Onceagain,IampleasedtopresentthelatestissueoftheLED professionalReview(LpR),May/June2023issue,number97.
Inthisissue,AntonSonneveldfromBroadcom,highlightsthetopicof phototherapybasedonUV-ALEDtechnologiesinhiscommentary.His viewsskillfullymotivateonetofocusmoreonthemedicalapplicationsof LEDtechnologiesforfuturepublications.Wewerealsoveryexcitedto havebeenabletoconductapersonalinterviewatTridonicheadquarters withtheirCEO,HugoRohner.Inthisinterview,heshowshowTridonicis transformingintoacompanythathasputsustainabilityatthecenterofits activities.Thetransformationintoeco-designandsustainabilityisa significanttrendofthetimes,ofcourse,alsotriggeredbyessential exogenousfactors.
Initscoverstory,WürthElektronikaddressesthetopicofverticalfarming withthesubjectoflightingcontrolanddescribesitsdeveloperkitfor RGBWcolormixing.LichtvisionDesigngivesusinsightsintoaprojectthat wascompletedafewyearsago:TheGuangzhouInternationalFinance CenterinChina.Bethatasitmay,wedidn’twanttowithholdthe exceptionalfaçadelightingconceptandtheimpressivebuildingfromyou. TheGoodLightGrouphascreatedareportwithTOPexperts,inwhich theyhavesummarizedtheeffectofgoodlightonpeopleandcollectedthe latestdata.Thearticleisacompactoutlineofthelatestscientificfindings. Thesourcereferencelistofthearticleisbeneficialforfurtherstudieson thistopic.Inhisscientificcontribution,Dr.ThomasSchielkefromERCO takesusintothelanguageoflight-Semiotics.Finally,wearepleasedto presenttheZhagaAwards-SmartCitySensorwinners.Congratulations toallwinners!TheseAwardswillbeessentialfordevelopingintelligent lightingsystemsincities.
ThespectrumofcontributionsfrommedicinetoHCL,horticulture,and streetlightingtolightingdesign,givesusagoodlookatthediversityand thedimensionsoflight.Itremainsanexcitingtopicinmanyfields!
Haveagreatread.
YoursSincerely, SiegfriedLuger
LugerResearche.U.,Founder&CEO LEDprofessional,TrendsinLighting,LpSDigital&GlobalLightingDirectory InternationalSolid-StateLightingAlliance(ISA),MemberoftheBoardofAdvisors MemberoftheGoodLightGroupandtheEuropeanPhotonicsIndustryConsortium
VERTICALFARMING–COVERSTORY
28 LightingControlforFoodProduction byAlexanderGERFER,JohannWALDHERR, HarunÖZGÜR;WürthElektronikeiSos
PROJECTS
34 GuangzhouInternationalFinanceCenter (IFC)
byLichtvisionDesign
Broadcomisknownforits LED’sperformance, efficiencyandreliabilityand offersanextensiveportfolio ofproductslikehigh brightnessandhighpower LEDs,PLCCsurface-mount LEDs,ChipLEDs,incl.IR& UVLEDsanddisplay backlightingmodule solutions.TheseLEDs addressawiderangeof markets,including electronicsignsand signals,industrial applications,solidstate lightingandautomotive.
UVradiationsareoftenlinkedto well-knownriskssuchassunburnand prematureaging,buttheycanalsobe usedtotreatvariousmedicalconditions rangingfromskindisordersto psychiatricillnesses.AsUV-Aisableto penetratedeeperintothehumanskin, oneofthebestknownbenefitsisthe abilitytoboosttheproductionofVitamin Dinthehumanbody,whichiscrucialfor calciumandphosphorusabsorption.
Forsuchtherapy,man-made conventionallampssuchasxenon, mercury,andfluorescentlampshave beenthemainsourceofUVradiation. However,prolongedexposureto infraredradiationemittedbytheselamps maypotentiallycauseundesirableside effectsandserioushealthissueson treatedpatients.
ByadoptingLEDtechnologyinto phototherapy,suchhealthissuesand discomfortcanbegreatlyreduced,as LEDphototherapytreatmentisknownto benon-invasiveandgeneratesless heat,henceitrequiresnohealingtime. Inaddition,itcandeliverthedesired spectralbandsthatareeffectivefor specifictreatments.TheusageofUV-A LEDsinphototherapyincludes:
Skindisorders:
Numerousstudieshaveshownthatlight treatmentwithUV-Aradiationhas successfullytreatedanumberofskin conditionssuchaspsoriasis,atopic dermatitis(eczema),andvitiligo.The mostcommontypeofUV-A phototherapyisPUVAcombiningthe useofUV-AradiationandPsoralen,a photosensitizingagentthatmakesthe skinmoresensitivetolight.Recently, phototherapywithUVA1(340nmto 400nm)isincreasinglybeinguseddue toitsnonerythemogeniceffect(redness ofskin).
Neonataljaundice:Reducesthe bilirubinlevelwhereUVradiationisbeing absorbedintotheskinresultinginthe
breakdownofbilirubinintocompounds thatnewbornscanexert.Newbornsare usuallytreatedwhilecoveringtheeyes orwithaBiliblanket(deliveringlight throughfiberoptics)coveringtheinfant.
Moodandsleepdisorders:
Sleep-relatedissuessuchasseasonal affectivedisorder(SAD)andcircadian rhythmsleepdisorder(CRSD)canbe treatedwithlighttherapybymakingup forthelossofsunlightexposureinorder toresetthebiologicalclockinthe humanbody.Thisregulatesthesleeping patternandpositivelyaffectsthemood andemotionalconditionsoftreated patients.Studieshaveshownthatusing fullspectrumlightwithUV-Acan effectivelyreducethedepressive behaviorsofpatientsratherthanrelying onantidepressantmedication.
Woundhealing:
ThecombinationofUV-Aradiationand surgeryprovidesahighersuccessrate tocurekeloidandhypertrophicscars. StudieshaveshownthatUVA1can effectivelyinhibitscarformationwithout damagingthecells.
Pre-cancer:Early-stagecancersuch asactinickeratosescanbedetected andtreatedeffectivelywith photodynamictherapy(PDT)which involvesUVandphotosensitizing agents.Thistreatmentisnon-invasive andnon-toxicwithminimalsideeffects.
Acnetreatment:Near-UVAradiation rangingfrom405nmto425nmcan eliminateP.acnesbacteriafoundinthe skinwhichcausesacne.Bacteriaare eliminatedwhenfreeradicalsare producedduringnear-UVlight absorptionbythebacteriatoreduce inflammation.
Thus,theadvancementandversatilityof UV-ALEDshasexpandedthe applicationsforbothmedicaland dermatologytreatments. ■ A.S.
www.lightingeurope.org
TheLightingEuropeGeneralAssemblyelected anewExecutiveBoardforatwo-year mandateon31March.Theroleofthe LightingEuropeExecutiveBoardisto implementLightingEurope’sstrategyandwork program.Itiscomposedof16members, equallysplitbetweenrepresentativesof membernationallightingassociationsand membercompanies.
ThenewlyappointedExecutiveBoardelected, onthatsameday,MauriceMaesasPresident ofLightingEurope.MauriceMaeshasbeen theHeadofStandards&Regulationsin Signifysince2015andhasover25yearsof experienceinassociations,havingservedon boardsofindustryinitiativessuchasthe ZigBeeAlliance,LightingEuropeandthe GlobalLightingAssociation.
JuergenWaldorf,ManagingDirectorofthe ZVEIsectionLightingandlicht.de,was electedVice-PresidentandMiguelAguado, MarketingandTechnologyManagerEMEAat Lutron,waselectedTreasurer.
“IamhonoredtobeelectedPresidentand lookforwardtoworkingcloselywiththe ExecutiveBoardcolleaguesandthewider membershiptocontributetofit-for-purpose regulationsthatstimulatesmarter,betterand moresustainablelighting,bringingevenmore valuefromlightingsystemstotheirusers,” saysMauriceMaes.
TheExecutiveBoardconsistsofthefollowing members(byalphabeticalorderoffamily name):
• MiguelAguado,Lutron,UK(Treasurer)
• AlfredoBerges,ANFALUM,Spain
• BobBohannon,TheLIA,UK
• LionelBrunet,Syndicatdel’Éclairage, France
• NathalieCoursière,IGNES,France
• Jean-MarieCroué,Syndicatdu Luminaire-GIL,France
• MauriceMaes,SIGNIFY,TheNetherlands (President)
• JoergMinnerup,Trilux,Germany
• IsaccoNeri,ASSIL,Italy
• ArnulfRupp,OPTOTRONIC(OSRAM group),Germany
• MarkOliverSchreiter,ERCO,Germany
• WouterSoer,Lumileds,TheNetherlands
• LarsStuehlen,LEDVANCE,Germany
• CarloUrbinati,ASSOLUCE,Italy
• KlausVamberszky,ZUMTOBELGroup, Austria
• Dr.JürgenWaldorf,ZVEI,Germany (Vice-President)
LightingEuropeisthevoiceofthelighting industry,basedinBrusselsandrepresenting 30companiesandnationalassociations. Together,thesemembersaccountforover 1,000Europeancompanies,amajorityof whicharesmallormedium-sized.They representatotalEuropeanworkforceofover 100,000peopleandanannualturnover exceeding20billioneuros.
LightingEuropeiscommittedtopromoting efficientlightingthatbenefitshumancomfort, safetyandwell-being,andtheenvironment. LightingEuropeadvocatesapositivebusiness andregulatoryenvironmenttofosterfair competitionandgrowthfortheEuropean lightingindustry. ■
www.zhagastandard.org
TheZhagaConsortium,agloballighting industryorganization,ispleasedtoannounce theappointmentofHeinrichThyeasitsnew SecretaryGeneral,effectiveApril1st,2023. ThyewillsucceedDeeDenteneer,whohas servedasSecretaryGeneralforthepast sevenyears.
HeinrichThyeisaseasonedbusiness executivewithextensiveexperiencein marketing,sales,andmanagement.For15 yearsThyewastheManagingDirectorofIDEE Europe,aninternationalelectricalwholesale groupandstrongpartnerofthelighting industry.Hehasamaster’sdegreein engineeringandanMBAinbusiness engineering.
”IamexcitedtojoinZhagaasthenew SecretaryGeneral,”saidHeinrichThye.”Ilook forwardtoworkingwiththeteamandthe consortiummemberstofurtherpromotethe advantagesofstandardizedinterfacesof componentsofLEDluminairesandtocreate valueforthelightingindustryandthesmart cityoftomorrow.”
DeeDenteneer,whohasbeeninstrumentalin thegrowthanddevelopmentoftheZhaga Consortium,isleavingafter7years.Underhis leadership,theorganizationhasexpanded intointerfacespecificationsthataddress interoperabilityforconnectedlighting.Aresult ofthisdirectionweretheZhagaSmartCity SensorAwards,wherewinnerswere announcedlastweek.
Zhagahasgrownintoaglobalconsortium withmorethan500membersandthepurpose toenablenewmarketsforconnectedand serviceablelightingthroughinteroperability. ■
www.eia.gov
U.S.energy-relatedCO2emissionsdrop25% to38%belowwhattheywerein2005by 2030,accordingtoprojectionsfromtheU.S. EnergyInformationAdministration’s(EIA) AnnualEnergyOutlook2023(AEO2023).By theendoftheprojectionperiod,2050,U.S. energy-relatedCO2emissionsare17%lower inthisyear’sReferencecasecomparedwith lastyear,afterEIAaccountedfortheeffectsof theInflationReductionAct(IRA),energy technologycostsandperformanceupdates,a changedmacroeconomicoutlook,andother factors.
EIA’sprojectedreductionsinU.S. energy-relatedCO2emissionsaredrivenby increasedelectrification,higherequipment efficiency,andthedeploymentofrenewables intheelectricsector.Emissionsreductionsare limited,however,bylonger-termgrowthin U.S.transportationandindustrialactivity.
Withpolicychangesoverthelastyearand continuedtechnologyinnovation,weexpect toseesignificantshiftsinenergyproduction anduseoverthenext30years,”saidEIA AdministratorJoeDeCarolis.“Theresulting projectionsforenergy-relatedCO2emissions aremostsensitivetoourassumptions regardingeconomicgrowthandthecostof zero-carbongenerationtechnology.”
TheAEO2023hasbeenpublishedontheEIA website,alongwithaseparateIssuesin Focuspaperthatexaminestheimpactsofthe IRA,takingintoaccountuncertaintyaround someofthepolicyprovisions.Inthe Referencecase,implementationoftheIRA resultsina33%reductioninenergy-related CO2emissionsby2030relativeto2005 comparedtoa26%reductionintheNoIRA case.BecauseofthecomplexityoftheIRA andrelatedchallengestomodelingsomeof itsprovisions,notallofitsenergysystem impactsarerepresentedinAEO2023. DocumentationofEIA’sIRA-relatedmodeling assumptionsisincludedwiththisrelease.
HighlightsfromAEO2023include:
Renewablegeneratingcapacitygrowsinall regionsoftheUnitedStatesinallAEO2023 cases,supportedbygrowthininstalled batterycapacity.EIAseesstablegrowthin U.S.electricpowerdemandthrough2050in allAEO2023casesbecauseofincreasing electrificationandongoingeconomicgrowth. Investmentinrenewablesourcessuchas windandsolar,andtheoperatingcost advantageofthosesources,increasesthe shareofzero-carbonelectricitygenerationin EIA’sprojections.EIAprojectsgrowthin
installedbatterycapacityinallcasesto supportgrowthinrenewables.
Technologicaladvancementsand electrificationdriveprojecteddecreasesto demand-sideenergyintensity.EIAprojectsan increaseinthedeploymentofheatpumps, electricvehicles,andelectricarcfurnacesin theironandsteelindustry.Intheresidential andcommercialsectors,higherequipment efficienciesandstricterbuildingcodesextend ongoingdeclinesinenergyintensity.Inthe transportationsector,light-dutyvehiclefuel efficiencyimprovesduetorisingCorporate AverageFuelEconomy(CAFE)standardsand electricvehicle(EV)sales.
Highinternationaldemandleadstocontinued growthinU.S.production,andcombinedwith relativelylittlegrowthindomestic consumption,allowstheUnitedStatesto remainanetexporterofpetroleumproducts andnaturalgasthrough2050inallAEO2023 cases.Despitenosignificantchangeinthe domesticconsumptionofpetroleumand otherliquidsthrough2040acrossmost AEO2023cases,weexpectU.S.production toremainathistoricallyhighvolumes. Domesticnaturalgasconsumptionalso remainsrelativelystable,despiteashiftin electricitygenerationtowardsrenewables. Productionofnaturalgas,however,continues togrowinresponsetointernationaldemand forliquefiednaturalgas.
Thisyear’sAEOmarksareturnofthe Administrator’sForewordandarenewed focusonthenarrativetocontextualizeour results,includingtechnicalnotesthatprovide adeeperlevelofexplanationaroundkey issues.Tobetteraccountforfuture uncertainty,keyinsightsfocusonrangesand trendsratherthansingularprojections. ■
www.inventronicsglobal.com
Inventronics,agloballeaderinreliableand innovativeLEDdriverproducts,ispleasedto announcethesuccessfulacquisitionofthe relevantDigitalSystemsbusinessinEurope andAsiafromamsOSRAM,agloballeaderin opticalsolutions.Thisacquisition demonstratesInventronics’commitmentto providingexceptionaltechnologyandvalueto itsglobalcustomerbasewhileleadingthe transformationtocost-effective,intelligent, connectedlighting.
TheamsOSRAMEuropeandAsiaDigital Systemsbusinessprimarilyfocusesonpower supplies,relatedlightmodules,software,and connectablecomponentsfortraditionaland LEDillumination.Theseessentialcomponents enablesmartlightingsolutionsand digitalizationforprofessionallighting
applications.Withtheacquisitionofams OSRAM’sDigitalSystemsbusiness, Inventronicsexpandsbothitsregional presenceandproductportfolio.
Dr.GernotSteinlesberger,HeadofOSRAM DigitalSystemsEuropeandAsia,stated,”We lookforwardtostartinganewchapterwith Inventronics.Thecombinedportfolio,market reachandlightingfocus,willbring tremendousvaluetoourcustomers.”
MarshallMiles,CEOofInventronics, expressedhisenthusiasmfortheacquisition, stating,”Wearestrivingtobethevendorof choiceforcomponentssupportingthelighting industry,providingthebroadestportfolioof innovative,highqualityproductsandservices. Thistransactiondemonstratesour commitmenttoourcustomersandthelighting marketglobally.”
TheamsOSRAMDigitalSystemsbusinessin EuropeandAsiaemploysaround600people, isheadquarteredinGarchingnearMunich, Germany,withadditionaloperations throughouttheterritory.Inventronicsisa world-classenterprisespecializinginthe design,manufacture,marketing,andsalesof reliableandinnovativeLEDdriverproducts, andagloballeaderindrivingthe transformationtocost-effective,intelligent, connectedlighting.Inventronicslooksforward tointegratingthesenewcolleaguesintothe Inventronicsfamily.
Inventronicsisapubliclytradedcompany basedinHangzhou,China,withglobal operationsincludingmanufacturingfacilitiesin China,India,andMexico,aswellas distributioncentersintheUSandthe Netherlands.Thecompanymaintainssales officesinmajormarketsworldwide,servicing customersinover100countries. ■
www.lorelux.eu
NitekoIlluminazione–renownedItalian manufacturerofcustomLEDlightingfixtures foroutdoorandlargeareas–haslaunched Lorelux®,firstbrandof100%circularurban luminairesprovidingauniquelydesignedand corrosion-resistanturbanlightingthatcanlast formorethan50years.
Lorelux®luminaire’smanufacturingfollows theprinciplesofcircularityanddesign’s uniquenessinallitsstages:fromconception tomaterial’schoice,tothepossibilityof recyclingtheluminaireattheendofitsservice life.Atruerevolutioninurbanlightingthanks totheuseofrecycledandinfinitelyrecyclable plasticmaterials,highlyinnovativeforthe sector.Infact,Lorelux®luminairesarethefirst urbanluminairesmadefromrecovered polymersderivingfromcleanindustrialwaste andfromshreddedhouseholdplasticwaste (forexample,plasticcaps).Thesesustainable materials,combinedwithapatented manufacturingsolution,makeLorelux® luminaires–acronymforLongResistant Luminaires–highlydurableandresistantto vandalismandcorrosionduetoatmospheric agentsandpollutants.Moreover,LEDengine canbeeasilyreplacedalsoatlargeheightsby meansofafastandeconomicalpatent pendingmaintenancesystem:for indestructibleandalwaysupgraded luminaires.
