properly, it’s a no brainer.”

The overwhelming response that James has

projects has led to invitations to deliver

BBC, and further collaborations with Arup,

the ILP, SLL and WELL Standard. “We started from a spare bedroom in Bridport just nine months ago. We’re now working with a

growing team of remarkable professionals to get good quality lighting onto the spreadsheet.

“It’s time to move lighting from the

supermarket with the loo rolls and the budget cleaning products and put it where it belongs: with the IT, the health insurance and the ergonomic chair. We know that the right

light can transform performance – let alone motivation. And, now we are working from

home more and more, employers are realising that they have a legal responsibility to

provide a safe, healthy working environment – and light is a vital part of that.”

With a particular focus on lighting for

educational facilities, James explained that achieving the “right” lighting is, in and of itself, relatively simple: as much natural daylight as possible, supplemented with

good-quality LED lighting. “That’s bright, full spectrum, low glare, ideally tunable

lighting. A good-quality light will not only last longer, reducing the number of lights you use overall – cutting down on landfill

with some level of retrofit capability so you she said.

“The real problem is not getting the lights right, it’s getting it onto the agenda in the first place where it belongs, part of the

health, safety and sustainability agenda of the school.

“The starting point for most schools

is simply to think about it,” she said.

“Installation and maintenance is so often

left to the facilities person, along with the plumbing and parking. But if you think

about how much education has changed from paper and pencil to screens and interactive whiteboards, you can see how much the

lighting needs to adapt. A lot of the time, it’s also designed for a one-size-fits-all

approach, which isn’t necessarily the right solution.

“We also need to be aware of the pressures

that teachers face in a busy classroom: they have little or no time to set up the room before the class begins. A study by the

Helen Hamlyn Centre showed that if it’s too

complicated to open the blinds, they will stay down and the lights will go on instead.

“But the first thing is to have lighting on the agenda. A bit like Jamie Oliver put Turkey

Twizzlers on the agenda – we’re seeing now

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women in lighting

“We know what a beautifully lit space feels like - anybody who has been into a well-lit space can taste the difference.” Dr. Shelley James

how a proper breakfast helps kids to learn, and

“Think about the classic office buildings, the boss

We’re still at Turkey Twizzler lighting. We can do

the low status workers are in the cubicle in the

actually, proper lighting is probably as important. better than that.”

When it comes to getting lighting on the agenda,

James revealed that she is “using all the channels that I can find to raise awareness of the potential of better quality lighting,” in a two-pronged

approach, to try and reach as many people as

possible, from both the consumer side, and the business side.

However, while she is working to get lighting on the agenda for both decision makers and

the general public, she believes that there is a much deeper, societal issue surrounding the

commodification of lighting. “We know that

disrupting your body clock has a huge impact on your life chances. It affects your ability to

concentrate, it gives you cancer, it’s a killer. We

rely on a huge number of ‘hidden’ workers to work through the night – nurses, cleaners, and food

packers, for example. These are often low-paid, precarious jobs and many are women. Many of

these low-grade environments are poorly lit too. People who work after dark in the shadows often have a poor diet of light.

“Much like the Turkey Twizzlers debate, the diet

of light for people without much money is worse

than it is for those with money. Not only because

of a lack of awareness, but also because the people who design and manage the places where they

work, where they learn, are delivering to the bare minimum legal standard and cutting costs where

they can, simply because their ‘clients’ don’t have many choices.

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gets the corner office with the window, while

middle. That makes a difference to their ability to

concentrate, their ability to sleep, to manage social interaction, which means those workers sitting in the dark don’t perform as well, and so their

career trajectory is affected. So, you end up with a

perpetuation of disadvantage when you don’t give people the chances to see clearly.

“It’s a political issue in the sense that we spend money on people who are considered to be

valuable, including the lighting environment.

We talk a lot about how valuable employees are, but there’s a whole group of people who are

considered much more of a commodity. Whether that be working in a call centre, shift workers,

care workers at night, we don’t spend the same amount of money or attention on the lighting

environments that they live in. And yet, arguably, changing the quality of lighting for a nurse who works at night could not only make the biggest

difference for her life, but also to the patients that she takes care of.

“The technology is there now to deliver good quality, full spectrum, flicker free, time

appropriate lighting for everybody, and yet we don’t. And the reason we don’t is the way the

spreadsheet works for different populations is different. We also know that, as we’ve found through Covid, we’re all in this together.

Everybody who is underperforming is not only a

missed opportunity, but has a knock on effect on everybody else. Nobody is an island.

“The other thing that is important to think about

1. Created in 2018 for the Reciprocal Space project alongside Dr. Scott McLoughlin, this ‘caustic’ piece was created by skimming light across the surface of a freeblown glass plate, like light bouncing from a swimming pool. 2. Part of James’ Forbidden Symmetry series of installations, this rhombic triacontahedron is composed of free-blown, hand-cut glass with high temperature print encapsulations.

Photo: François Guillemin Luce&Light_Arc_09-2021.indd 1

CAVES CHAMPAGNE JOSEPH PERRIER CHÂLONS-EN-CHAMPAGNE, FRANCE LIGHTING DESIGN: LUMESENS FEATURED FIXTURE: BRIGHT 2.4

30/07/21 14:06

women in lighting

From James’ 2016 Caustics series, this piece uses free-blown glass to replicate the rippling effect of light in water.

is that cheap lights, unbranded, unregulated

the continued success of the Luna project,

as with a good quality, delicious meal.

of multiple occupancy], hostels, local

aware of the impact that lighting can have.

of lighting design, the professional

lighting that ends up in HMOs [houses authority care homes, they come from sources where the environmental cost

of extracting the materials is completely unregulated,” she continued.

“Better quality lighting from a reputable

manufacturer is part of at least some effort

to improve the environmental footprint and lifecycle of the object. So if you think about humanity centred lighting in the sense of

taking care of the planet, which then takes care of us, that’s part of the equation – the

need to make sure that we’re aware of where this stuff comes from and where it’s going.” As such, James believes that the lighting design community needs to take a more

“humanity centred” approach to lighting –

this means a shift of focus from ‘product’ to solution, cost to value.

“I was speaking with Florence Lam of Arup about Humanity Centred Lighting, and

she was saying that when she first started

out, every time they went from fluorescent lighting to LEDs, they had to make the

business case and fight tooth and nail for it.

And now, if you haven’t got LED lighting, your building isn’t considered a modern building.” Looking ahead, James is keen for the

conversation on healthy lighting to continue. With a couple of books in the pipeline –

targeted towards businesses and parents and teachers as a means of making the case for

healthy lighting and its benefits – along with

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she is hopeful that people will become more Although she understands that it may be a slow process.

“People need to realise just what a difference it makes. You can improve employee

performance by improving the quality of light that they get. We didn’t know that

before, but now we do, so we need to talk about it, get it on the agenda and use the information that we know” she said.

“The next thing is to invite organisations

to put their money where their mouth is. If they’re talking about the environment and

sustainability and employee wellbeing, then small changes in the way they spend money

on the places where people work will make a huge difference to their outcomes.

“It’s a slow process, it’s like a tanker. It’s

a bit like smoking and seatbelts – it took a while, but now you wouldn’t see someone

smoking in a car with a child; you wouldn’t

get into a car without a seatbelt. It needs to be a culture shift.”

While it may be a slow process for James, she

has her sights on an ambitious end goal, both for the lighting industry and wider society. “My goal is that one day lighting is on the

agenda in the same way as healthy eating. Not only because it makes us feel better,

but it offers us a chance to live healthier,

happier lives, and to tackle the urgent issue of climate change. Anybody who has been

into a well-lit space can taste the difference,

“One of my dreams is that some form

consideration of lighting, is included in every major building project, in every sector; that

it’s not a nice to have, it’s a business decision that makes perfect sense, that’s on the

spreadsheet alongside other things that you

would do as an organisation to keep yourself resilient and profitable.

“I’d also like to see people move away

from the idea of lighting as a product and

think about it as an attitude or solution or situation. As long as we’re talking about

lumens per watt and cost not value, we’re

missing a chance to think about the overall

lighting environment, and that’s where the added value is, where the savings are and where the performance is.”

She is also hopeful that the “Humanity

Centred Lighting” concept is one that will

become common place - not simply another buzz word for the industry, but a standard consideration.

She concluded: “The next phase, I hope, is

that we’ll move from LED to full spectrum,

flicker-free, tunable lighting, which will be the baseline for healthy light. In the same way that you would expect an ergonomic

chair, or a place to make a cup of tea, a sterile operating theatre, or properly-fitting shoes

for your child, the lighting can and should be simply what you expect.”

www.ageoflightinnovations.com

An Architectural Perspective Perkins + Will Sustainability Director Dr. Asif Din, alongside Associate Erik Svensson, offer an outsider’s view on how the circular economy fits within the wider design approach.

t Perkins&Will, we have always been looking at the environmental impact of our projects. We are an architectural practice based in

London, part of a larger worldwide company, working at a range of differing scales from

masterplanning to corporate interiors. The

more we quantified the impact of corporate fit

outs, we found the impact was larger than first thought. This is due

to the fit out of buildings being a continuous cycle of environmental impact, which eclipses the building envelope over its lifespan. We looked closely at a designer’s input and the influence we have in terms of design and specification of our projects.

Our design responsibilities are extending beyond sustainability to a circular economy mechanism to meet 2050 carbon targets. We cannot delay in providing a methodology on how this would be achieved and act immediately.

The impetus is not solely from a designers’ standpoint; there are a range of client requirements that are emerging. The concept of corporate extended responsibility requires all corporations

to conduct themselves correctly, looking at their whole supply chain. Much of the funding they receive is increasingly tied to environmental indicators. Corporations are also increasingly declaring their carbon emissions with commitments to use

completely renewable energy, roadmaps to zero carbon and the

payments of offsets through verified methodologies such as sciencebased targets.

We believe that offsets should be used as a last resort to meeting carbon commitments and designers have the remit to minimise

carbon within the real estate sector. There is a limited resource of offsetting that corporations can access. To reduce carbon at the

earliest stage of the design that has the potential for the largest reduction of carbon.

To achieve this vision, we had to set our own roadmap. This included a commitment on transparency and reporting stages to the industry to communicate the successes but also where the gaps and failings are to achieve our milestones. A net zero carbon interior is not

possible now and will require effort from the whole supply chain Dr. Asif Din, Sustainability Director, Perkins + Will

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Erik Svensson, Associate, Perkins + Will

to achieve our 2030 target date to systemically change the way we deliver interior projects.

greenlight alliance

Confidential FinTech Client office fit out includes modular design that allows deconstruction after service life to divert materials away from recycling towards reuse and maintaining product value.

Our roadmap outlines a series of focus areas. While we cannot

the project. However, as the cycles are short with interiors projects,

few areas on each project circular. The knowledge gained from each

Emission impacts (GHG) allows us to show the impact of a range of

currently design a fully circular project, we can make at least one or a project will move us towards designing complete circular projects. This would be achieved through:

1. Sourcing materials with Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs) and/or Health Product Declarations (HPDs) supporting

transparency and engaging with smaller manufacturers developing new sustainable materials.

2. Design for disassembly: consider how each component is put

together and how it can be taken apart to be reused in the future. 3. Undertake a Life Cycle Analysis during the earlier stages of the

design process to evaluate and highlight opportunities to reduce the project impact. This should be considered an iterative process that continues on site in collaboration with the contractor.

this spike occurs at a more frequent basis. Using Greenhouse Gas

chemicals and potentially allows the comparison of projects to take place in the future.

However, the scope of GHG quantification is limited to the closed

system boundary of the site and its materials. To reduce impacts on a larger systemic level the principles of the Circular Economy (CE)

are used. There are no established metrics for circularity, but a LCA impact assessment is a good fit. During the lifetime of a product,

GHG reduction can be demonstrated through reuse, manufacturing

of goods using different and less raw material, eliminating waste and the need to recycle at the end of the product’s life, and to increase longevity, creating a secondary market for the product.

The reality is that it is often easier and more cost effective to dispose

of existing materials on project site and source all new. This is one of the many barriers our industry needs to overcome.

If the long-term goal is fully circular, there must be an invested

interest from the manufacturers to receive their products back. In

current design process the industry is ill prepared for circularity as purchasing reconditioned materials raises concerns, particularly

around warranties. There is also often a perception of the concepts of second hand, reused or reconditioned items that must be overcome. There are products already in the market that are moving towards a circular ethos. A good example is that of a European carpet

manufacturer who offer full transparency on the list of all the

ingredients that they use. They have operated a takeback service The central features of thinking in a circular methodology needs all three problems to be tackled simultaneously.

The incremental targets set along the timeline include processes,

training, and specification changes to achieve goals. This not only effects how we design but what we design as the aesthetics move

towards concepts that favour honesty of materials and how things are fitted together.

Using a Life Cycle Analysis (LCA) is the most transparent

methodology to quantify where we are in the journey to achieving a net zero carbon interior. This, like any other construction project,

is large in its initial amount and then decreases over the lifespan of

aligning with extended manufacturer responsibilities for several

years but in addition have a Materials as a Service offering where the flooring is leased.

Within their manufacturing their product is fully recyclable, and

they are increasing their recycled content as the feedstock from old

product allows. They are only able to control this process through the ownership of their own recycling facility disassembling product to provide feedstock to mills to be made into new yarn.

We are currently working on a project in London; with the full project teams’ goals on sustainability aligning, the project is an opportunity to explore and continuously find opportunities to drive change in the industry. The project focused on circularity and going beyond

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greenlight alliance

The Perkins + Will roadmap for achieving a circular economy, with fixed milestones for reporting progress.

sustainability accreditations from the start, creating

a good fit to the main aims of carbon reduction in

to work towards.

technical and biological components as much as

giving the project team a set of materials and

processes to be made. This will require a designer

elements from the previous fit out offers potential

material store rather than the end of the material

less glamorous, such as reconfiguring existing WCs

This cannot be achieved by us alone and requires

others can be part of a project storytelling, such as

products in a similar light. We need transparency

create handrails for new staircases.

future building components. We need to eliminate

focusing on remanufactured and reused furniture,

dismantling of components to be reused. This

industry away from a linear model. According to

product as a primary source of income but the

furniture goes to landfill, many designed to last far

life, making refurbished components the equivalent

Considering each material that goes into the new

arduous than the current practice of placing all

reducing the amount of metal used in the project

a lease period in an office fit out.

change may not be significant in impact, but in

is to not install the component to start with. As

do the final LCA at the end of the project we will

of each component is, and if it really needs to be

learnings to the next project.

design, the industry is and will keep changing.

a strong framework for the client and project team

interiors projects. We have discovered splitting of

The project is in a previously occupied building,

possible allows better quantification and end of life

components already installed. Repurposing

mindset shift to viewing the building as a temporary

cost saving and innovative opportunities. Some are

journey occurring at hand over.

rather than demolishing and installing new, whilst

the whole industry to similarly examine and deliver

repurposing the timber from existing door frames to

of material ingredients as it is the feedstock of the

Sourcing furniture in a more circular way, by

waste through all stages of production and allow

aims to drive a much-needed shift in the furniture

will require manufacturers to no longer view new

Eramus+ (2017) approximately 80-90% of discarded

responsibility of maintenance and repair to elongate

longer than a typical office lease period.

of new. This can only occur if this process is less

project can make a significant impact. For example,

components into a mixed recycling skip at the end of

by installing a glulam staircase. Each component

The most efficient way of reducing embodied carbon

combination creates a large difference. When we

designers we need to ask ourselves what the purpose

evaluate what we have achieved and take these

there. Whilst currently this puts restraints on the

This is a journey in which we are now gaining the

www.perkinswill.com

knowledge and clear direction to achieving a net

zero carbon interior in the future. From this process we have learnt that we can only assess progress if

there is a defined methodology involved. Although an LCA does not fully include CE, it does provide

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Hacel lights up Carnegie School of Sport at Leeds Beckett University The £45m Carnegie School of Sport unites all teaching and research for undergraduate, postgraduate and research sports programs as well as providing a hub for elite athletes who use the university’s athletics performance expertise. The building houses highly specialist teaching and research laboratories, including an environmental chamber that can mimic different altitudes and locations. The main feature of the Carnegie building is the impressive 60 meter long covered rooftop track. By cleverly using continuous lines of uninterrupted uniform lighting as lane identifiers, Infinitas® by Hacel is used to striking effect. The Carnegie School of Sport building has been equipped with a range of architectural luminaires of superior quality and class leading performance, all proudly designed and manufactured in the UK by Hacel.

History

Knowledge Vision T r u s t www.hacel.co.uk

PROJECT DETAILS Shanghai Astronomy Museum, Shanghai, China Client: Shanghai Science and Technology Museum Lighting Design Concept: Brandston Partnership, USA Architect: Ennead Architects, USA Photography: ArchExists

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museum and cultural lighting

The Race For Space The newly opened Shanghai Astronomy Museum is characterised by its beautiful, swirling form, designed by Ennead Architects to replicate the “geometry of the universe”. Brandston Partnership developed the lighting concept for this striking new centre.

