designing lighting--April 2021 by designing lighting

WORKING WITH WELLNESS  LIGHTING THE CANADIAN PARLIAMENT  AN EXIT INTERVIEW WITH IALD’S MARSHA TURNER

ISSUE NO. 5

APRIL 2021

Moynihan Train Hall WELCOMES WORLD BACK TO New York City UP CLOSE WITH CHIP ISRAEL  3D PRINTING: THE NEXT FRONTIER IN LUMINAIRES?

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Next issue of The Spec publishes May 5

Subscribe here Randy Reid Editor 4

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Cliff Smith Publisher

TURNS OUT IT STILL DOES.

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CONTRIBUTORS

table of

CONTENTS Editorial Director’s Notepad

JIM BENYA

The Business and Benefits of Research An Exit Interview with Marsha Turner Feature Story

ABBY BUSH

Lighting Up The Canadian Parliament

By Randy Reid Spotlight on OVI’s stunning design for The Canadian Parliament.

Benya’s Art & Science

JUAN DAVILA

The Incredible Evolving Downlight

By James Benya Chronicles the advancements and capabilities of the downlight.

RUSKIN HARTLEY

Cover Story Moynihan Train Hall Welcomes the World Back to New York By Randy Reid From the Penn Station to the breathtaking Moynihan Train Hall.

OLIVIA LAGOMARSINO

Business of Lighting Design™️ CBBLD: Working With Wellness By Randy Reid How designers are using light to heal.

The Boom in Residential Lighting Design

JOHN PALK

By Randy Reid & Olivia Lagomarsino Experts share their Insights into residential lighting design trends and best practices

Just in STEFANIE SCHWALB

3D Printing: The Next Frontier in Luminaires? By John Palk The promising opportunities of 3D printed luminaires.

What is the Real Value Proposition in Smart Lighting? LEELA SHANKER

By Beatrice Witzgall Changing the game with the lighting industry’s new value proposition.

The Impact of Artificial Intelligence (AI) on LED lighting By Juan Davila The evolutionary force and potential of Artificial Intelligence.

Hospitality

PETE STRASSER

A Design Aesthetic Worth Illuminating

By Stef Schwalb Highlighting Aman New York, located in Manhattan’s iconic Crown Building.

BEATRIZE WITZGALL

People on the Move The Life and Death of a Luminaire: A Moment in the Climate Impact Story By Leela Shanker The importance of smart disposal of luminaires for our future.

IALD New Members

WORKING WITH WELLNESS  LIGHTING THE CANADIAN PARLIAMENT  AN EXIT INTERVIEW WITH IALD’S MARSHA TURNER

JACOB WRIGHT

ISSUE NO. 5

Light Right to Protect the Night

By Ruskin Hartley & Pete Strasser How we can combat light pollution using new technology.

APRIL 2021

Still Shining! In Memoriam Still in the Dark: COVID-19 Continues to Impact the Lighting Design Profession By Jacob Wright

Upcoming Shows

Moynihan Train Hall WELCOMES WORLD BACK TO New York City UP CLOSE WITH CHIP ISRAEL  3D PRINTING: THE NEXT FRONTIER IN LUMINAIRES?

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ON THE COVER

Moynihan Train Hall Photography by Lucas Blair Simpson Aaron Fedor © SOM

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Advertisers’ Index Up Close with Chip Israel

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EDITORIAL DIRECTOR’S NOTEPAD

Editorial Director: Randy Reid

Publisher: Cliff Smith

Director of Audience Development: Angie Hullfish

Contirbuting Writers: James Benya PE, FIES, FIALD Principal at Design Services, Inc. and The Benya Burnett Consultancy Juan Davila European Lighting Contributor Global Business Development Director CASTAN Lighting Linda Longo Residential Lighting Contributor Stefanie Schwalb Hospitality Lighting Contributor Interim Managing Editor at Boston Magazine Staff Writers: Abby Bush Olivia Lagomarsino Jacob Wright Published by EdisonReport 1726C General George Patton Dr. Brentwood, TN 37027 Phone: 615-371-0961 designinglighting.com designing lighting is focused on the Business of Lighting Design™ and provides business information to the lighting design community. In addition to the website, designing lighting publishes bi-monthly online magazines featuring original content, interviews within the community and highlights successful award winning lighting designs. While designing lighting is based in the U.S., it has contributors from Europe and is developing a global presence. (ISSN 2693-9223) Statements and opinions expressed in articles and editorials in dl are the expressions of contributors and do not necessarily represent the policies or opinions of the EdisonReport. Advertisements appearing in the publication are the sole responsibility of the advertiser.

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I want to honor George Mueller after his sudden and unfortunate passing late last month. We learned that he suffered a sudden ruptured cerebral aneurysm while on a skiing holiday. George was a legend. He is in the league with Bill Blitzer and Ed Hammer, who all made huge contributions to the art and science of lighting in the past 50 years. George Mueller and Ihor Lys founded Color Kinetics (CK) in 1997. Ten short years later they sold the company to Philips for $791 Million. I spoke to a few people who worked with him and had the pleasure of getting to know him. He was a gregarious person and always had a great story to share. He was quick-witted and never took himself too seriously. Cristina Rodrigues, VP of Marketing at Agnetix, worked with George at CK and Ecosense, describing him as charismatic man with an essence and zeal for life that affected everyone he encountered. Cristina told me one story about George agreeing to send the entire company to Las Vegas for LightFair if they met their goal. She explained, “We were just slightly under the bogey, but it didn’t matter to George. He took the entire company, and each person was allowed to bring a spouse or friend on the trip.” He created a successful company culture that was rooted in hard work, camaraderie and fun. She described food eating contests that he would participate in, always being an unapologetically fun CEO. She added that he was very active and it was as if he lived ten lives in his short 50 years. When George founded Ecosense in 2009, long-time CK employee, Rob McCulley, became one of the first employees. Rob explained that George created an unrivaled culture, saying, “He had this optimistic view that permeated throughout the organization. He had the infectious smile, and when he walked in a room, he lit it up. He believed in having fun while working hard.” Rob explained that George knew sooner than most the incredible value of the blue LED. Once it was invented, it gave George the tool to begin mixing colors and start Color Kinetics. In an interview with Elizabeth Donoff of Architectural Lighting in 2009, Mueller said, “When you have a reputation for quality and delivering on the performance that you achieve, then you gain respect and trust of the designer. That’s what we are looking to carry over into the new company, Ecosense.” A spokesperson for Signify, said, “We are very sorry to hear about the passing of George Mueller and send our condolences to his family and friends. His legacy will live on forever in the numerous Color Kinetics installations around the globe.” In addition to Color Kinetics and Ecosence, George founded other companies. One named Robot Heart, which is a collective of doers and dreamers, artists and entrepreneurs, states on their website, “Music is our first language, and our mission is to bring love and beats to the world.” He is survived by his wife Ting, children Astro and Xing, brothers Gary, Greg, and Grant, and mother Diane. George’s legacy does live on as you will see on page 20.

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The Business and Benefits of Research BY RANDY REID

I visited Dr. Mariana Figueiro and Dr. Mark Rea at their offices for the new Light & Health Research Center (LHRC) at Mt. Sinai in New York. Dr Figueiro gave me a tour and explained that the main office will be at Mt. Sinai, but much of the research will occur in a restored Montgomery Ward facility in Upstate New York, near their old laboratory in Troy, NY. She explained that even though the pandemic lowered the cost of office space in New York City, it would not be financially viable to move all of the 20 staff members to the city. She and Dr. Rea will alternate between the Upstate and the Downstate facilities. While the industry thinks of Dr. Figueiro as a great researcher, that success is rooted in her ability to write grant applications that fund the research. Expanding her network of exceptional academic and clinical collaborators for research grants was a major reason for moving to Mt. Sinai. Although fundraising is a huge part of the research equation, it all comes down to pioneering new ways to improve the quality of life for people of all ages and all walks of life. Dr. Figueiro said, “If you cannot raise money, you cannot pay for the research, and if you can’t do the research you cannot help people in new ways. Being with Mt. Sinai, and being in New York City, will exponentially increase our opportunities for raising funds and applying the research.” She described the tremendous support that Mt. Sinai has offered which includes the opportunity to hire a research coordinator, setting up a lab, and

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infrastructure support such as software and laptops. Mt. Sinai even set up the Light and Health Research Center website which is still under development. I wanted to learn more about the fundraising. Dr. Figueiro stated, “A university or hospital will provide overhead support to an organization like the LHRC. In return, the university or hospital will receive a portion of the funds that are raised by the researcher.” Dr. Figueiro would not share an exact figure, but we have learned that her institution will typically provide about 60% of the grant revenue to conduct the research with the remaining 40% staying with Mt. Sinai for overhead expenses. “Being affiliated with a medical facility will dramatically improve the impact of our research on society, because of the many intellectual assets in planning and conducting the research as well as the wide array of clinical outlets for our studies,” said Dr. Figueiro. She went on to say that as an example, Mt. Sinai already has a center for Alzheimer’s research, so recruiting candidates for studies will be much easier and the findings can be put into practice immediately. She also added that Mt. Sinai is very progressive, and she is excited about working with a diverse population and can perhaps conduct lighting research in lower income housing and hopefully make a difference in the lives of those residents. Dr. Rea explained that they will continue work on circadian studies but will go beyond that scope and conduct research on Ultraviolet and IR among many other things. Dr. Rea emphasized that the LHRC combines medicine with engineering and that is why Mt. Sinai is a perfect place to extend the impact of lighting on society. 

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After eighteen and a half years with IALD, Chief Executive Officer Marsha Turner is stepping down. When I called to congratulate her and wish her well, the five- minute call turned into a 30-minute interview. One of her biggest accomplishments was ensuring that the IALD delivered on the first letter in its name. I for international. She talked in detail how the association has grown during her tenure and truly is global. When she joined the IALD, the international footprint was very small. Over time the association developed an extensive region and chapter network, expanding from 10 chapters in 2002 to 30 in 2021. This network functions as IALD’s primary touchpoint for connection and engagement with members, stakeholders and the broader lighting community. The regions and chapters provide global connection while delivering local focus and relevance. This “glocality” has been key to IALD’s success. Marsha explained the complexity of IALD’s global membership. “As individuals, our members come from different places and speak different languages and see things very differently, but when it comes to lighting they all speak the same language. No matter where they are from, they are unified in their vision of what lighting is and what it can be.” She went on to observe that as the profession has grown over the past five decades – the association celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2019 – so has the diversity of its members, who have wide disparity in their backgrounds, experience and perspectives. Some are new in their career, while others are near retirement. Some are self-employed, and others work for large companies. Some entered lighting from theatre, some through architecture or engineering, many through other pathways. “We work very hard to be relevant to all of our members regardless of where they are in their professional journey.” We talked about the tremendous growth that IALD has seen during her tenure growing from about 500 members in 2002 to over 1500 today. She cited a story about a butterfly garden, “Instead of catching butterflies individually, we built a beautiful garden where people want to be, and the butterflies came on their own.” One of her greatest challenges was in 2009 when the Texas state legislature put together a bill that would effectively ban lighting designers from practicing their craft in the Lonestar state. She explained, “It was

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one of those bills that doesn’t get discussed, a legislator puts in the language without any debate and it just passes through and becomes law.” IALD swiftly activated a team of members and led collaborative advocacy efforts that resulted in defeat of the bill. COVID-19 has affected the IALD as it has affected all organizations. IALD has restructured programs, services and activities, reduced full time staff positions from 18 to 6, and is using the reorganization to look at things differently. For instance, they now know they can produce and host high quality virtual programs which convene participants and speakers from distant and disparate locations. They can have an even larger footprint across the globe at very little additional cost. I asked her why she was leaving, and she said it is part of the re-set, “We started planning for this about 8 years ago and developed a succession plan for staff. Ashley Robbins, CAE, formerly Director of Membership, will step into the role of Interim CEO of the IALD and Interim Executive Director of the IALD Education Trust.” Marsha went on to say that she would never take on another long-term role like the IALD CEO but would consider some smaller opportunities where she could contribute. She will remain with the IALD until the end of June. In closing, she said, “I cannot think of a better group of people to work with over the past 18 years. Our current Board of Directors is so impressive; my association colleagues envy the commitment that our Board and our members have. It has been a pleasure and a privilege to work with them.”