Inthisway,municipalitiescanbenefitboth fromalightingsystemthatisalways technologicallyupgradedandfromagreen anddurableproductthatisgoodforthe planet.Thankstothelightingbody’s manufacturing,usingupto90%ofrecycled materials,itcontributestocleaningupthe planetfromharmfulwastesuchasplastic, whichisincreasinglyaccumulatinginoursoils andseas.
“Recyclingistheonlypossiblefuture.Weare proudtobethefirstmanufacturertoproduce urbanluminairesmadefromdiscarded materials,thusminimizingwasteandapplying thevirtuousmodelofcirculareconomyevenin asectorwhereyouwouldusuallyexpect heavyandimpactingproducts,”explains AlessandroDeodati,HeadofR&D department.“NotonlydoLorelux®luminaires comefromrecovery,buttheycanalsobe
recycledattheendoftheirservicelifeandbe reusedtomanufactureanewluminaire,thus closingthatperfectcirclewherenothingis destroyedandeverythingisreused.”
Lorelux®luminairesareexclusivefromall pointsofview.Thecombinationofductile materialsandflexiblemanufacturingtechnique –whichisenvironmentallyfriendly,too–makesitpossibletocustomizethelighting bodies’shapesandcolors,andtocreate uniqueandbespokedesignsforanyurban context.
WorkingtogetherwithLorelux®,architects andlightingdesignershavethepossibilityto createluminairesthatovercomethecreative limitsoftraditionallightingfixtures,andto obtainout-of-the-ordinaryproductsallowing forthecreationofuniqueandhighlyvaluable projects.
Infact,Lorelux®meanslimitlesscreativityand manufacturingspeedofthefinishedpiecein just90daysfromthedeliveryofthetechnical drawings,evenforsmallbatches.
WithLorelux®,creatinganewluminaireisfast andeasy.TheMadeinItalyproduction releasesfromthetimingoftheinternational markets,andthelisteningtocustomer’s needsleadstoanoriginalco-creationthatis reallyaccessibletoeveryone.Theresultisa networkofprofessionalssharingacommon goal:ahighlyefficientoutdoorlightingthatis trulysustainableandcreative.
“Everyonebelievesthat100%bespoke luminairesshouldhaveahighcost”adds AlessandroDeodati,“Lorelux®clearlyshows howoutdatedthisideais.Ifyouchoosethe rightmaterialsanduseanon-siteproduction –givingvaluetotheterritoryandtothe sustainabilityofbothmanufacturingand transports–youcancompletelyrevolutionize thetraditionalconceptofurbanlightingand achievecustomproductsthatarereally sustainablefromallpointsofviewinashort time.” ■
www.signify.com
Signify(Euronext:LIGHT),theworldleaderin lighting,willshowcasenewadditionstoits sustainable3D-printedlightingcollectionat theworld’sleadinginternationaldesignfair, SalonedelMobile.Theexhibitionwillfeature anexclusivecollaborationwithinnovative textiledesignerAleksandraGaca,and Signify’saward-winningCoastalBreeze collection,whichismadewith100%recycled fishingnets.
Signify’s3D-printedluminaireswillbeon displayatMasterly–DutchDesigninMilano. Visitorscanexperienceamesmerizinglighting presentationfeaturingastunningtreeoflights. Aspecialhighlightisanewdesignwith exceptionaltexturesandexclusivefinishes, fromAleksandraGaca.Gaca’sinnovative woventextilessitattheintersectionofart, designandarchitectureandmatchperfectly withthe3Dprintingtechnologyusedtocreate PhilipsMyCreationlightingobjects.
“Asatextiledesigner,Iamreallyexcitedabout the3Dprintingtechniquesdevelopedby Signify,becausetheyallowmetoquicklyand easilyincorporatemytexturesintoeveryday objectswithinanyone’sreach,”says AleksandraGaca.“Ialsofeelreallyconnected tothecompany’scommitmentto sustainability.ThePhilipsMyCreationCoastal Breezeprojectisapowerfuldemonstration thattheunionofdesignandinnovationcan givelifetoamorebeautifulworldandamore sustainablefuture.”
Threedimensionsofsustainability:
Signifycontinuestopushtheboundariesof sustainabledesignwithits3D-printed luminairesthatreduceemissions,reduce waste,andcontributetoacirculareconomy. Allthe3D-printedluminairesaremadewithat least55%recycledorbio-circularmaterials.A reinventedmanufacturingprocesscutsthe numberofcomponentsbyupto40%and eliminatestheneedforglue,makingitmuch easiertodisassembleandrecyclepartsfor repairandrefurbishment.Lightermaterials createfewercarbonemissions,andsincethe productsareprintedondemand,nounsold stockgoestowaste.
Signify’saward-winningCoastalBreeze collectionwillbeondisplayatSalonedel Mobile.Thisspecialcollectionismadewith 100%recycledfishingnets,transforming wastematerialintobeautiful,functionalpieces forthehome.
PhilipsMyCreation:ahallmarkofsustainable design:
Signify’s3Dprintingenterpriseisoneofits fastest-growingbusinessunits,contributingto thecompany’sgoaltodoubleitscircular revenuesto32%bytheendof2025.In2023, Signifybroughttogetherall3D-printed professionalandconsumercollectionsunder thePhilipsMyCreationbrand.Philips MyCreationnowencompassesLightolier, ShaperPrentaluxfromCooperLighting Solutions,andPhilipsTailoredLighting.This singlebrandguaranteesthequality,design excellence,andsustainabilitythatunitesthe collections.
SalonedelMobiledrawsover300,000visitors peryeartoexperiencethebestofexclusive designandhigh-qualityproducts.Signifywill beinSalaDonzellionthefirstfloorofthe DutchDesignPavilionatthePalazzodei Giuresconsulti. ■
www.glamox.com
GlamoxAS,aleadinglightingcompany,is progressingtowardsitsgoalofNetZero operationsby2030.Glamoxannouncedthat ithasstartedtoswitchfromusingvirgin aluminumtorecycledaluminumin manufacturingitsLEDluminaires.The companyhasalreadymadetheswitchforone ofitsmostpopularluminairesandispreparing toextendittootherfamilies.Themovewill furtherlowerthecarbonfootprintofthe companyandthosecustomerswhopurchase thealreadyenergy-efficientLEDluminairesfor useinprofessionalbuildings.
Recycledaluminumiscreatedbyre-melting scrapmetal.Theprocessislessexpensive andenergy-intensivethancreatingnew aluminum,whichismadebytheelectrolysisof aluminumoxide,whichmustfirstbemined frombauxiteoreandthenfired.
“We’vealreadyimplementedtheplantoshift overtorecycledaluminuminthemanufacture ofapopularluminairewhichwillresultina63 percentreductionintheemissionsofCO2 equivalentsoverusingnewaluminuminthese profiles,”saidBirgerHolo,TechnicalDirector, ProfessionalBusinessSolutions,Glamox.“By addingtwonewproductlinesweestimate thatwewilleliminateatotalof1,000tonsof CO2equivalentseachyear,whichequalsthe amountofcarbonsequesteredbynearly 1,200acresofforestayear.”
TheGlamoxC35andC95LEDluminaire rangesareearmarkedtobethenextproducts tojointheGlamoxC80luminairerangein usingrecycledaluminum.Allthreeproduct linesaremanufacturedinKeila,Estonia. Togethertheyrepresentaround400,000 productssoldyearly,usingacombined300 tonsofaluminum.
Thecompanyisalsoprogressivelyeliminating plasticinitspackaging,replacingbubblewrap andStyrofoamwithmaterialsthatareeasierto recycle.ThishasbeendoneforitsGlamox C35andC95luminaires.Also,itrecently launchedanEnvironmentalProduct Declarations(EPD)generator.Basedon internationalstandards,thistooldocuments theenvironmentalfootprintofproductstaking intoaccounttheirlifecycle.
“Westillhavealotofworkaheadofus,but wearecommittedtohelpingourcustomersto reducetheircarbonfootprintandforusto achieveNetZerooperationsby2030.It’snot enoughprovidingenergy-efficientLED lighting,wemustensurethateveryfacetof
ouroperationsandsupplychainminimizesour environmentalimpact,”saidViktorSöderberg, BusinessDevelopmentDirector,whoheads upthecompany’ssustainabilityprogram. ■
www.ikea.com
Mostenergyresourcesarelimited,expensive andenvironmentallyexhausting.Andthen thereisthesun.Basedonasharedbeliefthat thoughtfuldesigncanmakeadifference,Little SunjoinedforceswithIKEAtodevelop SAMMANLÄNKADwiththewishtomake solarenergyavailabletomorepeople.
IncollaborationwithIKEA,LittleSuninvites peopletoexplorethebenefitsofa solar-poweredlifethroughfunctionaland beautifullighting.SAMMANLÄNKAD,which means‘connected’inSwedish,featurestwo sun-poweredLEDlampsdesignedtoawaken interestinsolarenergyandraiseawareness forequitableenergyaccess.
“Design,beauty,andsimplicitytogethermake theseproductssomethingthatpeoplewill
haveintheirlives,givingthemthepowerto embracetheideaofsolarenergypowering ourfuture.It’sonlyasmallnudgethatwecan deliver,andmanynudgesareneeded.Butwe areexcitedtoseehowmuchsolarenergywe canspreadintheworld.”FelixHallwachs, ManagingDirector,LittleSun
Thedirectionforthecollectionisinspiredby LittleSun’suniquepositionattheintersection ofdesign,technology,andimpact.
SAMMANLÄNKADisrootedinLittleSun founderOlafurEliasson’sconceptualvision thatjoinsartandsciencetogethertomake solarenergytangible.
Theresultofthecollaborationistwo sun-poweredLEDproducts.Thefirst combineslightingandcharging,andcanbe usedaseitherapendantortablelamp.The lightsourcecanberemovedfromthestandto beusedasaflashlight.Thesmallerportable lampoffersapracticalsolutionforoutdoor settings.Comingwithayellowstrap,itcanbe heldorhungonawindoworbackpackduring daylighthoursforcharging.Bothlampsare equippedwithsolarpanelsandrechargeable batteries.
“Ithasthisheliocentricenergyandourplanet’s orbitarounditinthefirstgyroscoperingata 23.5-degreeangle,whichistheaxisofthe earthinrelationtothesun.Andthelight,a
half-ball,iscompletedbyamirrortobecome afullball,likethesunatitscenter,”said PhilippKäfer,designerforLittleSun.“We wantedtobringthesolarenergytothehouse, toshowitinapoeticwayforpeopletoliterally havethisenergyfloatingintheirhome.”
“ThecollaborationwithIKEAsupportsour missiontoraiseawarenessforenergyaccess andremindsusthatwehavethepotentialto co-shapeourworld.”OlafurEliasson,Artist& founder,LittleSun ■
www.trilux.com
Duetolampbans,highenergycostsand ambitioussustainabilitygoals,renovating inefficientconventionallightingsolutionswith LEDlightsiscurrentlyoneofthemosturgent andeconomicallysensibletasksfor companies.Buthowdocustomersquickly andeasilyfindtheright1:1renovationsolution fortheirindividualprojects?TRILUXprovides theanswerwiththeTRILUX REFURBISHMENTTOOL.
Nowadays,mostcompaniesareawareofthe factthatrenovatingtheiroutdatedlightingis necessaryandcannolongerbepostponed. Whatmostcompaniesarestrugglingwith now,ishowtofindtherightsolutionfortheir project,especiallyregardingtheefficiency, applicabilityandcosts.ThatiswhyTRILUX developedtherefurbishmentassistant.This cleveronlinetoolsupportscustomersin findingtheperfect1:1renovationsolutionfor theirrequirements.Aspecialfeatureisthe intuitivestep-by-stepprocess,whichquickly presentstheuserwithasuitablesolution, evenifnotalllightingdataoftheoldsystemis available.Afterjustafewsteps,customers canfindoutwhichsolutionscanbeusedto converttheexistinglighting,includingthe individualsavingspotential.Inaddition,the softwaresignificantlyreducestheplanning effortcomparedtoclassicproductresearch viaonlinecatalogues.Therefurbishment assistantthusmakesanimportant contributiontofurtheracceleratingtheLED transformation.
Therightrenovationsolutionisdeterminedin athree-stageprocess.Inthefirststep,details oftheexistingsystemandfutureroomuseare queried(featurequery).Iftheconventional luminairecomesfromTRILUX,userscan alternativelystartdirectlywiththeTOC,TKor designationoftheluminaire,whereuponthe correspondingphotometricdatais automaticallytransferredtothesystem.The
refurbishmentassistantthensuggestssuitable seriesandluminairesfortheprojectand immediatelyindicatesthesavingspotential.At theendoftheprocess,theselected luminairesmustbevalidatedagain. Customerscansavetheresults,compare themandtransferthemtotheTRILUXONE onlinesalesandserviceportalasanorderlist.
Thankstothesimpleuserguidance,the refurbishmenttoolcanbeusedimmediately andintuitively.Inaddition,TRILUXexplains thebasicfunctionsofthetoolinfourshort introductoryvideos.Theapproximately two-minutevideotutorialscanbefoundinthe refurbishmentsectionofthewebsite.
Foratransparentandefficient decision-makingprocess,TRILUXhas bundledeverythingaroundthetopicof refurbishmentinaseparatewebsiteareaat REFURBISHMENT.Inadditiontoinformation onthelegalframework(lampban,RoHS directive),userscanfindmanyclevertipsand tools,startingwitharenovationchecklistand concretecalculationexamplesofpractical referencesinawidevarietyofapplications.
”Renovationaffectsindustrialwarehousesand municipaloutdoorareasaswellasoffices, schoolsandsupermarkets,”explainsgraduate physicistArnoEversmeyer(Lighting ApplicationsdepartmentatTRILUX).He continues:”Withourextremelybroad portfolio,whichhasbeenextensively optimizedtomakeiteasytorenovate,we havetheperfectsolutionforeverycase.”
Interestedpartiescanalsoquicklyandeasily acquirethetechnicalandlegalknow-how requiredforarefurbishmentthroughthe TRILUXAKADEMIE,forexamplewiththe digitalplannerupdates.Thistwo-houronline seminarprovidescutting-edgeexpertisefor legallycompliantlightingplanning. ■
www.tridonic.com
WhatifyoucouldcontrolallyourSmartHome orSmartOfficedevicessuchasfloorlamps, SmartTVsandelectronicdoorlocksfroma singleapp,eitherAppleorGoogle?Anew connectivityprotocolhasbroughtusan importantstepclosertothisvision.It’scalled Matter.Tridoniccannowofferitscustomers thefirstMatter-compatibleproducts.
Matter,thenewopen-sourcecommunication standard,bridgesthegapbetweenasmart ecosystem,suchasAppleHome,and intelligentdevicesfromvariousproviders. Matteristheresultofajointinitiativeinvolving
techplayerssuchasAmazon,Apple,Google, andtheConnectivityStandardsAlliance (CSA).Today,around270companiesfroma widerangeofindustriesarepartoftheMatter Alliance,allworkingtoimproveinteroperability inthesmartworld.
Tridoniciscommittedtointeroperabilityinthe lightingindustry:
Interoperabilityrunslikeathreadthrough Tridonic’sresearchanddevelopmentactivities. Asaproviderofhardwareandsoftwarefor intelligentlighting,itscommitmenttothe interoperabilityoflightingtechnologysystems goesbackmanyyears.Amongotherthings, Tridonichasplayedamajorroleinthe developmentoftheDALI-2standardandhas beenofferingthefirstLEDdriverscertified accordingtoZhagaBook24since2022.
MatternowcomplementstheprovenDALI standardforwiredlightingsystems.Withthe supportoftheMatterprotocol,Tridonicgives luminairemanufacturersacompetitive advantageinsmartlighting,enablingthemto quicklydevelopMattercompatibleluminaires thatcanbeeasilyintegratedinawidevariety ofsmartecosystems–forexampleinoffices, retailstores,hotels,holidayapartmentsand thehigh-endresidentialsector.Thanksto Matter-compatibleelements,theentire atmosphereofaroomcanbesetupwithjust afewclicksonasingledevice–everything fromlightingtoairconditioningincluding smartlocksforopeningandclosingdoors.
FirstwirelessMatterdriversandMatter modulesforDALIlightingsystems: Tridonicisoneofthefirstmanufacturersto offerMatter-compatibleproducts.The followingareavailable:
• WirelessMatterdriver:Dimmable24V constant-voltagedriveravailablein35W, 60W,100Wand150Wversions
• ActivewirelessMattertoDALImodule: Activemodulewithintegrated10mADALI bussupplyandonemomentary-action switchinput
• PassivewirelessMattertoDALImodule: PassivemodulethatrequiresaDALIpower supply(powerconsumption:4mA),four momentary-actionswitchinput
• WirelessMattertoDALISR:Withstrain reliefforrobustinstallationand50mA integratedDALIpowersupply
ThenewMatter-compatibleDALImodules canbeconnecteddirectlytoDALILEDdrivers alreadyinstalledinexistingluminairesandcan thencontrolthem.Thereisnoneedforany retrofittingwork.
HereisapossibleMatterusescenario:A smartphonewiththerespectiveappofthe preferredecosystem,suchastheApple HomeapppreinstalledoneveryiPhone,acts asaremotecontrolandcommissioningtool forthesmartnetwork.ToaddaMatter-ready deviceyoupointthesmartphone’scameraat
theQRcodeonthedevice.Quickandsimple. AsmarthomedevicesuchastheApple HomePodminioraSamsungWireless ChargerservesasthehubforMatter communication.Itforwardsthecommands fromtheterminaldeviceviaawirelessmesh networktoalightingstripsystemwhichcan “understand”thecommandsandtranslate themintothedesiredlightingmoodthanksto theMatterintelligenceintegratedintheLED driver.MattercancommunicateviabothWiFi andThread.TridonicusestheIP-based Threadwirelessprotocolasthebasisforthe wirelessmeshnetwork.Comparedtoclassic WiFi,Threadhasalowerpowerconsumption evenwithalargenumberofnetworknodes, andoffersstable,low-latencydata transmissionwithAESencryption.Asimple commandsuchas“HeySiri,dimthelightsin theofficeto20percent”isthenallthatis neededtocontroltheLEDlighting. ■
casambi.com
Globalsmartlightingcontrolcompany Casambiannouncedthelaunchofthreenew productvariants–CBU-TED-LR, CBU-ASD-LR,andCasambiXpress-LR–to offerlong-rangeradiomodesforrobust wirelesscommunicationinvastspaces, outdoorapplications,andcertaincomplex lightinginstallations.