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museum and cultural lighting

1. The lighting concept for the Shanghai Astronomy Museum was designed to follow the curving form of the building, with both façade lighting, and lighting to exterior seating tracing the swirling shape of the building. 2. One of the museum’s main architectural features, The Oculus, highlights the passage of time by tracking the sunlight as it shines across the entry plaza and reflecting pool. 3. Interior lighting was kept minimal in order to let the architectural features, such as the Inverted Dome, take centre stage. Small spotlights in the underside of the Dome highlight a swinging pendulum in the main atrium space. 4. While Brandston Partnership did not design the lighting for the exhibition spaces, the team ensured that the concept included a gradual dimming of the lighting leading towards the exhibits, themselves very dimly lit.

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esigned by Ennead Architects, the

across the entry plaza and reflecting pool. The

was opened earlier this year. At

is half submerged within the building. With

Shanghai Astronomy Museum

Sphere houses the planetarium theatre, which

420,000sqft, the new astronomical

minimum visible support, it evokes an illusion of

branch of the Shanghai Science and Technology

weightlessness or anti-gravity, while its perforated

dedicated solely to the study of astronomy.

Inverted Dome is a large, inverted glass tension

features no straight edges or right angles – is

of the building at the roof line. Here, visitors

been designed as an immersive experience that

unimpeded view of the sky. The culmination of the

astronomical phenomena. Through scale, form,

the horizon and adjacent urban context, and thus

been designed to heighten awareness of our

sky. A 720-degree spiralling ramp inside the

earth’s orbital motion.

the orbital flow of the visitor sequence throughout

Architects, drew inspiration for the museum from

its apex.

looking to the intricate choreographies created by

museum grounds also include a host of buildings

solar systems - this is reflected in the winding

permanent exhibits, a 78ft solar telescope, an

The museum and each of the three principal

Research Centre, and Digital Sky Theatre.

Oculus, the Inverted Done, and the Sphere – act as

Museum was developed by Brandston Partnership

the sun, moon and stars.

design team for the onsite installation.

the museum, demonstrates the passage of time

Architects and designer of the Shanghai

Museum is the largest museum in the world

shell transforms into a glowing orb after dark. The

The building’s sweeping, flowing form – which

structure that sits on top of the central atrium

inspired by the solar system itself, and has

can occupy the centre of the glass dish with an

places visitors in direct engagement with real

exhibit journey, the Inverted Dome cuts the view of

and the manipulation of light, the building has

focuses the visitor’s eye on the all-encompassing

fundamental relationship to the sun and the

museum underneath the Inverted Dome traces

Lead designer Thomas Wong, Partner at Ennead

the museum exhibits, sending the eye upward to

the classic “three-body problem” in physics,

Set within an expansive green zone, the

gravitational attraction of multiple bodies within

and programming, including temporary and

architectural ribbons of the museum’s façade.

observatory, optical Planetarium, Education and

architectural components of the design - the

The lighting concept for the new Astronomy

functioning astronomical instruments, tracking

Inc, who later passed the project on to a local

The Oculus, suspended above the main entry to

Thomas J. Wong, AIA, Design Partner at Ennead

by tracking a circle of sunlight on the ground

Astronomy Museum explained the importance

Staatliche Kunstsammlungen Dresden Photo: David Brandt

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1. The Inverted Dome features no visible lighting, with all ambient illumination emanating from within the museum. This allows for a clear, uninterrupted view of the night sky. 2. The exhibition lighting was developed by a local design team after Brandston Partnership handed the main lighting concept on to the architects. 3. The Sphere, which houses the planetarium theatre, is half-submerged in the building, appearing to float in the mid-space. Its perforated shell emits a soft glow after dark. 4. With no straight edges or right angles within the museum, the lighting concept instead sought to complement and accentuate the building’s curves through hidden cove lighting, wallwashing, and linear fixtures.

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that light plays on the museum’s wider design,

renders for the site, Chui knew that they were

designers at Brandston Partnership: “Light is one

thought that it was a stunning design. We saw a

universe, so it was an incredibly important aspect

and interior, and it’s stunning. And I think the

“We worked with Brandston Partnership to

It’s very clear that Ennead wanted this to be a very

a lighting design that highlighted the major

“They already had some idea of how they wanted

Director at Brandston Partnership, Wai Mun

up in a room to work out all of the big ideas for the

got involved in this landmark project: “We were

wall and on the TV screens, so that we could draw

create the Big Picture idea. That mainly involved

It was a very fun process, which we have truly

major public spaces of the interior – the area under

came up with the ideas together.”

exhibition spaces. These were handled by a local

lighting scheme that would sit in harmony with

“Ennead has been a collaborator of ours for a long

to take centre stage, rather than the lighting

years and probably completed more than two dozen

the message when you approach the space to be

that they really wanted us to help on developing

“It should be about the space and the whole

By the time Ennead approached Brandston

building, how you perceive the space and the

the bulk of the spatial design for the building

enhance the experience, but not necessarily be

and why it was so important to work with lighting

on to something special. “When I first saw it, I

of the primary ways we study and understand the

lot of images and renders from both the exterior

of the design.

building, in terms of features, speaks for itself.

supplement the natural daylight and integrate

special experience for visitors.

architectural features in a dramatic way.”

the space to look, but we spent a long time locked

Chui, explained further how the lighting studio

whole project. We put all of the drawings up on the

brought in to work with Ennead’s design team to

at the same time as we spoke and discussed ideas.

highlighting the building exterior and all the

missed in the last two years, but that’s how we

the Inverted Dome, the Sphere, etc – but not the

The collaborative process was built on creating a

company,” he said.

the architecture, and allow the building itself

time, we’ve worked on projects with them for many

becoming the primary focus. “We didn’t want

projects with them. So, when they called us to say

“wow” in terms of the lighting,” Chui continued.

the concept, of course it was a yes from us.”

experience – from approaching the site and the

Partnership to develop the lighting concept,

features within. We wanted the lighting to really

was completed. However, as soon as he saw the

what you see when you arrive.”

museum and cultural lighting

To that end, the lighting strategy was relatively

edge of the path that allowed the light source to be

the museum’s proximity to the nearby observatory,

Elsewhere, the museum’s other defining features,

wanted to minimise how bight the site was, and

minimal lighting strategy, instead allowing the

continued.

highlighting certain edges so that you can read the

The idea was to just put a few strokes of light here

continued. “We haven’t lit the Oculus because it

also knew that the metallic finish of the façade

the sun throughout the day.”

surrounding lighting would be reflected off the

small, lit domes within the ceiling of the entrance,

With a stripped back, simple exterior lighting

provide a gentle, functional illumination, appearing

of a band of light spanning the exterior of the

Similarly with the Inverted Dome, the design

the side of the building, was kept low, so as not to

interiors to bring a gentle glow to the centre of

“The idea was to use some sort of step light to

the top of the Inverted Dome, you don’t need any

surface,” Chui explained. “We didn’t want anything

interior, and I think it works really well,” Chui said.

what we have is a simple solution that creates a

works, it’s not about the lighting. I think Ennead can

while at the same time, lighting up the base of the

With the Shanghai Astronomy Museum’s atypical,

view. That highlight came through our development

geometry of the universe and the dynamic energy

minimal, particularly on the exterior. Because of

concealed, but still deliver an intense band of light.”

light pollution was a real consideration. “We really

the Oculus and the Inverted Dome, had a much more

avoid any light pointing directly upward,” Chui

design itself to shine. “Our concept was really about

“We also didn’t want to light up all of the surfaces.

form of the building, we tried not to overdo it,” Chui

and there, so that you recognise the building. We

creates a really dramatic effect on its own, projecting

would reflect light, so any surface lighting or

Instead, the lighting concept features a series of

façade surface.”

surrounding the Oculus. These are softly uplit to

concept, the main lighting feature was the addition

as planets orbiting the sunlight of the Oculus.

Sphere. The light, tracing a path that winds up

concept used the ambient lighting from the museum

distract from the glowing Sphere.

the dome. “The whole idea is that when you’re in

illuminate the path and bounce light up the

lighting, it’s about light coming through from the

inground, or anything pointing upwards. Instead,

“It’s purely about the architecture and how this

uniform, continuous line of light along the path

be very pleased with it.”

slender wall, but the source remains hidden from

curving form specifically designed to “echo the

work with the architect to create a detail at the

of celestial movement”, Chui felt that there was

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museum and cultural lighting

more freedom for expression when designing the

and capability, so that everything can be balanced.”

the museum’s subject matter. “The team wanted

the lighting concept, they passed it on to a local

wanted to push the boundaries,” he said.

process further: “We created a package with the

they had the same expectation that the lighting

local team would know the idea behind it and the

realise that there are no straight lines, everything

talking about the path lighting, it’s very schematic,

enhance the building’s curve.

box behind a perforated panel.

sky is a bit random, so in expressing the curve, we

everybody understood the overall concept, but also

match the design of the building.”

And while Chui has yet to visit the museum in

concept where a layered approach combining

is satisfied that Brandston Partnership’s original

of downlights accentuate the curves and shapes

did they get the concept correct, and I think from

that filters into the space. “There is so much

“When I first saw the photos, I thought ‘wow,

a lower ambient condition,” Chui explained.

concept stage, we developed all these big ideas and

stairs, the walls are lit, and then there are a few

light, in terms of the details, but they worked with

“At night, the ambience is expected to be much

“When I look at the pictures, I see our concept.

levels, and guidelines about the general lighting

and developing the design, and the lighting at the

system in place so that adjustments could be made.

all envisioned. That’s the beauty of this project.”

lighting concept, which was equally inspired by

Indeed once Brandston Partnership had drawn up

something that was not a typical solution – they

design team to bring to life. Chui explained this

“The whole building is very edgy. In the same way,

layout and the sketches and details so that the

would not be typical. When you go inside, you

basic detail that was required. For example, when

is curved, so the lighting expression is also to

but we explained that it had to be essentially a light

“If you imagine starlight, it’s a bit random, the

“It’s important to coordinate to make sure that

also saw lines of light, random patterns of light, to

the important things for each detail.”

This approach continued with the interior lighting

person, from what he has seen from images, he

linear fixtures, wall washes and a small selection

concept has been brought to life. “What I judge is

within, while also respecting the plentiful daylight

that standpoint, it’s very close.

daylight coming in, so the idea was to create

this is really stunning’. We were involved in the

“There’s a striking light around the ramps and the

gave Ennead a lot of sketches about where to locate

downlights on the path, so it’s very subtle.

the local team to make all these things work.

lower, so we issued guidelines about the light

They did a really good job in terms of carrying on

control system, to make sure that there is a control

end of the final product looks exactly like what we

“We wanted to make sure that there is a flexibility

www.brandston.com

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At the entrance plaza, light is dotted at random, akin to the stars in the sky, while softly uplit inverted domes call to mind planets orbiting the Oculus.

CMY

www.formalighting.com

For more details scan the QR Code

Seen, but In-Visible In-Visible, hosted in Mexico’s Museo Morelense de Arte Contemporaneo, used the latest Lutron technology to showcase the power and beauty of light.

ight resembles magic in many ways.

to invite more people into a dialogue about light and

of the rainbow but is seen only in the

way, just how important it is,” she said.

Part illusion, it exists in every colour

way it is reflected off other items. Part

unseen force, solar energy drives the water cycle,

the creation of oxygen through photosynthesis, and a growing mountain of research suggests that light

also has a profound influence on the health, mood, and perception of every person on the planet. In

short, light is incredible but many people outside of the lighting community are unaware of its power, ever-presence, and potential.

Increasing the public’s awareness of light is at the heart of a temporary exhibit of light installations at the Museo Morelense de Arte Contemporaneo (MMAC) Juan Soriano in Cuernavaca, Mexico.

In-Visible was created in partnership with Lutron

Latinoamerica, IALD Mexico, the Mexico Ministry of Tourism and Culture to celebrate UNESCO’s

International Day of Light for three months from May to August.

Curated by lighting designer Brenda Castillo Garcia, founder of Circadia Studio Lighting Design, the

exhibit, named In-Visible, explored the nature and

influence of light on people, their daily lives, and the environment. “The purpose of this exhibition was

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to show them, in a powerful and thought-provoking As the curator of the exhibit, Castillo teamed

with several local artists to develop the six light

installations that would be included. Light-art is

a unique blend of artistic inspiration and available technology, and Garcia played a pivotal role in

finding the lighting solutions that would enable the artists to realise their creative visions.

Five of the six installations featured fixtures from

Lutron, namely Ketra, an advanced LED light source currently only available in the USA and Mexico, and Athena, the award-winning architectural lighting control system now available worldwide. “I was

surprised by the system’s ability to transform light into language. With its extensive colour palette

(16.1 million colours), its precise control, and live

programming capability, you can talk with the light. It was the perfect tool for many of the pieces in this exhibit,” Garcia said.

The light installation This is the Now by Monica Vega used four Ketra luminaires, synchronised by Athena, to gently illuminate rows of translucent fabric

panels, simulating the exact colour temperature transitions that the local light of Cuernavaca

museum and cultural lighting

Pics: Jaime Navarro

undergoes every day. The programme recreated a full day of light

_Spectra by Fiama Diaz and Miguel Vega was a large-format lighting

in just seven minutes. Visitors experience the soft, warm morning

installation that told a more abstract story with light. Starting

and orange sunset. In terms of the phenomenon of light, this piece

artists programmed 11 Ketra luminaires into sophisticated lighting

light shift into crisp afternoon light before seeing the stunning red

exposes the ever-morphing identity of daylight that is distinct to the place that a person calls home.

In Jardin Rizomatico, Shamin Cecilia Ramos explored light as a

root force that connects the material and immaterial. Visitors

experienced the ways that different saturated colours of light affect their mood and their perception of the immediate environment.

To accomplish this immersive installation, an enclosed room was

with a collection of nylon threads pulled taut across the space, the

sequences designed to illuminate the materials in a range of colour

temperatures (2000K-5000K) and intensities, from various angles. This careful coordination, executed by Athena, created a dynamic

sensation of movement and motion across the expansive piece. Then

Diaz and Vega asked viewers, “Is it a ghost, a UFO, a bundle of hope, a brushstroke, or a memory?”

Lastly, is Entreluz by Omar Gomez – the interactive light

constructed within the exhibit – essentially a white box with a

installation captured visitors’ images in negative. Viewers could

more were installed in a light box with a mirrored surface affixed

lighting system – comprised of Ketra lamps controlled by Athena.

textured floor. Six Ketra lights were installed in its ceiling and four to the front wall. The lights dramatically painted the interior with

colour and the Athena-programmed sequences dramatically changed the colour and intensity, eliciting different emotional reactions from one person to the next.

walk between the canvas, a grey retro-reflective fabric, and the When they took a flash photo standing between the light and

canvas, they appeared only as their silhouette – their identity reduced to a shape, an outline.

Running from May to August 2021, the response to In-Visible has

Phototropisme by Anahy Cabrera depicted the slow morphological

been overwhelmingly positive and Garcia is extremely pleased with

energy from the sun. Athena-controlled Ketra light sources bathed

the role that light plays in nature, in science, and in influencing

patterns that emerge as the elements of the planet respond to the the structural canvases in various shades of purple, blue, green,

yellow, orange, and red light. Luminaires installed upon each canvas and synchronised via Athena, painted the canvases with dynamic

brushstrokes of light that felt almost real enough to be touched in one moment and then vanish the next in a hypnotic effect.

the result: “This exhibit is getting people talking and thinking about people. We have introduced more voices into the conversation and that was our goal.”

www.lutron.com/athena www.ketra.com

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This We’ll Defend Opened at the end of 2020, the National Museum of the United States Army tells the storied history of the US Armed Forces, with a dramatic lighting strategy from Available Light.

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Museum and cultural lighting

PROJECT DETAILS The National Museum of the United States Army, Fort Belvoir, VA, USA Client: The National Museum of the United States Army Exhibition Lighting Design: Available Light, USA Architect: Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, USA Exhibit Design: Christopher Chadbourne & Associates, USA; Eisterhold Associates, USA Exhibit Fabricator and Lighting Integrator: Design & Production, USA Photography: Steven Rosen

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he National Museum of the

US Army Corps of Engineers coordinated site

gallery exhibit, including the strategy of

the public in November 2020.

installing utilities.

myriad of stories, each gallery is given a deep

area of Fort Belvoir, VA, it acts as the Army’s

Associates and later, Eisterhold Associates,

tableaus, realistic cast figures, macro-scale

the Army’s story and honour the

design, supported by lighting designers

and so on, to tell the story of how specific

commitment of American soldiers.