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The Canadian

Lighting Up

nrique Peiniger, founder and chief innovator of the Office for Visual Interaction (OVI), recently granted me an interview to hear a behind-the-scenes account of his team’s design for the Canadian Parliament. Located in the heart of Ottawa, Canada, inside of the West Block complex on Parliament Hill, the culmination of OVI’s 10-year design project is stunning. The huge, glass-roofed Debating Chamber and series of Committee Rooms feature advanced lighting technology required for HDTV broadcasting, yet avoid the use of a typical studio gantry system. The broadcast lighting requirements are coordinated with daylight elements to ensure that natural light levels in the Chamber are regulated and balanced with architectural elements. The lighting design seamlessly intensifies the building’s blend of modern and historic styles, whether in the vast, High-Gothic-style open-air courtyard or in the above-ground and subterranean Committee Rooms, allowing federal government functions and television broadcasts to be carried out with similar style and ease. The over decade long project began with a complete transformation, rather than a retrofit. In the Chamber, an immense glass roof, supported by structural “branches,” was installed to connect and enclose the space. OVI reverse-engineered their design; rather than install lighting into completed architecture, to meet lighting design requirements the columns themselves were first strategically placed based on, and their position and angles determined by, OVI input. By determining where each member of Parliament would be seated

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Parliament By RANDY REID WITH CONTRIBUTIONS FROM ABBY BUSH

during legislative sessions, Enrique and his team were able to precisely plan in 3D the lighting angles that would be needed for television broadcasts. Using those 3D geometries and plans, structural engineers could place the columns to accommodate lighting–a rare arrangement, as usually the process works the other way around.

Lighting Aiming Study

In addition, the OVI team wanted to be sure that the lights were well integrated, so they chose to attach lights to the column in a way that obscures them from the view of the people below and creates a seamless and pleasing experience. The team strived to design a space that was practical and operative, while also being perceived as an elegant courtyard. To achieve this, each “tree” luminaire consists of 23 individually adjustable LED lighting modules–15 for front lighting, five for back lighting, and three for general lighting at the Gallery level–for a total of over 500 modules. Each module features a light throw of 17 meters and achieves a vertical light level of 500 lux in order to adequately light the faces of televised Members of Parliament.

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OVI’s approach to the Debating Chamber design was a deeply collaborative process informed by active design workshops with the client–a step that Enrique finds crucial to success. Based on these conversations, his team pivoted from having points in the columns to a more linear design engineered for easier maintenance access. Enrique explained, “The client wanted something more maintenance friendly.” Before this development step, more access points were needed in order to maintain and adjust the lighting. However, after developing the design to match the customer’s needs, the team optimized the lights into different positions, simplifying the lighting placement and aiming angles. Enrique highlighted a fixture, which was built by Trilux, that they incorporated into the design for the Committee Rooms. The light fixture was designed to resemble an abstract version of the acorn leaf, which is the national symbol of Canada. These “star-like panels were designed to radiate like an artificial sky, offsetting the feeling of an underground space.” In this space, “clusters of directional spotlights are individually aimed to achieve a vertical light level of 500 lux” to meet the demands of broadcast lighting. The main focus of this design was to supplement other light sources and make the overall lighting softer. The final design features a combination of diffuse panels and downlights to soften the lighting on faces and provide fill light at the proper color temperature for HDTV broadcasts and is designed to avoid LED flicker when recorded with HDTV cameras. The end product is a space that looks and feels like a high-end conference room, instead of the flexible and functional television studio it actually is. Because the project lasted 12 years and OVI was determined to create a successful state of the art project, there was something they needed to take into consideration. They needed to be sure that the LED technology was up to date. Because technology is constantly evolving, they revised their LED lighting plans 2 years prior to opening in order to incorporate the latest LED lighting technology platforms with optimized color rendering and power consumption. One hurdle that OVI experienced was its wide-ranging customer base. There were four to five different bodies that comprised the

customer, including the Government of Canada, a representative of the Prime Minister of Canada and the Historic Preservation Agency, to name a few, each with specific needs and perspectives. Having so many varying decision makers, OVI had to be sure everyone’s interests were properly taken into account. Enrique emphasized that it is important as a light designer to be flexible and open-minded. This mindset helped his team succeed in best serving their customers. He added some that light designers too often have rigid beliefs and expectations, and instead must be receptive to and then address client needs. These steps help OVI to be sure to incorporate the desired emotional elements of a project and to ensure that the final product is well perceived.

Enrique also shed light on the changes that have come about in the lighting design industry. Not only has the industry changed over the past few years, but it has shifted even more so due to COVID-19. Most significantly, traditional methods have temporarily been replaced with a newer model where things have to be done solely online. Because of this shift, Enrique explains, “We had to relearn the tools for how to communicate products.” Enrique and his team are extremely proud of the project result, a stunning Committee Room and Chamber that will leave you in awe. Their hard work, attention to detail, and fixation on customer needs made the project a grand success. 

PROJECT DETAILS Canadian Parliament Committee Room and Chamber LIGHTING DESIGN: Enrique Peiniger, CLD, Assoc. AIA, IALD, MIES, FILD, IDSA Office for Visual Interaction (OVI) FIXTURE SCHEDULE Committee Reception Lobby: Kreon Committee Room Downlights TV Broadcasting Lighting: Hoffmeister Chamber General TV Broadcasting Lighting: Hoffmeister Committee Room Luminous Star and Square Star Lights: Trilux Chamber Wall Wash Uplights: Trilux

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BENYA’S ART & SCIENCE

The

Incredible Evolving Downlight By

JIM BENYA

The downlight as we know it was invented in 1939 by Rambusch Lighting. Famous for ecclesiastical lighting of churches and cathedrals, Rambusch knew that illumination of hymnals and prayer books was typically poor because chandeliers were hanging far overhead of the congregation. A recessed luminaire with a narrow beam effectively lighted the “tasks” an invention that changed church lighting forever. But modernism and its demand for un-ornamental design gave us the “can light” (aka the “pot light” in Canada) that probably lights more interior space than any other lighting fixture type to date. Residential downlights played a huge role in the acceptance and growth of the industry. Offering different apertures of varying diameter and shape, as well as interchangeable trims ranging from open baffles to shower lenses and wall washers, allowed for the customization of lighting for each room and function. As the market grew there were dozens of companies and an increasing number of options, including low voltage and compact fluorescent light sources. Unfortunately, fires resulting from overheated downlights became a problem, and the National Electrical Code responded with a series of strict UL listing requirements. Thermal protection, insulation detectors and 18

“Adjustable Downlight with Pinhole Trim and Fire Rated Junction Box (dmf Lighting).”

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insulation contact (IC) housings became standard. As downlights became popular for hotels and apartment buildings, the need for fire-rated downlights entered the codes and marketplace. Selecting a residential downlight housing quickly became complex and further complicated by compact fluorescent lamps and the huge variety of variations. Once popular because of low cost, residential downlights were rapidly becoming expensive.

Moving a downlight means a lot of drywall work as well as electrical work. With clip-in fixtures, the wiring is put in before the drywall, then the electrician cuts a hole, grabs the wire, connects it to the luminaire, and pushes the luminaire into the hole. Spring loaded “mousetrap” clips hold the luminaire in place. Moving a luminaire is easy and involves a minimum of drywall and electrical work. Significant labor cost savings are the key.

Well, everything changed when a 7.5watt LED luminaire could generate as much light as a 60-watt incandescent luminaire. Manufacturers and lighting designers began to question everything about downlights to regain their popularity and cost effectiveness. Thanks to LEDs, downlights have become affordable, and the new section in the 2020 National Electrical Code resolved the complications that accumulated over 50 years of legacy light bulbs. Four of the more noteworthy innovations and adaptations include:

• Low voltage downlights – LEDs are inherently low voltage light sources. Encouraged by UL 2018 and Articles 411 and 725 of the National Electrical Code, a new generation of downlights allows for a Class 2 driver connection to 120-volt power on a flexible whip, that in turn can power up to 60 watts of downlights using plug-in class 2 flexible wiring. This could include dedicated above ceiling drivers or PoE-wired applications. These take advantage of clip in downlights to make the labor savings even more impressive.

• Low wattage downlights that clip into the ceiling – With common cans, the electrician nails the can light’s hanger bars in place, wires the 120volt branch circuit to the junction box, and returns after drywall work to find the can and cut out the hole before installing the guts and trim.

• Fire-rated downlights – Especially in multi-family structures where ceilings are required to be fire rated, contractors were required to either build a sealed drywall box around a recessed downlight or to cover it with a UL listed fire

BENYA’S ART & SCIENCE protection blanket until recently. The added costs for either can be as much as $150 per downlight in labor and material. More than half of these costs are saved by new generation of downlights, including compact LED sources that fit into fire-rated junction boxes and firerated versions of conventional can lights. With up to 10 downlights in a mid-market 2-bedroom apartment, these savings become important and preserve the appeal of downlighting in these project types. These lights can be used in hotel guest rooms that for the same reason. • Multiples are better than ever – The smaller size of LED options have resulted in a completely new generation of luminaires that feature multiple sources connected to one power source. These include conventional “multiples” with several individually aimable heads and new types of wallwashers and small linear downlights on a residential scale. Like the other innovations, these often use mousetrap clips for simple cut-in installation and low voltage class 2 wiring, making these appealing for a wide range of projects and budgets.

of a single conventional 6” can. Not only more sophisticated in appearance and performance, but it is also a whole new design look that are affordable in a larger percentage of projects.

Fire rated conventional downlight (Juno)

Mousetrap clip-in downlight (Lightheaded)

I’m still learning how to use these innovations, and every day I receive an email announcement of a new product of this type from companies all over the world. In downlighting, this is our future because it is a better tool for smaller environments, energy efficient, resource efficient, and a dramatic improvement in the downlight on which so much lighting design depends. 

Class 2 wiring for 4 luminaires from one driver (series constant current) (Alphabet)

Perhaps most intriguing of these innovations is their small size. For instance, a 2-3/8” x 1-5/8” square downlight with two micro downlights can produce up to 400 lumens using 5 watts, and with several of them connected to a single class 2 driver, can be installed for the labor cost

1-3/4” wide customized multiples with recessed and monopoints (Alphabet)

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MOYNIHAN TRAIN HALL WELCOMES THE WORLD BACK TO NEW YORK CITY By RANDY REID

Walking from the current Penn Station to the new Moynihan Train Hall makes me feel like Dorothy when she awoke in Oz and her life was suddenly in color. The transition to Moynihan Train Hall is staggering. It is bright, welcoming comforting and practically changes your mood as you make your grand entrance. Ilva Dodaj, Senior Associate at Domingo Gonzalez Associates (DGA) provided me a tour of this stunning facility. Ilva was the lead lighting

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designer for DGA on the project and highlighted a bit of history as we toured. She explained, “This was NYC’s primary USPS facility, designed by McKim, Mead & White when it opened in 1914.” She pointed to the massive trusses that were preserved from the original design which contained skylights that were covered during World War II, and explained that the roof was removed and replaced with a vaulted skylight. The 3160 panels, consisting of over an acre of glass, allow natural daylight to enliven the train hall.

Watch a time-lapse video of the skylight installation.

Credit: Photo Lucas Blair Simpson | Aaron Fedor © SOM While I have seen and participated in many great lighting jobs in my career, Moynihan Train Hall is different. There was a certain level of grandness and awe that I wasn’t prepared for. Something else that struck me was Ilva’s passion; later I would learn why this project was so personal for her. Ilva worked closely with DGA’s Domingo Gonzalez and A.C. Hickox, VP and Managing Principal. After the tour, I interviewed the trio to get more details.

designing lighting

AC explained that they began work in 2014. In keeping with the postal facility’s conversion to a major transit hub, DGA brought its extensive experience with rail facilities to the project. Domingo emphasized their continuous internal diligence as they made note of changes in code and technology. He insisted, “You can’t do one sketch in 2014 and think that you are done; you have to constantly revisit your initial premise.” Domingo cautioned that while much technology was evolving, other technology was disappearing. The design team wanted to celebrate and highlight the historic trusses and envisioned using light to call attention to important events and holidays. In 2014, DGA knew that RGBW technology would be the workhorse for the project, and scanned the market to find only a handful of viable manufacturers. It was evident that Color Kinetics had the best technology at that time, although other manufacturers were considered. However, as plans began to solidify, the design remained with Color Kinetics as their fixtures continued to increase in efficiency and improve in near-field color mixing. Ilva elaborated, “Given the space constraints, the fixtures had to be both powerful, compact and fully concealed. In circulation areas, the iGuzzini Laser-blade provided visually uniform illumination while maintaining an extremely quiet ceiling plane. Moynihan Train Hall is one of the few major transit hubs where the luminaire’s source brightness is so consistently well shielded. In the train hall, DGA specified continuous linear four-channel RGBW fixtures for the massive skylight and trusses. Approximately 15 default lighting control scenes were developed by the design team in collaboration with the stakeholders. The standard white scene, which is set to

3000K, is envisioned for typical nights. This default setting includes a few incursions at sunset and sunrise where the color temperature shifts to mimic the sky plane above. Domingo added, “In 2014 we did not have the term ‘circadian lighting’ in such common usage as today. The design speaks to the evolution of technology, the evolution of technique, and the evolution of awareness.” A.C. added that at the outset of the project, considerable thought would be needed to mitigate the potential for high contrast ratios between daylit and adjacent circulation spaces, due to the significant amount of daylight coming into the hall. Ilva explained that each of the skylight openings is framed with a linear light which adjusts color temperature to complement daylight values from sunrise to sunset and adjust intensity to complement bright daylight at this transition zones. Ilva explained that to the untrained eye the skylight may appear to be conventional clear glass. However, she clarified that it is actually a sophisticated parabolic cutting-edge 3D steel geometric assembly composed of 3160 insulating glass panels treated with frit, film, and various environmental coatings that modulates the extent of daylight entering the hall. During the day, the goal of the lighting design is to complement the presence of daylight while still highlighting the trusses. Ilva added, “The interstitial space within the trusses is always lit to give the appearance of layered illumination, even when cast into silhouette by bright natural light.” At night, the lighting strategy celebrates the space while still maintaining a sense of transparency beyond. Lighting the facades that bound the skylight became critical in order to reinforce that sense of transparency.