In2022,Casambiintroducedanewchip,the CBM-003,whichenablesnewradiomodes andlongerrangesofuptoapproximately200 meters(650feet)inreal-worldapplications. BaseduponNordicSemiconductor’s nRF52840SoC,thismoduleofferslower energyconsumption,greatermemoryfor Flash&RAM,andsupportsthelatest Bluetooth5specificationtoofferlong-range andhighthroughputmodes.Thishasnow beenincorporatedintothreeCasambi BluetoothUnits.
CBU-ASD-LR:TheCBU-ASD-LRisa Bluetooth-controlled,long-rangecontrolunit foranytypeofdriverwith0-10V,1-10V,or
DALIdimminginterface.Thisisavailablewith eitheranalog0-10V(and1-10V)ordigital StandaloneDALIcontrolinterface.With standaloneDALIoutput,theCBU-ASD-LR actsbothasacontrollerandpowersupply, makingitpossibletoconnectdirectlytoan LEDdriverwithaDALIinterface.Withthis unit,it’spossibletoimplementmulti-channel lightingsystemswithadjustablecolor(RGB andRGBW)orcolortemperature(CCT),while keepingthewiringandthenumberof componentstoaminimum.
CBU-TED-LR:TheCBU-TED-LRisa Bluetooth-controlled,long-rangetrailingedge dimmerfordimmableincandescent,halogen, LEDlamps,andLEDcontrolgear.Withthis unit,anydimmableloadcanbeeasily convertedtobecomeapartofaCasambi meshradionetwork.Itcanbeinstalledbehind atraditionalwallswitch,insidealuminaire,or intoaceilingoutletbox.TheCBU-TED-LR canalsobeconvertedtoamains-activated sensordevice.Whenactingasapresence sensor,thisdeviceprovidespresence informationtothemeshnetworkwhenitis poweredup.
CasambiXpress-LR:TheCasambiXpress-LR isaBluetooth-controlled,long-rangeuser interface.Thisswitchcanbekeptwherever theuserneedsit,providingdirectaccesstoall theimportantCasambilightingcontrol functionalities.Itoffersallthebasicfunctions: Dimup,dimdown,changecolortemperature instepsof25Kelvin,changeindirect/direct ratio,controlindividualorluminairegroups, recallscenesandanimations.Additionally, smarterfunctions,suchaspresetsand multipurposebuttons,canbeconfiguredin theCasambiApp.
‘It’swithgreatpleasurethatweannouncethe availabilityofnewlong-rangevariantsofour CBUsandwirelessswitch.Ifyouarenewto theidea,theseareincrediblygoodoptionsfor introducingCasambiwirelesscapabilitiesto luminaires.Thisisaboutproviding easy-to-deploysolutionsfornovelhybrid applications–vastsportsfacilities,parking lots,multi-buildingcampuses,andmore robustindoor/outdoorinstallations’saysKari Mettälä,CasambiCEO.
Newnetworkmodes:Threeradiomodesare nowofferedbyCasambi:‘Balanced’,‘Better Performance’,‘LongRange’.Long-range performancecomesfromtwofactors:Higher
radiotransmissionpower(now+8dBm insteadof+4dBm),anduseofaspecial (definedbyBluetooth5specificationand supportedinNordicSemiconductor’s microcontrollers)hardwarefeaturetoencode radiotransmissionsinanerror-resilientway, payingwithlowertransmissionspeedfor highersensitivity(effectiverange)forreceiving thesignals. ■
ams-osram.com
amsOSRAM(SIX:AMS),agloballeaderin opticalsolutions,haslaunchedtheTOPLED® D5140,SFH2202,aphotodiodethatoffers improvedperformancecomparedtoexisting standardphotodiodes,includinghigher sensitivitytovisiblelightinthegreenpartof thespectrum,andincreasedlinearity.
Theseimprovedfeaturesenablesmart watches,activitytrackersandotherwearable devicestomeasureheartrateandblood oxygensaturation(SpO2)moreaccurately,by substantiallyreducingtheeffectofinterference fromambientlight,andimprovingthequality ofthereceivedopticalsignal.
Benefitingfromvariousoptimizationsofthe processtechnologywithwhichthe photodiodedieisfabricated,theTOPLED® D5140,SFH2202achieves30timeshigher linearityintheinfraredspectrumthanstandard photodiodes,accordingtoamsOSRAM internalbenchmarking.Laboratory characterizationalsoshowssubstantially increasedsensitivityatthegreenwavelength usedforheartratemeasurementin photoplethysmography(PPG)–atechnique thattracksthepeaksandtroughsoflight absorptionbybloodvessels.
WhenusedinPPGsystems,thehighlylinear TOPLED®D5140,SFH2202willenable manufacturersofwearabledevicestoachieve muchhigheraccuracyinSpO2 measurementsinconditionsexposedto strongorfast-changingambientlightintensity. Atypicalexampleofsuchconditionsoccurs whentheuserrunsorcyclesthroughadense
urbanareaandmovesinandoutoftheshade thrownbytallbuildings.
TheTOPLED®D5140,SFH2202’shigher sensitivitytogreenwavelengthsimproves heartratemeasurementbyenablingthe systemtooperatewithlowerLEDlight intensity,savingpowerandhelpingtoextend batteryrun-time,whilemaintaininghighly accuratemeasurements.TheTOPLED® D5140,SFH2202’sspeciallydesigned packagewithblacksidewallsminimizes internalcross-talk,furtherdecreasingerrorin opticalmeasurementsandincreasingthe stabilityofheartratemeasurements.
FlorianLex,ProductMarketingManagerat amsOSRAM,said:‘Premiumproductsinthe wearabledevicemarketaddvalueby providingvitalsignsmeasurementsthatthe usercantrust.Bydesigningoutthe photodiode’shighnon-linearity,whichimpairs theoperationofSpO2measurementcircuits, amsOSRAMisenablingwearabledevice manufacturerstodifferentiatetheirproducts andsecureahigherpremiumpositioningin thecompetitivemarketforactivelifestyle technologyproducts.’
TheTOPLED®D5140,SFH2202photodiode isinvolumeproductionnow. ■
displaysolutions.samsung.com
SamsungDisplayannouncedthatthe companyhassignedamemorandumof understanding(MOU)withFerrariatSamsung Display’sAsancampusinKoreatodevelopa displaysolutionforimplementationinFerrari’s next-generationmodels.JSChoi,President andCEOofSamsungDisplay,andBenedetto Vigna,CEOofFerrari,attendedthesigning ceremony.
WiththisMOU,SamsungDisplaywilldevelop aninnovativeautomotivedisplaysolution befittingaluxurysupercarbrandwith world-leadingOLEDtechnologyinorderto supporttheseamlessdigitaltransformationof Ferrari.
Overthepastdecade,SamsungDisplayhas beenleadingthetechnologytransitioninthe premiumsmartphonemarketfromLCDto OLED.Asanindustryleaderinthepremium displaymarketandpioneerofrevolutionary OLEDtechnologysince2007,Samsung Displayisnowactivelytargetingthe automotivedisplaymarketwhichisan importanttechnologyandbusinessplatform.
AtCES2023,SamsungDisplayunveiledits NewDigitalCockpitwitha34-inchslimbezel displayandbendabletechnologythatcreates 700Rcurvatureduringthedrivingmode. Thelightweight,slimstructureandthethin bezelofOLEDpanelsallowforhighlevelsof designfreedomanditstrueblackand high-contrastcapabilitiessatisfythedesign needsofleadingautomakers.Moreover, OLED’slowpowerconsumptionofferseven greaterbenefits,sinceeverywattsaved improvesthecar’sefficiencyandsustainability.
“Intheluxurysector,elevatingtheclient’s experienceiskey,”saidBenedettoVigna, CEOofFerrari.“Throughthisstrategic partnershipwithSamsungDisplayforthe dedicateddevelopmentofbespokeOLED technologydisplaysolutions,wewillmakea significantstepforwardsinthedigital environmentofournext-generationmodels.”
“BasedonourextensiveexpertiseinOLED technology,wearepoisedtointroduce cutting-edgedisplaysolutionsthatmeetthe Ferraristandard,”saidJSChoi,Presidentand CEOofSamsungDisplay.“Wearecertainthat ourcollaborationwithFerrariwillprovidean excitingopportunitytoapplyourstrengthsto thesupercarfieldandreinforceourpositionin theautomotiveOLEDmarket,enablingusto reachevernewheights.”
SamsungDisplayCo.,Ltd.isanindustry leaderinprovidingcutting-edgedisplay solutionsaroundtheworld.Thecompany diversifiesitsdisplaymarketstonotonly smartphones,TVs,laptops,andmonitorsbut alsosmartwatches,VR,gameconsoles,and automotiveapplications.Furthermore,ithas closepartnershipswithavarietyofglobal manufacturers.HeadquarteredinSouth Korea,witharangeoflarge-scalefacilities, SamsungDisplayhasproductionplantsin China,Vietnam,andIndia,andoperatessales officesinninecountriesworldwide.Knownfor itsinnovation,SamsungDisplayisleadingthe foldabledisplaymarket,enablingtheworld’s firstmass-productionofOLED,endeavoring todevelopnext-generationtechnologysuch ashighimagequalityQD(Quantum Dot)-OLED,slidableandstretchablepanelsto provideextraordinaryexperiencesand endlesspossibilitiesforconsumers. ■
ams-osram.com
amsOSRAM(SIX:AMS),agloballeaderin opticalsolutions,hasintroducedthe OSLON®UV3535seriesofmid-powerUV-C LEDswhichmeetcustomers’requirementsfor longerlifetime,higheroutputpowerandeasier systemintegration.TheSUCULEP1.VCand
SUCULDP1.VCUV-CLEDsintheOSLON® UV3535familyfromamsOSRAMarenow availableworldwide.Furtherinformationabout UV-Ctreatmentcanbefoundhere.
• Newdesignreducesopticallossesand optimizesradiationcharacteristics deliveringoutstandingwallplugefficiency
• Newopenpackagedesignwithreflector andnocoverglassandlens
• Standard3535surface-mountfootprintand compactsizeforeasyintegrationinto systemdesigns
• 275nmtypicalwavelengthisidealfor surface,airandwatertreatmentinindustrial aswellasconsumerapplications
TheOSLON®UV3535LEDscombinea compactdesignwithleadingefficiencyand highquality,makingthemidealforusein consumerorindustrialapplicationssuchas waterpurificationorairconditioningsystems. Theseproductsshowatypicaloutputpower of40mWatadrivecurrentof185mAforthe SUCULDP1.VC,and75mWat350mAfor theSUCULEP1.VC.
Thenewpackagedesignwithnocoverglass andanintegratedreflectorimprovesthe outputbyreducingopticallossesandleadsto acomparablyhighwallplugefficiencyof 3.7%.Thereflectorcollectsthedie’s emissionsanddirectsthelightforwardwitha viewingangleof120°.Astandard3.5mmx 3.5mmfootprintandtheabsenceofcover glassandlensgivesystemdesignersthe flexibilitytoapplyastandardUV-Clensandto optimizethelightoutputfortheirapplication. AfurtheradvantageofthenewOSLON® productsSUCULDP1.VCandSU CULEP1.VCisanexcellent,application dependent,lifetime.Thepackagealso includesanESDprotectiondeviceanda transparentdielectriccoatingasaprotective element,contributingtotherobustnessofthe LED.
PiaWeinmann,SeniorProductManagerfor UV-CatamsOSRAM,said:‘Manufacturersof UVdisinfectionequipmentarecompetingto providethemostvaluetocustomersby producingtherequireddisinfectiondosewith fewerandlonger-lastingemitters.The OSLON®UV3535productsofferanew competitiveedgewiththeirincreasedoutput powerandlifetime.‘
Technologyinnovationproducesperformance breakthroughTheenhancedperformanceof theOSLON®UV3535LEDsistheresultof innovationsinpackagedesignand semiconductortechnology.Thenewopen packagedesignisrobust,compactand flexibleforuseinapplicationsthatrequire mediumtohighUV-Coutputpower.
TheAlGaN-basedflipchipisamorereliable radiationsourcethantraditionalUV-Csources andprovidesflexibilityintermsofwavelength,
outputpowerandswitching.Theproducts arepartofastrongperformanceroadmapto furtherenhanceourpositioninthefast developingUV-Cmarket.
TheSUCULEP1.VCandSUCULDP1.VC UV-CLEDsintheOSLON®UV3535family fromamsOSRAMarenowavailable worldwide. ■
https://www.avnet.com
andnodamagecouldbedetected.This underlinesthehighqualityoftheoptics, whoselighttransmissionis90%.
TheUVlensesAL-10M-DUV280and AL-20M-DUV280havearadiationangleof10 and20degreesrespectively.Otherradiation anglesareconceivable.TheJapanese companyiscurrentlytestingwhetherthegood testresultscanalsobereproducedatshorter wavelengths.TheUVopticsfromAsahi Rubbercanbeusedinvariousapplications suchaswatertreatment,airpurification, sterilizationofmedicalinstrumentsandother areas.Thehighlyefficientlensesare distributedinEuropeonlybytheSwabianLED expertLumitronix. ■
avicena.tech
AvicenaTechCorp.,aprivatelyheldcompany inSunnyvale,CA,haspartneredwithams OSRAMtodevelophigh-volume manufacturingofGaNmicroLEDarraysforits industry-leadingLightBundle™ communicationarchitecture.
www.lumitronix.com
TheJapaneseopticsmanufacturerAsahi RubberrecentlyintroducednewUVoptics especiallyfortheUV-Crange(280nm).The siliconelensesnamedAL-10M-DUV280(for LEDsofasizeof3.5x3.5mm)and AL-20M-DUV280(forLEDsofasizeof6.8x 6.8mm)weremeasuredwiththeUV-CLEDs ofthetypeNCSU334BfromNichiaand subjectedtoanendurancetestof15000 hours,wherebyhardlyanylossofbrightness
Theneedfornextgenerationcomputing powerishere,drivenbystrongAI/MLand HPCapplicationdemand–forproductslike ChatGPT,DALL-E,autonomousvehicle training,andmanyothers.Attemptstoscale currentarchitecturesarerunningheadlong intophysicallimitsleadingtoslower throughputgrowth,power-hungryandhardto coolsystems.TheAvicenaLightBundle architecturebreaksnewgroundbyunlocking theperformanceofxPUs,memoryand sensors–removingkeyconstraintsof bandwidthandproximitywhilesimultaneously offeringanorder-of-magnitudereductionin powerconsumption.
“Avicena’sLightBundletechnologyprovides anopportunityforGaNmicroLEDstoimpact numerouskeyapplicationsincludingHPC, AI/ML,sensors,automotiveandaerospace. AsagloballeaderinGaNLEDs,weare excitedtopartnerwithAvicenatotransform theseverylargeandimportantmarkets.”
—ROBERTFEURLE,EXECUTIVEVICE PRESIDENTANDMANAGINGDIRECTOR, OSBUSINESSUNITATAMSOSRAM: “WeacquiredourfabfromNanosysin Octobertoaccelerateourdevelopmentefforts andsupportlow-volumeprototype manufacturing,”saysBardiaPezeshki, founderandCEOofAvicena.“However,we areaddressingverysizeablemarketsrequiring high-volumemanufacturing.Wearevery pleasedtopartnerwithoneofworld’stop GaNLEDcompaniestoprovideapathto satisfytheexpectedhighvolumesrequiredby ourcustomers,includinghyperscale datacenteroperatorsandtheworld’sleading ICcompanies.”
“Avicena’sLightBundletechnologyprovides anopportunityforGaNmicroLEDstoimpact numerouskeyapplicationsincludingHPC, AI/ML,sensors,automotiveandaerospace,” saysRobertFeurle,ExecutiveVicePresident andManagingDirector,OSBusinessUnitat amsOSRAM.“AsagloballeaderinGaN LEDs,weareexcitedtopartnerwithAvicena totransformtheseverylargeandimportant markets.”
AbouttheTechnology:
Today’shigh-performanceICsuse SerDes-basedelectricallinkstoachieve adequateIOdensity.However,thepower consumptionandbandwidthdensityofthese electricallinksdegradequicklywithlength. Conventionalopticalcommunications technologiesdevelopedfornetworking applicationshavebeenimpracticalfor inter-processorandprocessor-memory interconnectsduetotheirlowbandwidth density,highpowerconsumption,andhigh cost.Moreover,co-packagingexistinglaser sourceswithhotASICsdoesnotfitwellfor reliabilityreasonsunlessexternallasersources (ELS)areusedwhichincreasescomplexity andcost.
Avicena’sLightBundle™linksusedensely packedarraysofGaNmicroLEDstocreate highlyparallelopticalinterconnectswith typicalthroughputsof>1Tb/satenergiesof< 1pJ/bit.ALightBundlecableusesahighly multicoremultimodefibertoconnectaGaN microLEDtransmitterarraytoamatching arraysiliconphotodetectors(PDs).Arraysof hundredsorthousandsofLightBundle’s microLEDsandPDsareeasilyintegratedwith standardCMOSICs,enablingtheclosest integrationofopticalinterconnectswith
electricalcircuits.Inadditiontohighenergy efficiencyandhighbandwidthdensity,these LightBundlelinksalsoexhibitlowlatency sincethemodulationformatoftheindividual linksissimpleNRZinsteadofPAM4whichis commoninmanymodernopticallinksbuthas thedisadvantageofhigherpower consumptionandadditionallatency.
TheparallelnatureofLightBundle™iswell matchedtoparallelchipletinterfaceslike UCIe,OpenHBI,andBoW,andcanalsobe usedtoextendthereachofcompute interconnectslikePCIe/CXL, HBM/DDR/GDDRmemorylinks,aswellas variousinter-processorinterconnectslike NVLinkwithlowpowerandlowlatency.
AboutAvicena: AvicenaTechCorp.isaprivatelyheld companylocatedinSunnyvale,CA, developingLightBundle,anextgeneration computingarchitectureforAI/ML,HPC, sensors,5Gwirelessandaerospace applications.Thisunique,flexibleultra-low energytechnologyisbasedonmicroLEDs, offeringbothveryhighbandwidthandlow latency.Now,systemdesignerscan disaggregatefunctionslikecomputeand memoryandradicallygrowsystem throughput.Avicena’stechnologyisakey buildingblockintheevolutionofnetworking andcomputingthatwillreducetheenergy impactonourplanet. ■
www.dali-alliance.org
TheDALIAlliance,theglobalindustry organizationforDALIlightingcontrol,has revealedthewinnersofitsprestigiousDALI LightingAwards2022.