2008, Steven Rosen, Creative Director, and

“Multi-layers of light take on a significant

truly national museum to capture, display

Manager at Available Light spoke with arc

From clean shadow-free brushstrokes of

history and brings to life that history in

“From the Army’s founding in 1775 leading

of theatrical accents, we aimed to deliver a

eyes of soldiers. The museum also offers

project is a cultural history museum,” says

Over the many years of the design process,

Army’s role in building and defending the

consecutive time order with a 300ft long

Lighting Designer, Rachel Gibney; and

and technological and medical

concourse and with commonly designed

Zelkowitz, Bill Kadra, Hess Smith and

A joint effort between the US Army and the

“Because we had a 45,000sqft plan with an

with exhibit and graphics designers, content

was constructed using private funds, with

with, we conceived a continuous flowing

army historians, army personnel, and

roads, utilities, and exhibit work that

environment. We worked diligently to let

should look. “As storytelling collaborators,

Architect Skidmore, Owings & Merrill

the entire visitor experience felt as if it

a completed 3D environment,” Rosen says.

Construction Group beginning construction

“For continuity, clarity, and orientation

organic experience. By the time installation

United States Army opened to

preparation, constructing the roads, and

presenting and lighting graphics. To tell a

Located on a publicly accessible

Exhibit designers Christopher Chadbourne &

historical treatment using artefacts,

“front door” and is an enduring effort to tell

created the museum’s storyline and exhibit

artefacts, synchronised A/V presentations

accomplishments, sacrifices and

Available Light. Having first got involved in

events shaped a nation.

The museum is the first comprehensive and

Derek Barnwell, Lead Designer and Project

role to help craft the visual environment.

and interpret more than 245 years of Army

about the design.

light on graphic panels and rails to hundreds

times of war and peace as told through the

all the way to modern American society, the

vibrant and dynamic sense of place.”

educational experiences illustrating the

Rosen. “The nine galleries are laid out in

Rosen, Barnwell and their team (Associate

US, as well as Army humanitarian missions

media and lighting-rich connecting

Designers Li-Hwa Yu, Nastassia Ortiz, Matt

breakthroughs built on Army ingenuity.

entry portals leading to each experience.

Lindsay Duval) had dozens of conversations

Army Historical Foundation, the building

almost 27ft-high ceiling ‘black box’ to work

developers, A/V treatment writers, expert

the US Army providing the infrastructure,

gallery-to-gallery immersive theatrical

museum leadership about how the lighting

transformed the building into a museum.

the corners of the various spaces go dark, so

we’re not interested in simply adding light to

designed the building, with Clark

emerged from darkness.

“That rarely leads to a satisfactory and

of the 185,000sqft facility in 2017, while the

there are many similar elements in each

rolled around, we felt we had our task mapped

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Museum and cultural lighting

out and we set to work on delivering the lighting

and direct focus to what is important. This high

Rosen and his team ensured special consideration

and gravitas to the moment and this specially

the army’s archives, which all required

meaningful visitor experience.

often, conservation level lighting equals boring

entryway to the galleries, 42 stainless steel pylons,

investment in creating a theatrical and dramatic

sacrifice, is presented in a striking and sterile

cases. In most of the cases we installed a fibreoptic

the museum.”

every theatrical spotlight and track head was

replica of the Wright Brothers’ Wright Flyer, “an

variety of zoom-focus fibre spots and light bars

says Rosen. “Then you also have moments of the

focused by a team led by Rob Rowlands of Luxam.”

enacted and given the full multimedia theatrical

dioramas and exhibits depicting scenes from

and special effects, all synchronised together to

the lighting team to find similar gallery-to-gallery

stand on a glass bridge, allowing the environment

equally important that they developed unique

As mentioned previously, the museum benefits

visitor’s journey more interesting and compelling.

space was created to accommodate macro-

key. We are dedicated to using small paint brushes

the height. “The ceiling heights were fantastic,”

strokes allow us to strategically avoid video

the distance from luminaire to target is very short

experience that had been discussed and vetted.”

level of lighting control brings a sense of drama

was given to the hundreds of delicate objects from

crafted light supports the desire for an extremely

conservation lighting levels of 35-60 lux. “Too

“As an example of this, at the Soldiers Stories

lighting design,” continues Barnwell. “Our

each celebrating a person who gave the ultimate

experience didn’t end at the outside of the artefact

lighting presentation – it is unlike anything else in

grid system developed by Luxam Lighting; just as

Another striking highlight within the museum is a

considered an individual paintbrush of light, a

abstract environment, bathed in theatrical light,”

were distributed in every case and dramatically

Meuse-Argonne Offensive in WWI being re-

Within the museum there is a wide range of

immersion treatment with lighting, audio, video

various wars and battles. While it was important to

form a powerful battlefield experience. Visitors

treatments for clarity and orientation, it was

to extend beneath them.”

storytelling moments to make the arc of the

from ceiling heights of 27ft and while the vertical

Rosen explains: “Control over the environment is

artefacts, the lighting team took full advantage of

of light instead of big washes. Those smaller

says Rosen. “In most museum gallery situations,

projection surfaces, control light levels on artifacts

and the magical softening and blending that

1. The museum’s vast, 27ft-high, ‘black box’ ceilings were designed to showcase huge dioramas and aviation models, but the lighting designers at Available Light were able to use these to their advantage, using the extra space to create a sculptured lighting effect through more than 460 ETC Source Forward profiles. 2. One of the main objectives for Available Light’s lighting design was to use multiple layers of light to craft the visual environment, creating a “vibrant and dynamic sense of place.” 3. The Soldiers Stories entryway to the galleries features 42 stainless steel pylons, each celebrating one of the United States’ war heroes. A contrast to the rest of the museum, this space is presented in a striking, sterile lighting presentation. 4. By using “small paint brushes of light”, the design team was able to avoid video projections, control light levels on artefacts and direct the focus to what is important.

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1. Through the huge dioramas and exhibits depciting scenes from various wars and battles, Available Light worked to develop unique storytelling moments through light, to make the arc of the visitors’ journey more interesting and compelling. 2. The museum covers a detailed history of the US Army, stretching back from its formation in the late 1700s, to modern American society.

happens when a beam of light has distance to

worked on the project, the LED Revolution hit the

many of the dioramas are more beautifully

called for ceramic metal halide profile units and

deployed more than 460 ETC Source Forward

lighting team to sit on the side-lines with the

objects, laying down gobo/colour washes and

challenges and benefits of transitioning to a

compositions.”

“Ultimately, we decided moving away from what

wall displaying graphics, artifacts and so on, the

better route to take,” Barnwell says, “and we

macro-artefacts – also presented the team with

frankly, ourselves – on why we believed we

consistently illuminate the long flowing walls.

and use LED. We did an exhaustive cost-benefit

designed and built a curving lighting track

mock-ups. Although this was an extraordinary

For a clean appearance, track heads were

project team, we believe the change was of

Reflecting on challenges during the project, for

Taking a final reflection on the project, Rosen

amount of time the project took, explaining:

emotional impact the project has had on its

travel is mostly lost. The gift of height means

industry. The original lighting specification

sculptured from a distance away. To this end, we

track heads. Thankfully, there was time for the

profiles in multiple layers of light, for framing

project to better understand the implication,

artfully creating evocative lighting

radically new and game-changing light source.

However, with hundreds of feet of curvilinear

was soon to be an obsolete technology was the

high ceilings – hosting many large, hanging

began the process of educating our client – and

challenges when it came to allowing them to

should revisit the entire lighting specification

Barnwell explains: “To address this situation, we

analysis and oversaw several workshops and

eyebrow”, stood off from and tracing the walls.

effort that touched virtually everyone on the

concealed in a channel.”

long-term benefit to the job.”

Rosen the biggest issue was the drawn-out

explained to arc how it’s hard to describe the

“Maintaining continuity, engagement and

audience. From soldiers and families who lost

our studio was difficult,” he says. “We saw many

interested in making better sense of what the US

number of reasons. Keeping track of changes to

people in between these two extremes, the

mind-bending, but thankfully Derek Barnwell

“We poured a lot of effort into every detail, large

to address client questions even today, his

says Rosen. “We are grateful to have worked with

encyclopaedic!”

world-class experience.”

enthusiasm over the 12 years this project was in

colleagues and loved ones in battle, to the public

critical contributors exit the project for any

Army is and how it operates, to the myriad of

this enormous experience could be a little

reaction, has been “incredibly satisfying.”

was with the project from day one and continues

or small, and we are proud of the final product,”

institutional knowledge of this project is

some of the best in the business to create this

Over the 12-year span that the lighting team

www.availablelight.com

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Cave of Wonders Italy’s Collepardo Caves have been given a mystic, ethereal new lighting scheme from OkiDoki Arkitekter that highlights the naturally-formed caverns, while protecting the thriving ecosystem within.

ocated in the Frosinone province of Italy,

“My interpretation of these goals, shared and agreed in

Caves. A site of significant ecological and

LazioCrea, particularly Director Maurizio Stumbo and

around 70km from Rome, lie the Collepardo archaeological interest, the underground

labyrinth is home to a diverse assortment of natural resources, wildlife and plant life.

Under the supervision of Albino Ruberti, Head of the

Cabinet of the Lazio region, and the region’s Cultural

Heritage Department, the caves have been given a new lighting scheme that brings a sense of mystique and drama, while protecting the delicate ecosystem.

Stockholm-based, Italian lighting designer Chiara

Carucci of OkiDoki Arkitekter, was approached by Ruberti to take on the challenge of illuminating the space in a respectful manner.

“I was ecstatic to be offered the project, especially after visiting the caves for the first time; but I only accepted

after making sure that we could respect the heritage of the caves,” she said. “Too many touristic caves around

the world are lit like an amusement park for the sake of tourism, with no respect for the biodiversity.”

The aim for the new lighting was therefore twofold, as

Carucci explained: “Initially the main goal was to seduce tourists, therefore giving a new input to the local economy; but also, to enhance the beauty while protecting the heritage.

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several meetings with the client [Lazio Region and

Laure Maurizet], was not related to the so-called “wow

factor”, nor the Instagrammability of the project. I meant to convey one simple message: respect the heritage.

“I was hoping that through a simple yet incisive lighting design, I could inspire people to look beyond. If I could

seduce them, maybe scare them a bit too, and revive the spirit of adventure we always have, at least until

adulthood, they would hopefully be inspired to respect and love nature.”

Within this “biodiversity treasure”, as Carucci described it, lives a large community of bats, including at least five species. Falling under the “Habitat Directive” on the

conservation of natural habitats and of wild fauna and

flora, it was therefore vital that any lighting interventions do not disturb this vibrant colony. Further to this, Carucci had to ensure that the new lighting limited the ecological problem of lampenflora – the proliferation of principally phototrophic organisms near artificial light sources at

sites where under natural circumstances they would not appear.

Luckily for Carucci, she was given guidance from multiple sources when developing the lighting concept: “Vito Consoli, Regional Director for Natural Heritage and

Museum and cultural lighting

PROJECT DETAILS Collepardo Caves, Frosinone, Italy Client: LazioCrea Lighting Design: OkiDoki Arkitekter, Sweden Photography: Jansin & Hammarling

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museum and cultural lighting

Carucci took inspiration from the natural lighting phenomena around the town of Collepardo, such as the morning sun shining through the hillside, to connect the caves with their surroundings.

Protected Natural Areas, was extremely supportive. He shared a wide

support from Giovanni Mastrobuoni, LazioCrea’s consultant for

caves,” she said. “‘Get informed before doing’ has always been my

“My ‘voyage au centre de la terre’ continued with researchers

“The guides also shared their experience and love for the place with

several times, online and in person, and their input and reports were

I could replicate their genuineness in my design.”

“Particularly, Rosangela and I discussed the use of specific

Carucci rented a flat in Collepardo with friend and architect Ruggero

lampenflora – after careful evaluation, we agreed to work on three

Here, she “lived and breathed the atmosphere, slow pace and the

Practically, this meant that fixtures were installed 800mm from

understand it.

short operating times. It was also suggested to avoid illuminating soft

reserves and rivers, helped me to build the concept. I felt that I could

focused on rocks and crystalline solids.

area,” she explained.

design was to keep the lighting deliberately minimal, and

afternoons to enhance several speleothems, through side light and

illuminating delicate artefacts in a museum. “I completed the design

Torrente Cosa river for gently treating the splattermites, which are

deliver 160lm, 1.5W each, and I dimmed several of these down to 50%

through the hillside for enhancing the depth of the cave, while

“Some may think that a place must be bright to be awesome, but in

for the bats. I looked at the midday sun in the clearings and the woods

the visitors,” she said.

sunset that would make a golden “explosion” on the steep cliff in

however they are naturally dark. Since we could inform the public,

detachment fault.”

only for environmental reasons. I used an entire palette of effects

extensive team of researchers, scientists, and advisers, who provided

necessary, and worked with perception to achieve a three-

within the caves.

creates an experience for visitors.

project,” she explained. “From the beginning we had invaluable

explorers and support the mood for listening and learning.”

bibliography about chiroptera [bats], lampenflora and touristic

chiroptera, who has been studying the local colonies for the past year.

way of working, and I’ve never felt so encouraged as I did here.”

Leonardo Ancillotto, Rosangela Addesso and Jo De Waele. We met

me, as well as a lot of knowledge. When I first met them, I hoped that

extremely valuable.

To help get into the zone while developing the lighting concept,

wavelengths of light spectrum that would reduce the development of

di Maio, who has a lot of experience in construction site management.

parameters: distance, low intensity, and total time of operations.”

mood of the village,” immersing herself into the locale to better

speleothems (mineral formations), with very low lumen outputs and

“The way the daylight brings to life the beautiful cliffs, woods, nature

surfaces and those covered with vermiculation, with lighting instead

enhance the caves through effects of light that I experienced in the

Bearing these suggestions in mind, one of the core facets of Carucci’s

“I used the long shadows and soft contrasts of central Italian

purposefully dark, with a respectful approach more akin to

medium beam lighting fixtures. I looked at the glistening on the

with 89 lighting fixtures [excluding the handrail lighting], 64 of which

active and yet so fragile. I was inspired by the sharp morning sunrays

when in use, so it’s pretty dark!

keeping several areas darker, providing comfortable aerial corridors

my opinion it all depends on both the context and the education of

for more contrasting effects, especially for the entrance. Finally, the

“Especially after electrification, caves became tourist attractions,

front of the cave, is my main inspiration for the lighting of the

before and during the visit, I decided to work with low intensities, not

Throughout the project, Carucci was in close communication with an

(light, shadows, contrast, colour temperature, etc) when and where

guidance on what lighting scenarios would best protect the habitat

dimensional vision that supports storytelling and narrative and

“This was one of the most challenging and interesting aspects of the

“The darker, almost mystical atmosphere may make visitors feel like

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museum andfocus cultural lighting hospitality

To further enhance this atmosphere, Carucci

Lumen output was kept deliberately low, with

various spaces within the cave. This also helped to

until the first “stop”, where sensors activate the

through the caves in a sequence that would follow

better view of the complexity of the cave and can

President of WWF Italy and local TV personality,

interior lighting.

“Besides practical suggestions, the researchers

the cave. Here, the lighting was designed to make

of the design,” she said. “I interviewed all the

and columns, and to experience the silence. “Just

people per group, and their ‘highlights’. From

reverence and awe,” Carucci continued.

divide the caves into five zones or thematic areas,

especially since daylight is rarely visible from this

through five corresponding light scenes, activated

majestic – in 20 second fades, the detachment fault

The first scene, the entrance, is strongly

cave, the splattermites.”

Carucci had to find a balance between variable light

large space where people can spend more time,

“Daylight was a key inspiration for my design, but

Here, the play and juxtaposition with the daylight is

she said.

story of the formation of the cave.

the inner part of the cave; as their vision adjusts,

then turn off several light fixtures, and activate a

uniformly lit depending on the level of natural

more about the cave and its inhabitants.

created a series of lighting scenes to showcase the

levels dimming down further once visitors pass by,

create a natural flow for visitors, guiding them

second scene: the Stalagmites. Here, visitors gain a

the new accompanying audio guide, delivered by

spot the parallel between the daylight and the new

Donatella Bianchi.

The third scene, The Cathedral, is the lowest part of

supported my effort in having ‘time’ as a key aspect

visitors feel very small, compared to the stalagmites

guides, getting info on visit durations, number of

like in a gothic cathedral, people should just be in

there, the narrative and landscape suggested to

“I had the chance to keep lighting levels very low,

so that I could reveal the caves’ marvels gradually

area. However, the transition to the fourth scene is

as visitors pass by.”

is revealed, as well as the most active part of the

characterised by daylight for most of the day, so

The main visiting area of the cave, The Terrace, is a

levels and safety needs while creating anticipation.

admiring the complexity and extension of the cave.

also a constraint – it truly influenced my design,”

fundamental, revealing the arches and telling the

Visitors adapt to the darkness as they move towards

When the group is almost ready to leave, the guides

they discover more details. The walking path is

holographic projection while the audio guide talks

light, with fixtures recessed into the handrails.

The final lighting scene sees the lighting for large

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1. In some areas of the caves, the lighting was specifically designed to showcase the scale and grandeur of the rock formations, making visitors feel very small in the process. 2. Carucci spent a great deal of care and attention to showcase the beauty of the naturally formed speleothems throughout the caves. 3. A variance in colour temperature helped to highlight and accentuate the various rocks and minerals within the caves, while adding a sense of depth.