“…during the day we have natural transparency through the skylight, and at night we have some recollection of that transparency, so it's quite wonderful and magical and yet such a simple idea." ― Domingo Gonzalez

designing lighting

Domingo added, “…during the day we have natural transparency through the skylight, and at night we have some recollection of that transparency, so it's quite wonderful and magical and yet such a simple idea”.

partly cloudy afternoon or even a grey and overcast day. The Crestron system is responsive to that changing dynamic, and we took an active role in crafting the lighting control vision.”

The lighting controls were designed in coordination with electrical engineering firm JB&B, and featured Crestron controls. The design automatically adjusts in the presence of natural light (yielding energy savings), and the fixtures can be individually controlled in single foot increments. Domingo explained, “One of the great challenges of atrium lighting is to make sure that the system responds not just to a bright sunny day, but to a

The project, a generation in the making, was championed by Governor Andrew M. Cuomo and led by New York State’s Empire State Development Corporation. The public-private-partnership succeeded in converting the historic Farley Post Office into a modern transportation hub, on time and on budget. Moynihan Train Hall is the embodiment of what can be achieved when the public and private sectors work together in a partnership. Stakeholders included

Vornado Realty Trust, Skanska, Amtrak, the MTA/LIRR and the Port Authority of NY & NJ. Skidmore, Owings and Merrill served as design architect, and architect of record. Ilva explained that working with so many organizations was a tremendous experience. She credited success to A.C. and Domingo, who have vast prior experience juggling the needs of multiple stakeholders. In response to these complexities DGA conducted many mockups, some onsite and several in their offices, which helped facilitate critical decision-making, integrating input from the stakeholders at various stages of the design process.

designing lighting

As I mentioned earlier, there was a passion from Ilva that I have rarely encountered. In our follow-up interview, she explained that Moynihan Train Hall was a full-circle effort for her. Before her career in lighting, she trained as an architect and coincidentally, the very first presentation she ever gave in architecture school was on the original McKim, Mead & White designs for both the 1914 Post Office and the original 1910 Penn Station, so when this project landed on her desk, the circle was completed. Obviously familiar with the original Post Office design, she now had the opportunity to serve as the lead lighting designer for its transformation! By the time this issue is published, Domingo will have taken a trip that departs from Moynihan Train Hall on Amtrak, and I asked him what he expects to experience as he enters the station as a passenger. He responded, “There will be a mixture of elation, pride and a great sigh of relief that it all did what we thought and hoped it would do.” 

A crew installs one of the mock ups

QUICK FACTS 1. Stanly Kubrick filmed Killer’s Kiss in 1955 from this same building. It was generally regarded as his worst film. 2. The Hive (Photo: Elmgreen & Dragset; The Hive, 2020 Stainless steel, aluminum, polycarbonate, LED lights, and lacquer. Commissioned by Empire State Development in partnership with Public Art Fund for Moynihan Train Hall.

Photo credit: Randy Reid

3. Moynihan Train Hall and Penn Station will serve more daily passenger than LaGuardia, JFK and Newark airports combined.

FIXTURE SCHEDULE • Design Architect: Skidmore, Ownings & Merrill • Engineer: JB&B MEP • Lighting Designer: Domingo Gonzalez Associates • Structural Engineering: Severud Associates • Certification: Pursuing LEED Silver • Truss/Skylight/Facade Lighting: Color Kinetics • Circulation Lighting: iGuzzini • Truss Downlights: Luminis • Amtrak/ LIRR/ Baggage/ Waiting Rooms: USAI, VODE • Linear Lighting: Lumenwerx • Controls: Crestron • Square footage: 255,000 • Average daytime lux: 6000 - 1500 (daylit) – 300 - 200 (electric-lit spaces) • Average nighttime lux: 200 - 100

designing lighting

MOYNIHAN TRAIN HALL COMMENTS BY DOMINGO GONZALEZ

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Discover your Eclipse spotlight: www.erco.com/eclipse designing lighting

Working

Wellness By Randy Reid

Lighting at the Duke wellness center was meant to read from the inside out. We received an exterior lighting award for the project because so much of the light was reflecting off of interior materials, causing the whole building to glow.” ― Francesca Bettridge

ighting designers at Cline Bettridge Bernstein Lighting Design (CBBLD), an awardwinning New York lighting design firm, are pioneers in the wellness world as they incorporate tunable lighting, controls, and other new features into their recent projects to promote wellbeing and comfort. Principals, Francesca Bettridge, Stephen Bernstein, and Associate Principal Michael Hennes, sat down with me to discuss their

designing lighting

recent wellness projects, exciting advancements in technology, and the struggles they face as lighting designers. CBBLD carries out their mission to create sustainable designs that enhance the grace, utility, and comfort of architectural spaces by using innovative techniques in all environments – from universities, to hospitals, to skyscrapers and performing arts centers. One of their recent award-winning projects at Duke University featured natural materials and a lot of daylight to create

THE BUSINESS OF LIGHTING DESIGN™

Stony Brook Medicine. Photo Credit Jeff Goldberg/Esto

a welcoming presence for students. Bettridge said, “Lighting at the Duke wellness center was meant to read from the inside out. We received an exterior lighting award for the project because so much of the light was reflecting off of interior materials, causing the whole building to glow.” The goal was to create a safe space, “so that students can feel that they can go there not only for physical reasons, but for their mental health,” added Bettridge. The idea of using lighting to create safe spaces follows in close suit with what appears to be a national wellness movement. Businesses, apartment buildings, offices, universities – you name it – have started to incorporate gyms, kitchens, spas, and meditation studios into their facilities as a selling-point. Bettridge spoke on the importance of considering the environments we are creating and the materials that we are using: “The more there is conversation about where light and materials are, the more comforting it is for people, the more successful these spaces will be.”

The increased awareness of well-being and mental health is accompanied by advancements in lighting technology, giving clients the opportunity to focus on the comfort of their offices, apartments, and universities with lighting design. Bernstein touched on which came first – technology advancement or importance of wellness, saying, “It’s a chicken and egg sort of thing. I think technology allows us to do a little more than we could in the past, but I think that there has been a growing interest in wellness in general, and now we are able to do something with light.” Bluetooth lighting controls are just one of the many advancements that have grown in popularity due to the accessibility and capacity to decentralize control systems. CBBLD has yet to install this control mechanism in healthcare or wellness spaces; however, Bluetooth has gained traction in the museum space because it allows users to adjust the settings of a specific fixture or exhibit, rather than controlling multiple zones. Even if lighting is not driving wellness projects, lighting is becoming an

important topic in project conversations. With clients considering all the new lighting options, they also have to consider something else – the price. Some of these new technological features come with a high cost, which some businesses will forgo at the expense of wellness. Control systems primarily account for these elevated prices, which are driven even higher once the contractor becomes involved - especially if it requires new wiring and complex installation. However, CBBLD noted that the cost has decreased, and will continue to decrease as wellness in lighting becomes common practice. Pricing not only influences business decisions, but also has an effect on a lighting designer’s process. More complicated systems involving tunable light and dimming controls come at a higher fee, which is only made higher by the contractor’s markup. As a result, the designers heavily rely on the representatives of different manufacturers to either confirm or deny that the bid is reasonable. Having a large

designing lighting

THE BUSINESS OF LIGHTING DESIGN™

involvement in the cost of equipment can have a great effect on the designers’ time and scheduled phases. The majority of the lighting design process occurs in the DD, “design development,” phase of projects, which also includes photometric studies, exploring equipment options, and presenting ideas to clients and architects. Following this phase is the CD, or Construction Documents phase, when final recommendations and specifications take place. This phase and the final phase, Construction Administration (CA), involve the actual building of the project and are less time-

“We’ve had discouraging experiences, but I don’t think that’s our biggest rival. There are so many manufacturers out there now, and there are so many choices.” Especially with the challenge of creating warm and inviting spaces, the expertise that lighting designers offer is needed now more than ever. Bernstein discussed what sets the designers apart from the manufacturers: “I think that the power that we have is our independence, and the ability to fully design a project and give the best solution for our clients. And that might mean cherrypicking, but we know the value. We

the lighting design field – filling the developing need for such distinct expertise. Specifically, in the wellness world, clients have begun to look into Well Building certifications and requirements in order to create more inviting environments. Certifications for Well Building will most likely become an important aspect of lighting design as wellness codes become stricter and more common practice. In California, a requirement against light flicker exists because of its fatiguing and headacheinducing effects. Other similar efforts to improve the safety and comfort of spaces include removing lights that contain mercury, stricter energy codes,

Stony Brook Medicine. Photo Credit Jeff Goldberg/Esto

consuming for designers. Bernstein discussed how time is critical in the DD phase for budgeting: “We can detail in CD, but we really have to lock in our price commitment by the end of DD … One of the things that we find is that we have to commit a lot sooner in terms of design because very often our solutions will have a cost implication, whether it be the fixturing or detailing.” Lighting manufacturers have created yet another unprecedented problem for lighting designers. Typically, manufacturers assist designers during the planning phase with product options and pricing; however, some manufacturers are focused on doing their own lighting design. Bettridge offered her view on this dilemma, saying, 28

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are returning value to our clients, and if it is just one manufacturer, then you forfeit that because one company cannot do everything.” He added, “I think the demands for the complexity of the problems we’re solving now do require someone who is a specialist. It is perhaps naïve or short-sighted of an architect or a designer who does not seek the help of a lighting designer … And honestly, I think we can ultimately save people money because we know what the right thing is, and we can more quickly hone in on the right solution rather than floundering around.” With an increase in lighting education within the last ten years, specifically graduate master programs, more people are becoming experts in

a formaldehyde ban, and sometimes even occupancy/vacancy sensor requirements. Bernstein added, “We can’t underestimate this notion of health and well-being, and how that will impact our design solutions - energy informs codes now and the wellness aspect will too.” Hennes concluded that, “Wellness projects have a need for lighting to create warm, inviting, and comfortable spaces, but also spaces that can bring interest to children. There is a lot of ability to paint with lighting in wellness centers.” The prospect of incorporating lighting into wellness projects is very exciting. Thanks to the increased focus on user well-being and advancements in lighting technology, the opportunities are endless. 

DMF Lighting’s award winning DCD Series has been recognized for its lighting performance, flexibility and innovation. The DCD Series downlighting system is flexible enough to illuminate your whole project with a broad range of light and aesthetics options, all with just one housing. Select from either a General or Adjustable module, and pair it with a beautifully finished trim to create exactly the results you’re looking for. The DCD Series makes it all simple with precision-crafted, inter-operable components. Learn more at dmflighting.com

designing lighting

THE BOOM IN

RESIDENTIAL LIGHTING DESIGN By Randy Reid with contributions from Olivia Lagomarsino, in collaboration with Sam Koerbel of Lytei.

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Credit: David Skalko

RESIDENTIAL

Recently I interviewed Gregg Mackell of 186 Lighting Design Group, Anne Kustner Haser of AKLD Lighting Design, and Lana Nathe of Light Insight Design Studio about their expertise in residential lighting design. The designers gave insights into challenges, best practices and trends within the residential lighting design world. The discussion began by acknowledging the changes that COVID-19 has made to the industry. There was unanimous agreement that the residential lighting design business is booming. Gregg referenced the unprecedented volume of phone calls and RFPs about new projects saying he’s “never seen anything like it!” Anne explained one reason for this boom saying, “People can work anywhere now, and they’re realizing it and accepting it. They just want to get away from the big cities and now they can build anything, anywhere they want.” There has been unprecedented movement away from cities due to this new freedom to work from anywhere. She continued, “They’re realizing if they spend more time at home, they want to invest more in things done well and things done right.” While the Pandemic has increased leads and heightened business, there are a few challenges that have arisen too. Slow lead times, shipping inefficiency and plants shutting down due to COVID-19 have proved to be a major issue for lighting designers across the board. “We are just now starting to aim all of the projects that we were supposed to aim for the holidays last year,” Gregg remarked. Many projects have been significantly delayed while waiting for shipments and designers have found themselves respecifying entire projects due to product evolution and manufacturing plant closures. With so many people now working remotely, there has been more emphasis on home offices. Now, the designers have had to prioritize creating an optimal space for daily zoom meetings and heightened screen time. Lana mentioned the importance of illuminating vertical surfaces in a room in order to create a nice backdrop for these virtual meetings. Anne adds that something as simple as a luminous table lamp in front of the person actually does a great job with vertical illumination of the face. Gregg then highlighted his own best practices saying, “I usually try to design task lighting from the ceiling to light over the front edge of the desk and the sides, so if you’re looking at anything reflective the reflections go away from you, not towards you.” This way, when a person is working from a

"They’re realizing if they spend more time at home, they want to invest more in things done well and things done right."