Thestandardofentrieswithineachofthe eightcategorieswasexceptionallyhigh,and theawardsrecognizethebestuseofDALI lightingcontrolapplicationsandsolutions aroundtheglobe.Theinternationaljudging paneloflightingdesigners,lightingmagazine editors,andrepresentativesfromglobal lightingorganizationspickedeightprojectsas well-deservedwinners.Furtherinformation aboutallthewinnersandcommended projectsisavailableonourwebsiteat www.dali-alliance.org/awards2022.
ThewinnerintheArchitectural& EntertainmentcategoryisTridonicMiddle East,foritsworkontheExpo2000entry portalsinDubai,UAE.Thelightingsystem useddynamiccolormixingtoprovidethe desiredeffectsinthevastportals,whichare 21mtall,30mlong,and10.5mwide.DALI wasusedduetoitsadvanceddimmingand daylightsensingfeatures,interoperability,and itsabilitytoreducemaintenancecosts.
TheHealthcare&Educationawardwentto
Delmatic,foritsworkatUniversityCollege London(UCL)HospitalinLondon,UK.DALI lightingmanagementsystemsextend throughoutthehospital’s34,500m2building, whichcomprisessixfloorsabovegroundand fivebelow.Theenergy-efficientDALIsystem managesandmonitorsaround17,500DALI assets,andincorporatescomprehensiveDALI emergencylighttestingandmonitoring.
SynapseWirelesstriumphedintheIndustrial categoryforitsworkontheUlineStoreC6 projectinOntario,California.Lightingforthe1 millionsquarefootwarehouseisallcontrolled fromasinglelightingdashboardwithlights respondingtocommandsinlessthana second.DALIwaschosenduetotherich featuresoftheD4iLEDdrivers,whichprovide assetmanagementandpowermonitoring.In turnthisallowsthecustomertoachieve energyrebatesandmeetstrictenergycodes. DelmaticalsowontheInfrastructurecategory foritsworkontheElizabethLine,anew 118kmhigh-speedrailnetworkinLondon, UK.ThisisEurope’slargestinfrastructure project,andusesmorethan35,000DALI assetstoilluminatethestations.DALI optimizesefficiency,safetyandaesthetics, whileprovidingtheflexibilityandversatility neededtomeetthestringentandcomplex lightingrequirementsoftheproject.
ThewinneroftheOutdoorcategoryisSignify foritsstreetlightingrenewalprojectin Algeciras,Spain.Atotalof5,600lightpoints havebeenupdatedthroughoutthecity,and technicianscannowremotelycontrol Zhaga-D4iluminairesfrommultiple manufacturerswithasinglecontrolsystem. ThenewLEDlightingsystemhasenabledthe citytocutitsenergyusagebymorethan50%, areductionof1261tonsofCO2peryearand asavingofalmosthalfamillioneuros.
SunricherwontheResidentialcategoryforits workontheTaiziwanHigh-endBuildingin Shenzhen,China.Thebuildinghas33floors andatotalof158households,andusesa DALIlightingschemeconnectedwithaKNX buscontrolsystemforintelligentbuilding control.DALIcanindividuallycontrolorflexibly groupdifferentlightingunitsontheDALIbus. DALIwaschosenforitseasymanagement, straightforwardinstallation,andaccurate, stableandsmoothdimmingcontrol.
Delmaticcompleteditstriplesuccesswiththe Retail&Hospitalityaward,foraprojectat BatterseaPowerStationinLondon,UK. Delmatic’sDALI-2lightingsystemintegrates controlofnormal,specialistandemergency lightingacrosstheproject.Lightingscenarios canbeconfiguredtopreciselysuitthe individualrequirementswithinthevarious spaces.DALIwaschosenduetoitsflexibility, energyefficiency,emergencylighting capabilities,anddimmingandcolorcontrol.
Finally,theWorkspacescategorywaswonby
Bluebottle,foritsworkonthe83PirieStreet officesinAdelaide,Australia.Thisinvolved around9,000DALIdevicesinthe22-level officetower,withDALIusedforthecontrolof alllightfittings.DALIwasselectedduetoits flexibilityandeaseofwiring;bringingallassets ontotheDALIbusgreatlyreducedthewiring complexity,andofferedcostsavingsover traditionalbussystems. ■
www.acuitybrands.com
Ourbuiltenvironmentplaysacrucialrolein determiningthequalityofenergywe consume.Asthenationinvestsingrid modernizationandresiliency,thereisa growingemphasisonelectrification, renewableenergyintegration,andcarbon reduction.Withthis,DirectCurrent(DC) poweriskeytoeasilyconnectingour buildingstorenewableresourcesandenergy storagebatteries.
WhileAlternatingCurrent(AC)hastraditionally dominatedourbuiltenvironment,theuseof DCpowerisrapidlyexpanding.From renewableenergysourcesandelectric vehiclestomobiledevicesandITnetworks, DCpowerisalreadyprevalentandcontinuing togrow.ConvertingACtoDCpowerresults inefficiencylossesandpotentialfailurepoints forconnecteddevicesandsystems.However, directDCpowerconnectiontorenewable energysources,combinedwithDC-powered buildingsystems,hasbeenprovento generatesignificantenergysavingscompared toAC-poweredbuildings.Recognizingthe potentialofDCpower,theUSGreenBuilding CouncilhasintroducedaLEED®creditfor DirectCurrentPowerSystemsand considerationforDC-poweredsystemsunder itsLEEDZerocertification.
AcuityBrands’innovativeDC2DCarchitecture providesadistributedDCpowersolutionfor LEDlightingsystems,revolutionizingtheir efficiencyandsustainability.Byeliminatingthe needtoconvertACtoDCpoweratthe luminaire,thearchitecturereducesenergy lossesandenhancesthereliabilityoflighting systems.Thisnotonlylowersmaintenance andoperationcostsbutalsocontributesto overallenergysavingsandsustainabilitygoals. TheDC2DCarchitectureisidealfornew constructionspaceslikeclassrooms,where bothenergyefficiencyandoccupantcomfort andwell-beingarecriticalfactors.Itallowsfor upto16lightingzonesorupto8lighting zoneswithtunablewhite,whichpromotesan intellectuallystimulatingandcomfortable environment,alignedwithkeyclassroom activities.
Energizeslightingdesignforstudentand teacherwell-being:TheDC2DCarchitecture’s controlcablingandDCpoweredLEDdrivers providenativesupportfortunablewhite applicationsenablingthecreationofscenes andmodesthatcanbealignedwithkey activitiesduringtheday.
Empowersflexiblelightingcontroldesignand “flexspace”configuration:Luminairescanbe individuallycontrolledorgroupedinzones, andinstallationtimecanbefurtherreducedby leveragingembeddedoccupancyanddaylight sensorswithinluminaires.Classroomspaces canbereconfigured,andlightingcontrol zonescustomized,withouttheneedandcost ofrewiring.
Reducesmaterialsandinstallationhoursand facilitatesmaintenance:UtilizationofClass2 lowvoltageDCwiringeliminatestheneedfor powerpacks,junctionboxes,andconduitto luminaires,providingreductionsofboth materialsandrelatedinstallationhours,and contributingtoareductioninconstruction carbonfootprint.TheDCHUBisasinglepoint ofACtoDCpowerconversionandluminaire controlinterface,reducingpointsof maintenance.
Integratesforaunifiedbuildingapproach:The DC2DCarchitecturecanbeusedwithina hybridimplementationofDCandACpowered lightingsystemswithinonebuilding.Itispart ofaunifiedplatformthroughnLightnetworked controls,enablingbuilding-widecontroland lightingstrategies. ■
www.nichia.co.jp/en/
NICHIA,theworld’slargestLEDmanufacturer andinventorofthehigh-brightnessblueand whiteLED,announcedanextensive internationalroadshow.Aspartofthe 30th-anniversaryofthehighbrightnessblue LEDpioneeredbyNICHIA,aseriesof must-attendeventsforcustomers,partners andinfluentiallightingprofessionalswillbe stagedacrossEuropeincludingdedicated roadshowmeetingsinGermany,Spain,Italy andotherEuropeanlocations.
Theroadshowstartedon9MayinFrankfurt amMainareainNichia’sofficeinKronberg, Germany,withspecificbusiness representativesandinvitedpartnersin attendance.Thetourcontinuesinother Europeancitieswithspecificevents scheduledinBarcelonaon31May, Hechingenon21June,andMilanon28June.
Nichia,togetherwithkeylocalEuropean partners,willdeliveranimmersiveexperience tokeycustomersbytellingthestoryofhigh brightnessblueLEDs.Besidesinteractive workshops,roundtablediscussionsand conference-stylepresentationswithanexpert panelofspeakers,theeventswillalsoallow luminairemanufacturers,lightingdesigners andNichia’srepresentativesandsales partnerstonetwork,observeproduct demonstrationsanddiscussNichia’s world-leadinginnovationsandcurrentlighting trendsinperson.
TheinventionofthehighbrightnessblueLED hascontributedtomanysignificantadvances inSolidStateLighting.Nichiahaspushedthe boundariesofitstechnologyfurtheroverthe past30yearswithcontinuousproduct innovation.Presentationsintheroadshowwill focusonarangeofkeylightingapplications includingtheuseofhighefficacy,highcolor qualityandsustainablelightinginretailstores.
Casestudieswillalsobepresentedsuchas howspectrumandcolortunablelighting technologiesboostthewell-beingof occupantsinhealthandhospitalityvenuesas wellasofficeworkspaces.Therewillbea “lightexperience”spacewherevisitorstothe roadshowcanexperiencethelatest technologicalinnovationsinthefieldofLED andHumanCentricLighting.
Dr.UlfMeiners,ManagingDirector,NICHIA EuropeGmbH,said:“Theobjectiveofthis roadshowistointroduceourclass-leading technologiesandproductstoourcustomers andprovideahighlyengagingexperience.We willnotonlyintroducethelatestproductsbut alsohavetechnicalexpertsonhandto educateattendeesface-to-face.”
“Wealwaysstrivetocommunicatedirectly withourcustomers–theyshapeourfuture, andourpurposeistohelpthemsucceedin realizingtheirdesignsandmeetingfunctional requirements.Theteamarelookingforwardto hittingtheroad,forgingclosertieswithour keystakeholdersandmeetingevenmore customersface-to-face.” ■
Webinar:MimickingDaylight Indoors–Why,What,How?
www.led-professional.com
TheGoodLightGroup,togetherwiththe SocietyforLightTreatmentandBiological Rhythms(SLTBR),theDaylightAcademy (DLA),theInternationalAssociationofLighting Designers(IALD),andLugerResearch(LR), areorganizingandpresentingthe“Mimicking DaylightIndoors–Why,What,How?”lectures onMay16th,2023from04:00PM-05:30 PM(CEST).Thewebinarexplainstheneedfor daylightandhowwecanusethisknowledge inlightingdesigns.
Lecture:“Daylight–SeeMe,FeelMe,Touch Me,HealMe!“byProfessorYvonnedeKort, TechnicalUniversityEindhoven,The Netherlands.Ourtechnologicaltoolstocreate indoorelectriclightareeveradvancing,and yetinvirtuallyeverycontextthereseemstobe nothingbetterthan“therealthing”.Inmy presentationIwillreviewthescientific evidencefortheimportanceofdaylightand sunlightindoorsforhumanhealthand wellbeing,andthedifferentmechanisms throughwhichtheseeffects(may)emerge.We hopethismayinspirearchitectsandengineers todesignforevenbetterdaylightaccessand perhapsevenbetterelectriclightingsolutions.
Lecture:“DaylightinBuildings–HowMuch WeNeedandGet”byJohannesZauner,PhD, MunichUniversityofAppliedSciences, Germany.Designingspaceswithoptimal daylightlevelsiscrucialformaintaininga healthycircadianrhythm.However,thetypical indoorenvironmentfallsshortof recommended(day)lightlevelsforoptimal health.Inthistalk,thespeakerwillshowcase real-worldprojectsthatsuccessfullyoptimized daylightlevelsduringthedesignphaseand integratedartificiallightingtoboostlightlevels duringwinter.Attendeeswillgaininsightsinto whyquantitativedaylightoptimizationatthe verybeginningofaprojectsavesmoneyand leadstobetterinteriorspaces. ■
HugoROHNER:
“Sustainabilityhasalwaysbeena fascinatingtopicforme.Itis somethingthatTridonicfocuseson anditmakesadifference.”
Tridonic,acompanyoftheZumtobelGroup,wasfoundedin1956in Dornbirn,Austria.Forover60years,thecompanyhasbeenadriving forceinthedevelopmentofprofessionallightingsolutions.Today, Tridonicisaworld-leadingprovideroflightingtechnologyforprofessional applicationsinoffices,retail,hotelsandgastronomy,education,industry, outdoorlightingsectors,andmuchmore.
www.tridonic.com
LEDprofessional: Wearedelightedto havetheopportunitytoconductthis interviewwithyou.Tostart,canyou giveusareviewofyourcareer?
HugoROHNER: IgrewupinSt.Gallen, Switzerland,whereIlivetoday.Igotmy Master’sDegreeinBusinessScience fromtheUniversityofSt.Gallenin2000. Ispentafewyearsasamanagement consultantbeforejoiningacompanyinvolvedinsecuritytechnologyasheadof thecontrollingdepartment.ThenIhad whatyoucouldcallaclassical‘finance career’overthenexttenyears.That ledmetoGermanyandtheUSbefore becomingtheCEOofSKIDATA,anAustrianaccesscontrolcompanylocated inSalzburg.MystartatTridonicwasin May2020,andthisdatealsomarksmy entryintothelightingindustry.
LEDprofessional: Nowlet’stalkabout Tridonic.Couldyoubrieflytellus aboutthecompany’shistory?
HugoROHNER: Tridonicrepresentsthe originalbusinessofZumtobel,starting in1956withdevelopingandproducingmagneticballasts.Sincethen,Tridonichasalwaysbeentheretomake lightwork.Ourspecializationinelectronicsforlightingledusearlyontodigital technology.In1991,wealreadybrought digitallydimmableballaststothemarket.Thetechnologybehinditservedas thebasisfortheworldwideDALIstandard1,whichbecameadailybusiness fortheentirelightingindustry.Wehad earlyLEDactivitiesfrom2007,although
1DALIAlliance https://www.dali-alliance.org
wemustadmitthatourbusinesswith LEDonlytookofflater.
AftertheLEDificationperiod,westepped veryquicklyintoconnectivity.Today oursystemsolutionsaredesignedfor connectivityapplications.Atthesame time,weprovidestandardproductswith driversandlightsources.Currently,we areinournextevolutionphase,which issustainability.Wecanbuildonmany yearsofecologicalorientationwithinour companyandsuccessfullyimplement measures,whichwewillnowstrategicallycombineandconsistentlyexpand.
LEDprofessional: Couldyouexplain howTridonicisintegratedintheZumtobelGroup.
HugoROHNER: WeareaproudmemberoftheZumtobelGroup2,butweare independentinthatwedomostofour business–morethan80%-outsideof theZumtobelGroup.TheTridonicresearchdepartmentisentirelyseparate. Sinceourproductsgointoluminaires, andZumtobelisoneofthecompaniesmakingluminaires;obviously,we alsoselltocompetitorsoftheZumtobel Group,somethingthatwehavebeen doingformanyyears.Tridonicproducts werenecessarytostartuptheZumtobel Group,andtheZumtobelGroupquickly realizedthatthiswassomethingforeveryoneinthemarket.Wehaveworked withintheZumtobelGroupasanindependentcompanyservingcustomers worldwideformanyyears.
LEDprofessional: Whatarethemajor productgroupsTridonicofferstothe market?
HugoROHNER: Ourmainbusinessis drivers3,whethertheyareregulardrivers ortheemergencyversion.Thatmakes upmorethanhalfofourbusiness.Then wehavequiteasignificantLEDmodule4 business.Themodulesmatchperfectly withourdriversandallowourcustomers tohaveacompletetechnologicaldeliveryfromus.Thenwehavecontrols, whichincludesensors,andmanyother things,whichisarobustthirdgroup. Withtheintelligencegoingintothesystems,softwarebecomesmuchmore critical.Thesoftwareallowscontroland addingfeatures.Butweconsiderthe softwarepartofeverythingwedo,and it’sgenerallyintegratedintocomplete systems.
LEDprofessional: Theproductgroups canbesoldindependently,butare therealsopackages?
HugoROHNER: Thebestwaytolook atthatiswiththeHumanCentricLightingforeverythingrelatedtomodules. Wepairthesemoduleswiththecorrect drivers.Ifaclientwantsapackage,we willhappilyprovidethat,includingthe modules,drivers,sensors,andemergencyunits,fittingperfectlytogether.
3TridonicLEDDrivers https://www.tridonic.com/en/in t/products/led-drivers
4TridonicLEDModules https://www.tridonic.com/en/ int/products/led-modules
LEDprofessional: WhereisTridonic locatedglobally?
HugoROHNER: Theheadquartersis inDornbirn5 andhasanadjacentfactory.ThelargestfactoryisinNis,Serbia, andthesecondisinShenzhen,China. Furthermore,aSpennymoor,UKfactory specializesinsensorsandemergency gears.Inalloftheselocations,wealso havespecificR&Dcenters.Inaddition tothat,ourR&Dcenterforsoftwareisin Porto,Portugal.AlthoughourmainbusinessisinEurope,wearewellplacedin ChinaandAustralia,theEmirates,South Africa,Turkey,andtheUS.
OurChinesefactoryfocusesonproductsmainlyfortheAsianmarket.The Dornbirnfactoryfocusesonpremium productlines–moreadvancedproducts.AndNisisforthemassmarketin Europe.AlmostallstandardLEDmodels areproducedinNis.
Thereisalotofknowledgeoutthere thatourcustomerscanbenefitfrom, andeventhoughTridonichasasignificantsize,weknowwewillneverbeable todoeverythingourselves.Wecan’t bespecialistsineverything,sowelike concentratingonwhatwedobestand gettingotherinputsfromtheoutside. Forexample,webroughtourlatestASIC onthemarketoneandahalfyearsago. DevelopingspecificICswithpartners showshowwecollaboratedcloselywith companiesspecializingincrucialtechnologies.
LEDprofessional: DoesTridonicwork intheArtificialIntelligence(AI)field forlightingsolutions?
HugoROHNER: Therearemanyuse casesforAI.Themostobviousoneisif youlookathowenergyisusedinbuildings.WecanuseAItohelpusunderstandbetterwhenlightisrequiredand atwhatlevel.Westronglyinvestinunderstandingdriversunderstresstodo preventativemaintenance.Andweare usingAItobecomebetter,ourselves.