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parts of the cave gradually turn off, and as visitors adapt to the lower

shoes, my muscles hurt as I was not used to climbing. But the test

into a resource for storytelling.

get the client’s approval.”

light levels, they experience a semi-blackout, turning the darkness

On top of the need to be respectful of the caves’ delicate ecosystem, Carucci revealed that the sheer logistics of illuminating the space,

from planning and mock-ups to fixture placement, was one of the biggest challenges that she faced.

“I wanted to protect the cave’s fragile ecosystem through a careful

plan for the installation: lighting fixtures would be mounted on the

existing handrails, or placed on areas of collapse, or areas disturbed

by previous works or human intervention. However, in order to limit

new intervention and the amount of alien materials brought into the caves, I also had to find a compromise between quantity of fixtures and quality of lighting for each area.

“I found it more practical to create the concept through a complete test lighting, while relying on my personal experience and

sensibility. Besides the compromises on quantity and quality, I also had to consider space for visiting and for mounting, while working with perception.

“Moreover, explaining the concept to the client is usually very

complex, almost impossible in this context, without a full-scale

mock-up. So, after testing the entire cave, I set up the lighting for the Cathedral, and invited the client in to experience it in person.

“In three weeks, I broke several gloves and two pairs of mountain

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lighting was a key experience, and the mock-up was fundamental to Although faced with multiple issues throughout the project, Carucci said that she is “usually motivated by challenging situations”.

“The collaboration with LazioCrea’s maintenance team and Ruggero di Maio during test lighting, with electrical engineer Massimiliano

Faina on the design development, the client and the entire team of

researchers was key for a successful process. Especially when working very long hours, admitting when you need help is fundamental.” With the complexity that working in a cave with such a dense,

thriving ecosystem brings, it is a far cry from what one may consider a typical architectural lighting project. However, Carucci believes that this project is what her lighting career has been building towards.

“Looking back, it seems that I prepared for this project for my entire career. Examining the effect of light on the ruins of a Roman villa in one of my first junior experiences in 2004; the special attention to

conservation issues and details, learned from my mentors in several

projects in Milan and abroad; my most recent experience in landscape lighting, especially in Eskilstuna, Sweden, built up a basis for taking on this project.

“However, none of the projects that I have worked on so far compared to the honour and challenges that I had here. For example, I usually

design accessories for installation, especially for heritage buildings.

Museum and cultural lighting

In the caves, mounting also means noise. When

The guides have been my most valuable asset and

off-path, I had to choose between including an

“The researchers, especially Giovanni, highlighted

designing bases and bollards for mounting fixtures extraneous material, such as concrete for the

foundations, versus disrupting the ground with

perforations. After consulting with the researchers, I decided for the latter – the drilling produces noise,

but speeds up the installation process, and allows a higher flexibility in the aiming of the fixtures.

“Even the construction process was completely

different, especially for the times and methods of

installation: the building site was planned in relation to the bats’ phenological phases, starting after

hibernation and concluding before the nursery.”

Despite some testing circumstances, the project was completed earlier this year, and Carucci explained

that the new lighting has been very greatly received by tourists, guides, and researchers alike.

“The tourist feedback is gratifying, especially their silence during scene three, their surprised

expression in scene four and their awe at the

semi-blackout of scene five. But the most rewarding feeling is the joy and pride of the guides, who now

introduce the caves feeling like owners of the project.

their approval and enthusiasm means everything.

how the lighting design sheds a new light on to the authentic spectacle of the site by supporting the

visiting experience, while protecting its biodiversity.” Indeed, while caves naturally have a mystic aura surrounding them, the new lighting within the

Collepardo Caves helps to emphasise the wonder of

the naturally formed caverns and formations, while respecting the wildlife that call the caves home. “I take pride in the transformation, especially

related to the quality of perception, towards a more

natural look based upon a conscious use of darkness

1. Lighting was kept minimal throughout the caves, with the decision made to enhance a few of the speleothems and formations, playing with contrast and colour temperature to reveal the space. 2. Fixtures from Platek and Simes were used sparingly to showcase the mystique and allure of the caves to guests. 3. The cave is home to a colony of bats, meaning that light levels were deliberately kept very low, so as not to disturb the habitat for them. 4. The “pinecone” is one of the most majestic speleothems within the cave. Carucci enhanced this formation with different colour temperatures - 4000K for the whitest parts, mixed with 3000K at the bottom - and layers of light and shadow in a threepoint approach, similar to that of a museum.

as a tool for design, that gives the space a mysterious charm, seducing visitors,” Carucci concluded.

“The lighting not only enhances the landscape and the intrinsic beauty of the caves, but also

communicates the values of its heritage, and our care and our effort towards stewardship.” www.okidokiarkitekter.se

lighting specified Planet Lighting Snap Platek Micro Steel Platek Mini Corniche Full Platek Mini Full Platek Nano Full Platek Steel 200 Simes Microkeen Blade

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Pics: William Hao

Work of Art The newly opened Museum of Art Pudong, designed by architect Jean Nouvel, utilises fixtures from Erco across its vast, multi-function 40,000sqm space.

ocated at the tip of Pudong’s Lujiazui CBD

with Tate Britain showcasing more than 100 collections,

Tower, is the Museum of Art Pudong (MAP),

Seine at Port-Villez, John Martin’s The Destruction of

area, right below the iconic Oriental Pearl

the latest addition to the modern skyline of

Shanghai’s Pudong district.

Pompeii and Herculaneum and Sir John Everett Millais’ Ophelia. One of the spaces, Exhibition Hall X, is a

The building is a beautiful merger between the simplicity

30-metre high area with windows allowing visitors to

Erco Parscan spotlights in 3500K and 4000K were used

of modernity and Chinese Cultural characteristics.

four-storey white granite building has two large glass wall sections, so the interior is visible from the Bund district across the Huangpu River. The highly reflective glass

mirrors the beautiful scene of the river onto the museum, creating a sense of belonging to its surrounding, while a

skybridge connects the building to the bank of Huangpu River. Erco provided lighting fixtures in the exhibition spaces in this iconic addition to the area.

A seven-floor structure spanning 40,000sqm of habitable space, the museum becomes a multi-use complex for art, featuring galleries of multiple heights, a theatre,

roof terrace with sculpture garden and restaurant, and

large viewing gallery. The design focuses on geometric

forms and plays with volume in different spaces, creating different scenes in each part of the building.

MAP opened on 8 July with three exhibitions. The first,

Light: Works from Tate’s Collection is a collaboration

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featuring famous works such as Claude Monet’s The

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look in on every floor.

across all the galleries. Depending on the needs of the artwork, they mixed the light distributions, spotlight,

flood, ovalflood, and wall-washing to achieve different light effects. The accent light highlights the art pieces while the wallwashing effect illuminates the spaces without flooding it in excess light.

Erco offered a customised version of Parscan with

a longer handle to accommodate the high-volume

space, while remaining almost completely concealed,

allowing the unique ceiling design to take centre stage.

The Erco Quintessence wallwasher in 3500K and 4000K creates a uniform illumination for the artworks while

bringing a bright and spacious impression to the room

within a controlled light environment. The room is well

illuminated even without excessive luminaires, creating a visually comforting experience to the visitors. www.erco.com

museum and cultural lighting

Life Imitates Art Renowned artist Olafur Eliasson’s latest installation, Life, has been unveiled at the Fondation Beyeler in Basel, with complementary lighting provided by Zumtobel.

compelling experience of art, both

both the artist and the Fondation Beyeler, Zumtobel

to the museum and parkland of the

“With Life, I’m actively working to create a space of

indoors and outdoors, awaits visitors Fondation Beyeler in Basel. With

his new exhibition, Life, Danish-Icelandic artist

Olafur Eliasson presents the museum of modern

and contemporary art with a boundary-breaking exploration of nature and culture.

Eliasson is renowned worldwide for his architectural projects and interventions in public space in

particular – his latest exhibition is unique both in

its size and design in the Swiss museum landscape. The artist has a long-standing relationship with Zumtobel. The manufacturer has worked with Eliasson on both artistic projects and product developments, with one such collaboration

resulting in the Starbrick lighting module – an experiment in light modulation and space.

As a result of this long-standing connection with

is now also sponsoring the Life project.

coexistence for everyone who is involved with the

exhibition and is affected by it – museum, artwork, visitors, other beings, plants in the park and the

urban landscape that surrounds the museum, and everything else beyond. Through the collective

exploration of the world that we share, we can, I

hope, make it liveable for all species,” said Eliasson.

Isabel Zumtobel, Head of Arts & Culture at Zumtobel Group, added: “We have worked with both the

Fondation Beyeler and Olafur Eliasson for many

years, a collaboration that continues to re-inspire us as a company and helps us to see that cultural

advocacy gives us a chance to grow further and to forge new paths.”

www.zumtobel.com

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PROJECT DETAILS Museo Egizio, Turin, Italy Client: Museo Egizio Lighting Design: Licht, Belgium Photography: Museo Egizio Torino / Chris Pype

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Museum and cultural lighting

Ancient Artefacts The oldest museum dedicated to Ancient Egyptian culture, Turin’s Museo Egizio has recently undergone a renovation, with a new lighting scheme created by Belgian designer Chris Pype.

ocated in Turin, Italy, the Museo Egizio

Telling arc of his design concept, Pype said: “The

dedicated to Ancient Egyptian culture.

Everything was immersed with the same source of

is the world’s oldest museum

Currently, the museum preserves a

collection of roughly 40,000 exhibits across its numerous rooms and galleries.

During its most recent renovation, Licht was

brought on board to complete the new lighting

design scheme to complement the exhibits, but also be sensitive to the preservation of the artefacts on show.

Founder of Licht Chris Pype brought a wealth of

knowledge in museum lighting to the project, with a portfolio of works that include Louvre in Paris,

the British Museum in London, Kunsthistorisches

Museum in Vienna, Egyptian Museum in Berlin and München en Medelhavsmuseet in Stockholm. “In 2016, we were responsible for the lighting

design for the Egyptian wing of the Rijksmuseum

van Oudheden in Leiden, Netherlands,” explained Pype. “We were able to realise this project with a great appreciation for the museum and its scenographers, Kinkorn.”

As a result of the work they completed in Leiden, the Egizio’s Museum Director approached Pype directly to recreate the same scheme in his museum in Turin.

atmosphere in the renewed museum was dull.

light and there was little differentiation with many objects remaining in relative darkness.

“In the latest renovation, the museum’s approach was rather architectural. The lighting design did not originate from the objects in the exhibits.

Egyptian artefacts need a very specific approach due to their unique appearances. Monumental statues against miniscule amulets, carved

hieroglyphics, light-sensitive papyri in contrast with light resistant stone or metal artefacts, sarcophagi with outer and inner decoration.

“I have focussed on the objects themselves and

tried to preserve them in their intrinsic value yet

provide a strong visual impact in all their aspects. In addition to all of these points of consideration, we also reduced the light spill to increase the overall contrast levels.

“The problem was the previous lighting scheme

was too coherent. Instead, we have tried to bring

more life into the spaces by building up distinctive spheres.”

Due to budget constraints, the Licht team worked

as much as possible with existing light equipment in the museum. However, there were some rooms

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Museo Egizio is home to around 40,000 exhibits across numerous rooms and galleries. The new lighting from Licht showcases and complements the broad selection of incredibly delicate exhibits, while remaining sensitive to the preservation of the artefcats. Fixtures from Erco, LED Linear, Viabizzuno, Luxam and Nemo bring the sympathetic scheme to life.

that needed complete overhauls and specific

light intensity needs,” said Pype.

was too limited. We added extra tracks to achieve

conservational reasons to illuminate the mummies

attention to improve. “The grid of the existing tracks more angles to light the collections,” explained Pype. “For existing spotlights, we ordered other optics and accessories to improve them.”

Working within the listed museum building also presented some placement issues for the new

fixtures Pype planned to integrate into the scheme. It pushed the team’s creativity to come up with

appropriate solutions to the task, including bespoke options for the showcases.

Using products from Erco, LED Linear, Luxam, Nemo and Viabizzuno, Pype and his team paid close

attention to the sensitivity of a lot of the exhibits. To maintain preservation, Pype ensured the luminous

intensity never exceeded 50 lux. With neighbouring pieces that weren’t as sensitive, lighting was

increased to “give a punch of light to liven up”.

“Individual spotlights with very narrow light beams and framer units were used to address these varied

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Fibre optic lighting products were chosen for

on display, but also because they were able to reach the refined integrated lighting needs.

“The biggest challenge were the many showcases,”

continued Pype. “Internal lighting equipment would have been the best option but was no longer

technically possible. The lighting from outside of the showcases was providing a lot of unwanted, distracting shadows from the edges of the glass

cabinets, hinges and tablets. By choosing to light

under the right angles with spots, we could reduce these shadows to a minimum.”

Further lighting successes were proven at the

sandstone temple, which has suffered a lot under erosion. Pype’s lighting solutions resulted in the

re-emergence of once lost figures in the stone, and reducing the traces of erosion.

Overall, the project was a great success and well received by those at the museum. “Due to the

Museum and cultural lighting

complexity of integrating internal lighting into the

with the museum’s artefacts allows the public to

in the showcases that really needed it. And, due to

of ancient Egypt, engaging in dialogue with an

showcases, we could only implement these solutions the scale of the museum and its budgets, we had to

balance where we could have the greatest impact for the least amount of effort.

“We were amazed at how powerful the medium of

lights is once again. By a well thought-out approach, we were able to bring a new look and feel to the museum,” said Pype.

Christian Greco, Director of the Museo Egizio, added: “Thanks to the new lights installed in the museum’s rooms and in the showcases, visitors are first of all

offered the possibility of a closer encounter with the artefacts of our collection, as they can observe even

the smallest details, such as engravings, bas-reliefs and hieroglyphs. The public can therefore enjoy a

much more effective view of the Museum’s objects for a better visiting experience.

“However, this project does not represent a simple

technical improvement. Having a closer experience

have a better understanding of the material culture ancient civilisation that is still able to speak to us today through the biography of its objects, and to transmit universal stories.

“The artefacts of the Museo Egizio’s collection can

then no longer be mute testimonies but a way to raise public awareness of the importance of the past, a key to understanding the present time and ourselves.

“The important work carried out by Chris Pype and

his team is therefore not limited to the technical and technological components, but represents a

distinctive element of how the Museum wants to relate to its public, fulfilling one of the essential

tasks of a cultural institution like ours, as stated also in the fundamental principles of the Italian Constitution.”

www.chrispype.be

lighting specified Erco Hi-trac Erco Pollux LED Linear Vesta LED Linear Xooline Luxam Micro LED Spots Luxam Micro Fibre Optics system Nemo Perfect Beam Viabizzuno Arco Viabizzuno Micromen Viabizzuno Traccia

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089

Pic: Eddo Hartmann

Sailing Away Fixtures from CLS help to bring a new light to the Netherlands’ maritime history at Amsterdam’s Scheepvaartmuseum.

he collection of Amsterdam’s

To make the building more visible, the lighting has

Museum) is one of the largest and most

experience the space in combination with the

Scheepvaartmuseum (National Maritime notable maritime collections in the world.

Spanning 500 years of Dutch maritime history, the

museum houses around 400,000 objects, including paintings, models of ships, navigation objects and cartography.

The museum is currently undergoing renovations, including a redesign of a lighting system that was

nearing the end of its lifespan after 10 years in place; with two of the main exhibits completed to date.

With a goal for the new lighting to showcase both the museum itself, a beautiful, classical building in the heart of Amsterdam, as well as the exhibits within.

Museum management called on Maarten Warmerdam, founder of Studio Warmerdam, to facilitate the newlook lighting.

“I spoke with the directors and asked them what sort

of museum they wanted to be in 10 years’ time. Where did they want to go and what sort of lights would accommodate this,” he explained.

“The previous lighting concept was based on

experiences, with dynamic light and interactive

installations, but the current renovation has led to a

change in that overall vision by giving the building a more prominent role in the exhibit design.”

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been carefully designed to be more centred around

collections, with a particular attention paid towards harmonising the artificial lighting with daylight.

After a European tender process, Warmerdam called

on fixtures from Dutch manufacturers CLS, provided by local museum lighting specialists Lichtpunt. A

combination of CLS’s Lina Track DF slim, linear rail

fixtures fitted with Casambi Bluetooth control; and Jade Zoom directional spots fitted with a local dim control, showcase both the heritage of the building itself, and the artefacts on display.

Lichtpunt also developed a solution specifically tailored to the needs of the project.

“What was really good about Lichtpunt is that they came up with a solution where they created special

accessories to fit our needs,” Warmerdam added. “They

really went into to detail to see how they could meet our needs for the project.”