ANNE KUSTNER desk all day, they are not distracted by reflections on their screen. He also tries to incorporate ambient, indirect lighting that pairs well with the task lighting.

Because these designers are not strictly tied to residential projects, and also work on general hospitality projects, they understand the differences between the two. Anne commented, “Residential design is a bit of a different industry than what you see with commercial.” All three designers believe that human centric lighting is evolving in the home setting. Lana referenced a recent project, saying, “I had a client who happens to be allergic to blue light, so I had to be sure everything was warm dim and controlled.” Being able to meet the needs of a client by taking into consideration the effect that lighting has on humans has become a much more prominent concern. I then asked about the prevalence of lights in the home changing over the course of the day to match the sun. Gregg responded, “It’s something that we’re playing around with a lot more. We have multiple projects in design right now with circadian rhythm lighting.” He continued, “The dynamic aspect of lighting is probably something that’s here to stay in the residential world.” One element that residential lighting designers must take into account is dimming efficacy and appearance. Lana comments that when using warm dim with different room settings—it is viewed differently from the exterior of the home—looks incohesive from the outside. Consistency is important to designers,

and sometimes the warm dim presents this issue. Anne then harped on problems regarding daylight bulbs (5000K), and how many people do not realize that when you dim LEDs, they do not warm up at all. However, she also experiences problems with warm dim. She comments, “I have found success with warm dim in areas where you have lots of wood and stone. But when you have white walls, the warm dim looks orange.” She has struggled with this natural and seamless transition of warm dim that manufacturers haven’t got quite right between the 3000K and 2000K LEDs. She added, “Usually the amber pops on too soon.” When working with LEDs, the designers have discovered a way to minimize the sometimes flat and sterile nature of these lights. Anne explained, “We have found that when you have a room full of LEDs and then you put incandescents or halogens in the lamps or chandelier, there is something about it where everything is right in the world.” Gregg agreed, saying that sometimes all it takes to combat the “LEDness” in a room is to add one halogen or incandescent bulb to the design. Anne adds that it is possible that this technique may fill a part of the light spectrum missing in LEDs. The three designers agreed that having a combination is extremely effective. One trend that Anne has noticed in the lighting design world is that the apertures are smaller than ever before, while the lumen outputs are higher. Anne explained that she used to use a lot of MR16s, and

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Credit: David Skalko

now she has replaced them with 1000 lumen downlights. These housings are much smaller, yet she is getting much more light out of them. Gregg and Lana then commented on the extreme technology evolvement that they have witnessed in the industry. Gregg mentioned the newer magnetic tracks that allow you to snap in a variety of light heads which can then be aimed effortlessly. Lana then referenced a product that has solved so many problems for her: the Ecosense Lighting TROV Flex LED strip. She contended that this 10-degree LED strip is flexible and makes grazing/washing in smaller detail profiles much simpler with the 3 various controlled narrow beams…which you do not get from a standard 120-degree strip, which was the highlight of 2020.

"The real issue now is that the people making lights are the same people making phones and computers. They think that every 18 months they have to come out with a new thing."

GREGG MACKELL

(produced by Sam Koerbel, Lytei)

Credit: David Wakely

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New technology brings about solutions, but also challenges. Gregg admitted, “It’s hard to take some of these new technologies that have all of that intelligence built into them and try to make it work across different rooms in a house.” Gregg then highlighted the problem he has noticed due to the fast-moving pace of technological advancements. He explained, “The real issue now is that the people making lights are the same people making phones and computers. They think that every 18 months they have to come out with a new thing.” This fact sometimes forces designers to respecify entire projects when they realize a product has been discontinued or is out of date. Gregg then said that this challenge is compounded when lead times and shipments are delayed: “It is a constant everyday battle to stay on top of multiple deadlines and projects, and then also deal with extended lead times.” According to Anne, another problem within the lighting industry is the lack of standardization and consistency with LEDs. She explained that because every manufacturer uses different chips, the same rated Kelvin temperature varies. She “now has to get samples of every fixture for a project to make sure they all look good together.” Gregg agreed that LED color consistency is lacking and that it poses a problem. He communicated how difficult it can be to find LEDs in different fixture types that match in color and that “you can’t bill the client” during the trial-and-error process.

“I had a client who happens to be allergic to blue light, so I had to be sure everything was warm dim and controlled.”

LANA NATHE

Gregg added, “In commercial lighting design, the two driving goals are almost always budget and schedule. In residential, the driving factors are getting the details right, making artwork pop and making spaces feel comfortable and glare free. We still have to deal with budgets and schedule, but they’re not the top priorities in residential lighting design.” Overall, the designers agree that residential lighting design differs in many ways from commercial. Working with a client on something as intimate as their home and successfully executing a project proves to be extremely gratifying. Gregg commented, “In residential, you’ll get people who will challenge you.” It is a space that necessitates creative solutions to reach your goal and meet the needs of your client. 

N DING

PATE

PATEN

N DING

www.jlc-tech.com/patents

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JUST IN...

SONNEMAN—A Way of Light, recently launched Intervals Recessed Downlights. These specificationgrade downlights deliver high-performance technology from a sophisticated, flexible modular system. Extending and supporting the company’s Intervals Architectural Linear Beam system, the new Intervals Recessed Downlights achieve a comprehensive and unified approach to dynamically lighting interior spaces.

New architectural lighting products available for specification

The Eclipse spotlight system from ERCO sets standards in terms of the quality of its light. The two L and XL models now significantly expand the scope for illuminating art and architecture. The Eclipse range, in the form of the two additional sizes, is now supplemented by high lumen-output tools for illumination from large distances. Eclipse L is perfect for the impressive staging and display of exhibitions in room heights of 4m and more. From a ceiling height of 8m, for example in halls and atria, the XL version provides suitable illuminance levels.

Luxxbox introduced the Waffle family, a collection of colorful disc-shaped acoustic panels suited for modern, collaborative spaces. Crafted with a highly effective sound absorption upholstery that is manufactured from recycled material, many of the panels include a soft LED light to illuminate the space. Available in four sizes and more than 40 colorways. 34

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Lighting is critical in surgical settings to maximize visibility and minimize eye fatigue, A.L.P. recently introduced the DASSL™ (Diffuse Asymmetric Symmetric Surgery Lens) for recessed or surface mounted luminaires in operating rooms. The new biased diffuse microstructure lens provides improved LED hiding power, smooth distribution, and both symmetrical and asymmetrical lighting distributions.

The Pipeline Vertex Suspension lighting system from PureEdge Lighting brings together form, function and style. The Pipeline Vertex offers an uninterrupted direct beam of glare-free light with a diffused white lens, as well as a center or remote power supply. The innovative flexibility of the system allows lighting designers to create the perfect functional lighting design for any space.

Illumisoft Lighting developed an “Upper Room GUV” unit, which hangs from a ceiling like a pendant light and uses ultraviolet technology to neutralize airborne pathogens.The SaniLume uses UVC and can neutralize and eliminate pathogens that pass through the projected UV treatment field. Additionally, SaniLume has extremely powerful but silent fans that continuously cycle air through the UV treatment area. One SaniLume device can disinfect the air in a 20’ x 20’ area roughly every 2 minutes.

The JB Lighting Collection and Lodes, (formerly known as Studio Italia Design) launched a “suspended” lamp, conceived as a practical lighting solution that can be easily adjusted to meet the needs of the user. Aptly named—Cima, which is a nautical rope in Italian, the design’s hallmark is a ceiling-tofloor rope, which translates to a graphic and functional element with an eyelet that allows it to be fixed to the ceiling. The body of the lamp connected to the joint can be swiveled to aim light in specific directions while the counterweight enables users to readjust any excess rope for lower ceilings.

Leviton Lighting & Controls announced the expansion of the GreenMAX DRC System with wireless connectivity. The new Wireless Keypad Room Controller allows the GreenMAX DRC System to communicate with Leviton wireless devices and Intellect™-enabled fixtures, allowing specifiers and designers to choose between a wired, wireless, or hybrid solution for both standalone and networked applications.

designing lighting

3D Printing: The Next Frontier in Luminaires? How 3D Printed Luminaires can enhance the lighting design community’s options By JOHN PALK President & CEO, SESCO Lighting

Credit: Signify

There has been much discussion over the years regarding lighting and controls impact on the environment. With little debate, the LED revolution has significantly improved energy efficiency of light sources. Additionally, this has allowed for both more efficacious luminaires and creativity in fixture design due to the small footprint of the LED light source. As light sources have shrunk over the years, luminaire manufacturers have had to consider brightness, luminous intensity, and glare, amongst other important characteristics, when designing new fixtures. Other than greater efficacy in the light source, smaller apertures, and power supplies, what else has changed within the fixture? The answer is very little until recently. 3D printed luminaires are beginning to offer more versatile and flexible options for non-recessed products. For those of us who are used to stamped housings and spun shades, the utilization of 3D

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IT ALL STARTS WITH A CONCEPT printed luminaires opens a whole new world of options for fixture specification and capabilities.

THE ART OF 3D PRINTING I was first introduced to 3D Printing at the University of Tennessee’s College of Architecture and Design’s Fab Lab. When I saw objects being designed and created in real time with a 3D Printer, it captured my imagination as to what could be created. Since then, people around the world are pushing the limits of 3D printing as homes, boats, casts for broken bones, and so many other useful products are now being explored as possibilities with this technology. What is 3D Printing anyway? Fortunately for the design community, it all starts with a concept. The initial steps of creating a 3D object is putting your own design into AutoCAD or another animation modeling software.

In the lighting industry, one of the key things to note is that 3D printing is characterized as "additive" manufacturing. This means that a solid, three-dimensional object is constructed by adding material in layers. Decades of manufacturing in the lighting industry has consisted of subtractive manufacturing. This process is when an object is created by cutting, stamping, or otherwise removing raw material to form a specific shape. From this process scrap material is produced that ideally can either be reused or recycled.

the material for lighting products is usually squeezed or otherwise transferred from the printer onto a platform.

Once you have finalized your design, the product file is sent to the 3D Printer. Depending on the printer and its capabilities, you get to choose your specific materials, including finish color(s) and texture. This selection is important more than just for finish distinction but for the substance of the material as it can impact the products rigidity, appearance, and structure. While printer processes vary,

SUPPORTING THE CIRCULAR ECONOMY

A 3D printer then makes passes (much like an inkjet printer) over the platform, depositing layer on top of layer of material to create the finished product. This can take several hours or days depending on the size and complexity of the object and printer. For lighting products, most of the current printers are smaller so the critical variable is the complexity of the product shape.

A circular economy uses resources more effectively by creating rather than wasting, using rather than owning, and reusing rather than disposing. According to the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, the circular economy model looks “beyond the current take-make-waste extractive

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Credit: Signify

industrial model, a circular economy aims to redefine growth, focusing on positive society-wide benefits. It entails gradually decoupling economic activity from the consumption of finite resources and designing waste out of the system.” The circular economy has three principles: design out waste and pollution, keep products and materials in use and regenerate natural systems. A manufacturer engaged in 3D printing luminaires, or components thereof, inherently help support the circular economy. A company like Signify has invested heavily in 3D printing and is now creating luminaires through this process. With no paint, and less parts and screws, Signify and other manufacturers, significantly reduce waste. Additionally, they create a higher serviceability and products that are upgradeable due to their smart, modular design. One of the key advantages of these modular designs is that at the end of life, dismantling of these products for recycling becomes easier. Closing the material loop within a factory, especially with 3D Printing, an organization can recycle their own material almost eliminating waste. A “Take Back” program literally takes sustainability to the next level. This concept allows you to easily update your luminaires whenever you desire and have

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the new luminaires printed out of the old materials. This means you can stay up to date with the latest trends while still being smart about material use - and most importantly, re-use.