LEDprofessional: Wealsowantto congratulateyouonyourrecentDALI lightingaward.
operation,throughtodisposal.Wewant tobeoneoftheplayerswholeadthe lightingindustrytosustainablestructures -activelyandasthoughtleaders.The topicmayseemnewtoTridonic,butin factwealreadyhavesomeexperience andexpertiseintheareaofsustainability. However,itistypicalthatwefirstbuild upourknow-how,implementmethods andwheneverythingworks,wealsotalk aboutit.Thisisalsotrueforimplementingthecradletocradleconcept.Weare notthefirstinourindustrytotalkabout it,butasyousay,probablythefirstto implement.
Wehavenowcombinedouractivities, plansandgoalsintoourSustainableTridonicstrategyandaretacklingissues suchascirculareconomyevenmore stronglyandsystematically.Weshould notprocrastinatewhenitcomestoprotectingourplanet.
LEDprofessional: Sustainabilityand eco-designseemtobehighlyimportantforTridonic.
(right)
platformwithits220Woutputisdesignedfor useinharshenvironments,especiallyinindustrial applications.
LEDprofessional: Howimportantis cooperationwithotherbusinessand technologypartners?
HugoROHNER: Wearespecializedin energyefficiencyfordriversandmodules,includingadvancedsensorsand controls.Wecooperatewithcompanies intechnologyfieldssuchascamerasor sensorsthatmeasureparametersthat thelightingindustrytraditionallyhasn’t beeninterestedin–likeairquality.
Itcouldbeanalmostfinalproductthat weintegrate,oritcouldbeanideathat wedeveloptogetherwithapartner.
5TridonicGmbH&CoKG,Färbergasse15,6851 Dornbirn,Austria
HugoROHNER: Thankyouverymuch. Weareextremelyproud.The“Bestin CategoryArchitecturalLightingAward” wasforaprojectwedidwithcustomers inDubai.Itwasfortheentranceportals oftheDubaiExpoin2021.Itwasabout creatingaparticularlightingatmosphere fortheseentryportals.Theyusedour DALIdriversandcreatedalightingscene viatunablewhite.Thejudgeswereimpressedbythesimplebuthighlyeffectivelightingdesignofthestructureand theexemplaryuseofDALItunable-white control.ItshowsthattheTridoniccollaborationwithourcustomersworksvery well.
LEDprofessional: WhydidTridonic focusonsustainabilitymaybemore thanothers?
HugoROHNER: Sustainabilityispart ofTridonic’sDNA.Forexample,wepioneeredtheEnvironmentalProduct DeclarationEPD,whichwehavebeen issuingsince1998.Theyrecordtheimpactofaproductontheenvironment duringitsentirelifecycle:Startingwith theextractionofrawmaterials,through production,transport,installationand
HugoROHNER: Thewholetopicofsustainabilityhasbecomemorecriticalover thepastcoupleofyears,butTridonic hasalwayshadthisbaseDNA.Beforeit wasevenrequired,TridonichadEPDfor allourproducts.Wedecidedtwoanda halfyearsagotofocusmoreonreusing materialattheendoftheproduct’slife. Thattopichasalwaysfascinatedme;I recognizeditcouldmakeadifference.
Webuiltaseparateteamtoensurefocusandinvolvedalldepartmentstoget traction.WestartedwithLEDmodules thatareproducedinNis.Havingcertifiableproductsisanenormousstep–and havingthemcertifiedisthenextstep. Thecertificationisessentialsincewe createmostofourgoodsinEurope.It showsthatforus,sustainabilityisacore message.Ultimately,wewanttobeable togiveourcustomersallofthebasics foragreenluminaire.
LEDprofessional: Whatwasnecessarytochangeoradaptduringthat process?
HugoROHNER: Especiallymaterials thathadanissuewhenitcametobeing recycled.Howcouldwechangethem, adaptthemandunderstandthem?How couldweworkwithoursuppliersinthat thematerialstheyusecorrespondwith howwewanttoreusethem?It’sacom-
pleteunderstandingofthevaluechain. And,ofcourse,ourwayofthinkingalso hadtochange.Wehadtodecidewhat wasessentialandwhatwasvital.
LEDprofessional: AretherestillRFPs andRFQsthataskforaneco-design product?
HugoROHNER: Therearealot.The questionis,howdotheymeasureit? Also,ecodesigndoesnothavethe samerelevanceineverycountryyet.But we’vehadacoupleofcustomersthat havecontactedusandaskedifwecould helpthemwithdriversandotherproductsandhowwedidthingsinthefield ofeco-design.Talkingtoourcustomers, wehavelearnedthattheyneedtohave greenerproductsthataresustainable sothattheywintheRFQstheyarefacing.Citiesespeciallywanttoknowwhat theCO2 footprintisandhowrecycling works.Sothereisaslightpushinthat directionbyendcustomers.Anditwill getstronger.
LEDprofessional: Let’stakeadeeper lookbackintothedevelopmentofthe lightingsector.Howwouldyousummarizethelastdecadeofthelighting world?
HugoROHNER: Nowadays,inprofessionallighting,LEDisstandard.Conventionalandenergyintensiveproducts arestepbystepbannedintheEUwhich
givesaclearguidelinewiththedirection toenergyefficiencyand,ofcourse,CO2 reduction.Basedonthisgroundwork, connectivityisnowontheagenda.With thehelpofconnectivity,wecanmake lightingevenmoreefficientandcanalso useandcontrollightmoreprecisely.
Andbeyondlightingweseethatviaconnectivityourindustryismovingcloserto othertradesandservices.Forexample, intheconnectiontobuildingmanagementsystemsorbuildinginformation systemsaswellassmartcities.Thisis becauselightinghasomnipresencewith powersupplyandservesasabackboneforasmartinfrastructureindoor andoutdoor.Comingbacktolighting application,wehadenormousprogress inmanaginglightingcolortemperature andcontrollight,ingeneral,duringthe lastdecade.
LookingforwardIthinkwewilldiscover andshapeanewroleforlightinbuildingsandoutdoorapplications.New Ecosystemswillbederivedandnew collaborationswillbeestablished.The lightingindustryisfinding,shaping,embracingandexpandingthisnewrole.
Tridonicthinksofitselfasathought leaderandalreadybuildsnewecosystems–acurrentexampleistheConnectivityStandardsAlliance,CSA,where togetherwithbigplayersweparticipate inestablishingthenewconnectivitypro-
tocol“Matter”6.Thisisacooperation withpartnersbeyondlighting.
LEDprofessional: Today,wetalk aboutsomesignificantlightingtrends, namelyHumanCentricLighting,SustainabilitywithCircularEconomy, Intelligent/Data-ControlledLighting, andEnergyEfficientLightingSolutions.WhichtrendsaremostimportantforTridonic?
HugoROHNER: Forus,digitizationis theoverarchingthemethatsupports activitiestoimprovesustainabilityas wellastheimplementationofacirculareconomy.Inaddition,digitization,is ofcourse,attheforefrontofallsystem solutionsforsmartbuildingsandsmart cities,bothasarequirementforusand asameansused,andasaprerequisite forconnectivity.
AtTridonic,wehavesetourselvesthe goalofgearingouractivitiestowards mitigatingtheconsequencesofclimate changeandtacklingfar-reachingchange processesandputtingourtechnologicalexpertiseattheserviceofsustainability.Wewanttorethinkproduction completelynew:circulareconomyis currentlyimplementedbyfollowingthe cradletocradle(C2C)concept.ThebasicideaofC2Cismodelledonnature, which,asweknow,producesnowaste. ThegoaloftheC2Cconceptistoclose thecycleofresourceuse.
Theotherpointssuchasenergyefficiencyanddatamanagementhavebeen partofourdailyagendaforsometime andcontinuetoplayamajorrole.Softwareisplayinganincreasinglyimportant role,bothinproductionandasembeddedsoftwareinourcontrolsdevicesand asuserappsforourcustomersandend customersoutinthefield.Appsmake thesophisticatedlightingsystemseasy touse.Allthispaysoffonthefollowing factors:
• Lightingmustservehumanbeings andtheirwell-beingmustbethebase.
• Efficiencyoflightingsystemshasimprovedalotandshouldalsogowithoutsaying
6ConnectivityStandardsAlliance https://csa-iot.org/a ll-solutions/matter/
Tridonicsuppliedmorethan5,000LEDdriverstoprovide light-on-demandintheterminalofthenewBeijingDaxing airport.
HeadquartersofdSPACEinPaderborn.Theheartofthe buildingisthegenerousatriumwithitsstaircaseandtwo glasselevatorslitupwithTridonic’sLEDlightmodules, andDALILEDdrivers.PhotobyThomasMayer.
tocreateatranscendentalinterplaybetweenlight,shadowandspace.Tridonicwas honoredwiththeDALILightingAward2022.
(top) TheentrancegatesattheExpoinDubaiareajewelofsurrealarchitecture. ModerndrivertechnologyfromTridonicmadeitpossibletoachievelightingthathelped
(bottom) Tridonic’sdrivertechnologyhascreatedanimpressivelightcurtaindisplaying theiconicLouisVuittondesignattheirbranchinXiamen,China.
LEDprofessional: Intelligentlighting, connectedlightinganddatamanagementarealsogettingmoreimportant. HowdoesTridonicdealwiththese developments?
HugoROHNER: Ifullyagreewhenyou saythesepointsaregettingmoreimportant.Ofcourse,ourdailybusiness thatbringsustheresourcestoinvestin newtechnologiesisalsoveryimportant. Thismeanswemusttakecareforfurther developing,improving,producingand deliveringstandarddriversandmodules butatthesametimebeingactiveand gainingknow-howinintelligentlighting anddatamanagementforsmartbuildingsandsmartcities.
Wearesuccessfulwithnewlighting managementsystemsindoorandoutdoorandhadsomegreatprojectswith newpartners–whichofcoursetake long-termengagement.Alongwiththis weexpandoursoftwaredevelopment. OurcompetencecenterinPortohas
developedexcellentlyandhastakena crucialroleinourR&D.Weputalotof effortinunderstandingthepainpointsof ourcustomers,installersandendusers. Thisiskeytosuccessfulprojects.
LEDprofessional: Wheredoyousee Tridonicin5years?
HugoROHNER: Wewillkeepourrole asareliableandtrustworthypartnerfor ourluminairemanufacturercustomers –notonlywithproductsbutalsowith supportfornewtechnologies,trends andbusinessdevelopments.
• Ourconceptofsustainabilitywillbe proven.
• Tridonicwillbeaconstitutivepartnerin newecosystems.
• Wewillhaveincreasedknowledgeas acompanytobetechnologyleader further-on.
• Digitizationwillbeintegratedinour dailybusiness.
LEDprofessional: HowdoyoumanageTridonic,thepeopleandthe teams?
HugoROHNER: Thecriticalpointis tolistentopeopleandensuretheyare centraltoouractions.Thepowerof Tridonicisitsproductsanditspeople.Theproductsareadeviationfrom whatthepeoplecando.Sothat’svery, veryimportant.Lookingatacompany likeTridonicthatproducesworldwide alsomeansbalancingthecultures.This meanshelpingpeoplefromdifferentculturestocommunicateeffectivelywith theircolleagues.
LEDprofessional: Thankyouvery muchforthedetailedinterview,and wewishyou,yourteam,andTridonic continuedsuccess!
HugoROHNER: Itwasgreattalkingto you.Thankyouverymuch. ■
AboutTridonic
Inthe2021/22businessyear,Tridonic generatedsalesofEuro365million. 1,869highlyskilledemployeesanda worldwidesalespresenceinover70 countriesreflectthecompany’scommitmenttothedevelopmentanddeploymentofnew,smartandconnected lightingsystems.
Foradditionalinformationpleasevisit https://www.tridonic.com
TridonichasbeenawardedtheEcoVadisSilver Medalforsustainabilityactivities.Itsoverallrating placesTridonicinthetopfourpercentof companiesinthelightingindustry.
AlexanderGERFER,JohannWALDHERR,andHarunÖZGÜRfrom WürthElektronikeiSos
Verticalfarmingisanapproachtowaterandspace-savingproductionin thefaceofgrowingfooddemandand dwindlingagriculturalland.Thisrequiresefficientlighting,whichcanbe easilyimplementedwiththeLighting DevelopmentKitfromWürth ElektronikeiSos.
Humanityisfacingnumerouschallenges. By2050,theworld’spopulationisexpectedtorisetonearlytenbillionpeople.Atthesametime,extremeweather phenomenasuchasprolongeddroughts, severestormswithhailorfloodingareincreasingaseffectsofclimatechange.Soil surfacesealingisleadingtolossofagriculturalland,andresourcessuchaswater andnutrientscanbeinshortsupply.New solutionsareneededtoensurefoodsecurityinthefuture.
AlexanderGERFER isChiefTechnology
OfficeratWürthElektronikeiSos.(top)
JohannWALDHERR isBusinessDevelopmentManagerforHorticultureLEDsat WürthElektronikeiSos.(middle)
HarunÖZGÜR isExecutiveandHeadof eiPalOptoelectronics&AdditiveManufacturingatWürthElektronikeiSos.(bottom)
EditedbyGerhardStelzer.ControlledEnvironmentalAgriculture(CEA) isonesuchsolutionthatishelpingtosupplementtraditionalagriculture.IndoorVerticalFarmingisaformofthiscultivation methodinwhichplantsarecultivatedunderoptimalconditions.HorticultureLEDs providelightintheexactwavelengthsthat theplantsneed.Bycultivatinginseveral levelsoneabovetheother,itispossibleto achievemoreyieldinthesameareaand savespace(Figure 1).
Closedwaterandnutrientcyclesalso makebetteruseofresources.Cultivationinthemiddleofthecityallowsharvestingattherighttime,whichresultsina highernutrientcontentoftheplants.This alsoresultsinsignificantlyshortertransportdistances.Inthisway,CO2 canbe reducedandtransportlossesavoided.Verticalfarmingenablescultivationanywhere intheworld,isindependentofweather conditionsandensuresthesameplant qualityeverywhere.Therearemanyfactors thatinfluenceverticalfarming,including temperature,irrigation,CO2,nutrientavailability,humidityandlight.Indoorvertical farmingwasfirstmadepossiblebyLEDs.
WürthElektroniknotonlyoffershorticulture LEDs,butalsoactivelyadvancestheirmost beneficialapplications.Besideshavingour ownplantscientistsdoingresearch,the teamalsoprovidesnumeroustoolsfordevelopers.Variousapplicationnotesprovide
agoodprimarybiologicalandelectrical knowledgeoverviewofbasicplantlighting topics.Animportanttoolisthe“Horticulator”,amoduleoftheonlinesimulationtool REDEXPERT.Withit,WürthElektronikprovidessupportincalculatingyourownlight spectraandselectingtherightLEDsforthe individualapplications.TheLightingDevelopmentKithelpsdeveloperswithlighting control.
TheLightingDevelopmentKitprovidesa simplesolutionformixingRGBWcolors fordifferentlightingsituationsorenhancing plantgrowthwiththeHorticulturePanel. Additionally,itincludesa“SunshinePanel” forindoorlightinginthespiritofHuman CentricLighting.TheMagI³Cmulti-color LEDdrivercanpowerallpanels.With fourMagI³CLEDStep-DownHigh-Current modulesasthecore,itispossibletocontrolthecolorbytheintensityofeachofthe fourLEDchannelsindividuallytomeetthe requirementsoftheapplication.
ControlisprovidedviaanappforiOS andAndroidtocontrolthereferencedesignviaBluetooth® LE.TheboardincludesanEMIfiltertomeetthelimitsof theEN55015standardforconductedlightingandtheCISPR32standardforradiated EMC(testedwith 1 moutputcablelength) evenwhendimmingtheLEDchannels.
TheLightingDevelopmentKitisthestartingpointformanyproductdevelopments. WiththehelpoftheLightingDevelopment Kit,atypeoflightcurtain(Figure 2)was developedwiththecompanyAgileSolutions.Thislightcurtainwasequippedwith WürthHorticultureMidpowerLEDsofthe WL-SMTWseriesandwhiteLEDsofthe SWTPseries.LEDswithpeakwavelength 450 nm, 660 nm, 730 nmandwhiteLEDs withCCT 5000 Kareused.
TheindividualLEDcolorscanbecontrolled separatelyandarecontinuouslydimmable from0to100%.Duetothemicrocontrollercontrol,aflexiblemixingandcreation oflightrecipesispossible,inordertorespondtoqualityparametersoftheplant, (e.g.betterrooting,morebiomass,higher secondarysubstancecontent,etc.).Inaddition,dynamiclightingismadepossible overthedurationoftheentirevegetation period.Duetotheintelligentpowerelectronics,theefficiencycouldbeincreased by20%comparedtoconventionallycontrolledLEDsystems.Theilluminationarea is 1 35 m2 percurtain.ThearealdistributionoftheLEDsallowsaveryhomogeneousilluminationofthetargetareaata smalldistance,whichenablesauniform plantquality.
Thislightcurtainisveryapplicableinthe fieldofverticalfarming,butitisalsoused inotherapplicationsofplantlighting.One exampleisthealgaereactorfromthecompanyAlganetics(Figure 3).Thedeveloped lightingenablestheproductionofmicroalgaewithaveryhighpuritycontent.The algaeproducedcanbeusedasprotein sourcesinhumanandanimalnutrition. Secondaryplantcompoundsfromthealgaealsoserveasadditivesinthecosmeticsandpharmaceuticalindustries.
AnotherexampleoftheuseoftheLighting DevelopmentKitisthestart-upOrganifarms.Here,theSunshinePCBwasused todevelopalightingconceptthatenables thestart-up’sharvestingrobot(Figure 4) toharvestaroundtheclock.Thiscompensatesforpoorlightingconditionssothat therobot’scamerasystemcandistinguish ripefromunripefruit.
TheLightingDevelopmentKitalsoserved asthebasisforthedevelopmentoftwoluminairesbyEngelLighting.Bothluminaires (Figure 5, Figure 6)areequippedwiththe HorticultureHighPowerLEDsoftheWLSMDCseriesandofferdifferentspectral rangesfromUVtoinfrared.TheLineluminaireismainlyusedinverticalfarmingand achievesPPE(PhotosyntheticPhotonEfficacy)valuesofupto 2 8 µmol/J.Atadistanceof 30 cm,PPFD(PhotosyntheticPhotonFluxDensity)valuesof 450 µmol/m2s canbeachieved.TheOptimusluminaire ismainlyusedinthegreenhousesector. ItachievesPPEvaluesofupto 3.1 µmol/J andPPFDvalues,atadistanceof 30 cm, ofupto 1260 µmol/m2s.ThemodularexpandableLEDplantlightscanbedimmed continuouslyduringoperation.