While Warmerdam was responsible for the wider

lighting design of the Scheepvaartmuseum, each

individual exhibit has its own specific designer. One of the newly completed spaces, dedicated to the harbour of Amsterdam, was designed by Frank Hulsebosch,

Founder of Dutch practice 50Lux. “We specialise in lighting design for exhibitions in museums. I had

museum and cultural lighting

Pics: Mike Bink Fotografie (unless otherwise stated)

already done a few exhibitions at the Scheepvaartmuseum, and they asked me to do the lighting for this one too,” he said.

Rather than developing a specific concept for the lighting design within the exhibition, Hulsebosch was instead guided by the collection that he was illuminating.

“Lighting design is something that you add to the existing design.

In the collection, there are pieces that the director wanted to show,

and there’s the exhibition itself, and the lighting is something that comes on top of that.

“I had some influence on where the infrastructure was, where the light rails would go, but as it’s an old building from the 1700s, we

were limited in where we could put these, as there are big wooden

beams in the ceiling every metre. Between the beams, we had one

length of rail, so that’s the infrastructure that we had to work with.”

Despite these logistical constraints, Hulsebosch was pleased with the outcome of the design, and with the chance to work with CLS in the process.

“I was outside of the specification process, as that was all Maarten’s doing, but I use CLS in a lot of projects. I like them very much, so it

would have been my choice anyway. After the choice was made, I was happy – I know them well, I like to work with them; and it was easy for me because I know the instruments and how they work.” The fixtures from CLS ranged from 3500K to 3000K in colour

temperature, with the warmer, 3000K fixtures used to highlight the classic architecture and bring a depth to the wider space.

“It fits the history of the building better,” Hulsebosch added. “The

floor itself is a very warm colour, so with the warmer light, it shows the colour better. It fits the atmosphere of the whole building,

because you see these wooden floors, the wooden beams in the

ceiling, and the old windows, so the character of the building is still classic. But the exhibition itself is very modern, which creates a wonderful contrast.” www.cls-led.com

www.lichtpunt.nl

www.studiowarmerdam.com www.50lux.nl

www.hetscheepvaartmuseum.nl

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The First Rule of Light Club... Earlier this year, Martin Lupton, Katia Kolovea and Annukka Larsen launched Light Club: a virtual meeting place for the lighting community on newly launched social media platform, Clubhouse. Here, they explain the rules of Light Club.

lubhouse is an audio-only social media platform

about the medium that we are all so passionate about.

smartphone or tablet. It launched on iPhone and

and Inspiration based sessions. At the time of writing, Light Club

that is intended to be primarily accessed via your recently became available on Android and, although

it was “exclusive” and invite-only when it started, there now

seems to be plenty of invitations available to anyone who wants them. Within the Clubhouse environment there are “rooms” that are created for the discussion of all topics imaginable -

from Architecture to Social Media tips to Bitcoins and NFT’s.

About six months ago Annukka Larsen of WSP Finland, Katia Kolovea of Archifos and Martin Lupton of Light Collective began hosting Light Club - a one-hour open session held every Wednesday at

2.30pm UK time, for people to get together and talk about light. Designed to be a place to share your passion for light, lighting

design, light and architecture, light and art, light and everything, the aim of Light Club is to get inspired, provide some value, some knowledge, create opportunities for new connections and, most importantly, have some fun discussing light

during the one hour the audience spends in Light Club.

Everyone is welcome in Light Club - manufacturers, designers, architects, artists, product designers, people from live events or theatre, basically anyone who has a passion for light is welcome. We always welcome people who are not in the

lighting industry and found our online room by luck and we empower them to connect with each other and learn more

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The Light Club Programme moves between Interviews, Networking, had completed eight Interviews, seven Networking sessions, and seven Inspiration sessions with audiences ranging between 3050 people each time, joining and contributing from all over the

world including Mexico, USA, India, the Middle East and Europe. Some of the most popular sessions are the interviews, which

always give the audience a chance to come on stage and ask their

own questions. Interviews so far have included professionals based around the world with some fantastic insights into their specific niches and worlds of lighting and their associated professions. The interview series started with the Belgium-based lighting

designer, Koert Vermeulen, Principal of ACTLD, followed by UK-

based architect Jason Boyle, who has the fascinating role of Nuclear Architect at Sellafield. In contrast, for the third interview, the

Greek-based Architectural Visualisation Artist, Nikos Nikolopoulos, Creative Director and Educator at creativelighting.co gave us

some insights into his approach to lighting as a key element of

his narrative approach to visualisation. Insights from one of the

leading voices on light and health, the Researcher and Designer, Dr. Shelley James, founder at Age of Light Innovations Group was next. The whole list of interviewees includes Isabel Villar, Senior Lighting Designer at White Arkitekter; Matt Waring, the

Editor of arc magazine, Tom Acciarini, maker, manufacturer,

light club

master blacksmith and design/fabrication consultant at

Copenhagen, Tokyo, San Francisco, New York City, Paris, Stockholm,

Lausell, the CEO of Light Vitality Group and theatre lighting

St Petersburg, Kyoto and London. One of the most lively and fun

Iberian Lighting; US-based, Lighting Designer, Regina

designer, entrepreneur and XR specialist James Simpson.

The inspiration focused Light Club rooms take a closer look at where we find our inspirations and invite all participants to

contribute to the discussions. The end of these rooms usually finish in a “listicle” - a combined article and list that collates all of the

contributions to the discussion for future reference. Some of the

topics covered so far are films, events, light-art and lighting books. The light and film discussion was particularly engaging and

popular, which led to a more focused session, again joined by

Nikos Nikolopoulos and discussed the light and storytelling of the 2014 film Birdman. Birdman won the Academy Award for

Best Picture, along with Best Director, Best Original Screenplay, and Best Cinematography from a total of nine nominations and made a fascinating subject for analysis in lighting terms.

The networking sessions are intended to be the most inclusive and encourage people to connect on the app and follow

each other. Everyone is invited to come on stage, introduce

themselves and share their knowledge on a specific subject that has been established as the main topic of the room.

These sessions have included the Light and Cities edition, where the participants virtually traveled around the world by describing their memories and experiences of their favorite places. These included

Florence, Montreal, Porto, Dubai, Berlin, Rome, Las Vegas, Lyon, sessions was the Light Songs session, where people shared their

favourite light related music and it was played live into the room. One of the latest topics was the resources and favorite tools that designers use to get inspired and improve their productivity. This also led to a curated list of a selection of interesting

resources, applications and software. One very interesting

contribution to this discussion came from Suma Khandige, a lighting designer based in India, who took us back to basics with four words. On the question, what are your favorite

resources and tools, she said: “My pencil and notebook”.

Technology is fantastic and we should definitely discover new

applications and software to make our productivity and workflow better, however, we must always remember that every idea

starts from us and not the tools that we are using. Clubhouse is another tool in the vast array of social media that we can

use to expand our knowledge, share our passion and promote light. By being audio only it seems to have a slower pace that

creates great opportunities to share ideas with each other and collaborate in an open and thoughtful way. Hopefully reading

this will inspire you to join Light Club, participate in a session, suggest a topic or nominate someone for an interview session.

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Under One Sky With installations from more than 60 renowned light artists, Saudi Arabia’s Noor Riyadh was a four-month celebration of light and art, which saw two pieces claim Guinness World Records.

eld from March to June, Noor Riyadh brought a

fiesta of light and art to Saudi Arabia in one of the world’s largest light festivals.

The festival comprised of artworks from more

than 60 artists spanning over 20 countries under the theme of

Under One Sky, welcoming more than 300,000 visitors

throughout its four-month running.

The event also included a landmark exhibition – Light Upon

Light: Light Art since the 1960s, curated by Susan Davidson,

former Senior Curator of the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in New York, and Raneem Zaki Farsi, Curator, Art Advisor and an expert in Saudi Arabia’s contemporary art scene. The exhibition, held at the King Abdullah Financial District

Conference Centre, was divided into four sectional “rays” that surveyed light as an artistic medium: “Perceiving Light”,

“Experiencing Light”, “Projecting Light”, and “Environmental Light”.

These sectional rays serve as a point of reference to the types of illumination in each sector. Taken as a whole, the exhibition offers a variety of stimulating experiences in contemporary light-art. ‘Perceiving Light’ unites eight of the most

recognised mid-twentieth century light-art practitioners, including Lucio Fontana’s Ambiente spaziale a luce rossa

(1967); James Turrell’s Afrum (Pale Pink) (1967); Dan Flavin’s

Untitled (To Sabine and Holger) (1966 – 1971); and Nancy Holt’s Holes of Light (1973).

In ‘Experiencing Light’, nine contemporary artworks explore

light through advanced technologies and human interaction.

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Noor riyadh

This includes Urs Fischer’s Leo (George and Irmelin) (2019);

Rashed AlShashai’s Searching for Darkness (2021); and Yayoi

Kusama’s instantly recognisable Infinity Room – Brilliance of

the Souls (2014).

Within ‘Projecting Light’ works such as Ahmed Mater’s

Antenna (Green) (2010); Maha Malluh’s Capturing Light (2010),

and Ahmad Angawi’s Proportion of Light (2021) consider light

as a source of transmission.

‘Environmental Light’ addresses the ecological future of the

planet, exploring factors of elemental nature and urban decay,

1. Koert Vermeulen’s Star in Motion, a six-metre glowing jewel atop Riyadh’s Kingdom Tower. The installation won a Guinness World Record as the Brightest Suspended Ornament. (Courtesy of the artist) 2. Daan Roosegaarde’s Glowing Nature was one of several high-profile installations to feature at the festival. (Courtesy of Studio Roosegaarde) 3. Beacon, by Karolina Halatek, also won a Guinness World Record, being recognised as the Largest LED Structure - the piece comprises more than 270,000 LEDs. (Courtesy of the artist)

and considering our personal responsibility towards

sustainable futures. The six works on display include Rafael Lozano-Hemmer’s Recurrent Anaximander (2019) and

Abdullah Al-Othman’s Casino Al Riyadh (2021).

The exhibit also featured landmark installations from the likes of teamLab (Flowers and People – A Whole Year per Hour,

2020), Leo Villareal (Corona, 2018), and Iván Navarro (Podium,

2018)

Since its opening on March 18, Noor Riyadh sought to showcase

the power of inclusivity and shared humanity through art

across the festival’s 13 locations in the city. The festival also

offered residents and visitors the opportunity to take part in a wide variety of tours, musical and cinematic performances, workshops and family activities.

Noor Riyadh’s theme of Under One Sky was intended to act as

a catalyst for artists to create works that respond to inclusivity and shared humanity. “It alludes to the universal impulse to

gather around light, to look into the flames of a campfire and

to gaze at the stars,” event organisers said. Encompassing all forms of light-art, including sculptures, projections,

interactive shows, kinetic and immersive pieces, the citywide installations included more than 30 works of art across

multiple locations, with stunning, landmark pieces from the likes of Aleksandra Stratimirovic (Northern Lights, 2015),

Daan Roosegaarde (Glowing Nature, 2021), Christopher Bauder and Kangding Ray (Skalar, 2021) and Robert Wilson (Daydream

/ Palace of Light, 2021).

The festival also broke two separate Guinness World Records for the Largest LED Structure, in Karolina Halatek’s Beacon,

which comprises of 272,160 LEDs; and the Brightest Suspended Ornament in Koert Vermeulen’s Star in Motion – its 1.2million

lumens hanging at a height of 256-metres atop Riyadh’s iconic Kingdom Tower.

Through Beacon, Halatek invited viewers to be immersed in a

dazzling white light, in the form of a pillar that points towards the sky, intended to evoke the sublime matters between

heaven and earth. On one hand, the light pillar is used as a sign of guidance and protection; on the other, its white light

includes all colours of the spectrum and refers to the concept of completeness.

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1. Palace of Light, Robert Wilson (Courtesy of the artist) 2. City Gazing Riyadh, VOUW (Courtesy of the artist and Light Art Collection) 3. Northern Lights, Aleksandra Stratimirovic (Courtesy of the artist and Light Art Collection) 4. Corona, Leo Villareal (Courtesy of the artist and the Farjam Collection, Dubai) 5. Infinity Mirror Room - Brilliance of Souls, Yayoi Kusama (Courtesy of Royal Commission for AlUla) 6. Searching for Darkness, Rashed AlShahai (Courtesy of the artist and Hafez Gallery) 7. Skalar, Christopher Bauder and Kangding Ray (Courtesy of the artists) 8. Flowers and People - A Whole Year per Hour, teamLab (Courtesy of teamLab, Pace Gallery and Superblue)

Although monumental in its scope, the piece also

wind speed at the top of the tower, we reduced this

they can enter, experiencing the work from inside

“We were commissioned in mid-November and

offered viewers with a small, intricate space that

and shifting their perceptions to become embraced by the unexpected, extraordinary brightness. “It’s formal simplicity and the purity of its white light

generate a mysterious, yet calming effect on those who approach it,” said Halatek.

Shining atop Riyadh’s Kingdom Tower, Vermeulen’s

Star in Motion illuminates the night sky, while

underscoring the festival’s theme of Under One Sky.

Six metres in diameter, the installation became one of the main focal points for the festival, acting as a beacon of hope and celebration for the event.

Vermeulen, Principal Designer and Founder of

Belgium-based ACTLD, explained how he created the piece: “The creative director approached me

with a few locations, the first one being Kingdom

Tower. I’ve done some work in Riyadh before, and

once I heard the festival’s theme of Under One Sky,

the inspiration came in a matter of minutes. We didn’t even need to discuss the other locations. “There was a very intense three-to-four-week

period into which designs went back and forth. The original star was going to be nine metres in

diameter, but due to safety concerns regarding the

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down to six metres.

had to put it onto transport to Riyadh by the end of January, so it was a very quick turnaround; but my construction company was luckily able to deliver on time.”

With the Guinness World Record, Vermeulen and his team at ACTLD became the first independent lighting design studio to win a world record.

Speaking of the acknowledgement, Vermeulen

added: “When you look at LED screens outdoors,

whether at football stadiums or places like Times

Square, they’re around 5,000 to 7,000 candela per square metre – our object is close to 15,000. The

organisers were very worried that it would not be

seen, as it is 256-metres high, but I was confident that it would be a bright object.

“A lot of people have records on lighting, but to be

the first independent lighting design studio is great. Of course, as lighting designers, we have a

responsibility of being good for nature and

protecting dark skies, so to have created the world’s brightest object is a bit of a pun…

“A lot of the time, the object runs at 10% of its actual intensity,” he continued. “It only reaches full

noor riyadh

brightness a few times during its programming – the

in these challenging times, it is my hope that this

of a star, a process that usually takes 60 billion

illuminates our path to a brighter future reflecting

idea was that it would show the creation and demise years, in one minute. From creation to the sun, to a

gas giant, before it implodes into a black hole. It is at the moment of creation and implosion that it is at full brightness.”

The piece quickly became one of the stand-out

installations of the event, and considering the list of lighting luminaries featured at the festival,

Vermeulen was very humbled by the reception that

Star in Motion received. “It was only six weeks before

the opening that I saw the list of the other lighting

artists that were present there, and I felt in very good company, with the likes of Turrell and Robert Wilson

festival shines like a beacon to the world and our theme of Under One Sky.

“Noor Riyadh has been designed as an immersive,

interactive festival of light and art and, whether you are here in-person or engaging with us online

around the world, this is an opportunity to connect with people from across the globe, sharing

experiences based on the warmth of personality, generosity of spirit and creative thought.” www.noorriyadh.sa www.actld.com

www.karolinahalatek.com

– my heroes. I felt comfortable with the design, but I didn’t know that it was going to be so well received.

For people to say that it was their favourite object of the festival was a wonderful thing.”

Noor Riyadh was part of the larger Riyadh Art

programme, which invested in more than 1,000

pieces of public art to turn the city into a gallery without walls. Director of Riyadh Art Khaled

Al-Hazani said: “Noor Riyadh is a celebration of light and art on an unparalleled scale. Art is a

universal language and light is a symbol of hope and,

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iald awards

Honours List The winners of the 38th annual International Association of Lighting Designers (IALD) International Lighting Design Awards, presented by Cooper Lighting Solutions, were announced in an online ceremony in June. The awards recognised 20 projects from 10 countries, spanning various applications. Of these, five won Awards of Excellence, with 13 picking up Awards of Merit. The top prize, the Radiance Award, went to Sirius Lighting Office for the Toranomon Hills Business Tower in Tokyo, Japan.

For wit spo wo we

RADIANCE AWARD

Project: Toranomon Hills Business Tower, Tokyo, Japan Lighting Design: Sirius Lighting Office, Japan The Toranomon Hills Business Tower in Tokyo, Japan, needed to be

where the risk of glare was lower. To avoid glare on the mirrored

functions as a refreshing place for all visitors.

DALI controls are used to automatically control the scene through

a space that both improves the motivation of businesspeople, and With a mirrored ceiling 11-metres above, towering white walls

coexist with trees, falling water, and art objects, with lighting by Sirius Lighting Office.

The walls are formed of terracotta louvres with a glossy glaze, so

the lighting method was carefully selected to eliminate glare while creating dimensionality and bringing out the texture. Narrow

downlights mounted in slits on the ceiling illuminate the wall with matting applied only to the front edges. This also helps to ensure a clear mirrored surface.