ENABLING DESIGN Understanding the technology and sustainability narrative with 3D Printed Luminaires is important but putting the technology to use is the next step. 3D Printed Luminaires enables the designer a new level of design flexibility and creativity. While “standard products” exist, one of the real opportunities with 3D printing is designing and having the ability to create the luminaire you need and that the project requires. Does your design call from a one-of-a-kind statement product with a unique finish? Perhaps it’s as simple as needing a pendant from one family in a multitude of sizes and finishes. As the range of options in a typical lighting catalogue may be limited, 3D printing’s options continue to expand. The world before 3D printed luminaires has had a typical, repeatable story. A project specific fixture, unique, custom, or modified, is often accompanied with “set up costs”, custom finish fees, or perhaps simply an extended lead-time. With 3D printed luminaires, set up cost goes away. Finish options are available by the

hundreds and product configurations by the thousands. Often the products from time of order are two to four weeks to create…and often faster. Fixture creation in this model is more focused on the product and designer’s needs than a “manufacturer’s capability and offering”. 3D printers also don’t have a timecard to punch. A manufacturer can simply start the printer at the end of the day and have products being built all night. While the incumbent technologies and production methods aren’t going away anytime soon, 3D printed luminaires give the design community an enhanced product offering that has not previously been available. Removed are the days of long lead times, extraordinary cost, and project delays for producing “just the right product”. Today the lighting community has a technology that enables project lighting enhancements that is sustainable and cost effective. The future of 3D Printed Luminaires won’t be held to decorative shades and bespoke designed luminaires. Track heads with specification grade optical distributions, high and low bays, surface mounted luminaires across a range of price levels and functionality are just a few of the products that we will see very soon. Our future is bright and will continue to be driven by technology advancements. Will 3D printed luminaires be the “next frontier” in lighting? It’s possible. The 3D printed luminaire’s place as a technology option that helps enable further enhanced lighting design capabilities seems undeniable. 

designing lighting

What is the real value proposition in

Smart Lighting? A while back, I was part of DLC’s Stakeholder panel on “Lighting and the Smart Building,” an audience member asked about the value of connected lighting and what hurdles stand in the way of its implementation. While there is a lot of talk about the wireless lighting control technology advantages, I believe the biggest hurdle is that the industry looks at lighting in a silo. They look primarily at cost and energy savings within lighting, but not how lighting can be an enabler for other value propositions and how this can be measured. Let’s first understand and differentiate the value proposition of wireless lighting. It is well-accepted that, in theory, wireless technology is cheaper than traditional wired lighting and

designing lighting

BY BEATRICE WITZGALL

Design & Product Director at LumiFi

offers greater flexibility with more features. At the same time, wireless lighting involves some complexities that require attention. For example, some of the work involved shifts from the traditional electrician work scope to an IT integrator. Less wiring and running cables are required, saving the owner money while reducing the contractor’s work scope. Furthermore, less equipment needs to be shipped, resulting in streamlining supply chain management, eliminating middlemen and minimizing disruption to distributors, reps and contractors. The question, however, that remains is how it creates value that can be quantified? The day after the DLC panel, a market

research agency interviewed me on the topic of smart lighting. As the reporter went through his list of questions, I realized that he was completely missing the point. He focused on energy savings and the ROI of a lighting system while not addressing that a smart lighting system can and should be an enabler, unlocking value in areas and industries other than lighting. Connected lighting is the interconnectivity between different systems to generate actionable data and providing the ability to automate and develop new processes beyond lighting. Lighting is just one ‘bucket’ in the connected smart building. The value is realized when the different buckets join, talk to each other and unlock new value propositions.

Image Credit: Image Courtesy of CABA

For example, let’s look at some typical operating costs in an owneroccupied commercial space. Energy maintenance, mortgage and rent account for only about 10% of the building’s operating cost, while the other 90% comes from the people inside the building - salaries and benefits. A >0.5% reduction in utility pales in comparison to savings achievable in other areas of operations. It stands to reason that management would focus on ROI strategies related to the building occupants rather than building operating costs and energy efficiency to drive cost savings. Several years ago, I saw how the owner of a hip lifestyle hotel did not appreciate the synergies a wireless lighting control system could bring to his overall branding and user experience while reducing operating expenses. We proposed a wireless lighting control system with multiple features and human-centric benefits that provided a nine-month ROI. For their corridors,

we proposed conversion from costly energy-draining halogen fixtures to color-changing LEDs. The proposal featured automated lighting scenes that mimicked the current time of day and adjusted for jet-lagged guests who needed to shift their circadian rhythms. The concept was to bring a sunlight feeling inside during the daytime and save energy by using dimming and warm amber-white light during the nighttime. At the same time, it also offered the ability to customize lighting for particular events, such as the changing seasons. The hotel would have been given the ability to personalize the look and feel of the space, bringing mood, color and ambiance to otherwise monotonous corridors. While the ROI of the project based on energy savings was only nine months, the project never progressed from a pilot into full implementation. The hotel manager revealed that this project was too small for the owner to focus on, as there were other pressing issues with more significant budget impacts that needed his attention. It unfortunately kept falling through the cracks.

What does this mean for the industry when rebates for energy savings and LED conversion are increasingly becoming smaller and will ultimately fade out? How can energy savings move the needle when they make up less than approximately 1-0.5% of the building operating cost? As another experienced hotel owner pointed out, why waste time going after 0.5% operating expense savings with lights when he could make a 10% budget difference by focusing his time dealing with labor unions. What is the value proposition for lighting, and how can it transition from a mere commodity into a game-changing asset? How can we change the perception that lighting innovation equates only to lower electricity bills? How can we capture actual value through smart lighting? To achieve that, we have to change the conversation to include a broader smart building context. Let’s look at just a few of the use cases that smart lighting will enable, such as space optimization, indoor navigation, human wellbeing, and asset tracking. In the example of “space optimization,” a sensor embedded in a ceiling lighting

designing lighting

Quin Hotel Corridor images, ©LumiFi 2016

grid can collect the data to analyze which areas are occupied at any given time and highlight under- or over-utilized areas in a given space. This means that a business owner can use this data to reconfigure the floor plan and optimize the layout. This could potentially achieve substantial savings through more efficient use of space, or reduced rental space when realizing the space is not fully utilized. While this can result in savings for any business, industries across the board are yet to appreciate it. This application can create substantial value and monetary savings for an owner/occupier by renting less space for example. However, this is at odds with the lighting industry’s traditional interest, which focuses on selling more fixtures at higher margins. While the sensor-integrated lighting fixtures enable value creation for other areas, the suppliers are not increasing their profit margins by selling their fixtures. The light fixture is still only a hardware commodity that is not leveraging the unlocked owner’s benefits. Suppose they hang onto their existing business model. In that case, they have no incentive to drive smart technology innovation and applications forward as it will not result in more fixture sales and additional profit for them. “Asset tracking” is an important service in the retail sector where product placement drives sales. The data allows retail managers to track customer flow, the attractiveness of displays, and the resulting revenue. Similarly, the technology can be leveraged in hospitals where seconds spent accessing equipment and medicine can make the difference between life and death for a patient. Asset tracking enhances time savings and work efficiencies. Here again, lighting is an enabler to capture data and then translate that data into actionable information. Of course, in the last two examples, you can make the argument that the sensors can be installed independently from a lighting fixture. The more significant cost savings and synergies are realized when the technology is an integrated unit that works in tandem with being wireless and

designing lighting

is already combined in the same physical unit and power supply. Higher costs and integration are required when the different systems are layered on top of each other. Let us look at the value proposition of lighting that supports wellness and enhances employee happiness, which logically translates to a higher degree of productivity and performance. At some point soon we hope to have studies that illustrate and quantify the effect of better lighting on increased employee performance, reduced recovery times for hospital patients, minimized jetlag for travelers in hotels, and fewer people suffering from depression in their homes. Again, here the unlocked dollar value arises from the benefit to the end-users. In an office environment, the employer profits from more productive and focused employees; in a hospital, the health insurance benefits from shorter hospital stays; while in a hotel, the franchisee gains recognized brand identity and guest satisfaction. The lighting manufacturing industry typically captures value in units sold. The lighting manufacturer only captures revenue by selling a more expensive fixture with maybe a higher margin. With fixtures getting cheaper and more overseas competition breaking into the market, the margins will go down. This begs the question, what is the future of our lighting industry? Can the business model be changed if our industry can connect having a higher quality of light to unlocking something else? Can we profit through the incremental value created or enabled instead of just through sale of a hardware product? This also begs the question of who will ultimately be the driver and decisionmaker for the smart lighting industry? If the lighting industry can only see a declining bottom line as increasingly less expensive fixtures are sold, and less wiring is needed to install a wireless lighting control system, where is their upside? How can they still make money? Why should the existing lighting industry want to embrace the better technology that cuts into their bottom-line?

Currently, the burden of asking for and specifying a smart lighting system falls to the building owner, who barely has the bandwidth to look at ever-diminishing lighting energy ROI. Traditionally, the lighting designer would specify these smart lighting systems, but as the added value proposition falls outside their scope and experience, designers often feel they have insufficient arguments and no stake or ownership. Typically, the lighting control system is specified by the engineer, who often uses their existing relationships with the traditional supply chain and systems. Smart lighting systems require a lot of education and a steep learning curve, so why should the engineer and designer bother if the owner does not specifically request it? In the current state of affairs, we observe that while the adoption of smart lighting systems is stalling in the U.S., in Europe it is evolving and thriving. One of the reasons is that there is clearer price transparency with fewer middlemen between the owner and the manufacturer. Owners can conduct purchases directly, which makes for a faster and easier buying decision. In the US, most lighting sales are controlled by the manufacturer’s representative, and the electrical distributor channel. It helps to understand that these groups are not incentivized to sell a system that costs less, translating to reduced profit margins. Hypothetical, what would happen if at some point we have the data to argue that certain “quality-performance-certified” fixtures could unlock a very modest 1% increase in workers’ satisfaction and productivity and therefore, there could be a compelling ROI calculation for the business owner? This could mean that the fixture price can be adjusted to its ‘perceived value’ and does not have to follow discount pricing, which translates into a tangible value capture for the lighting industry. The new fixture price would be equivalent to the cost savings of 1% of the worker’s performance which is a multiple of the current fixture cost. The lighting industry needs to look outside the traditional ROI argument to find its new meaning and unlock additional value propositions. The value sits not within the existing channel and supply chain but in its value as an enabler of other information, services, and technology. Once we start to understand this, the lighting industry can move from a race to the bottom-line to becoming a game-changer that will participate in new value creation. 

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EUROPEAN UNION

THE IMPACT OF ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE (AI) IN LED LIGHTING By JUAN DAVILA

Credit SCENEunderLIGHT (OSRAM)

he lighting industry commonly employs novel techniques in lighting design, and control and Artificial Intelligence has emerged as an evolutionary force, demonstrating its potential to radically change existing processes. In the context of the Lighting Industry, the scope for applying AI is intriguingly broad, impacting the various stages involved in the lighting 44

designing lighting

life-cycle such as design, installation, commissioning and configuration. Nearly 20 percent of all the electricity consumed in the world is for lighting. And about 80 percent of that lighting is attributed to professional applications such as building, office, industry or street lighting, and about 20 percent to private residential lighting. Today, individually adjustable lighting applications are rather the exception than the rule.

No matter the time of day or season, whether inside or outside, at home, school, the factory or at the office, there is usually only one continuous brightness level or lighting color to be set. European energy policy is striving in many ways towards an entirely renewable energy-based power supply by 2050. This means that in the future, we will have to get used to weatherdependent fluctuations in the supply

from wind and solar energy sources. Power must be used when it is produced – and intelligent lighting systems help to control power consumption without compromising the user experience. A combination of LED lights and artificial intelligence may in the future provide better lighting of the buildings we live in, while lowering energy consumption at the same time. With artificial intelligence, the light can have a quality of being in constant motion, just like daylight - Changes are so fluid that you almost don’t notice them. This has many advantages because our sense of sight doesn’t like being in the same conditions all the time. The way we have understood light so far – as either turned on or off - does not take into account the fact that humans can see in many light spectrums and actually prefer variation in lighting. LED lights are very different from the lamps we have used previously as they allow precise control of color and brightness and can also be built into materials like walls and ceilings. This offers ample opportunities for designing artificial light similar to daylight. A self-learning network of lighting components can communicate and set up itself without requiring human intervention similar to auto commissioning systems used in the IT industry. This will decrease the time needed to commission new lighting installations. By observing and measuring indoor environments, an AI based lighting system can optimize and tune light parameters accordingly to impact user experience and wellbeing. The utility of such a system is not limited to end users or tenants but extends to other stakeholders, such as building owners and facility managers as well. A data-driven network of lighting components continuously generates data which is collected and stored at a centralized server. AI algorithms can be designed to run at the source component, such as a sensor, for decentralized, real-time decisions, or at a server for making centralized decisions. Furthermore, the collected data can be utilized for other Building Management Systems or access management. However, the technology is not without its caveats. Cameras augmented with AI can detect precise occupancy and

movements in a room or space, but the visual feed would require strict adherence to privacy laws. Another significant challenge is the limited human understanding of AI, which impedes its speed of adoption as well. In summary, there are a lot of opportunities for applying AI within the lighting industry with significant improvements to user experience, comfort, productivity and ultimately profitability. European scientists have developed an artificial intelligence algorithm which can trick office workers into believing that all the building’s lights are illuminated when they are not. The European Union-funded Project, SceneUnderLight, has successfully combined advanced research in computer vision and modern technology to develop a lighting control paradigm in which each person in the office perceives the entire office as “all lit,” while lights, which are not visible, are switched off. The software estimates the light propagation in offices in real-time and computes how much of it is perceived by the people. Then smart lighting control adjusts the lighting autonomously based on the presence of people and on their position within the office. The concept works particularly well in large openplan offices, as fartheraway luminaires may be dimmed without altering the comfort of employees and their sense of security. The four-year project dubbed SceneUnderLight, is a collaboration between Osram, the University of Verona and the Italian Institute of