Figure1: IndoorVerticalFarmingdemonstrationfacilities:spaceandresource-savingcropproductionwith optimizedartificiallightandindividuallightingrecipes.(Source:WürthElektronikeiSos) Figure2: LightcurtainwithWürthElektronikHorticultureMidpowerLEDsoftheWL-SMTWseriesandwhite LEDsoftheSWTPseries:amicrocontrollerenablesflexibleanddynamiclightmixing.(Source:Agile Solutions)TheDevelopmentKitisalsousedatWürth Elektronikitself,forexampleinthe “HortiRack”developedforinternalresearch purposes.TheHortiRackisanindoor greenhouseforexperimentsonsustainable foodproduction.Theplantscientistsinthe optoelectronicsteamuseittostudythe effectsofvariousimpactspectraonplant development.“Microgreens”,herbsand variousleafyvegetablesaregrowninthe HortiRack.Researchisbeingconducted ondynamiclightspectratoincreasethe qualityparametersofplants.
At WürthElektronik,wefeelresponsible forproactivelyhelpingtoshapethefuture throughthedevelopmentanduseofnew technologies.Thisisachievedthroughintensivepartnershipswithmedium-sized companies,corporationsandstart-ups. WiththeLightingDevelopmentKit,biologicalknow-howandtherightnetwork,the companyhelpsdevelopersfindsolutions forthe“farm”oftomorrow. ■
WürthElektronikeiSosGmbH&Co.KG Max-Eyth-Str.1,74638Waldenburg, Germany, info@we-online.com www.we-online.com
[1] WL-SMDC: https://www.we-online.com/en/compo nents/products/WL-SMDC_HORTICULTURE
[2] WL-SMTW: https://www.we-online.com/en/compo nents/products/WL_SMTW_HORTICULTURE
[3] WL-SWTP: https://www.we-online.com/en/compo nents/products/WL-SWTP
[4] LightingKit: https://www.we-online.com/en/compo nents/products/LIGHTING_DEVELOPMENT_KIT
[5] EngelLine: https://en.engel-lighting.com/products/l ine-led-pflanzenleuchte
[6] EngelOptimus: https://en.engel-lighting.com/prod ucts/optimus-led-pflanzenleuchte
[7] AgileSolutions: http://www.agile-solutions-gmbh. de/produkte/index.html (onlyinGerman)
[8] Organifarms: https://www.organifarms.de/
[9] EnrichingHorticulturalLightingforFasterGrowth andBetterCrops.LEDProfessional,March28,2019: https://www.led-professional.com/resources-1/article s/enriching-horticultural-lighting-for-faster-growth-a nd-better-crops
Figure4: BERRYharvestingrobot:WithitsLEDlighting,themachinedetectsripefruitevenunder unfavorablelightingconditions.(Source:Organifarms)
Figure5: ModularlightingsystemforplantoptimizationfromEngelLighting:HorticultureHighPowerLEDs oftheWL-SMDCseriesdeliverdifferentspectralrangesfromUVtoinfrared.(Source:EngelLighting)
AtWürthElektronikweareforwardthinkers andactresponsibly.Wewantnotonlyto sellasmuchaspossibletoday,butalso toturnleadingedgeideasandtomorrow’s projectsintoreality.Ourcustomersreceive servicesthatextendfarbeyondmeresales advice.Wesupportstart-upsandtheir ideas,thushelpingtoshapethefuture.
Youmaybeaskingyourself,howcana manufacturerofelectronicandelectromechanicalcomponentsreallymakeamark onthefuture?Theansweris:bybeinginterestedintheapplicationsandusesof ourproducts.In2008,WürthElektronik begansettingupitsLEDdivision,andbeganmarketingthemin2011.In2018we reachedanothermilestonebylaunching aproductthatpavedthewayforalastingcommitment:ourfirstLEDsthatemit lightatwavelengthsof450nm,730nm and660nm.DeepBlue,FarRedandHyperRedareHorticultureLEDs.Thelight inthesewavelengthsplayamajorrolefor photosynthesis,withthespectrumofthe frequencieshavingadirecteffectonthe growthofplants.Weareputtingalotof researchintothis,andofferingtoolsand controllayoutsthatenableplantlightingusinglightrecipes.Itisafieldwithhugepotential.WiththerightlightrecipesandLED lights,plantgrowthcanbeincreasedwithoutcompromisingtasteornutrientcontent. Thisallcanbedonewithinasmallerspace andsavingupto95%waterand70%energy.Verticalfarmingisafuturetechnologyandbasedonourcollaborativebasic research,wecanalreadyprovidetherequiredequipment.
ControlledEnvironmentalAgricultureis animportantbuildingblockforsecuring foodsuppliesinthefuture.Plantsarefed inatargetedway,andtheenvironmental impactisfurthermoreminimizedbyusing closedsystemswithintegratedwatertreatment.Wealreadyhaveexactknowledgeof howmanynutrientsindividualplantsneed andcanpreciselydoseboththenutrients andthelightinginthegreenhousetooptimizegrowthandnutrientcontent.Inthis waywecanachievemaximumyieldswith minimumenergyinput.HorticultureLEDs areakeytechnologyforverticalgardening, butonlytheentryproductintoagigantic emergingmarket.Herewecooperatewith partnerswhoofferandsellplantlights.
Weworkwithestablishedmanufacturers ofagriculturaltechnologiesaswellasstartupcompanieslikeOrganifarms.Basedin
ConstanceinsouthernGermany,Organifarmshasdevelopedaharvestingrobot calledBERRY,whichrecognizesandharvestsripestrawberries.Wehavedesigned lightingtechnologythatenablestheharvestingrobottoreliablyrecognizeripe fruits,evenindifficultlightingconditions. Thisproductwillsoonbereadyforthe market.
Thelengthofproducttime-to-marketobviouslyvarieswiththecomplexityofeach project,butbasedonourexperienceand industrycontacts,wecansignificantlyreducethistimefactor.Competition,likeeverywhereinthehigh-techsector,isfierce, butourresearchactivities,ourmanyyears ofexperienceandourconnectionstouniversitiesandfuturetechnologyleaders provideuswithagoodfooting.
Justaslightingsolutionsforbuildingsare relevanttokeyareassuchasSmartBuilding,HorticultureLEDsopenupgoodopportunitiesforsmartsolutionsfortheagriculturesector.Wealreadydeliverradio modulesandsensorsforrelatedIoTsolutions,forinstance.
YoucouldsaythatnotonlydoourHorticultureLEDssupplyplantswiththeexact amountoflighttheyneed,buttheyhave alsoilluminatedaroadtowardsthefuture forus.Wearelivingoutourpassionfor sustainabletechnologiesandforpartnershipswithinnovativecompaniesin thisfield. ■
AlexanderGerfer isChiefTechnology
OfficerforoneofEurope’slargestmanufacturersofelectronicandelectromechanicalcomponents.Headquarteredin Waldenburg,Germany,WürthElektronik employsaround8,200peopleandhas manufacturing,logistics,qualityandadministrativesitesin50countries.In2022,the WürthElektronikGroupgeneratedsalesof 1.33billionEuros.
Gerferisagraduateengineer(FH)forelectricalengineeringandatrainedradioand televisiontechnician,whohasbeenwith WürthElektroniksince1997,beginninghis careerasatechnicalsalesrepresentative. Hehasbeeninstrumentalinestablishing thecompany’sresearchanddevelopment, product,qualityandsupplychainmanagementdivisions.
Guangzhou,formerlyCanton,isoneof China’slargestcitiesandhasapopulationofover15million.Ithasgrown rapidlyinrecentyearsandmanyofthe city’sdistrictshavebeenre-planned arounddramaticurbansetpieces,of whichZhujiangNewTownisone.The GuangzhouInternationalFinanceCenterwasenvisagedasoneofapairof towerscreatingaspectaculargateway tothebusinessdistrictonthiscentral boulevard.Itdiffersfrommanyother tallbuildingsinthepurityandelegance ofitsform,freefromdistractionsand informedbytechnologyratherthan symbolism.
TheIFCGuangzhouwithaheightof439m isthe24thhighestbuildingintheworld andnumber14inChina.Lichtvisiondevelopedalightingsolutionwhichaimed tofeaturetheverycharacteristicdiagonalframeworkstructurebehindtheglass façade.Asthisstructureisnotvisibleduringthedayduetothereflectivematerial propertiesofthecurtainwall,thiseffect wouldonlyberevealedduringthenight. Asthetowerismainlyusedforofficeand hospitality,lightingequipmenthadtobe placedtofacilitatemaintenanceandaccessibilityfromtheoutside.
Atthesametimeadherencetoglarecontrolwasoftoppriority.Innocircumstance, wasfaçadelightingallowedtoshineinto theinteriors,causingpotentiallightnuisance.Thereforefaçadeelementswith integratedLEDmodulesweredeveloped. Themodulesallowfordynamicscenesas wellascolorchangeforspecialevents. Thestandard,everydaysetting,issetat monochromewhiteandstaticforasubtle accentuationofthearchitectureatnight.
GuangzhouIFC
Typology: HighRiseHospitality,Commercial,MixedUse
ScopeofWork: ArtificialLightingFacade
Start&Completion: 2012
Location: Guangzhou,China
Client/Owner: ChowTaiFookEnterprises,China
Tenant/User: Various
Architect: WilkinsonEyreArchitects
Awards: CTBUH10YearAwardofExcellence2020,RIBALubetkinPrize2012, CTBUHBestTallBuildingAsia/Australasia
2011 Images: JonathanLeijonhufvud
ProjectContact&Links shanghai@lichtvision.com wilkinsoneyre.com
Followinganinternationaldesigncompetition,WilkinsonEyrewasselectedtodesign this439mtowerinGuangzhou,oneof China’stallestbuildings.With103storeys, thetowerhasamixtureofusesincluding officespaceandaluxuryFourSeasons hotelwithatop-floorrestaurantandbar.
Atgroundlevel,thetowerconnectswitha substantialpodiumcomplexcontaininga luxurybrandretailmall,conferencecenter andhigh-qualityservicedapartments.
Thetowerandpodiumconnectbelow groundtofurtherretailspacesandatransporthub,witharetailloopencouraging connectionstoalandscapedcentralaxis. Thetower’stapering,crystallineformacts asalandmarkonGuangzhouZhujiang NewTown’smainaxis,linkingthecommercialdistrictinthenorthwiththePearlRiver tothesouth.Thetoweremploysadiagrid structure,theworld’stallest,visuallyexpressedthroughthebuilding’stransparent envelope.Itstriangularplanrespondsto
theneedforefficientinternalspacelayouts andexcellentenvironmentalperformance.
Asaglobalbrand,FourSeasonsdemandedspectacularaccommodation ofthehighestquality,soWilkinsonEyre createda33-storeyhotelatrium,cladin sparklingglass,whichistallenoughto houseLondon’sStPaul’sCathedral.The buildingwasnamedthe2011BestTall BuildingAsia/AustralasiabytheCouncilon TallBuildingsandUrbanHabitat.In2012, thetowerwasawardedtheRIBALubetkin Prize,forthebestbuildingbyaBritisharchitectoutsideoftheUK.
https://www.lichtvision.com/en
LichtvisiononLinkedIn
FaçadeelementswithintegratedLEDmoduleswere developedforIFC.Themodulesallowfordynamicscenesas wellascolorchangeforspecialevents.Thestandard,every daysetting,issetatmonochromewhiteandstaticfora subtleaccentuationofthearchitectureatnight.
JanW.DENNEMAN,MarinaC.GIMÉNEZ,BrunoM.J.SMETS, RogerSEXTON,MarijkeC.M.GORDIJN|GoodLightGroup
Goodindoorlightingisessentialfor enhancinghealthybodilyrhythms, sleepquality,alertness,moodand workplaceproductivity.Currentpracticesandrecommendationsforindoor lighting,however,prioritizevisionover health,leadingtodisruptionsinour biologicalclockandalertness.Limitedexposuretonaturaldaylightalso contributestothisproblem.Scientific recommendationsforpeoplefollowingregulardaytimeschedulescallfor higherlightlevelsduringthedayand lowerlevelsintheeveningandnight. Adoptingthesegoodlightingrecommendationsinnormsandregulations willleadtoimprovedindoorlighting andoverallwell-beingforindividuals aswellashavingasignificant socioeconomicimpact.
Inmoderntimespeoplespendupto90% oftheirtimeindoors [1],resultinginlimited exposuretonaturaldaylight.Unfortunately, indoorlightingpracticesmainlyfocuson providinggoodvisualandaestheticexperiencesandlowenergyconsumptionwith littleconsiderationforthehealthaspectsof light [2].Asaresult,indoorlightintensityis toolowduringthedayandtoohighinthe eveningandatnight.Thisinterfereswith thenaturalregulationofthebiologicalclock causingdisruptionsinmanyareaslikeour sleep-wakecycleandalertness.
Becausepeoplespendsomuchtimeindoors,indoorlightingshouldpromotethe naturalregulationofthebiologicalclock andsupportoursleep-wakecycle,alertnessandmood,inadditiontoproviding adequateilluminationforvisualtasksand ambiance.Thefieldofknowledgeonthe healtheffectsoflightismainlybasedon
chronobiology.Chronobiologistsinvestigate24hrhythms,thebiologicalclock andhowadaptationsoftheclocktothe environmentallight-darkcycleareinstrumentalforhealthandwell-being.Thisfield receivedtheNobelPrizeinPhysiologyor Medicinein2017 [3].Nowisthetimeto implementtheinsightsintodailypractice. Recentscientificrecommendations [4,5] proposethatindoorlightlevels,necessaryforproperadjustmentofthebiological clockandsupportingalertness,shouldbe twotofivetimeshigherduringthedayand muchlowerintheeveningthaniscurrently thecaseinworkingandhomeenvironments.Thetechnicalitiesoftheserecommendationsareavailableininternational standards [6],buttheyarenotyetincluded innormsorregulations.
Goodlightindoors [7] providestheright lightintensitieswiththerightspectrum,at therighttimeofday.Implementingregulationsforgoodindoorlightingcansupport overallhealthandwell-being.
Goodlightexposureplaysavitalrolein regulatingthebody’sbiologicalclockand canimprovesleepqualityforexampleby reducingthetimeneededtofallasleep, increasingdeeprestorativesleepandincreasingthelikelihoodofwakingupfeeling morerestedinthemorning [9].Theimprovedsleepqualitymay,inturn,leadto bettercognitivefunction,memory,learning, athleticperformance,physicalcoordination andalowerriskofaccidents,injuries,and occupationalerrors [8,10]
Ontheotherhand,sleepdeprivationhas beenlinkedtoanincreasedriskofchronic conditionssuchasobesity,diabetes,and cardiovasculardisease [8].
Lightindoorsistoodimduringthedayandtoo brightintheeveningandatnightforahealthy andhappylife.
Sleepiscrucialforoverallhealthandwellbeing,butupto20%ofthepopulation mayexperienceinsufficientordisrupted sleep,leadingtodaytimesleepinessand othernegativeeffects [8]
Unlockingthepowerofgoodlightcansignificantlyimprovesleepqualityandpromoteoverall healthandwellbeing.
Althoughacleardoseresponsecurve [11,12] forimmediateeffectsofdaytime lightonalertnessisnotyetestablished,itis clearthatsittinginrelativedarknessmakes yousleepy.Increasinglightintensityinan attractiveway [13] canhaveanimmediate alertingeffectonthehumanbody,leading toincreasedalertness,attention,andcognitiveperformance [10,14,15].Itcanhelp reducefatigue,improvemood,andboost mentalacuity,makingitaninvaluabletool inworkplaceswherefocusandproductivity areessential.
Studieshaveshownthatgoodlightexposurecanalsoenhancewell-being,alleviatesymptomsofdepressionandanxiety andincreasepositiveemotions.Infact, brightlighttherapyisahighlyeffective treatmentforseasonalaffectivedisorder [16] (SAD)andrelateddepressivesymptoms.Ifappliedearlyinthedevelopment ofsymptoms,studieshaveshownthatit maypreventthefull-blowndevelopmentof aseriousdepressiveepisode [17].
JanW.DENNEMAN: LightExpert,ChairmanBoardGoodLightGroup Morethan45yearsofexperienceinleadingexecutiverolesininnovation,marketing andbusinessdevelopmentinthefieldof lightandlighting.Initiatedseveralinternationalconsortia,liketheGlobalLightingAssociation(president2007-2017), Zhaga,theConnectedLightingAlliance, LightingEurope(president2013-2017). FoundingmemberandchairoftheGood LightGroupsince2019.
[1] Klepeis,N.,Nelson,W.,Ott,W.etal.(2001)The NationalHumanActivityPatternSurvey(NHAPS):a resourceforassessingexposuretoenvironmental pollutants.JExpoSciEnvironEpidemiol11,231–252. https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.jea.7500165
[2] EuropeanNormEN12464.LightandlightingLightingofworkplaces-Part1:Indoorworkplaces. IntheUK,thesearesummarisedintheBSEN124641publishedbytheBritishStandardInstitution.In Germany,thisnormispublishedas:DINEN12464-1. InJanuary2022,thenewEuropeanversioncameinto force.
[3] PressreleaseofTheNobelPrizeinPhysiologyor Medicine2017. https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/ medicine/2017/press-release/
Byharnessingthepowerofgoodlightindoors, wecanunlockawholenewlevelofmentaland emotionalvitality.
Investingingoodindoorlightingcanimproveindividualhealthandwell-beingand hasthepotentialtolowerhealthcarecosts andboostworkplaceproductivity. Goodlightingcanreducethecostofsick leave(absenteeism)andpresenteeism, potentiallyamountingtoupto$410billion peryear [18],or$550percapitaforthe fivemajorOECDcountries.
MarinaC.GIMÉNEZ: UniversityofGroningen,TheNetherlands,Chrono@Work Marinahasmorethan15yearsofexperiencerunningclinicaltrialsontheeffects oflightexposureonpeople’swell-being, sleepandhealth.Ph.DinBiologyatthe chronobiologydepartmentoftheUniversity ofGroningen.Sheiscurrentlyworkingas seniorscienceadvisoratChrono@work aspin-offoftheUniversityofGroningen supportingclinicaltrialandbusinessdevelopment,projectmanagement,anddata analysis.Sheisalsoaguestresearcherat theUniversityofGroningen.
BrunoM.J.SMETS: LightExpert,Board MemberGoodLightGroup
Brunoisoneofthefoundingmembersof theGoodLightGroupandservesasthe TreasurerandSecretaryoftheBoard.He hasmorethan30yearsofexperiencein lightinginnovationandwasactiveinthe publicprivatepartnershipsPhotonics21 andE2BA(EnergyEfficientBuildingsAssociation)inordertodrivethemarketuptake ofLEDlighting.