The glossy finish is lit by recessed floor lights on the side of the louvres

ceiling, shielding plates were precisely installed to the millimetre.

the day. In tune with circadian rhythms, white lights create a daytime scene recalling the outdoors and in the evening transition to a lower colour temperature to present a calm, indoor atmosphere.

Illuminated horizontal fins on the lower part of the exterior guide people into the lobby, while fins on the upper levels have LEDs embedded into their edges and project slowly moving images reminiscent of clouds seen in Japanese ink paintings.

The lighting harmonises with the surrounding night view and has

drawn attention for being the first exterior lighting in Tokyo made to visualise the natural environment.

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AWARD OF EXCELLENCE

Project: Canadian Parliament West Block - Committee Rooms, Ottawa, ON, Canada Lighting Design: Office for Visual Interaction, USA The subterranean Committee Rooms of the West Block on Canada’s Parliament Hill demanded both advanced technical lighting and clean aesthetics. With low, nine to 12ft ceilings, the challenge of honouring broadcast television lighting specifications and beautiful design aesthetics was met with custom ceilings created by the lighting design team that also house necessary mechanical, electrical, plumbing, security, and acoustic elements and elevate each room’s overall atmosphere. Each seating position had to be lit to exacting, highdefinition camera standards. Glowing, star-shaped ceiling panels, luminous coffers and perimeter wall wash illumination provide ambient light; while recessed, adjustable downlights create horizontal and vertical lux levels to separate subjects form their background, all at 4000K. Photometric calculations and aiming angle studies paired with internal and onsite mockups were necessary to fulfil the lighting requirements and to perfect the proportions of the star-shaped panels and illuminated coffer ceilings. With sustainability in mind since the project’s inception over a decade prior, this facility is a state-of-the-art blueprint of efficiency, utilising LED technology with longthrow light, minimal glare and high lumen output. The result is a design that makes people look and feel strong and at ease, while creating a beautiful, empowering atmosphere.

AWARD OF EXCELLENCE

Project: Central Mosque, Shali, Russia Lighting Design: Natalya Koptseva & Vasily Tarasenko, Russia The design of the Central Mosque in Shali, Russia, uses 12 basic colour palettes inspired by the gentle shades of the dawn sky to illuminate the façades for morning prayer. In the evening, deeper crimson tones are reminiscent of the sunset. The lighting concept delivers a soft, homogenous light distribution to the whole building. A combination of spot and floodlighting techniques highlights the main details of the mosque, while emphasising its general shape. The different architectural elements and readability of the building volumes were taken into account when setting the illumination levels, output uniformity and colour brightness. During the planning phase, special attention was paid to the colour mixing system of the selected fixtures. To achieve the required level of colour return, texture and reflection on the different surfaces of the mosque, a six-colour mixing system was specifically developed. The custom system allows for high precision aiming and superb endurance under conditions of intense wind and heavy vibration loads. All lighting fixtures featured customised cable inputs/ outputs and lengths, and are equipped with an integrated RDM module, which simplifies the organisation and configuration of the general control system. Fixtures were installed at specific locations along the base of the mosque to achieve the desired blending.

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iald awards

AWARD OF EXCELLENCE

Project: Kungsträdgården, Stockholm, Sweden Lighting Design: Light Bureau, Sweden Located in Stockholm, Sweden, the Kungsträdgården has been given a new lighting scheme by Light Bureau. The new strategy has been designed to highlight the cultural and historical value of one of the oldest remaining public parks in Stockholm. The former lighting consisted of round-emitting diffuse globes mounted on poles along the park’s alleys of cherry trees, and used unshielded metal halide luminaires, creating glare and causing light pollution. The new lanterns are a contemporary interpretation of a historic park luminaire. Made of two concentric cylinders in copper finish, the luminaires have an innovative, two-step control system. The inner cylinder is illuminated by an uplight module with a warm light source, and is switched on during the early evening, giving the lanterns a visual presence during the last moments of daylight.

The primary light source, providing general lighting to the pathways as well as the tree canopies, slowly dims up during the following 30 minutes. This gradual lighting intertwines the electric and natural light with the Nordic characteristics of a soft bridge from light to dark. By using efficient LED light sources, the total number of light fittings could be brought down, resulting in a 50% reduction in overall energy consumption. Designers worked in close co-operation with the client from concept to commissioning, including seven years of prototyping and testing. Mock-up installations were assessed with the client, built heritage experts and the luminaire manufacturer. The finalised project is a timeless interpretation of heritage lighting in a prestigious environment.

AWARD OF EXCELLENCE

Project: NorthConnex, Sydney, NSW, Australia Lighting Design: Lux Populi, Mexico For the new lighting for NorthConnex in Sydney, Australia, Lux Populi created a dynamic, transitioning lighting scheme, creating a dramatic environment for travellers. Based on psychological timing and simulation, lighting scenes between six and nine seconds were planned, long enough to become aware of the conceit of a design, but not understand how it is achieved. Northbound, travellers move from white tunnel lighting into an amber-lit roadway under a royal blue vault and illuminated stars, before moving back into the normal tunnel. A second scene features stars stretched like speed lines along the ceiling, creating an effect of flying through space. Southbound, forest motifs give a sense of the Hills District above, with trees stretching in a solid canopy overhead and blue light at the

edge of the eye’s focal response that blurs the sense of depth. Intensity is calibrated to raise emotional valence while containing minimal visual information. Intense blues limit focus and expand the apparent visual space, while graphics are intentionally simplified, minimising distraction. Star-scapes, based on real star-maps, range through seven orders of luminance, mixing LEDs and passive retroreflectors for visual richness with reduced energy consumption and maintenance. Mirrored silhouettes of native birds reflect the sky at the entrances – indistinguishable from apertures in walls but changing in brightness and colour with time and seasons. One judge expressed: “This is a seriously awesome way to bring a rather dull, monotonous space to life.”

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iald awards

AWARD OF MERIT

Project: 25 East Washington Lobby, Chicago, IL, USA Lighting Design: Schuler Shook, USA The landmark 25 East Washington was built in 1914 by architect Daniel Burnham, and this lobby renovation aimed to restore it to its original grandeur. The lighting design by the team at Schuler Shook preserved the historic ceiling as much as possible by using an all uplighting scheme throughout, avoiding penetrations. A carefully crafted, custom cornice, painted to match existing marble and fitted directly above the existing cornice for a seamless detail, conceals new cove uplighting. Display vitrines were restored and modernised with concealed grazers, highlighting heavily textured raked stone and creating new glowing portals in the space. Existing decorative pendants at the main elevator bank were retrofitted with LED high efficiency lamps, featuring the same 3000K colour temperature as the cove lights and offering a wide distribution to help improve lighting uniformity on the diffusers and on the ceiling above.

AWARD OF MERIT

Project: 600 West Chicago Lobby Renovation, Chicago, IL, USA Lighting Design: Schuler Shook, USA A National Historic Landmark, 600 West Chicago has been re-developed as a high-tech office building. The creative direction acknowledges the building’s history while also making the spaces open, inviting and dramatic. The primary design element is the tall, circular oculus at the centre, which opens up into a multi-storey, daylit atrium. The designers at Schuler Shook introduced the concept of a 38ft diameter glowing band made of stretched fabric and rear-lit with an LED grid. This band serves as a primary light source, while highlighting the hanging sculpture. Initially proposed as tunable white, the designers decided on constant white that attenuates for brightness throughout the day. Behind the security station, a special grazing light detail highlights a carefully textured feature wall. Adjoining spaces feature several different lighting treatments, including distinctive decorative pendants and track lighting for special emphasis and signage lighting. The main elevator lobby also includes decorative pendants, as well as wall slots, elevator perimeter cove lighting and elevator door luminous slots.

AWARD OF MERIT

Project: Chongqing Changshou Sales Gallery. Chongqing, China Lighting Design: Glint Lighting Design, Singapore At the Chongqing Changshou Sales Gallery, the team at Glint Lighting Design wanted to create a feeling of lightness in the spatial volumes and a contemplative atmosphere for customers to appreciate high-tech features on display for this sales gallery showcasing smart living. The gallery operates mostly in the day and the architecture allows daylight to fill the interiors. The challenge was to achieve good contrast ratio while adhering to a stringent power density and not cluttering the ceilings with downlights. Issues of reflected glare on LED displays were considered in luminaire selection and placement, resulting in calm spaces that contrast with dynamic displays. Solutions included large luminous surfaces over key spaces to provide diffused ambient lighting; discreet but powerful downlights, softly ‘moulded’ into ceilings, with focused beam angles to give maximum punch to tables and task surfaces; and sleek linear lights to delinate walls. A dimming system was implemented in important spaces and preset lighting levels allow for visual comfort as the day transitions into evening.

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AWARD OF MERIT

Project: CME Group, Chicago, IL, USA Lighting Design: Schuler Shook, USA Schuler Shook designed an entry for the renovation of CME Group’s headquarters with a strong visual first impression, leading employees to a vibrant central hub with lighting that promotes human interaction. The entry to the central-hub features illuminated frieze panels and escalators with edge-lit glass while linear and undulating coves with vaulted reflecting surfaces were organised to provide general lighting and visual interest. Undulating coves delineate the curvilinear shape of the wood ceiling, while hidden coves inside the meeting rooms accentuate the upholstered walls in the client’s iconic blue. Recessed downlights and HVAC diffusers were meticulously organised together in a “technical zone” with a high level of craftsmanship and attention to detail.

AWARD OF MERIT

Project: The David H. Koch Center for Cancer Care at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, USA Lighting Design: LICHT at ICRAVE, USA; HLB Lighting Design, USA The David H. Koch Center for Cancer Care has a highly integrated lighting design, with hospitality rather than hospital as its setting. Advanced individual controls allow patients to create personalised experiences, while strategically placed sconces and recessed asymmetric linear lensed slots provide the light levels required by staff for examinations and procedures. The Restoration floors provide privacy and quiet areas, defined by indirect lighting, softly illuminated drapery, and lighting coves in zen-like circular forms. The Recreation lounge features discrete coves highlighting floating wood panels. The Activation floor for recovery features unexpected lighting elements that pop out of the wood ceiling. The café’s ceiling incorporates indirect lighting placed behind a solid floating plane, evoking serenity through its repetition.

AWARD OF MERIT

Project: Dwight D. Eisenhower Memorial, Washington DC, USA Lighting Design: L’Observatoire International, USA The Memorial is transformed into an “urban room” with perimeters defined by light rather than physical walls. Through a horizontal layering of lighting, the site becomes a three-dimensional space, lending it a sense of interiority rather than imposing an outward display. Low-level lighting integrated into the handrails and undersides of benches provides the illumination for walking surfaces without distracting pedestrians from the landscape. Bronze sculptures depicting Eisenhower’s inaugural speech are lit using framing projectors mounted on 30ft tall poles. The 450ft long stainless steel woven tapestry, an abstract depiction of the coast of Normandy, appears as a matte screen during the day and by night is grazed with light from below, hitting the underside of each thread to make its raised depiction glow.

AWARD OF MERIT

Project: Harrods Fine Dining, London, UK Lighting Design: Lighting Design International, UK The meat and fish hall at Harrods has undergone a dramatic transformation to offer a captivating and intimate dining hall experience. Custom detailing and bespoke luminaires provide discrete ambience, day or night. A central

caviar bar is surrounded by five perimeter dining options, each with individual bar seating and open kitchens. Lighting throughout the dining hall is 2500K for a cozy, intimate dining experience. Perimeter bars have a unique pelmet

lighting feature on the front of the soffit, lit from front and rear by concealed indirect diffused linear LED. Diffused lighting from bespoke decorative

fittings and integrated concealed lighting details are punctuated by dramatic ultra-narrow 7° downlights to individual dining plates.

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iald awards

AWARD OF MERIT

Project: Nitro, Seattle, WA, USA Lighting Design: Oculus Light Studio, USA Occupying a downtown Seattle block, this twin tower project features a 40ft tall ceiling over a public walkway. Inspired by murmuration of starlings flying in complicated yet coordinated patterns, the lighting by Oculus Light Studio generates an artistic composition of impressive scale and was designated an equal design element to materials and forms. Modular folded-metal panels were finished in a gradient of colours and are illuminated by static LED strips at 3000K and 1.5 watts per foot. Inside, the lighting reveals textured finishes and adds distinct elements in individual spaces. At one tower, the ceiling comes inside, bringing the illuminated planes within reachable distance. In the other, the ceiling is visible just outside, transitioning to perforated metal tiles with lighting hidden above.

AWARD OF MERIT

Project: The Ritz-Carlton Nikko, Tochigi, Japan Lighting Design: Worktecht, Japan Deep in the mountains, the lighting design of the Ritz Carlton Nikko by Worktecht aimed to invite the surrounding nature into the space. With large windows in the hotel’s public spaces, the lighting shifts with the natural light outside. As the sun begins to set, the ambience of the interior lighting gradually becomes warm and soft from indirect lighting. In outdoor areas the lighting is soft, allowing guests to be able to see the natural landscape. The lighting of these areas is balanced so that guests are able to see stars outside and enjoy the atmosphere undisturbed. In contrast to the minimal design of the hotel, the bar area is designed to be striking. Lights are installed on

each shelf underneath the whiskey bottles on display, creating a beautiful pattern of sparkling lights reminiscent of the stars in the sky outside.

AWARD OF MERIT

Project: Sharjah Mosque, Sharjah, UAE Lighting Design: Light Concept, UAE The design goal for the Sharjah Mosque was to allow the lighting to preserve and accentuate its architectural and religious values, creating a divine, dramatic and inviting atmosphere for visitors and worshipers. To highlight the architectural elements of the mosque, designers used a variety of colour temperatures ranging between 2500-3000K to create depth and definition throughout, especially the façades. An advanced lighting control system was implemented for the indoor, façade and landscape areas to save power consumption and create different lighting scenes, each considered an art piece on its own. Fittings were required to be incorporated within the building elements, as if they were part of its construction. Solutions included using small LED lighting fittings and coordinating among all parties throughout construction.

AWARD OF MERIT

Project: Starbucks Reserve Tianjin Riverside 66 Flagship Store, Tianjin, China Lighting Design: WEGO Lighting Design, China The Starbucks Reserve Tianjin Riverside 66 Flagship Store brings new life to a 100-year old site of a former bank. The design concept was to embrace history and modernity while keeping the building structure intact. On the building’s façade, the high intensity discharge floodlights were replaced with 2200K, low-energy LED and installed in a way that would not damage the building. Inside, carefully placed LED spotlights are used for both functional lighting throughout the store and to create ambience. The use of colour temperature highlights signature elements and creates definition in the space. The lighting is perfectly integrated into the dome and ceiling, protecting the dome while also allowing for easy maintenance of the lamps.

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iald awards

AWARD OF MERIT

Project: Takanawa Gateway Station, Tokyo, Japan Lighting Design: Lighting Planners Associates, Japan The origami-inspired architecture of Takanawa Gateway Station connects the station and new neighborhood as a luminous landmark. During the day, natural light gently diffuses through the membrane of the large roof. By night, the roof uplights create an iconic exterior lighting scheme and provide ambient light for the entire station. Downward-facing fixtures, mounted on the roofing structure, add functional light. For stairways, integrated handrail lighting effectively increases lux levels and simple linear lighting along the edge of platforms shows the direction of trains, for an improved design and a practical solution for required illuminance. The lighting control system is programmed with pre-set scene changes and year-round times for sunrise and sunset.

AWARD OF MERIT

Project: Wang Jing Memorial Hall, Songyang, Zhejiang Province, China Lighting Design: School of Architecture, Tsinghua University, China; One Lighting Assoicates, China Wang Jing Memorial Hall is used as a cultural display as well as a place for community activities. The lighting design by the School of Architecture at Tsinghua University and One Lighting Associates brings a sense of solemnity and commemoration to the building. Illumination of the 17 embossment columns illustrating the life of scholar Wang Jing provides the space with ambient light. Each embossment is illuminated by two sets of 3W, 3000K mini spotlights concealed in the upper part of the skylight system, imitating natural light. On the roof, the reflected light from the embossments overflows from the skylights to the roof platform like a “fire pan” at night.

SPECIAL CITATION

Project: Boulevard of Arts, Dnipro, Ukraine Lighting Design: Expolight, Ukraine Built in the Dnipro city center near theatres and art sites, Boulevard of Arts is set to become a new creative cluster. The design team from Expolight have combined caustic waves, themed projections, craft lamps, an interactive media screen, and more to form a space for people to create and engage with light. The general lighting of the boulevard is unsaturated in intensity and colour, while individual elements and zones use accent light to focus attention. The highlight of the boulevard is a series of interactive installations that use sensors to detect movement and transform it into a projection. People can paint with light and create digital sculptures, all in real-time.