Technology (IIT) in Genova. Its remit was to come up with a method of delivering maximum comfort and sense of security while granting large savings in energy consumption.” The participants estimate that technology using this AI lighting control could save in energy consumptions up to 65 per cent. Since 2015, the project members have targeted two main goals: the understanding of the light and scene structure in an office, as well as the understanding of the human factor in an illuminated scene. IIT provided unique expertise in the 3D light estimation in large and complex office scenes, from color and depth images provided by a modern RGB-D camera. Meanwhile, the University of Verona brought in expert knowledge and design skills to estimate the gaze of people and their future motion with deep neural network model. Fabio Galasso, head of the computer vision R&D activities at Osram, brought together the team consisting of Marco Cristani, heading the department of Vision, Processing and Sound of University of Verona, and Alessio Del Bue, head of the Visual Geometry and Modelling Lab of IIT. SceneUnderLight was funded by the EU within the Horizon 2020 framework as a Marie Skłodowska- Curie Actions Project. It’s not clear at this stage if any lighting company plans to commercialize the technology. Another completed research project named OpenLicht, which stands for the design of smart and launched in

designing lighting

EUROPEAN UNION September 2016, customized light solutions based on open source and new materials. OpenLicht was funded by the German Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF), with the goal of enabling new forms of collaboration between science, business, maker and startup community. Infineon Technologies AG is supervising the project in close cooperation with Bernitz Electronics GmbH, Deggendorf Institute of Technology and the Technical University of Dresden. OpenLicht is one of ten research projects supported by the German Ministry of Education and Research is supporting as part of its “Open Photonics” funding program. The Open Photonics projects are pursuing a wide range of goals, including open innovation approaches for improving the use of photonic components and systems and open source approaches for promoting their broader use. They also include approaches that will enable the public to be more directly involved in scientific projects. The results are now being made public, and they include the prototype of a smart lighting system based on artificial intelligence. It automatically adjusts the light in the room to the user’s position and activity, such as reading or watching TV, learns the person’s preferences and can even respond to a certain degree to novel circumstances. The solution developed in the project is based on open-source approaches like openHAB, a smart home system, and machine learning libraries. Use of freely available development environments, software frameworks and low-cost hardware solutions enables integration of a wide range of different sensor data and further development of existing results by the community. Intelligent light design is entering the smart home

Besides setting high aspirations and preparing to tackle new challenges, we all may be wondering what the future of lighting might look like in 10 years. With such dazzling transformation and digitalization that we are witnessing in the lighting industry now, how could anyone predict what the industry might look like If you pay attention to

some of the key technology advances that are already taking place outside of the lighting industry, the answer is pretty evident. These advances will further transform the solid-state lighting industry within the next decade. Primarily, there are three disruptive technologies that will shape our future: machine learning, augmented reality (AR), and all-digital lighting infrastructure, which is arguably the most important building block for the future, this will be the foundation that will fully realize the potential of machine learning and AR for lighting. By alldigital, I do mean every component of the lighting system, including the light source (e.g. LED), sensors, LED drivers, and of course controls. The answer lies in a future state called the “mirror world.” A mirror world is a digital replica of the physical world that we occupy today. In the mirror world, digital information is seamlessly integrated into the physical world, and with the use of devices, we could easily access that information where and when we want it, through an immersive experience. This digital construct of the physical world will become the new platform that drives innovation. For the lighting industry, potential use cases in the mirror world will transform the current mode of operation. In initial lighting system design, a lighting designer, together with the client, could visualize how various lighting options would look at the job site using AR. A smartphone, a tablet, a pair of smart glasses — or even a pair of smart contact lenses — could allow us to enter the mirror world. Imagine the richness of user experience, and the unprecedented level of engagement, not to mention the design flexibility that you could achieve by walking around the mirror world to preview how the new lighting system would look and behave. Within this decade, the mirror world will start to take shape and its impact will be felt by everyone in the SSL industry. Every LED lighting retrofit and every new installation presents a golden opportunity to lay down the foundation for a future-proof, all-digital lighting system. Artificial Intelligence seems to be the mutual evolutionary force in every industry, which promises to switch things up altogether. While the whole commotion around the technology is quite exciting and optimistic, for the general public, it’s still an obscure dimension.

Credit Michael Dziedzic

and will accompany us through our everyday life with fully automated solutions. However, the ones currently available on the market so far often pose a raft of challenges for users. It is frequently the case that they are, at most, partly automated and are complicated to program. Moreover, the systems often fail to safeguard privacy or unnecessarily consume power, since light usage is not tailored ideally to the user’s needs, which in turn has a negative impact on CO 2 emissions. OpenLicht found answers to these challenges. The use of AI in the local network creates smart light solutions that are safe, yet sustainable and safeguard the user’s privacy. The AI acts on a system that is closed off from the outside world and does not have to be connected to the Internet. An open source gateway based on a Raspberry Pi and an Infineon Trusted Platform Module (TPM) has been developed to enable that. That means data does not have to be sent to the cloud, but can instead be processed locally, which ensures security and privacy for households. These factors are vital in increasing the acceptance of smart home solutions. In addition, automatic adjustment to the user’s activities makes sure the light required at a particular moment is available. That avoids unnecessary “floodlighting” and helps protect the climate without the need to appeal to users’ conscience.

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A Design Aesthetic

Worth Illuminating

Aman New York Opens in the Illustrious Crown Building, Combining Legacy with Ingenuity By STEF SCHWALB

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Spring is always celebrated as a sign of new beginnings, and when it comes to hospitality in New York City, this season is poised to welcome an impressive slate of openings. Among the most exciting additions heading to town is Aman New York, located in Manhattan’s iconic Crown Building (which this year celebrates its 100th anniversary) at the crossroads of Fifth Avenue and 57th Street. Overlooking Central Park, Aman New York features a hotel and exclusive branded residences—the first urban Aman Residences worldwide—that will offer its signature exceptional service, worldclass dining, entertainment venues, and the comprehensive three-

HOSPITALITY story Aman Spa, the home to the brand’s new flagship Wellness Center in the western hemisphere. We connected with David Schoonbroodt, Senior Interior Designer at Denniston and the Design Leader for Aman New York, and Nathan Thompson, Principal of The Flaming Beacon—who worked with Denniston on the lighting design—for insights on their process and how the Crown Building’s striking architecture is being restored and infused with the spirit of Aman. “The combination of Aman’s Asian DNA in a western setting like the Crown Building was an interesting challenge for us. Being in New York City, you enter an Aman world, so the spaces are designed and laid out in an Asian fashion, yet we have used western materials,” explains Schoonbroodt. “In these western materials, we implemented touches of gold in the details as a reference to the carved gold window mullions. The elegance and graciousness of space of the early century architecture is represented in the great volumes that we have been able to achieve on the

main level with a double-height ceiling lobby lounge typically like palaces of the same period.” When it came to the role of lighting within the design approach, it played a critical part for Schoonbroodt and his team. “Lighting is crucial for a successful interior design! We always involve the lighting designer in a very early stage of our design process,” he says. “We consider lighting as part of the interior design composition—not an addition. Therefore, it is quite common that we adjust our interior details in order to make sure that the lighting effect will be successful and blends in perfectly with the interior as a whole.” For Thompson and his team, a working relationship with Denniston for more than 25 years has played a critical role in their ongoing collaborations—including Aman New York. “We get involved with them sometimes during the concept stage, more usually after they’ve got their conceptual stuff sorted. In the preliminary design stage, we sit around, brainstorm, and try to catch them at a

time in the process where they know what they’re doing,” he explains, “but they haven’t resolved it. That way the lighting can influence and not just answer their needs, but also contribute to the overall solution finding.” As far as inspiration, for Schoonbroodt, lighting choices are related to the stories they want to tell in the spaces he and his team design. “Our source of inspiration is most of the time related to the context or the environment of our projects,” he says. “For example, the lighting approach on a snowy mountain, in a city, or on a beach would be treated totally differently.” For Thompson, inspiration comes from trying to get things right. “It’s a kind of an old-fashioned approach to design that says we are in the process in order to find clever, creative answers to design problems,” he says. “It’s not to make a fashionable statement or to try to hype something necessarily—unless hyping is a part of the design brief, which sometimes it can be.” In the case of Aman New York there was a circle of life motif that kept going through the

It is quite common that we adjust our interior details in order to make sure that the lighting effect will be successful and blends in perfectly with the interior as a whole. ― David Schoonbroodt Designed by Denniston and courtesy of Aman

designing lighting

HOSPITALITY project, Thompson adds, as an abstract idea that sometimes manifests into a physical thing like the circular elements in the spa pool. Throughout Aman New York, there are some stunning custom fixtures that make up the surroundings including the spa pool, the building’s entrance, and residence bedrooms—all of which are custom made. “As designers, we design. It is very rare that we source anything, particularly in terms of lighting, so each fixture is customdesigned to fit in—in terms of size, material, and performance as we envision them,” notes Schoonbroodt. “During the development of a lighting fixture, we tend to focus more on its performance to achieve the lighting atmosphere within the context more than the outlook of it. Of course, this is the hard route since it requires a lot of coordination, research, and development to achieve the effect wanted.” Thompson is of a similar mindset to Schoonbroodt and says that his team doesn’t like to take the furniture plan and just work out how to build lights. “We like to try to find a way that the lighting appears to be an extension of what the furniture is doing,” he says. “Often that means that the furniture gets rearranged in order to find a holistic arrangement where the interior and light planning can come together.” In the guestrooms, the pivoting screens that separate the bedroom from the bathroom became a primary element by their lighting—not just by being a dividing screen, adds Thompson. “They become an organizational element in the room that can have different daytime and evening looks.” This was the first time he and his team ever did this, and it exemplifies what he means by not knowing if the screens are an interior

or lighting element. Overall, from the design sketches, they appear to succeed in being both. As for the choice of fixtures, Thompson revealed that they fall into a couple of different categories. “Our interest is making a brightness arrangement, so we want to arrange it in a way that makes the right ambiance—and the right ambiance is the one that is going to satisfy the particular clientele,” he notes. “The question about light fixture types becomes quite secondary. We end up with a bunch of technical lights that need to do what they need to do, and we have to find a way to integrate them so that they are not too present. Then there are decorative lights, which are really just an extension of the interior scheme.” He noted. In light of COVID-19 and life in our “new normal,” Schoonbroodt also revealed some trends he’s been seeing in the hospitality design space right now. “Hotels and resorts are no longer just great hotels with facilities. Particularly in cities, more and more hybrid hotels are popping up. You find urban resorts

offering all the facilities, yet in a much more layback setup and atmosphere—in opposition to corporate classic hotels,” he says. “The new lifestyle drives operators to rethink their products according to the evolution of their guests. The young generation does travel and live very differently than their parents. The best is still required but in an informal setting.” Meanwhile, Thompson has taken notice that making moments—photographable ones to be precise—is now more prevalent than ever. “We’ve moved into a situation where our record of life seems to be through a collection of Instagrammable events, so maybe that’s a contemporary phenomenon influencing lighting design,” he concludes. “What’s good at the moment is that the not-so-new technology of digital lighting is becoming really good. We can make things that a few years ago would not have been possible with solid-state lighting. It’s good for the planet. It’s good to find there is a possibility to not have to make a choice between whether something looks good or whether it’s energyefficient. It’s now possible that the two can coexist better.” 

Courtesy of Flaming Beacon

designing lighting

PEOPLE ON THE MOVE Barbara Horton

HLB Lighting Design has announced that Barbara Horton has retired after a 41-year career with the firm as of 1 March 2021. Barbara will continue to work as a consultant for the firm and serve out her term on the Board of Directors through the end of 2021. Carrie Hawley has been named CEO and she brings 25 years of lighting design expertise and leadership at HLB, with a portfolio of award-winning projects with renowned clients both nationally and internationally.

Jess Baker

Wei Jien and Jenny Ivansson have both been promoted to Project Directors at L’Observatoire International.

Carrie Hawley

Schuler Shook has promoted Samuel Butler and Jean Gonzalez-Hill to Theater Consultants; Jess Baker to Senior Lighting Designer and they welcome new associate, Travis Shupe as a Lighting Specialist.

