Anish Jain, Pioneers of Light, Jain Consultants

© SW photography

Pioneer of Light Anish Jain

A digital green future of light Lighting aesthetics give even a normal building character says Anish Jain, head of electrical design, contract administration and sustainable design divisions at Jain Consultants. Furthermore, lighting is an integral part of green building practices and sustainable design.

As an engineer what do you consider the most important construction parameters?

The most important element is a solid, fit-for-purpose design, that meets all stakeholders’ requirements: Employer, End-User, Local authorities. A correct and coordinated design is required for subsequent phases to go smoothly; once in place everything else will follow. Technical mistakes, missed coordination problems, or lack of buy-in from the end-users will all lead to changes that cost time and money.

Green building practices are also increasingly essential. Worldwide, building and construction together account for 36% of energy use.

People focus on cars and energy duration, but energy usage is the first step. We cannot afford to not be sustainable in our approach, marketing materials, even definitions. Lighting is an integral part of green building practices and sustainable design. Illumination level targets, lighting fixture selection, and controls design are essential for a ‘green’ lighting design - with the challenge to achieve this while minimizing trade-offs in aesthetics and functionality.

What inspired you to work in engineering?

We’re increasingly retained by the Contractor rather than the Client, and this slightly tips the balance and puts the onus on consultants to deliver an optimized design from the start.

Because lighting is the most visible element of any building, the preference of the lighting designer and architect is to provide fixtures that are ‘wow’ when you walk into a building while employer requirements often don’t call for these. The tendency is to find fixtures that will ‘do the job’.

With the The College of Visually Impaired in Saudi Arabia, lighting design is related to function: task versus ambient lighting. The classrooms, even the sports hall, all have a higher lighting than expected. During the design process the operator told me: ‘These children are not all blind; they’re visually impaired’. We needed a very high lighting level to help them distinguish the contrast between objects. In the classrooms we used two lighting levels: overhead ambient lighting which is comfortable for teachers and very strong task lighting at desk level.

What 3 lighting project achievements make you the proudest?

In high school, my affinity towards math and science made it the obvious choice. While studying at Cornell and Stanford, I met many brilliant engineers who have made major contributions to society, which propelled my passion for the profession even more. Finally once I graduated, joining the family engineering firm was the most natural progression in my career, as I had a platform to use what I had learned to grow an already thriving business.

Al Janoub Stadium, Qatar: The Sports Lighting on this project exceeded everyone’s expectations with state of the art LED lighting and fast DMX controls based on standards of FIFA Class V international football tournament venues.

What challenges do you face with large projects, notably regarding design intent and specifications?

Al Jahhaniya Interchange Tunnel, Qatar: When opened in 2016, this was the longest road tunnel in Qatar and also the first to implement an all-LED lighting solution.

Design should always find a balance between innovation, compliance with codes/standards and cost-effectiveness.

LUMINOUS 2020

School of Optometry, University of Waterloo, Canada: The lighting on this project is unique since the internal lighting actually serves as the external illumination at nighttime.

PIONEERS OF LIGHT 2

© SW photography

Biography Anish Jain Anish Jain joined Jain Consultants in 2002 a Master’s in Management Science at Stanford University and before that, graduating 1st in his engineering class at Cornell University.

JAIN Consultants profile JAIN provides multi-disciplinary consulting services, drawing on more than 65 years of engineering experience to build partnerships through the design and implementation process.

Since then, he has focused on streamlining the firm’s project management processes, expanding the sustainable consulting division and strengthening the firm’s global presence.

Based in Toronto with offices in Canada, US, Trinidad, Guyana, Azerbaijan, India and UAE, JAIN provides engineering consultancy services to both public and private sectors. Project types include commercial, high-rise residential, hospitality, sports, education, health care, post-secondary, emergency, government, religious facilities and municipal infrastructure.

For the past 35 years, Jain has also developed sustainable design awareness to meet global requirements of environmental conservation and green design. A growing number of JAIN’s projects include on-site renewable energy and net-zero classification.

As a LEED® Accredited Professional, Certified Energy Manager, Certified Measurement & Verification Professional and Lighting Certified Professional, Anish Jain is responsible for ensuring that the firm’s projects employe the latest in innovative and sustainable design.

From his Dubai office he manages projects through the Middle East, Asia and Africa.

How do you keep your knowledge up to date?

Information now finds you: Colleagues’ social media posts, Webinars and Speaker Events, conferences showcasing advancements in lighting, sustainable design and new engineering products. I constantly enroll for new certifications in our field.

Manufacturers’ knowledge-sharing.

What’s presently lacking in lighting engineering that you’d like to see?

I can’t think of anything that’s not possible! I’d like to see more importance given to the aesthetics of lighting. Too often engineers design lighting only to achieve illumination levels and uniformity, yet both internal and external lighting can give a normal building character and even a ‘wow’ factor. That requires integrated thinking between the architect, interior designer and engineers. The fixtures themselves are just as important as the illumination they provide.

For example, we recently completed a K-12 School in Qatar where our team used cloud-shaped fixtures in the kindergarten classrooms. It was such an apt choice as it gives the space a very ‘cute’ and comforting feeling - exactly what a kindergarten classroom should achieve.

What part does the Internet of Things play in your smart building?

To be honest, I haven’t yet incorporated this in any jobs. The Internet of Things will allow building systems to remain relevant longer.

Change of use, especially in government and educational buildings, relies on lighting controls which can easily be re-programmed in a space that changes from individual occupancy to group usage and be adjusted in real-time based on occupant preferences.

How do you integrate IoT systems to your hotel designs in Africa?

Hotel developers in Africa have a challenging task of completing their projects within the anticipated budget and schedule with the mandate to meet Brand Standards.

The advantage is that in developed countries we're converting hotels and retrofitting them whereas in Africa we're building new.

We can do what we want despite budget and infrastructure challenges: ‘Is the operator going to be able to maintain it?’, notably with digital enhancements in guestroom management.

How do you see the digital future of lighting and software for light management?

It will be all digital. IoT is seamlessly integrating the technology already around us. As users, we want control of everything from the palm of our hand; we’re walking around with the computing power and connectivity to make it happen. The next step is to design lighting systems able to react to user preferences and thus suit everyone’s requirements.

Right now we rely on the phone in our hand - maybe later we'll have chips integrated in us that don't need the phone - but right now everyone wants everything from the phone!

Real-time updates based on user feedback and developments in technology will extend the usability of controls/automation before requiring a physical retrofit.

3 PIONEERS OF LIGHT

LUMINOUS 2020

© RDH Architects © Dow Photography

School of Optometry, University of Waterloo, Canada.

Significant projects – Al Janoub stadium, Al Wakrah, Qatar – Pan-American Games 2015,Toronto, Canada – Virasat-e-Khalsa museums, India – Intercontinental Hotel, Hangzhou, China – Tulip Telecommunications Data Center, Asia.

– Dubai Sustainable City, UAE – Strategic Food Security Facilities Project, Qatar – Hilton Shillim Estate Retreat & Spa, India

Website www.jainconsultants.com

Related article Al Janoub Stadium, Al Wakrah, Qatar ↩ Luminous 2019

4 PIONEERS OF LIGHT

Al Janoub Stadium, Al Wakrah, Qatar

LUMINOUS 2020