SPECIAL CITATION

Project: K11 Art and Cultural Centre, Hong Kong Lighting Design: Speirs Major, UK The lighting design by Speirs Major for the K11 Art and Cultural Centre immaculately details the façade’s tubular design, creating a distinctive external visual statement while facilitating views into the gallery at close range. Crisp lines of cool white

light flow seamlessly from the top to the bottom of the innovative glass tube façade comprised of 475 x 450mm diameter glass tubes of up to nine metres in height,

while soft reflections from the opposite façade bounce across the plaza to amplify the effect. The view through to the softer warmer light of the interior is a tacit

invitation to enter. The lighting approach enhances this strong visual identity while complementing the ultra-sharp language of the architecture and preserving the

clarity of the joint-free glass. The final design is a beautifully integrated continuous line of 4000K white LEDs set within the mullion, covered with a one-piece diffuser that runs the full nine-metre height.

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The First Diamond Certified LED SunLike natural sun spectrum LEDs are the world’s first LEDs to produce light that closely matches the spectrum of natural sunlight, delivering human-centric lighting. The light sources with SunLike Series LEDs more accu accurately show the color of objects as they would appear in natural sunlight. It is optimized to natural light spectra and color rendition Rating “Diamond” based on IES TM-30-20 Fidelity intent from UL Labs. https://verify.ul.com/verifications/520

It delivers considerable benefits of significant vivid color, detail contrast, and homogeneous quality of light.

www.seoulsemicon.com info.europe@seoulsemicon.com

After a long 18 months of webinars, Zoom meetings and virtual events, we at [d]arc media are delighted to return to the real world with [d]arc room pop-up @ Design London, taking place this September. Here, we give you the low-down on what to expect at the event. Returning to London for its fifth edition, [d]arc room is hosting a special pop-up event at Design London this September. Taking place at the newly-opened Magazine London venue on Greenwich Peninsula from 22-25 September, [d]arc room pop-up marks a long-awaited return to live, in-person events for the [d]arc media team, after the 2020 edition of the show was moved online, resulting in [d]arc room livestream. However, with Covid-19 restrictions easing, and the vaccine roll-out continuing to be a success, we felt that the time was right to get back out amongst the people, and we can’t wait to welcome the lighting community back to the real world. Recognising the capital’s profound influence over architecture and design specification, [d]arc room pop-up is a new, enhanced event experience underpinned by the wealth of knowledge of both [d]arc media and Media 10, organisers of Design London. In previous editions of Design London (formerly 100% Design), the lighting contingent was sporadically positioned throughout the exhibition. This year [d]arc room pop-up will act as an established lighting area within Design London.

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The pop-up will feature a highly curated selection of lighting brands, providing a unique platform for suppliers and designers to meet at what will be the must-attend event during London Design Festival. Alongside the exhibition space, [d]arc room pop-up will also see the return of [d]arc thoughts - our first in-person talks programme in two years. We’re also delighted to bring you a belated [d]arc night party, celebrating the winners of the 2020 [d]arc awards with a night of fun and festivities (and free booze!), alongside some stunning light-art installations, created by our lighting designer and supplier partners. [d]arc media Managing Director Paul James said of the pop-up event: “I am very excited to be bringing the [d]arc room and [d]arc awards installation concepts to Design London in a brand new venue this year. The curatorial nature of our events mean that we will have some exciting brands presenting themselves in an innovative way. And, of course, we are all looking forward to the [d]arc awards party where the lighting design community can come together to celebrate the winners.” Register to attend [d]arc room pop-up and [d]arc night online at www.darcroom.com

[d]arc room pop-up

Penny for your thoughts... As part of [d]arc room pop-up @ Design London, the editorial team behind arc and darc magazines is proud to present the return of its in-person [d]arc thoughts programme, with three days of dedicated lighting talks. Taking place on the Magazine Mezzanine, [d]arc thoughts will run from 22-24 September, and will feature insightful discussions from leading industry professionals working with light. Included in the lineup are designers from Nulty; BDP; Hoare Lea; Mistry Lighting; Arup; MSLD; Kate & Sam Lighting Designers; Speirs Major; JPLD; light.func; dpa lighting consultants and Lighting Design International, with more still to be confirmed. On the opening day of the show, [d]arc media Managing Editor Helen Ankers will take [d]arc thoughts to Design London’s Main Stage, sitting down with Paul Nulty (Nulty), Charlotte Svensson (Lighting Design International), and Iain Carlile (dpa lighting consultants), to discuss ‘The Role of the Lighting Designer’ in commercial and hospitality projects, asking why it is imperative that lighting is an early consideration on any project. On the Magazine Mezzanine, arc’s Matt Waring will sit down with Mark Major and Philip Rose of Speirs Major, to delve deeper into their work on the re-lighting of the interior of Norwich Cathedral. The stunning project took home the Best Interior Lighting Scheme (High Budget) at the 2020 [d]arc awards, so it will no doubt be fascinating to hear from the

designers about their stellar work. This year, we will also be using the [d]arc thoughts platform to concentrate on issues surrounding diversity within the industry. Each day, darc Editor Sarah Cullen will host a panel focused on Diversity in Design, aiming to highlight issues around gender, ethnicity and sexuality in the lighting design community, and how we can all work towards a fairer playing field. On day one, she will sit down with Krishna Mistry (Mistry Lighting), Ruth Kelly Waskett (SLL President / Hoare Lea), Marcus Steffen (MSLD) and James Poore (JPLD) to discuss the findings from a recent survey carried out by Women in Lighting on gender equality. The talk will cover women in leadership, women and the work/life balance, and how we can fight gender bias together. The full [d]arc thoughts programme is currently being finalised. Watch this space for a full announcement in the coming weeks!

It’s Party Time! It’s the news that we have all been waiting for - this year’s [d]arc night party, celebrating the winners of the 2020 [d]arc awards, will officially take place on the opening night of Design London, 22 September. Taking place alongside [d]arc room pop-up, as is usual for a [d]arc night party, there will be a number of light-art installations on show for guests to absorb, and with this year’s

theme focused on The Spectrum, the evening’s proceedings will kick off with short presentations from each of the design teams detailing their concepts. Guests will then be able to unwind with a free drink or two and catch up with friends face to face for the first time in too long, while they check out the hard work of this year’s design teams, which include: Arup / Lumascape; Buro Happold / TLS; Hoare Lea / Seoul Semiconductor (pictured below right); Lighting Design International / LEDFlex (pictured below left); Nulty / Erco; and Studio-29 / Kingfisher. The [d]arc night party will kick off at 5pm with presentations from each of the installation teams detailing their design concepts. Entry is completely free, but all guests will be required to register for Design London in advance. With a limited capacity, tickets are on a first come first served basis, so be sure to book in plenty of time to get your spot at the lighting industry’s must-attend party!

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We’ll See You There!

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John Cullen Lighting John Cullen Lighting introduces the Minim – a miniature luminaire to revolutionise joinery lighting, which will disappear into your scheme. It may be small but with more than 70lm output and a high 97CRI it shows your objects in their true light. The 1W Minim comes in narrow, medium and wide beams to create dramatic effects to suit your display and different finishes to match your interior: black, white, brass, nickel and bronze. www.johncullenlighting.com • Stand DR7

Delta Light Delta Light will be showcasing one of its latest innovations, Soliscape, which is a collaboration with UNStudio with the aim of humanising spaces. Soliscape is a versatile and flexible lighting system, specifically designed to create user-centric environments. Ideal for use in offices, hospitality, retail, and public spaces. In addition to Soliscape, Delta Light will be lighting up [d]arc room pop-up with other luminaires from its extensive portfolio, currently featured within the Lighting Bible 14. www.deltalight.com • Stand DR4

Seoul Semiconductor SunLike natural sun spectrum LEDs are the world’s first LEDs to produce light that closely matches the spectrum of natural sunlight, delivering human-centric lighting. The light sources within SunLike Series LEDs more accurately show the colour of objects as they would appear in natural sunlight, and are optimised to natural light spectra and a colour rendition rating of Diamond, based on IES TM-30-20 Fidelity Intent from UL Labs. SunLike LEDs deliver considerable benefits of significant, vivid colour, detail contrast and homogenous quality of light. www.seoulsemicon.com • Stand DR2

Mesh Lighting Mesh will be exhibiting the Tago by L&L Luce&Light. Tago is a drive-over LED linear profile with built-in power supply, particularly suitable for architectural lighting for urban façades such as historic and public buildings, hotels and residential exteriors. Available in three lengths (30/50/100cm), the body comes in three different configurations: recessed flush for a minimalist look, recessed with rebated frame or surface mounted using brackets with two pivot points. The wide range of optics, recessed to ensure visual comfort, includes elliptical, wall washer and wall grazing optics, each tiltable by ±20°. The light output can be controlled using DALI or 0/1–10V dimming, with the driver integral to the luminaire. www.meshlighting.co.uk • Stand DR9

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[d]arc room pop-up

Here, we take a quick look at some of the exhibitors that will be showcasing their latest products and innovations live and in person at [d]arc room pop-up.

Tryka Featuring on the Tryka stand will be the multi award-winning SPA. This family has everything to fulfil the lighting needs of all hospitality environments. Showcased in a number of different styles, including pendant and floor lamp options, SPA has four key principles: Modular – common engines, modular build, adjustable, easy installation, maintainable; Connected – Smart building, digital beam shaping, wired or wireless app control; Synchronised – Material finishes, optical options, lumen performance, common components; and Competent – regulatory compliance, sustainable manufacturing, technically excellent. www.tryka.com • Stand DR10

Thorlux The Flexbeam from Thorlux combines high performance low glare lighting with a luminaire body that provides acoustic attenuation, designed to absorb unwanted reverberation and echo, making it ideal for environments where audio clarity and efficient, wellcontrolled lighting is required. Flexbeam incorporates nanoprism optical control with a range of glare reducing reflectors, allowing luminaire brightness to match the needs of the user for optimum comfort. www.thorlux.com • Stand DR5

Nichia Nichia, the world’s largest LED manufacturer and inventor of the high-brightness blue and white LEDs, will present its H6 series at [d]arc room pop-up. The new H6 mid power LED and COBs deliver the highest multi-level boost in colour rendition and efficacy whilst maintaining the outstanding lifetime expected from Nichia. Indeed, the H6 series delivers a color rendering index (CRI) of 90 while maintaining a level of efficacy seen in standard CRI 80 LEDs. www.nichia.co.jp • Stand DR12

The Light Lab Established in 2002, The Light Lab has spent the past 19 years bringing together combined experience of working with light, new lighting technology, manufacturing and project management to deliver high-end architectural lighting installations. The Light Lab can tackle the most complex of projects that require an extra level of integration and detail, where off-the-shelf solutions compromise the design integrity. Based in London, The Light Lab has worked on many of the capital’s landmark buildings, and has a strong national and increasingly international presence. www.thelightlab.com • Stand DR14

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On The Dot: Red Dot Awards

Best of the Best Ambitus Zumtobel Ambitus is inspired by natural light sources such as the sun and mimics the basic function of natural light to enhance spatiality for a more conscious experience. In combination with a perforation on the underside, the lamp showcases a visually accentuated ring-like shape that creates an aesthetically pleasing effect to evoke various associations with natural light phenomena. At the same time, the round shape produces a harmonious light distribution, even when the pendant luminaire is viewed from different angles. www.z.lighting

Stellr Lucifer Lighting Lucifer Lighting’s Stellr pendant luminaire features a novel operation that shapes the atmosphere of a room. Utilising a proprietary waveguide technology, the body appears transparent when the light is off and opaque when the light is switched on. The luminaire body contains two concealed, independently controlled and dimmable light sources, yielding a directional downlight within an illuminated sphere. This creates ambient light that is both direct and warm. www.luciferlighting.com

Eclipse Bold Lighting Inspired by a solar eclipse, the light source of this downlight is discreetly hidden and thus creates a glare-free, indirect illumination. The LED is located in the static blade of the body, and is collimated by the upper reflector, precisely projecting the light downward. The downlight offers an adjustable beam from 15-50° and is capable of providing up to 45° of tilt and 360° of rotation, allowing for a seamless transition from the horizontal to the vertical plane. www.boldlighting.us

Robin iGuzzini The design of this spotlight series was inspired by birds sitting on power lines, looking down at different angles. Similarly, the compact spotlights can be flexibly aligned. Their housing rotates up to 160° vertically and up to 360° horizontally. Robin can be mounted on top or below the slim track. The spotlights are available in black and white and come in three sizes, three powers and four light distributions from spotlight to wallwasher. www.iguzzini.com

TYK+ Performance in Lighting This floodlight allows for effective architectural lighting in outdoor areas. Available in different sizes, TYK+ shows well-balanced proportions. The flat housing conceals contemporary electronics that enable various lighting effects. The arrangement of the optical lenses achieves a clear, homogeneous light beam that is perceived as highly pleasant. Colour change options including tuneable white complement the product concept. www.performanceinlighting.com

Ubik Lumenwerx The design concept for Ubik followed the objective of illuminating interiors with a glare-free architectural LED light. The luminaire body, which is available as a cube, pendant or wall light, is defined by two-inch connecting apertures. These allow installation in rows or patterns and equipping them with interchangeable optics to realise complex lighting strategies. The luminaires are offered in standard black, white or aluminium, but can be also manufactured in any other custom colour. www.lumenwerx.com

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red dot awards

The 2021 recipients of the Red Dot Awards were revealed at the end of June. Once again covering a vast scope of product design from a wide variety of applications and sectors, we take a look at some of the products to be recognised in its two lighting categories: Lighting Systems and Lamps and Luminaires.

UHO Delta Light The design of Delta Light’s UHO pays particular attention to details such as a balanced ratio of the luminaire body’s length to its diameter. In addition, the gently curved joint precisely matches the contours of the lighting. Depending on lighting requirements, UHO is available as a single or double spotlight and as a triple unit for surface installation. In addition, the accent lights are manufactured in different colours. www.deltalight.com

Hero Glint Lighting This track lighting holds 10 spotlights in one luminaire body. The elongated housing features an elegant contour and blends harmoniously into the interior. The angle of reflection and thus the light distribution can be changed via a joystick, while the glare-free light quality is easy on the eyes. Using fewer materials and energy-saving LEDs, the energy required to produce the lighting is approximately equal to the power it consumes in its lifetime, making it a sustainable choice. www.glintlighting.com

Philips Hue Centris Signify Available in various models, Philips Hue Centris enables individually configurable room lighting. The spotlights can be positioned flexibly either for a homogeneous illumination of a room or for creating focused accent lighting. Each light can be set to a different colour or a warm white, which enables versatile adjustment of a room ambience according to need. www.signify.com

Robo-Radar On Lichttechnik Robo-Radar is a motorised luminaire controlled via Bluetooth technology. It is suitable for rooms with high ceilings that require dynamic lighting scenarios, such as retail store windows, car showrooms and galleries. Its diverse lighting options are geared for changing exhibitions and product displays. The dimmable luminaire allows colour temperatures from 2700K to 6500K. It is available in three luminaire types including a retractable recessed light and a surfacemounted light. www.on-lichttechnik.de

Outline Eureka Lighting Outline is a patented lighting range with an innovative, ring-shaped light engine. Highefficiency LEDs embedded in a parabolic glare ring achieve a particularly uniform illumination. The individual modules can be mounted in various ways to provide static or alignable ambient light. To achieve a flexible orientation, the recessed model is equipped with magnetic pivot joints. The pendant luminaires with their slim, linear profile serve mainly as supplementary indirect lighting. www.eurekalighting.com

Opendo Trilux Designed for schools and offices, Opendo yields a high light quality thanks to a lightemission surface across the entire luminaire width including the edges. The luminaire is available with different sensor systems, such as a CO2 sensor for measuring the air quality. Sophisticated mounting features simplify a needs-oriented installation as either surface-mounted or suspended luminaire. Due to optional through-wiring, the continuous line version requires only a single feed. www.trilux.com

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Small But Mighty DGA’s Nano Tini was the latest miniature spotlight to take home a [d]arc award earlier this year. Here, David Morgan puts the miniscule spotlight under the microscope.

f this product review reflected the size of the luminaire under discussion it would already

be well on the way to reaching its conclusion. The DGA Nano Tini spotlight is a very small luminaire indeed.

DGA was founded by Antonio Di Gangi in

Florence in 1989 and the first lighting products

produced by the company were based on fibre optics for use in

museum and architectural projects. These early ranges included

downlights, projectors, and linear systems for interior and exterior applications.

The company introduced its first LED lighting systems in 2000

and has invested heavily to create a full range of interior, exterior and underwater LED luminaires. DGA has always aimed to reduce the size of luminaires to the minimum during the design and manufacturing process.

The company undertakes the full luminaire design and development

process in-house, including mechanical, thermal, and optical design, as well as photometric testing. The primary in-house production process used by DGA to produce its range of luminaires is NC

machining of brass, aluminium, stainless steel, and magnesium

materials. The waste material produced by the NC machining process is carefully collected for recycling to ensure minimum waste within a circular economy model. DGA aims to keep as many production processes in-house as possible and undertakes its own LED light engine assembly and powder coating of metal components.