Travis Shupe

Faith Anne Jewell has started a new position as Director at tk1sc/ studio K1. Formerly she was a Lighting Manager at WeWork in San Francisco Jim Neeld, formerly with Signify Lightolier has accepted a position as Lead Design engineer with Design Ergonomics in Fall River, MA Wei Jien

Jenny Ivansson

LEDVANCE LLC, the maker of SYLVANIA general lighting in the US and Canada, announced Jonathan Lubeck has been named Vice President – Trade Sales for the US and Puerto Rico. A veteran of more than 30 years with the Company, Lubeck has held a wide range of sales and marketing leadership and individual contributor positions. Sero Cardamone will be joining the Illuminations Inc as a Principal, President/General Manager, starting on May 1, 2021. Sero will be joining I2 from Acuity Brands, where he has been serving as the Senior Vice President of Global Sales for the entire organization.

Faith Anne Jewell

Jim Neeld

Samuel Butler

Jonathan Lubeck

Jean Gonzalez-Hill

Sero Cardamone

designing lighting

The Life and Death of a Luminaire - a Moment in the Climate Impact Story By LEELA SHANKER

Let’s start at the end. What happens to a luminaire after its job is done? Does it go to the Big Light in the Sky? Landfill? Does it get broken down into components that are recycled for parts or materials? Does it find a second life, reincarnated to shine on people somewhere else in the world? We consider the answer to these questions ahead of the BidenHarris Administration’s announcement , expected to coincide this month with Earth Day (20-22 April 2021), of the USA’s updated Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) (the USA’s pledge to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions) under the Paris Agreement. The international treaty, signed in 2015, was the first global agreement under which all signatory countries committed to emissions reduction pledges (NDCs), which are required to become increasingly ambitious every 5 years. 2020 was one of those milestones, though the convention (known as COP 26) to discuss these pledges was delayed until 2021 due to COVID-19. Having recommitted the USA to the Paris Agreement in January this year, Biden’s announcement sets the stage for US leadership on climate change and restores the hope that this will increase global commitments to reduce emissions to net zero. Writing from NYC, it is heartening to see federal priorities realign with the already ambitious decarbonization targets such as New York City Council’s Climate Mobilization Act legislative package. As part of the building industry, NYC is one of the highest emitting sectors globally that produces over 550 million tons of CO2 annually in the United States alone , lighting has the potential to play a critical role in delivering on these ambitions. To that end, the conversation is live. Discussion centers around the two-step process required to make a difference – first being measurement of emissions to quantify the current impact and second being the application of that data to reduce emissions with specific targets. How the industry defines lighting products’ “end of life” will have significant implications for measuring the impact of fixtures in terms of GHG emissions over their full life cycle. This in turn will determine the industry’s success in reducing our carbon footprint. Lighting designers, manufacturers, our partners in architecture, engineering and construction are reconsidering whether

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operational energy associated with the “Use” phase of a luminaire’s life should continue to be the sole focus of the industry’s efforts to contribute to net-zero carbon emissions targets. Historically, metrics and codes focused on energy consumption of buildings, with energy-efficient LED technology becoming pervasive and Lighting Power Density (watts per square foot or square meter) being a key metric for energy-saving standards. However, consideration of full life cycle emissions, or ‘embodied carbon,’ has become a critical new area of focus. Embodied Carbon quantifies the global warming potential (GWP) of a product measured in emissions of CO2e attributed to the materials and energy used in the construction and maintenance of buildings. This includes processes of raw material extraction, manufacturing, transportation and installation to produce a luminaire. In addition, the carbon emissions associated with deconstruction, transportation, disposal and waste processing of fixtures at their end of life are measured. Operational Carbon refers to the GWP attributed to the operation and use of the building, being electricity used to keep lights on. Architecture 2030 estimates that by 2050, embodied carbon will form 49% of global carbon emissions from new construction compared with 51% from operational carbon. It warrants attention at the least for verification, and at most for remedial action. A 2019 Carbon Leadership Forum study of a WeWork commercial office space found LED fixtures to be the second highest MEP item for embodied carbon. The majority of this was attributed to the Production phase of a fixture’s life cycle; 194 kg CO2e/m2 from manufacturing (Stage A), compared with a credit of -14 kg CO2e/m2 for endof-life disposal (Stage C). The results prompted further investigation into the embodied carbon implications of key fixtures and layouts. At a recent LEDucation seminar presented in March with my colleague Elaine Cook on embodied carbon in lighting, a poll taken in a room of 316 attendees found 94% of participants would use embodied carbon information if available. Further, 97% of participants agreed the lighting industry should have a consistent standard to data collection and Life

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Cycle Assessment of fixtures. The results were compelling and supported by professionals from both the design and product side of the industry - 48% of participants were designers while 34% were from product (21% of whom identified as manufacturers and 13% as sales representatives). Currently, there are parallel systems existing to determine the relevant life of a product, each of which will give a different measure of carbon emissions. Traditional approaches underestimate impact by acknowledging operational carbon alone. These include: • Manufacturer’s warranties that provide a conservative estimate of the functional life of a luminaire and lead to premature disposal and excess waste if followed strictly. • Actual replacement times based on turnover and capital improvement cycles of commercial spaces that shorten the effective life of a fixture. • L70⁸ which defines the length of life in terms of the number of hours taken for an LED fixture to get to 70% of its original output. At the same time, emerging systems of life cycle analysis investigate wider spans of a luminaire’s existence. These include: • Cradle to Gate that focuses on production of a fixture to the point of leaving the manufacturer’s factory and excludes accountability for usage and end of life implications. • Cradle to Grave that studies life cycle phases from the initial raw material extraction to disposal. This has been the main approach for Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) analysis of internationally recognized data reports called Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs). • Cradle to Cradle that captures the circularity of materials and components with an emphasis on recycling and reuse stages that continue the life of the luminaire or its parts diverted from disposal. The varying approaches highlight the need for greater industry consensus to avoid duplicating efforts or creating competing standards despite allied intent. We must decide which metrics

and Green Building rating systems best convey the circularity of materials and products. Also, we must consider which interpretation of LCA methodology will provide most reliable data for decision making. The GreenLight Alliance formed this year as an international community of individuals, businesses and institutions within the lighting profession to facilitate this dialogue. Its aim is to support knowledge share, systems and efforts in circular lighting design and the circular economy as well as develop a reliable set of industry standards that are universally recognized, trusted and sought-after. The network is growing the conversation between designers, manufacturers, educators, media, compliance schemes and associations, and all participants are taking leadership positions to evolve legacy frameworks and metrics. In the dearth of regulatory requirements, corporate leaders in partnership with dedicated designers are making moves to adopt internal policies that address embodied carbon and circular economy principles. Manufacturers such as We-Ef recently republished Environmental Product Declarations initially prepared as early as 2013, including the GWP of select outdoor fixtures. French luxury brand conglomerate, LVMH, in conjunction with over 25 of their lighting suppliers, developed Lighting For Good - a rating system for lighting products that encompasses life cycle impact including usage. Their voluntary action suggests demand for certain fixtures will be influenced by lighting designers who value the data provided by manufacturers invested in understanding and evolving their product design for material and production efficiency as much as performance efficiency and longevity. Returning to the question “What happens to a luminaire after its job is done?”, the answer we give today will influence the degree of the lighting industry’s success in achieving decarbonization goals of tomorrow. It brings another lens to the question of “What is successful and impactful design?”. Wherever our concept of the life and death of a luminaire rests, as we work together on agreeing best practice approaches to measuring and valuing the life of our luminaires, it is our decisions that will live on. 

Welcomes New Professional Members The following members were accepted to the IALD between January and March 2021:

MANDAR BANKHELE, IALD

MARIA FAVOINO, IALD

Lighting Ergonomics Buffalo Grove, IL

18 Degrees London, UK 18degs.com

lightingergonomics.us

CLIFTON MANAHAN, IALD

SUZANNE BRANCH, IALD, AIA

HLB Lighting Design Denver, CO USA

LuM Architectural Lighting Design Dallas, TX, USA

hlblighting.com

lumlightingdesign.com

The following were also accepted as Professional members between December 2020 and March 2021:

ERIN DREYFOUS, IALD Tillotson Design Associates New York, NY USA tillotsondesign.com

ANA SPINA, IALD

FPOV | Sydney, Australia

The International Association of Lighting Designers (IALD), established in 1969, is an international organization supporting a network of more than 1,500 lighting design professionals who satisfy its rigorous qualification process. Its members are distinguished by a unique blend of aesthetic and technical expertise and operate at the highest level of integrity to create a better world through leadership and excellence in lighting design; to cultivate the universal acknowledgement and appreciation of the Power of Light in human life.

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LIGHT RIGHT TO PROTECT THE NIGHT By RUSKIN HARTLEY AND PETE STRASSER, IDA

Light pollution is destroying natural darkness with severe consequences. Scientists link light pollution to global insect decline, the death of millions of migrating birds, increased carbon emissions, circadian disruption and resultant diseases. At present, it is estimated that 83% of the world’s population and 99% in the U.S. and Europe live under light-polluted skies. Scientists estimate that light pollution is increasing globally at twice the rate of population growth. If left unchecked, we may be the last generation to know a dark, star-filled night sky. Light pollution is not a new problem. With each advance in lighting technology it has grown. In particular, the transition to solid-state lighting over the past decade has accelerated this trend as cheap, bright, and energy efficient LEDs have become the norm. A 2020 study from the University of Utah examined light pollution from an environmental justice perspective. The

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authors found that Americans of Asian, Latinx, or Black race/ethnicity lived in neighborhoods with approximately two times the rate of exposure to light pollution when compared to white Americans. Without acknowledging and addressing the problem of light pollution head on, things will inevitably get worse. We need to take immediate steps to reverse this trend to protect remaining dark sky sanctuaries, and also reduce light pollution in communities where we live and work. Fortunately, the solutions to light pollution exist in the catalogues of lighting manufacturers, in the work of lighting designers, and through the recommended practices of professional bodies like the Illuminating Engineering Society of North America. The same solid state technology that exacerbated light pollution can, when applied with care, lead to reductions in light pollution while saving money and creating safe and welcoming places for people.

FIVE PRINCIPLES FOR OUTDOOR LIGHTING In 2020 the IDA and IES released their Five Principles for Outdoor Lighting. When these common sense principles are followed, everyone wins. If light is deemed useful and necessary, follow these guidelines to prevent, or when that’s not possible, minimize light pollution.

ALL LIGHT SHOULD HAVE A CLEAR PURPOSE.

USEFUL

Before installing or replacing a light, determine if light is needed. Consider how the use of light will impact the area, including wildlife and the environment. Consider using reflective paints or self-luminous markers for signs, curbs, and steps to reduce the need for permanently installed outdoor lighting.

TARGETED LOW LIGHT LEVELS CONTROLLED COLOR

LIGHT SHOULD BE DIRECTED ONLY TO WHERE NEEDED. Use shielding and careful aiming to target the direction of the light beam so that it points downward and does not spill beyond where it is needed. LIGHT SHOULD BE NO BRIGHTER THAN NECESSARY. Use the lowest light level required. Be mindful of surface conditions as some surfaces may reflect more light into the night sky than intended. LIGHT SHOULD BE USED ONLY WHEN IT IS USEFUL. Use controls such as timers or motion detectors to ensure that light is available when it is needed, dimmed when possible, and turned off when not needed. USE WARMER COLOR LIGHTS WHERE POSSIBLE. Limit the amount of shorter wavelength (blue-violet) light to the least amount needed.

Adopting and implementing these principles is an important first step in addressing light pollution. To not take this common sense approach to lighting is simply foolish. Why would anyone disregard them? New technology is making it easier to deploy these principles in projects. Traditionally, the primary means that people have addressed light pollution is by specifying shielded products with warmer sources of 3000K or less. A 2014 study found that on a lumen for lumen basis, high correlated color temperature LEDs produce a visual night sky brightness up to three-times brighter than high-pressure sodium. Unfortunately, this has been born out in countless retrofitting projects that failed to consider all the factors, and as a consequence exacerbated light pollution - and annoyed many city residents with overbright and poorly controlled lights. New technology now allows us to address the other variables, and when combined can lead to significant reductions in light pollution with no loss in performance.