RogerSEXTON: LightExpert,Board MemberGoodLightGroup,Stoane Lighting
During35yearsinthelightingindustryrelevantexperiencehasbeeninthefieldof exploringnewconceptsandtechnologies, interfacingwithuniversities,lightingdesigners,lightsourceandcontrolsmanufacturers,industryassociationsandendusers. CurrentlyworkingparttimewithStoane Lighting.
[4] BrownTM,BrainardGC,CajochenC,Czeisler CA,HanifinJP,LockleySW,etal.(2022) Recommendationsfordaytime,evening,andnighttimeindoorlightexposuretobestsupportphysiology,sleep,andwakefulnessinhealthyadults| PLOSBiology.PLoSBiol20(3):e3001571. https: //doi.org/10.1371/journal.pbio.3001571
[5] NewsitemGoodLightGroup: Newsetofrecommendationsforhealthylightingwithinindoorspaces (goodlightgroup.org)writtenbyLucSchlangen.
[6] DraftISOstandard8995–Lightingofworkplaces -Part1:Indoor-AnnexB.5ipRGC-influencedresponses
[7] Goodlightguidepublishedbythenon-profitGood LightGroup. GoodLightGuide|Home|GoodLight Group|Foundation
[8] RussellG.Fosteretal.,ChapterEleven(2013). SleepandCircadianRhythmDisruptioninSocial JetlagandMentalIllness.In:ProgressinMolecular BiologyandTranslationalScience,MarthaU.Gillette (ed).Vol119,325–346. https://doi.org/10.1016/B9 78-0-12-396971-2.00011-7
[9] LokR,WoeldersT,GordijnMCM,etal.(2022). BrightLightDuringWakefulnessImprovesSleep QualityinHealthyMen:AForcedDesynchronyStudy UnderDimandBrightLight(III).JournalofBiological Rhythms37(4):429-441. https://journals.sagepub.c om/doi/10.1177/07487304221096910
[10] ChellappaSL,GordijnMC,CajochenC.(2011). Canlightmakeusbright?Effectsoflightoncognition andsleep.ProgBrainRes.190:119-33. https: //doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-444-53817-8.00007-4 PMID:21531248.
[11] LokR,SmoldersKCHJ,BeersmaDGM,deKort YAW.(2018).Light,Alertness,andAlertingEffects ofWhiteLight:ALiteratureOverview.Journalof BiologicalRhythms.33(6):589-601. https://doi.org/ 10.1177/0748730418796443
[12] SmoldersKCHJ,PeetersST,VogelsIMLC,de KortYAW.InvestigationofDose-ResponseRelationshipsforEffectsofWhiteLightExposure onCorrelatesofAlertnessandExecutiveControl duringRegularDaytimeWorkingHours.JournalofBiologicalRhythms.2018;33(6):649-661. https://doi.org/10.1177/0748730418796438
[13] Whatisgoodlight|GoodLightGroup|Foundation
[14] RügerM,GordijnMC,BeersmaDG,deVriesB, DaanS.Time-of-day-dependenteffectsofbrightlight exposureonhumanpsychophysiology:comparison ofdaytimeandnighttimeexposure.AmJPhysiol RegulIntegrCompPhysiol.2006May;290(5):R141320. https://doi.org/10.1152/ajpregu.00121.2005 Epub2005Dec22.PMID:16373441.
Optimizingindoorlightingpromoteshealthand well-beingofindividuals,enhancesproductivity, reduceshealthcarecostsandbenefitssociety economically.
Whilethelong-termeconomicimpactof goodlightonhealthandwell-beingisyet tobedetermined,investingingoodindoor lightingcandefinitelybenefitindividuals, companies,andgovernments. ■
MarijkeC.M.GORDIJN: BoardMember GoodLightGroup,UniversityofGroningen, TheNetherlands,SLTBR,Chrono@Work Marijkeisascientistwithmorethan30 yearsofexperienceinthefieldsofchronobiology,sleepregulation,chronotherapyandthenon-visualeffectsoflight. Sheisfounder/ownerofChrono@Work andguestresearcherattheUniversityof Groningen,boardmemberoftheSociety forLighttreatmentandBiologicalRhythms andco-founderoftheGoodLightGroup.
[15] LokR,DanielS.Joyce,JamieM.Zeitzer(2022). Impactofdaytimespectraltuningoncognitive function,JournalofPhotochemistryandPhotobiologyB:Biology,Volume230,112439. https: //doi.org/10.1016/j.jphotobiol.2022.112439
[16] Wirz-JusticeA.(2003).Chronobiologyandmood disorders.DialoguesClinNeurosci.5(4):315-25. https://doi.org/10.31887/dcns.2003.5.4/awirzjustice PMID:22033593;PMCID:PMC3181777.
[17] MeestersY,GordijnMCM.(2016).Seasonalaffectivedisorder,wintertype:currentinsightsand treatmentoptions.PsycholResBehavManag. 2016;9:317-327. https://doi.org/10.2147/PR BM.S114906
[18] GoodLightGroupblogbyB.Smets GoodLight mightsave$410billionayear (goodlightgroup.org).
Dr.ThomasSCHIELKE,ArchitectandLightingDesignTrainer, ERCO
Architecturallightingprovidesoptimumvisibilityfortasksbutilluminationsconveymeaningsaswell. Thoughmanystudiesanalyzetechnicaldimensionsoflighting,researchon themeaningisrare.Therefore,thisarticlediscussessemioticsasamethodologyforlightingdesignwithinthedesignprocessandcriticallyreflectsthe appearanceoflightandarchitecture. Thesemioticdiscoursestartswith terminologyandpresentsmodelsof architecturalsigns.Thehistoryofarchitecturalsemioticsservesasabackgroundforthetransfertolightingand leadstoanunderstandingofrecent debates.Therelevanceofsemiotics forlightingdesignisshowninthree aspects:Firstly,theinfluenceonthe lightingdesignprocess;secondly,how physicalcharacteristicsoflightintensity,distribution,andspectrumare interpretedassigns;and,thirdly,the evaluationofdifferentlightingdesign taskslikedaylight,lampandluminaire design,interiorandexteriorlighting, aswellasmediafaçades.Acritiqueof architecturalandlightingsemioticsrevealsthemethodologicallimitationsof thelinguisticconcept.Itcanbeconcludedthatsemioticsprovidesauseful instrumenttoidentifythemeaning, whichhelpstoimprovethequalityof lightingdesign.Thesemioticmatrix offersadifferentiatedviewofrelationshipsbasedontheaspectsofsign, object,andinterpretantwithrelation tolightcharacteristics,illuminated buildings,andarchitecturallightingin general.
Semioticsisamethodtostudythemeaningofsignsandthereforerepresentsaninterestingapproachtoanalyzesignsystems likearchitecture.Thesemioticsofarchitecturehasemergedasabranchofsemiotics forvisualcommunicationandallowsthe interpretationofthebuildingasasignand theuserasareceiver.Similarly,windows, luminaires,andlightingpatterninthespace embodysigns.Consequently,thetransferofsemioticstolightingdesignoffersan opportunitytoenhancethediscussionof thequalityoflighting.Thisstrategycanbe beneficialforamorecomprehensiveevaluationofarchitecturallightingregarding research,education,anddesign.Sucha viewisespeciallyrelevantforlightingsituationsthatappeartechnicallycorrectbut whereusersexperienceproblemsinmeetingtheirexpectationsandunderstanding theirmeaning.
Semioticsstudiescomplexsystemsof signsandtheirmeaningaspartofacommunicationbetweensenderandreceiver [71].Threedimensionsofsemioticsindicatethescope:syntaxasthegrammar, semanticsastherelationshipbetween signsandtheirmeaning,andpragmatics asthelanguagewithinthesocialcontext (Figure 1).
Semioticshasmainlybeeninfluencedby linguisticsandwaslaterappliedtoaestheticsandvisualcommunicationlikearchitecture,painting,orfilm.Lightisexamined asacodeandaunitofinformationthat producesanidentityasresultofalinguisticoutcome.Withinthisperspective,light inarchitectureisusedasasocialconstruct,wherecontrastiveandfluididentities emerge [107].Whentherelationshipbetweenarchitectureandlightisnotreduced toconveyingonlythemeaningandfunction butalsounderstoodasaninfluenceonour behavior,weevenassignarhetoricrole [37]
Theimpactoflightforgeneratinganidentityisparticularlyinterestingforclientswho striveforrepresentationandanarrative componentfortheircorporatedesign [40] Thelatterisofhighinterestfortheretail environment,urbandesign,andmarketing.Eye-catchinganimationsonmedia façadesarejustoneformofarchitectural expressionthatuselighttocommunicate amessagetopeople.Onasmallscale, semioticsforlightingcanhelptounderstandtheinterestinsymbolismlikethe retrodesignedEdisonlightbulbswithlight emittingdiode(LED)technology.Inthefuture,therisingLiFitechnologywilladdanotherdimensiontothesemioticanalysisof architecturallighting,wherethespectrum, lightdistribution,andluminaireformwillinfluencenotonlythemeaningbutalsothe content,whichthebeamsendstousers [25]
Usingsigntheoryforarchitecturallighting offersmethodologicalimpulsesfordifferent researchstrategiesinarchitecture:qualitativeresearch,logicalargumentation, casestudies,andinterpretive–historical researchaccordingtothecategoriesby GroatandWang [32].Ontheonehand, focusonthequalitativeaspectsoflighting enhancesindividualwell-beingbyincluding socialandcommunicativeaspectsaswell
asaestheticjudgement,whereas,onthe otherhand,qualityimprovesarchitecture withtheaspectsofstyleandcomposition whenreferringtoVeitch’sdefinitionoflightingquality [104].Environmentalstudies havedevelopedaninformationprocessing modeltoevaluatequalitieswherethefactor legibilityindicatesalinktosemioticseven ifithasnotbeenexplicitlydiscussedyet [45,58].Thelogicalargumentationisparticularlyrelevantinaneducationalcontext, aspartofthedesignprocess,andinthe critiqueofilluminatedprojects,where,for instance,thearrangementofthedifferent unitssuchaslightsource,luminaires,light distribution,andarchitecturalelementsare analyzed(Figure 2) [50]
Concerningcasestudies,semioticscan helptoidentifycomplexsystemsofhow lightingtechnologycanbeappliedand thegeneratedimageanduserexperience combined.Itcouldofferinputtoincrease interestinthepsychologicaleffectsinidentifyingthewayinwhichlightingcanbenefitadesirableoutcome [12].Currentresearchontheilluminationhierarchythat expressesvisualsignificanceofthecontentofspacesappearstoberelevantfora semioticperspective [59].Theimportance oftheinterpretative–historicalresearchbecameobviousinstudiesthatexamined culturalphenomenawithchangesofmeaningthroughtimeorrelationshipsbetween differentfieldssuchasart,retail,andlighting [69,86]
Whensemioticsisappliedtolightingitcan beusedasatooltoovercomethecrisisin
methodologyofdesignandnaïvefunctionalismandpointoutinterpretationalpluralitiesbyplacingmaninthecenter.Thereby semioticscouldprovideanimpulseforthe quantitativeinterpretationoflight,which hasbeencriticizedbytherecenthumancentriclightmovement,amongothers [10] Aqualitativemethodlikesemioticscanbe addedtoquantitativeresearchinorderto adequatelyprepareitortoexplainitafterwards [47].
Architecturalsemioticspresentsabranch ofsemioticsforvisualcommunication, whichisrelatedtoaesthetics,objects, andspace.Inarchitecture,thesemiotic approachbecameverypopularwiththe onsetofpostmodernism,wheredesigners criticizedtheprimacyoffunctionbyusing dominatingformsasmeaningfulentities oralternativelybydeconstructiontorevealmorphologicalelements [53].These specificbuildingsrangefromexplicitrepresentationsthroughtheirshapeandconstruction,liketheBinocularsBuildinginLos Angeles,tometaphoricalapplicationsof thelinguisticconceptbyEisenman [20] Therecentemergenceoficoniclandmark buildings—forinstance,theGuggenheim MuseuminBilbaoleadingtotheso-called Bilbaoeffect—exemplifiesthetopicality ofarchitectureasasign [43].Inasimilar way,therisinginterestofbuilderstoincludeamediafaçadeshowstheinterestof creatingaspecificidentitywithlight [40] Additionally,architecturalphotography hasreinforcedthetrendforpictorialityand architects’interestincreatingattractiveimages [83]
Introducingvarioussemiotictheoriesin thisarticleoffersthechancetoexploredifferentperspectivesforlightingtasks—for example,tounderstandthemeaningofa specificlightinginstallation,thedesignrules thatcreateastructureoflightforbuildings,andthehistoricalorculturalcontext— whichhasanimpactontheperception ofanilluminatedspace.Thetheoriesalso providethepossibilitytoselectsimpleor complexmodelstoanalyzesolutions.
Inthisarticle,thesemioticdiscoursefor lightstartswithmodelsofarchitectural signs.Thehistoryofarchitecturalsemiotics servesasabackgroundforthetransfer tolightingandleadstoanunderstanding ofrecentdebates.Optionstousesemioticsforlightingareillustratedregardingthe designprocess,themeaningofphotometricparameters,andlightingdesigntasks rangingfromthelightsourceuptourban designissues.Acritiqueofarchitectural andlightingsemioticsrevealsthemethodologicallimitationsofthelinguisticconcept.
Semioticsdoesnotjusthaveoneunifying theorybuthasdifferentmodelstointerpret therelationbetweensignandtheinterpreter,whichinfluencestheanalysis.For thearchitecturalsign,thebehavioristic, dyadic,glossematic,andtriadicsignmodelsplayacentralrole [71]
2.1Morris’sBehavioristicModel
ThebehavioristmodelgoesbacktoMorrisandwaswrittenbyKoenig(Koenig 1964).Thearchitecturalsignisconsideredapreparatorystimuluswherespecific behaviorsresultasaresponse [71].Nöth exemplifiedthiswithlearningbuilding:The denotataofaschoolarethechildrenwho studythere.Thesignificatumofthisbuildingisthefactthatthesechildrengoto school Figure 3.
Figure2: Semioticdesignlayersforarchitecturallighting:Space,texture,light,andluminaires.Rendering layers:AxelGroß.Image©ERCO.
ThemodelofSaussurewiththesignas theunitofthesignifierinthesenseofsign bodyandsignifiedasmeaningwasincorporatedbyDeFuscointohissemiotic analysisofarchitecture,inwhichheinterpretedarchitectureasamassmedium [18,87].Heillustratedthisaspect,among otherthings,withthedevelopmentoflarge
departmentstoresandmuseumbuildings, whichbecamecentersofcommunication. DeFuscoreferredtoSaussure’sterminologyof“signifier”and“signified”whenhe introducedhiscategoriesofouterandinner space,wheretheinnerspaceembodied theessenceandimaginationofarchitecture(Figure 4).
and“connotation”wasbasedonthecontentandexpressionofsubstanceandform (Figure 5).
intotheicon,whichmimickeditsobjectas acharacter;theindex,whichhadadirect relationshiptotheobjectaslocationand timedependent;andthesymbol,which wasarbitrarytotheobjectbutcanbe basedonculturalassumption.Theinterpretantreferenceconsistedoftherhema, whichofferedaqualitativepossibility;the dicent,whichreallyexistedandcould thereforebetrueorfalse;and,finally,the argumentforalegitimatecontext.
> Challenge: Interdisciplinary connections
Figure4: DyadicmodelaccordingtodeSaussure.
Theperceptionofabuiltprojectservesas anillustration:TheInstitutduMondeArabe inParis:Theactualbuildingwiththediaphragmstofilterdaylightembodiesthe signifier.ThearchitectureanddaylightdesignsignifiesahingebetweentheArabic andEuropeancultureasbetweentraditionandmodernity.Thefaçadedetails appearashomagetoArabicculturewith themoderninterpretationofmashrabiya astraditionalArabicscreen,whereasthe generalformdoesnotquotetypicalArabicformslikemosquesbutratherrefersto rationalgeometries.Thedetailingofthediaphragmswiththecharacteristicapertures alsoreferstothetraditionofphotographic developmentinFrance.Inaddition,the motorizationofthediaphragmsepitomizes modernhigh-techdesign.
InadditiontothebehavioralmodelofMorrisandthedyadicapproachofSaussure, Nöthidentifiedtheglossematicmodelof Hjelmslev,whichEco [23] furtherdeveloped.Ecosawaweaknessinthetriangularmodel,becauseonecannotdifferentiate betweenthesignifierasamaterialsign bearerandtheobjectofthesignsbecause bothunitsrefertothesamephysicalreality.Hisdifferentiationfrom“denotation”
Lightcharacteristics(reference toaground)
Architecturallightingofbuilding (referencetoacorrelate)
Architecturallightingingeneral (referencetoaninterpretant)
Figure5: GlossematicmodelaccordingtoEco.
Theunitsofexpression,morphemes,had theunitsofcontent,thesemene,asa counterpart.Thesemeneisdividedinto architecturalfunction,eitherinthedenotativephysicalfunctionsorintheconnotative socio-anthropologicalfunctions.Concerningarchitecturallighting,aglazedentrance hallprovidesnaturallightinthephysical dimensionandatthesametimerepresents transparencyandopennessonaconnotativelevel.Themorphemesaselements ofexpressionaredividedintoacomparableform.Thismeansthatonecanuse thesemanticcomponent“luxurious”witha morphologicalcomponentsuchas“valuableglasscrystals.”
ThefourthmodelforNöthwasthemodel ofPeirce,consistingofsign,object,andinterpreter.Ifyoutransferthistripartitemodel totheNewYorkerEmpireStateBuilding withitscolorcodingatthetopofthebuildingtoinformaboutholidaysandevents, thenthebuildingwouldrepresenttheobject.Thechangingarchitecturallighting programwithcoloredlightcanbeconsideredasasignandthecitizensandtourists ofManhattanrepresenttheinterpretant.
Therelationofthesigntothethreepoles wasaccordinglythereferencetothesign, object,andinterpretant(Figure 6) [8].The signreferencewasdividedintothequalisignasasensibleappearanceofthesign (forexample,color);thesinsign,whichwas locationandtimedependentasarealexistingcharacter;andthelegisign,which wasnotboundtoasingularappearance. Theobjectreferencewasinturndivided
Lighting(sign)
Luminancedistributionandcolor (qualisign)
Cofbuilding(sinsign)
Cingeneral(legisign)
Designprogram(object)
Image(icon)
Imageofbuilding(index)
Imageingeneral(symbol)
Figure6: TriadicsignmodelaccordingtoPeirce.