The company currently employs 60 people in Florence and has a

sales network covering all major specification markets. Focusing

on the specification sector, DGA works closely both with Italian and international lighting designers.

The latest product introduced by DGA is the Nano Tini miniature spotlight, which recently won the [d]arc award for the best interior product.

The Nano Tini lives up to its name and is a very small luminaire –

only 9mm in diameter and 20mm long. The miniaturisation in size

is made possible by the 5mm diameter lenses used in the range. The design of this range of lenses was undertaken by the DGA design team using one of the standard optical design software systems. David Morgan Associates, a Londonbased international design consultancy specialising in luminaire design and development and is also MD of Radiant Architectural Lighting. Email: david@dmadesign.co.uk Web: www.dmadesign.co.uk

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Most of the small spotlights I have reviewed for arc magazine in recent years were based on a 10mm lens, such as the LEDiL Lisa

range, and I was interested to compare the performance of the DGA Nano spotlight with these other products.

The sample I was given to test by DGA was fitted with a 30° medium

DAVID MORGAN

beam lens; it performed well, producing a pleasant, soft edge spot.

which gives the smallest possible fixing to the mounting surface

was placed close to the lit surface but in normal use in jewellery cases

spotlight: a moulded plastic nut can be used to hold the spotlight to a

There were some visible striations in the output when the luminaire this should not cause any major problems.

The Nano Tini range includes three beam angles ranging from a 20°

spot, 30° medium beam and a wide 50°. The light engine incorporates a chip scale LED mounted onto a tiny aluminium PCB. The moulded

nano lens incorporates two legs that push into holes in the LED PCB,

so the relationship between the lens and the LED could be somewhat

variable and that might lead to changes in the beam quality or shape.

The medium beam lens in this sample incorporated a series of simple domed micro lens details on the top surface, which are used to control the distribution.

The Nano Tini has a simple but effective construction. The machined brass body/heat sink hinges on the joint with a spit pin to provide

friction. The LED board appears to be bonded to the machined body as

there is no space for screw fixing, which might cause a few issues with recycling at the end of life. A satin black threaded snoot ring screws

into the body to keep the lens in place and provides some glare control. The rest of the metal work is available in five finishes including gold, brass, polished chrome, grey and satin black powder coat.

The spotlight is mounted via an M4 threaded extension to the joint,

within a display case. There are currently three options for fixing the mounting plate; a magnetic base is offered for use with steel panels; and a 19mm diameter surface mount base is available.

The LED light engine is available in five colour temperatures ranging

from 2200K up to 4000K, all with CRI over 90. The lumen output with 350mA drive current is 50lm, which rises to 80lm with a drive current of 500mA.

The machined brass body gets quite warm after a few hours of use

when run at 350mA. When run at 500mA, it is understood that the spotlight needs to be mounted onto a metal plate of undefined

dimension to help dissipate the heat and keep the LED operating at a safe temperature.

The DGA Nano Tini spotlight is the smallest spotlight I have

reviewed so far but it produces a useful light output that will be beneficial for the target applications of museum and jewellery

display cases. The miniaturisation of LED luminaires continues as

LED efficiency rises and smaller packages are developed. It will be

interesting to see if there is a lower size limit beyond which there is no additional benefit. www.dga.it

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Latest and Greatest

A look at some of the latest products and innovations to hit the market from across the lighting industry.

Iku Erco With five sizes, ranging from 84-221mm, three downlight distributions, plus wallwashers and double wallwashers, as well as six white light colours, and tunable white, Iku recessed downlights are compactly designed and offer high lumen output with a luminous efficacy of over 100lm/W. Iku represents a universal system for uniformly designed, ceiling-integrated lighting. The range is ideal for public buildings, offices and administrative buildings, as well as conference centres, hotels and restaurants. www.erco.com

Tago L&L Luce&Light Tago is a new LED profile with built-in power supply that is drive-over up to 2000kg. The fixture is intended for architectural lighting for urban façades. With a body in Anticorodal low-copper-content aluminium for excellent heat dissipation, Tago is available in three lengths – 30, 50 and 100cm – and three configurations: recessed flush, recessed with rebated frame, or surface mounted using brackets with two pivot points. A wide range of deep-set optics – including elliptical, wallwasher and wall grazing – is available, with colour temperatures ranging from 2200 to 4000K. www.lucelight.it

R-SL-16 corporate friends R-SL-16 – a luminaire profile with a diameter of only 16mm, was specially developed for use in showcases. The special feature is the skilful combination of a light bar with integrated spotlight, which is individually dimmable. In addition to a restrained and unobtrusive basic illumination of exhibits, it also allows for expressive additional accent lighting. R-SL-16 can be used in various ways in horizontal as well as vertical installation situations. www.corporatefriends.de

Jade Zoom Tunable White CLS The new Jade Zoom Tunable White is the ultimate lighting tool for light designers. The Jade has a Zoom range of 10-60° and 2700-6500K colour temperature control range. CRI≈96 on all colour points between 2700-6500K and R9≈95. Due the (Wireless) DMX and Casambi Bluetooth control options, dynamic lighting options or sensorcontrolled daylight adjustments are easy to programme. Multiple mounting options are available for example track or ceiling. www.cls-led.com

Traceline Track 48V Reggiani Traceline Track 48V is the latest addition to the Traceline family, allowing you to complete your linear configuration with spotlights or suspensions at any time, creating a unique combination of diffused and accent lighting. Available in four lengths and three different applications – Surface/Pendant, Pendant with indirect lighting or Deep Pendant with both direct and indirect lighting, integrating accent lighting with ambient lighting has never been easier. www.reggiani.net

Athena Lutron Athena is Lutron’s newest architectural lighting control system. It’s a simple, flexible, all-in-one solution that delivers the perfect light experience by combining the world’s most advanced lighting control system with intelligent shades and connected applications. Nurture a mood in spaces large and small, with warm dimming and tunable white, as well as Architainment lighting. Use light as an amenity – enhancing the experience in restaurants, galleries, spas, and more. www.lutron.com/europe

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new products

Aart Hacel The new Aart range by Hacel combines a contemporary style and minimalistic design with powerful performance and functionality. The elegant power spots feature an adjustable beam and are available in a choice of lumen outputs up to 3485lm. The Aart is available in Midi and Micro sizes and is ideally suited to retail, art galleries and museum applications. Hacel’s innovative LED luminaires can incorporate the latest Bluetooth Low Energy control platforms, offering intelligent, revolutionary wireless lighting control. www.hacel.co.uk

Tego 2 Megaman With Megaman’s Dual beam Technology, the Tego 2 has two beam angles - 60° and 36° - available in one fitting. By pressing the lens, the beam angle can be easily changed. Dual CCT of 2800K and 4000K can also be activated by twisting the lens once installed. With a lumen output of 650lm at 7.5W, the Tego 2 is also dimmable, and rated at IP65, making it ideal for environments with higher moisture, such as bathrooms and kitchens. The LED system includes up to 50,000hrs usage and a tool-free wiring install with a loop in/loop out function. www.megamanuk.com

LED Flex Linear Clear Lighting Ideal for illuminating saunas, the LED Flex Linear features unmatched versatility, operating at a max 90°C temperature with 100% humidity resistance. Thanks to the neon effects, people are free to decorate the sauna or steam room via indirect lighting or direct lighting, white or RGB to acquire unprecedented visual comfort. The option of horizontal bending and vertical bending can assist in achieving the natural and sleek design where the curve lines are situated, giving the user an immersive lighting experience. www.clearlighting.com

candlePower octo Artistic Licence candlePower octo is a DMX512/RDM controlled eight-channel LED dimmer. Uniquely offering the ability to select CC or CV dimming per channel, it uses a combination of analogue and digital technology to achieve smooth (16-bit resolution) dimming with all DC LEDs, even at low intensities. Voltage range is 10–60 VDC; channel current is 2A with control in 36mA increments. Create custom dimming curves, or select from Artistic Licence’s free database. www.artisticlicence.com

Creavo LED Trilux The Creavo LED offers a credible solution for planar luminaires in offices without high levels of glare and shadowing. It has an innovative two-part optic with ConVision technology, ensuring the highest perceptible quality of light and efficiency. Light management and digital services can be implemented via IoT. Thanks to its attractive design and wide range of sizes and mounting methods, Creavo LED is the all-purpose solution for directional lighting in offices and education. www.trilux.com

LT1 Stratas MB Instalighting Lighting for museums places the highest demands on the lighting tools used in all areas of application. The protection of the paintings, the colour rendering as well as the atmosphere and quality of stay in exhibition rooms determine whether works of art can develop their full effect and curatorial concepts are well received by the visitors. The LT1 Stratas MB track spotlight delivers a warm, 3000K illumination, tailor-made for museum applications. www.instalighting.de

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All the World’s a Stage The Shakespeare on the Saskatchewan theatre festival has been given a dramatic, year-round lighting scheme, utilising exterior fixtures from Acclaim Lighting.

he Shakespeare on the

and Quad Color Source that can be specified

control of the lights, however the client

festival now features one of the

With an aperture of only 145mm, the Dyna

so that each riser of the amphitheatre within

schemes on Canada’s Saskatchewan River,

poles. The built-in wireless Aria DMX

individually controlled.

Titan Electrical Group, Christie Lites Sales

wirelessly without the need to run control

for every section of Flex Spectrum to help

theatre company that has been providing

need for costly underground trenching and

Krysten Ernst of Titan Electrical Group.

timeless plays right on the Saskatoon

acted as a wireless hub and then passed a

two-metres in length, and those can be used

A strategic vision to expand the existing

DMX enabled luminaires on the poles,

at Shakespeare on the Saskatchewan to

the company was created, as out of festival

receivers around the site.

Additional lighting was mounted into the

skin are removed, making the amphitheatre

is the new permanent amphitheatre, which

are dimmable and part of the control system.

plan was developed to add dramatic lighting

The project team had to coordinate with the

88lm/ft output of the Flex Eco Exterior 3000K

schematic specifies colour-changing lighting

changing LED tape light into each riser

light output. Due to the low power-draw

pathways leading to the amphitheatre.

from Acclaim Lighting was specified for

wired together per run. This made each of

specified Acclaim Lighting’s Dyna Drum

covers 58 sections totaling nearly 480ft of

upper and lower halves, allowing for some

DMX receiver. The Aria technology was a key

using an opal lens.

In addition, the team specified Acclaim

industry-leading point to point transmission

interfaces that allow for individual DMX

wall by the riverbank based on its soft light

light further and dramatically illuminate

Spectrum is a specification-grade tape that

provides an attractive accent (110lm/ft) on

Other noteworthy features include an

excellent lumen output with a 3000K white

www.acclaimlighting.com

Saskatchewan (SOTS) theatre

with a 3000, 4000 or 6000K white.

requested additional home runs to be added

most dramatic exterior lighting

Drum EO is unobtrusive on the lighting

each of the four main segments could be

thanks to the collaborative efforts of the

receiver allows every location to receive DMX

“It was our intention to use factory leads

and Acclaim Lighting. SOTS is a non-profit

wire and conduit, which also eliminates the

minimise time and labour on site,” said

theatrical productions of Shakespeare’s

data distribution. The Dyna Drum EOs also

“There will be several off-cuts of one to

riverbank for many years.

hardwire data line out to other third-party

as spares or given to the lighting department

SOTS site to provide a permanent home for

eliminating the need to install additional

incorporate as set lighting for their shows.”

season the theatrical equipment and tent

The most noteworthy feature of the SOTS site

steps for egress illumination. These lights

visible from across the river. A schematic

consists of large precast concrete segments.

Given the low height (~6ins) of the steps, the

and precision controls to the new site. The

precast manufacturer to integrate colour-

from Acclaim Lighting provides the desired

around the larger trees, as well as the

segment. Flex Spectrum Exterior (RGBW)

and single-colour application, 12 steps were

To colour wash the large trees, the team

the amphitheatre riser lights. The lighting

the three sets of stair lights operable in the

SO Color with its integrated Aria wireless

24v tape with a FLX777 recessed channel

additional theatrical interaction.

specifying component for its reliability and

Driven on ALD-800-24 power supply/

Flex Tube SC 3000K for the curved terrace

range of up to 2600ft. The Drum SO can cast

control of up to 10 outputs of RGBW, Flex

diffusion. This comfortable low-output light

dark, irregular surfaces, such as foliage.

is fully IP68 rated for wet locations. It has

the curved surface.

integrated photocell, power failure memory

chip. The original design included per-riser

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Flexbar

SEE IT FIRST AT [D]ARC ROOM 2021 STAND DR08

#SeeUsInANewLight

www.thorlux.com

case study

Pics: Moreno Maggi

Stylish and Sensory The lighting for the Jon Felice Rome Center - the Rome campus of Chicago’s Loyola University, celebrates the old and the new in a functional yet beautiful manner, with fixtures from L&L Luce&Light.

or many years, its panoramic views of the Eternal City

to the architectural project. Here, light becomes a physical element,

east Rome a popular film location; and since 1962 its

them. The light gives form, bouncing off the interior and exterior

and the Vatican Hill made the Balduina district in northnorthern ridge has been home to the orderly building

complex that makes up the historic Rome campus of the Loyola

University Chicago, which was founded in 1870 and is one of the most important Jesuit Catholic universities in the United States.

This campus, the John Felice Rome Center, recently underwent an

expansion that included the construction of new halls of residence

for the students, a chapel and an entrance hall, and the redefinition of the external transit spaces.

The new complex, designed by architect Ignazio Lo Manto,

demonstrates great sensitivity to its context and displays a gradual transition from old to new, underpinned by Lo Manto’s choice for the main building material, brick, “a familiar domestic building

material that serves to create a visual and physical link between the

existing and the new, to modulate light, to give a reassuring sense of

mass and to establish a tangible pattern and a coherent colour for the architectural whole” explains the architect. The structures’ shapes - simple, geometric and free from conventional features, further

help to link the new architecture to the old visually and explicitly.

Other materials, such as steel and glass, complement the brick, and

together they combine to create quasi-abstract geometric units that reinforce the relationship of the complex with its surroundings.

The lighting design, carried out entirely by L&L Luce&Light, with

fixtures chosen by Gianni Celleno of Elettroged (Rome), was integral

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revealing the buildings’ composition and the intersections between flooring to establish a hierarchy between spaces and mark out communication routes.

The interaction between light and space reaches its greatest intensity in the chapel, where it creates an almost mystical atmosphere. The

light flows in through a large trapezoidal skylight above the altar and reflects off the travertine floor and the front of the altar. Inside, the projectors used for the architectural lighting run along the oblique corners between wall and ceiling and provide a grazing light, as do the Neva 1.2 linear profiles. The latter are positioned at the foot of

the architectural representation of the cross, their narrow, recessed optics guaranteeing excellent visual comfort. Bitpop concealed

downlights were chosen for the functional lighting in the entrance areas, while Bright 1.6 recessed uplights with narrow optics were installed in the long, slender openings. Bright 5.F uplights were

positioned along the chapel’s exterior walls, where their wide beam is achieved with elliptical optics. The external walks connecting

the spaces are lit by linear single - and double-beam - bollards, in different heights depending on the zone (250cm or 600cm).

The lighting has taken on a role that is not only functional but also

aesthetic and sensory – it interacts with visitors and communicates

emotions, producing an atmosphere that is conducive to prayer and study.

www.lucelight.it

22-25 September 2021 MAGAZINE LONDON - GREENWICH PENINSULA

www.darcroom.com

@darcroomlondon

@darc_room

_darc_room

The Light of the Irish A new lighting system at Dublin’s Wolfe Tone National Monument, is fully customisable thanks to LED drivers from Artistic Licence.

andlePower octo, the new constant

past, Emcon approached the manufacturer once

Artistic Licence, was installed

Wayne Howell, CEO of Artistic Licence,

current/voltage LED driver from at Dublin’s Wolfe Tone National

Monument earlier this year – just in time to

ensure a patriotic green wash for St Patrick’s Day on 17 March.

The monument – which commemorates the 18th

Century Irish revolutionary, Wolfe Tone – consists of a bronze sculpture and imposing backdrop

of granite monoliths. Irish lighting technology

solution provider, EmCon Systems was responsible for delivering a system that could provide subtle white illumination, with automatic triggering of

special effects – such as colour washes or a rippling national flag – on notable calendar days.

EmCon needed a DMX512/RDM controlled constant current driver for the Scorpion RGBW LED IP65 projector (based on three RGBW Osram Ostar

728mA LEDs with either narrow, medium and/

or wide beam optics). The driver would need to be engineered easily into the fixture enclosure and, critically, offer the ability to remotely adjust the

LED current during commissioning. Having worked with Artistic Licence products frequently in the

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arc August/September Issue 123

Articles inside

New Products

David Morgan Product Review

Red Dot Design Awards

d]arc room pop-up @ Design London preview

Honours List

The First Rule of Light Club

Briefing

The Diet of Light

Under One Sky

Spotlight

Snapshot

Eye Opener

Headlines