In particular, by managing light levels immediate steps can be taken to reduce energy use, reduce light pollution, and enhance visibility. It is still common to see municipalities specify light levels at double those recommended by professional bodies. For example, The City of Kansas City Public Works Design Criteria 5803.7, which states that the least travelled streets “shall have an average illuminance range of 1.5 to 2.2 times” the IES minimum values, and “all other streets have an illuminance range of 1.2 to 2.0 times” the national standard. Unlike other engineering standards, there is no evidence that more light enhances safety. In fact, there is a growing body of evidence that contradict this view. Some evidence states that color contrast is more important than illumination levels, and that illuminance levels above 14 lux show no improvement in a motorist’s detection of objects. Controls have been common in the indoor environment for a number of years. From motion sensors that turn lights off when

rooms are not occupied, to dimmers that can reduce light levels in the evening, to lights that adjust their spectrum across the day from bright white during the day, to warm white at night to support our circadian rhythms. These technologies are becoming more common in the outdoor environment. A simple and inexpensive photocell controller that dims outdoor lights after midnight can save significant energy and greatly reduce light pollution. A new generation of controlled outdoor lighting that tunes spectrum and light levels to match the particular need is an exciting prospect for the dark sky movement. In short, the same LED technology that has contributed to overlighting our world over the past decade, has the potential to reverse light pollution overnight. PUTTING THE PRINCIPLES INTO ACTION Tucson, Arizona, is a major metropolitan city in the southwest United States. The city has a long-standing commitment to

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best lighting practices that protect the night. In fact, people who move to the area often remark on how bright the stars appear to shine. But as the city has grown, so has its light pollution. In 2016, Daryl Cole, the Director of Transportation for the city of Tucson, in consultation with IDA member, Christian Monrad, of Monrad Engineering, and Ameresco, a global energy management firm, developed a plan to convert nearly 20,000 street lights from high-pressure sodium to energy-efficient LEDs with adaptive controls. The conversion plan was completed in 2018. In total, 19,561 fixtures were replaced with 3,000K LED lights. To prolong the life of the lights and reduce lumen output, the lights are operated at ninety percent capacity from the hours of sunset until midnight. After midnight, most of the lights are further reduced to sixty percent of capacity until they are extinguished thirty minutes after sunrise. The results of the conversion are encouraging. The city of Tucson is saving millions of dollars in annual energy costs. The total lumen output from street lighting was reduced from ~ 481 million to ~181 million lumens during the early nighttime hours. When the streetlights are dimmed to sixty percent, the emissions from the city of Tucson have been reduced by seven percent.

The benefits realized by Tucson’s lighting retrofit can be applied anywhere in the world. Tucson’s project manager, Jessie Sanders, told IDA, “The cost savings and the dimming capability – which also saves money on electrical usage – should be enough for any jurisdiction to consider LED conversion with dimming.” The city is realizing energy savings of $2.16 million annually, while also extending the expected life of the luminaires from 8 years to 25 years. We now have evidence that the proportion of skyglow emanating from Tucson has been reduced by 10%, as detected at the nearby Kitt Peak Observatory. Similar steps need to be taken now to apply the principles in the residential and commercial settings. By doing this, business and homeowners can realize similar savings and further reduce the impact of light pollution on the surrounding desert region that is renowned for its dark skies, migrating birds, and rare bat populations. City officials tell IDA that they have received few comments about the change in lighting. But the differences are meaningful to wildlife, the environment, and for night sky protection. The lower lumen output results in a reduction of blue light emissions of approximately thirty-four percent, which is an important factor in making the city safer for nocturnal wildlife.

LOOKING AHEAD Light pollution was never planned; it just happened. There is no one to blame or point to as the single cause of the phenomenon. No one set out to obscure the view of the nighttime sky, no company declared their desire to disrupt nocturnal habitats. The consequences of lighting design, in both luminaire configuration and use of them in the field, resulted in the unintended consequence of what is collectively described as light pollution. At its core, it is a classic tragedy of the commons story. Unlike other issues the world is facing, such as the climate crisis or plastics in the ocean, this one is eminently solvable. Light pollution is not persistent - once poorly performing light fixtures are replaced, light pollution is immediately reduced and darkness restored. What is lacking is awareness of the problem and understanding of the solutions. The International Dark-Sky Association was founded on the belief that dark skies are compatible with good outdoor lighting. Recent advances in technology mean we now have the tools needed to turn back the clock on light pollution. It is possible to restore natural darkness and ensure all communities have access to good lighting. We call on members of the outdoor lighting community to adopt the principles for outdoor lighting and join us in protecting the night from light pollution. ABOUT THE INTERNATIONAL DARK-SKY ASSOCIATION

Wrong in Every Way. This Is the Environmental Interpretive Center at St. Andrew’s State Park in Florida, the newest facility describing the problems associated with poor lighting practices and sea turtle nesting disruption and nocturnal habitat disruption. The facility is closed at night, the access is closed at night, the lights are on regardless of need. They have chosen to use 5700K floodlights that are deemed the worst for sea turtle impact. This lighting scheme has been applied to a facility supposedly dedicated to environmental education, yet the Florida Wildlife Commission was unaware of what was being done here for over 2 years.

designing lighting

Artificial light at night has revolutionized the way we live and work outdoors, but it has come at a price. When used indiscriminately, outdoor lighting can disrupt wildlife, impact human health, waste money, and energy, contribute to climate change, and block our view of the universe. The International Dark-Sky Association promotes win-win solutions that allow people to appreciate dark, star-filled skies while enjoying the benefits of responsible outdoor lighting. Join us: darksky.org

How Did This Happen? Did someone actually decide that 4, 400 watt HPS luminaires were insufficient? Can we be sure this is enough? We have all heard the phrase “lurking in the shadows,” and here the lighting installation itself creates the shadows where potential harm lurks.

COMFORTABLE LIGHTING DONE RIGHT. A WELL DESIGNED LIGHTING PLAN, AND IT SHOWS. THE SETTING IS COMFORTABLE, THE AMBIANCE INVITING.

STILL SHINING! In Memoriam: designing lighting’s salute to great lighting talent, now departed.

Pat Collins, April 3, 1932-March 23, 2021 Tony Award-winning lighting designer whose work on Broadway and regional theatre was seen for almost 50 years in plays, musicals and operas.

COMING IN JUNE

“Lighting has everything to do with how you feel and how things affect you. Almost everyone has had the aesthetic experience of being moved by seeing light filtered through trees in the forest. Multiply that by one thousand and you’d have some idea of the constant subliminal effect lighting has on us.”

 Edward Bartholomew on Starting a Lighting Design Business in a Pandemic  IESNYC Lumen Awards  IoL (Internet of Lighting) designing lighting

Still in the Dark: COVID-19 Continues to Impact the Lighting Design Profession

The December issue of designing lighting featured an article detailing the results of a survey the IALD conducted regarding the impact of COVID-19 on the lighting design profession. The IALD has since repeated that survey in 2021 to get an updated snapshot of the profession for the January to March time frame, with mixed results. Firms continue to experience a decrease in prospective work, with the trend remaining fairly constant. When compared to May 2020, there has been an improvement all across the board in 2021, but compared to October 2020, the results are largely the same. The ongoing pandemic has still presented difficulties to the vast majority of firms in terms of revenue, with firms predicting a revenue loss of 38% in January 2021, up 6% from October 2021. The optimistic takeaway of these results is that the profession is not experiencing a deep downward trend as the pandemic progresses but remaining at a relatively flat level. However, all numbers are still down compared to pre-pandemic data.

designing lighting

The sectors that have been most significantly affected remain the same compared to previous survey results, with only slight differences in increases/decreases. The government, health, and residential sectors remain at a steady increase compared to prepandemic business, while the other sectors continue to see a decrease. In Figure 3 we begin to see a slight positive trend. Projects are moving ahead at a better rate overall in January 2021 than in previous months. See Figure 4 for a more detailed breakdown of business operations in 2021.

Above are more largely positive updates, with the only negatives being related to supply chain issues (ie. difficulty in getting lighting equipment, asked to unblock supply chain problems). The supply chain problems are unsurprising, as we featured an article in the February issue of designing lighting that detailed these complications. Lighting designers are not alone in this struggle, as many industries across all fields and professions have also been faced with the same problem.

home and the new flexibility in their approach to projects. In addition, eliminating unnecessary travel has lowered expenses and allows more time to be spent on projects. It will be interesting to see which trends persist or dissipate postpandemic. We once again would like to thank the IALD for publishing these results and allowing us to use their findings. The IALD’s article on their January 2021 survey can be found here.

Staffing situations have remained similar between October 2020 and January 2021. There have been slight increases in reduced staff pay and lay offs, but all other areas remain largely the same. It is unfortunate to see a negative trend in staffing even if it is very slight. Overall, the lighting design profession has remained adaptable and strong in response to the pandemic. It will be some time before we begin to see business prosperity return to pre-pandemic levels, but many designers think that the adaptations we have made are here to stay. Many professionals have expressed a preference in working from

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designing lighting salutes our charter advertisers and we thank them for their support. salutes and thanks its advertisers for their support. We applaud the achievements of lighting practitioners recognize We applaud the achievements of lighting practitioners andand recognize the importance importanceofoftheir theirwork work architecture and design. the inin architecture and design. page 2

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designing lighting — 59

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UP CLOSE CHIP ISRAEL If you are reading this, congratulations are in order. 2020 is long gone and the war with COVID seems to be turning towards recovery thanks to both vaccines and therapeutics. The lighting industry is also looking upwards, after a year-long battle. Many of the lighting firms that specialized in exhibits, live performances and even hospitality applications were hit incredibly hard. Manufacturers seemed okay as they had a strong backlog, but as that pipeline tightened, the outlook for the end of 2020 and even 2021 had a downward trend. During the previous year, there were proposals, but most of them failed to be executed. Since the beginning of 2021, though, we have hope. The RFPs are coming in and projects are being awarded, meaning there are additional orders on the horizon for manufacturers. In addition, the new administration is looking towards more stimulus packages and more importantly, new infrastructure programs, which could benefit the lighting community. So as we look to the future, what should your next steps be? How can you strengthen your firm, your profitability and your staff? The first word is diversification. All 64

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firms discuss the need to not have all of your eggs in one basket. Reality says, this is harder said than done. How can I get projects in these other fields without a portfolio to present? I am currently swamped with work, albeit all in the same classification, but how do I do it all? Do I turn down work? The real truth is, when you are the busiest, you must market. If you wait until you slow down, it will be too late. This is most strikingly true for developing new markets. It takes time, sometimes years, so you need to plan sooner rather than later. Consider collaborating with other designers or firms to get an introduction into these new fields. Use your creativity, not for design, but to develop new business practices. With this new year, your staff may or may not come back into the office. In the beginning of 2020, I think everyone enjoyed the freedom, the reduced commuting time and even not being surrounded by their peers or bosses every moment. However, as time passed, we began to miss the banter, the collaboration and the opportunities to learn. I personally feel that design is an interactive process and there are some definite benefits to adjacencies. If you agree, what do you need to do now to

adapt your office space for when the staff returns? Yes, hand sanitation stations are a good idea, as is custom masks with your logo. What about transparent dividers between desks – do you need them? Or can you stagger attendance, or separate the desks? Do you want to assign one way travel directions for corridors? What about the copy machine, printers, the coffee bar? Do you need to assign a cleaning regiment? Or would you consider UVC lighting. These should be considered and implemented now. If your answer was no, and you foresee a remote work force, what steps do you need to plan for? Is your IT security up to date? Do you have the correct digital communication tools and more importantly, the skills to use these seamlessly? If the staff stays remote, what are you doing to make them feel part of the corporate identity? You need to plan for your firms financial independence. Do you owe back rents? Some may be delayed but most are not forgiven. As times are still tough, communicate with your landlord and create a workable plan that benefits both parties. A good tenant with a repayment schedule is much more attractive than an empty space. Are shared workspaces an ideal solution, as the potential germs from many guests could be an issue? Can you discuss payment plans for other expenses too? A good financial plan includes a financial line of credit, but the sad thing is that you cannot get one when you need it. So now is the time to plan, apply, and prepare for the next crises that will come. History does repeat itself. Finally, think about your employees. How do you continually train and mentor them? Is it with daily calls, or have you given them newly found independence? How are you going to attract new employees, who in my opinion, really need the daily exposure to senior designers and firm leaders?

"I believe it comes down to getting involved in the greater Lighting Community. Volunteer. Teach. Mentor. Join a committee. These are all ways that we can assist the entire lighting industry, and as a result your own firm will benefit too."

Stay Ahead of the Curve in Your Next Design. ONCURVE OFFERS 3 DISTINCTIVE DESIGNS Visioneering’s new OnCurve fully luminous troffers feature soft curved lenses that deliver dynamic styling and low glare illumination. The concave and convex contemporary lens design options offer configurability and versatility to any T-Bar and hard ceiling space. Complement the decor by adding a splash of color to the center spine of the Concave. OnCuvre architectural luminaires are not only appealing but deliver best-in-class performance (up to 134 lm/W). Next time you require the right lighting solution for your specific application, Think Visioneering. Learn more at Viscor.com/OnCurve

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Meteor: The Bolt Series

Lighting Analysts: Projected Calculation Points in ElumTools

ConTech Lighting: Performance LED Tapelight

designing lighting

Light for the Soul: Meditation for the Lighting Industry

Tivoli: Litesphere True RGBW effects

Liteline: Introducing OnCloud

designing lighting--April 2021

Articles inside

Light Right to Protect the Night

The Life and Death of a Luminaire

Up Close with Chip Israel

A Design Aesthetic Worth Illuminating

The Impact of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in LED Lighting

What is the Real Value Proposition in Smart Lighting?

THE BOOM IN RESIDENTIAL LIGHTING DESIGN

Still in the Dark: COVID-19 Continues to Impact the Lighting Design Profession

Lighting Up The Canadian Parliament

Working With Wellness

The Incredible The Evolving Downlight

3D Printing: The Next Frontier in Luminaires?

Moynihan Train Hall Welcomes the World Back To New York City