ThemodelofPeircealsoallowsatransfertoarchitecturallighting,illustratedin Table 1,andcanbeappliedtoaproject liketheYasViceroyHotelwithitsmedia façade [90].Thecoloredlightofthemedia façadeservesasthequalisign.ThespecificgridofthemediafaçadeinAbuDhabi correspondstothesinsignandthegeneralmeaningofmediafacadesthelegisign. Theobjectreferencecanbedifferentiated intotheiconwiththedesignprogramfor marketing;forexample,withtheaspects specificityandexclusivity.Theuniqueness asmeaningofYasViceroymediafaçade formstheindex.Thespecialtyofmedia façadescorrespondstothesymboland derivesfromthefactthatmediafaçades areonlyusedinsingularcasesandthereby generateastrongcontrastwhencompared toconventionallyilluminatedfacades.The qualitativeevaluationofcoloredlightand dynamicsingeneralrepresentstherheme, whereasthedicentreferstothetourist’s opinionofwhetherthemediafacadeofthe YasViceroyHotellooksexceptionaland exclusive.Theargumentdealswiththeaspectofwhichextentmediafacadesarea specialfeature.
Viewer(interpretant)
Evaluationofluminance distributionandcolor(rheme)
Judgmenttrue/falseforimagein relationtoluminancedistribution andcolor(dicent)
Evaluationofarchitectural lightingingeneral(argument)
Thesemioticsofarchitectureoriginated asasidelinefromsemioticsinthe1960s, whichfocusedonthemeaningofbuildings basedonarchitecturehistoryandtheory withearlytitleslike“MeaninginArchitecture” [44] and“TheLanguageofArchitecture” [75].Attheendofthe1960s,architecturalsemioticsbecameanindependent fieldofsemiotics [71].ForNöththearchitecturalsemioticscoveredtheconstruction fromthesinglebuildinguptourbandesignasasignsystemandsystematically describeditasacode.Thereby,itestablishedacontrastforhiminrelationtothe asemanticnatureofarchitecture,whichinterpretedthearchitectureexclusivelyinits functionality.
Bartheswasoneofthefirstwhoapplied theideasofsemioticstovisualimagesand laterdevelopedahighinterestinurban design,whichbecamevisibleinhis1964 essayoftheEiffelTowerasaniconiccenterandfunctionedasasignifierindependentofanyspecificreferent [4].NorbergSchulz,influencedbyMorris’sinterpretation ofsemiotics,inventedaphenomenologicalapproachwithfourlevelsof“existential space”:geographyandlandscape,urban level,and“thething” [33].Heobserved therelationshipbetweentheman-made worldandnaturalworldthroughathreepointprocessofvisualization,complementation,andsymbolization.Histheory involvedareductiveapproachwiththree categoriesforthelandscapeandthemanmadeworldwithromantic,cosmic,and classicalarchetypes.
Thepublications“LearningfromLasVegas: TheForgottenSymbolismofArchitectural Form” [105] and“TheLanguageofPostModernArchitecture” [42] havebeenvery influentialinthesemioticcontext.Jencks revealedhowarchitecturecanberegarded asasignfromametaphortoacliché.In hisview,architecturalelementslikewindowsandcolumnscanberegardedas “words”andidentifiedasareuseofsymbolicsignslinkedtoaspecificmeaning. Forinstance,aproblemwiththemeaning becomesnoticeablewhenpuristtransparentarchitecturewithribbonwindows istransformedintoconventionalsignsof homesbytheresidentswithaddedshuttersandmorewindowmullionsduetothe perceivedlackofshelterandprotection. Therulesforcombiningthevariouswords ofwindowsandwallsareinterpretedas syntax,whereasthesemanticsdescribe therelationshipoftheelementsandtheir meaning.
AccordingtoPreziosi,thefunctionsofarchitectureweredividedintosixpoints: (1)referentialfunctionofthearchitectural context,(2)aestheticfunctionviathearchitecturaldesign,(3)metacodalfunction asarchitecturalallusionsorquotations,(4) phaticfunctioninthesenseofaterritorial aspectofabuilding,(5)expressivefunctionasself-representationofthebuilder, and(6)conativefunctionintermsofuserrelatedaspectsofarchitecture [71,76].To exemplifythedifferentfunctionsabovethe cornerwindowattheFallingwaterbuildingfrom1939servesasadaylightdetail. FrankLloydWrightsaidinaninterview,
Thecorner-windowisindicativeofanidea conceivedearlyinmywork,thatthebox wasaFascistsymbol,andthearchitectureoffreedomanddemocracyneeded somethingbesidethebox.So,Istarted outtodestroytheboxasabuilding.Well, thecorner-windowcameinasallthecomprehensionthateverwasgiventothatact ofdestructionofthebox.Thelightcame inwhereithadnevercomebefore,vision wentout.Andyouhadscreensinsteadof walls—herethewallsvanishedaswalls, andtheboxvanishedasabox [22]
Thearchitecturalcontextoftheproject consistsofanaturalenvironment.Thespecialaestheticsofthewindowderivefrom thedematerializedcorner,whichwassolid inthearchitectureandwindowswereonly positionednexttothecornersupport.The meta-architecturalfunctionliesinthepoliticaldimension,wherethearchitectused acertaindesigntomediatefreedomand democracywithawindowinsteadofplanningaclosedvolume.Theterritorialperspectiveresultsfromthetopographyofthe waterfallatthehouseandthespectacular viewofthelandscapethroughthewindow. Asanownerofadepartmentstoreinthe heavilysteel-dominatedcityofPittsburgh, theclientlookedforacompensationof hisindustrialenvironmentwithhisholiday homesurroundedbyunspoiltnature.The client’sopennesstowardmodernartand design,thechoiceofarchitect,andthe realizationofavisionarybuildingforthat timeclearlydemonstrateanarchitectural self-representationwithanexpressiveorientation.Theconnotativefunctionforthe residentsfinallylies,ontheonehand,ina uniquewindow,whichwaslaterpublished worldwide,and,ontheotherhand,inthe individualassociationswiththeresidents’ view.
Mitchellintensifiedthediscussionoflanguagesofarchitecturalformandtheir specificationsbymeansofformalgrammars [64].HisviewwasbasedonChomsky’stheoriesoflanguage.Hedescribed
theclassicalorderofarchitecturewithlinguistictheoryforanalyzingsentencestructures.
Unfortunately,thisstrategydidnotconsider theperspectiveofmeaning.
Withthecritiqueofpostmodernism,the debateaboutarchitecturalsemioticshas almostvanished.Incontrasttothetheories ofthe1960stothe1980s,thenewerapproachesdonotinterpretarchitectureas languageorasamodelofverbalspeech. Mostofthecritiqueregardsarchitectural semioticsasoneaspectofacomprehensivearchitecturaltheory.Thereviewof recentliteraturebeginswiththreebooks whereBaumbergerdealswithsemantics, Schumacherwithsyntax,andDelitzwith pragmatics,followedbyrecentpapers.
BaumbergertransferredGoodman’sarchitecturalsymbolsystem,whichprimarily describedthenotationsystemofdrawingsandplans,togeneralarchitecture likebuildingsandurbanstructures [5,30] Baumbergerexploredthesemanticdimensionveryanalyticallywhenherelatedthe architecturalsignstopossiblemeaningby usingGoodman’stermsof“denotation,” “exemplification,”“expression,”and“complexreference.”Thereby,Baumberger identifieddirectandindirectrelationsof buildingsorbuildingpartspreciselyand,for instance,dividedreferencesintostylistic, typological,local,andculturalaspects.
Schumacher’ssystemwasdevelopedas anextensionofLuhmann’stheories,where headdedarchitectureasanindependent socialsystem [56,95].Schumacher’sinterestincontemporaryarchitecturebecame visibleinaddinginnovationtoutilityand beautyaselementsofthedoublecodeof architecture.Withthisframework,heintroducedandtriedtojustifyparametricism asanupcominguniversalstyle,whichhe designedincollaborationwithZahaHadid.Hearguedthatintheperiodofclassic modernarchitecture,theindexicalrelation referredmostlytoconstructiveandtechnicalfeatures.Asaconsequence,theiconic andsymbolicrelationwasneglected.For Schumacher,asemioticsystemwasnecessarywithinthedesignprocesssothat newarchitecturalformscouldbereadand understoodbysociety.
Inhertheory,Delitzworkedwithaverytight constellationbetweenarchitectureand societyandtherebyconcentratedonthe pragmaticperspectiveofarchitecture [19]
Sheintroducedsocietyasanimaginary institution,wheresymbolswereusedas aformofexpressionandthearchitecture playedacentralroleinthegenerationof self-presentation.
Semioticsalsoofferedthepossibilityto examinetheaspectofstyle [102].For Tschertov,forexample,syntaxincluded continuity,homogeneity,symmetry,and dimensionalityinthearchitecturalcode. Furthermore,thesemanticformsofexpressionimpliedmovementordevelopment.
IconicbuildingsliketheGuggenheimMuseumactassignaturearchitectureand thereforethecreationandreceptionofarchitecturerequiresapictoriality,argued Ullrich [103].ShereferredtoPeirceto pointoutdifferentiatelevelsoficonicity, whenanalyzingquotes:image,diagram, metaphor.Inparticular,mediafaçadesuse thebuildingsurfaceforemotionalpictures, which,whenelectronicallycontrolled,emanateprerecordedrepetitivepatternsor cangenerateliveorinteractivecontentand therebycreateachangingappearanceof thebuilding [34]
Semioticsalsohasrelevanceforarchitecturalconservation [78].Preservationist processeschangenotonlytheappearanceandphysicalfeaturesofabuilding butalsoitsmeaning.Thesemeasures aremerelyneutralbutcanentailmodificationsandevendistortionsoftheoriginal meanings.Thequalityofinterventionscan beanalyzedinregardtoepistemological andsymbol-theoreticalaspects.ThreeaspectswereimportantforCapdevilla:(1) Thepreservationistmeasurementsshould avoidmisunderstandingbyacceptingthat theyarenotneutralbutpresentinterpretationsofasymbol.(2)Itisbettertopreserve amaximumofmeaningsinsteadofdoing aselection.(3)Preservationshouldkeepa pluralityofmeaningsforanopeninterpretationinthefuture.
Thebackgroundofarchitecturalsemiotics providesausefuloverviewofseveralmodelsandpresentdiscussionsthatcanbe appliedtolightingdesign.Similartoarchitecture,lightisusedasamediumto generateanatmosphere.Inadditionto thefunctionalaspectofvisibility,itconveysameaning.Studyingthesyntax—the grammarofhowlightelementscanbe combined—couldenhancethedesign process.Thesemanticdimensionraises awarenessfortheilluminatedbuildings assignsandwhattheystandfor.Finally, apragmaticperspectivewouldcomple-
mentthesystemtoespeciallyevaluateits interpretationinasocialcontext.Thedifferentstylestoilluminateabuildingfindtheir equivalentinthedifferentlanguagesinthe world.
Relevantacademicliteratureabouthow semioticsandlightingcouldbenefitfrom eachotherisstillrarewithafewexceptions.Afirststeptowardsemioticsstarted whenarchitecturallightingwasinterpreted beyondvisibilityandfocusedonthemeaningwithaspectslikeaddressingamood orexpressingintendedusetocomplement structureorevenmodifytheappearance ofaspace [60].Acloseinterplayoflanguageandvisionwitharelationoftextand imagewasappliedtodaylightobservations andcombinedwithaphenomenological methodinfluencedbyNorberg-Schulz [74]. Withthispointofview,thecharacterof lightisexplainednotbyhistoricalinfluences ortechnologybutbysensuousexperience. Anexplicitconnectionbetweenelectricallightingandsemioticswasdrawnby Ruxtonasaperspectivetoassesslighting beyondtechnology [84].Amoredetailed semioticanalysiswasintroducedforarchitecturallightingandparticularlytheretail environmentandmediafaçadeswithexperimentsandamodelbasedonPeirce thatlinksthedifferentviewsofthesign,object,andinterpretant [90,91]
Inadditiontothearchitecturalcontext, publicationsaboutsemioticsandstage lightingandvisualartsexist.Semioticsbecameusefulforanalyzingstagelighting andthecommunicationbetweentheperformerandtheaudienceandtoidentify lightingsignsassociatedwithproductions [66].Forinstance,theimageofthemoon representsanindexicalsignpointingtothe fixturethatisprojectingit.Examininglight andshadowformodernvisualartsandin earlycinemabenefitsfromasemioticanalysisaswell [85]
Firstly,thevariousoptionstoapplysemioticsfordaylightandlightingdesignare subsequentlyshownforthedesignprocess;secondly,howthebasiclightcharacteristicshaveameaninginageneralcontext;and,thirdly,specificdesigntasksare presentedwiththeabovesemioticmodels andtheoriesbasedonspecificprojects.
Semioticsprovidesavaluableadditionto prevalentquantitative-orientatedresearch strategies.Itcouldhelptodetectsignificantfactorsforrespectiveexperimentsand toclassifytheresults.Qualitativestudies wouldbenefitfromfinelynuancedviewsof multiplesemiotictheories.Especiallyfor
complexresearchquestionslikehumancentriclighting,semioticswouldraisean awarenessformultipleparametersandsocialcomponents.Whenutilizingcasestudiesasaresearchmethod,semioticsoffers ahelpfulmatrixtorelatelightingasasign, theviewerasinterpretant,andthelight characteristicsandarchitectureingeneral asanobject.Interpretative–historicalresearchprojectswouldalsobenefitfrom thisperspective.Similarly,theuserasan interpretantwouldbebeneficialforpostoccupancyresearch.
Educatorscanapplysemioticsinvarious waysforteachingarchitecturallighting. Studyingvocabularyandtypologiesserve asabasistounderstandingexistingsituationsaspartofsitevisitsorhistoryand transferringtheknowledgetodesigntasks. Learningavocabularyofwindowtypes andtheproductionofcompositionshas beenastandardpracticeforarchitectural education [64].Thesize,form,andproportionofawindowinrelationtothewhole façadecommunicateasymbolicdimension;forexample,alargehorizontalwindowrepresentsamodernstyleincontrast tosmallverticalwindows [15].Vernacularwindowsarenotonlyafunctionofthe daylightsituationbutarereadableassocial andaestheticstatements [2].Typologies ofdaylightpatternsallowarchitectstodevelopapreciselanguagefortheircompositionandhelptocomparedesignsolutions [80].Thesemultipleviewsenhance students’competenceforacomprehensiveevaluationofcompetitionresultsand stimulatetheexchangeofinterdisciplinary groupswithincomplexprojects.Thequalityofcommunication,likevisualization,is anotherrelevantfactorforeducationand dependsuponthemediaandtheapplied techniqueused [88,39,82]
Semioticscanberelevantduringthedesignprocesswhileanalyzingaproject, comparingdesigns,andvisualizing.This viewpointcanbeappliedtodaylightand illumination.Daylightopeningsandluminairesastoolspossessaniconicquality butthegeneratedlightpatternincombinationwithdifferentphotometricparameters createspecificlightingeffectsaswell.
Pioneersofarchitecturalandstagelighting definedfunctionsoflightingbeyondvisibilityearlyon.StanleyMcCandlessregarded communicatingamoodwithadramatic effectasoneofhisfourlightingfunctions forthestage [61].InfluencedbyMcCandless,RichardKellydefinedthreedistinct functionsoflighting“focalglow,”“ambi-
entluminescence”and“playofbrilliants,” whichwerebasedondaylightphenomenaandlinkedtoelectricallightingtechniquestogeneratespecificmoods [48] Thesimplificationofthelightingdesigner’s approachrepresentedaneffectivecommunicationstrategyinthedialoguewithclients toidentifythedesiredmood,althoughthe reductionofcategoriesdidnotnecessarily leadintoarestrictingfactorasKelly’sversatiledesignlanguageshowed [70].The luminaireitselfcanbeinterpretedasan iconofaspecificstyleandconveysahistoricalmessage [27]
5.3.1.Lightingdesignprocess
Themethodologyofsemioticscanalsobe appliedforthegeneralcollaborativedesignworkwithinalightingdesignoffice andwiththearchitect.Thedesignthinking isregardedinsemiotictermsasacomplexofsignswiththreecomponents:a virtualbuilding,anenvelopeofconsideration,andanetworkofmeanings [63].A semioticapproachisusefulforidentifying complexenvironmentalpatternswithinthe analysisandhelpstoevaluatealternative conceptswithinthedesignphase.Inadditiontotheoralandwrittencommunication oflightingdesign,semioticsenhancesthe understandingofvisualizations.Drawings,
diagrammaticrepresentation,orcomputergeneratedimagesrepresentaproductof anideologicalframeworkofasocietyand requireacarefulapplication [79]
5.3.2.Photometricparameters
Thebasicphysicalcharacteristicsoflight intensity,lightdistribution,andspectrum areintroducedascarriersofmeaningsin ageneralcontext.Thelightintensitywith darkandbrightlightisusedasasignto conveyanatmospherefornightandday. Theconnotationfordarknessrangesfrom feelingunsafe,forexample,inhardlyilluminatedstreetscapesuptofascinationfor magicalexhibitionwhereseveralexhibits arekeptconcealed [55].Theinterestin shadowcanbelinkedtolocalcultureas well,asTanizakirevealedinthecasefor Japan [100].Incontrast,brightnessisa signtocreatetheimageofday,activity, transparency,andopenness,withtherisk ofuncomfortableglarewhentoobright;for instance,asusedwithluminairesthathave nocutoff.Daylight-filledatriaareasignfor thebrightdesignstrategyaswell.
Theparametersofdiffuseanddirectedlight arecloselyconnectedtoacloudyskyand directsunlight,respectively.Theycanbe regardedasamediumtocommunicate
eitherasoftatmosphere;forinstance,with thesignsofdiffuseluminousceilingsinmuseumsorrichincontrastmoodwithclear glassroofsfordirectsunlight(Figure 7) [50]
Thespectrumwillbediscussedwithregardtocolortemperatureandcoloredlight. Lowcolortemperaturerevealsasimilarity tofireorcandlelight,whereashighcolor temperaturesshowacloselinktodaylight. Theformercanbefoundinrestaurantsand hotelsforacozyatmosphere,whereasthe coolerlightcolorismoreoftenusedasadditionallightingtodaylightinoffices [50] Whencolorwastakenintoaccount,studiesshowedthatcoolmaterialcolorssuch asblueorgreenwereassociatedwitha tranquileffectincontrasttowarmmaterial colorslikeorangeandred,whichappeared stimulating [3,7,16].Associationsforcoloredlightingwerelinkedtonaturallight withthebluecastoftwilightortheorange shiftofthesunsetandtherebycoloredlight wouldactasasignifierfortherespective atmospheres [58].Themeaningofcolors canalsobecloselyconnectedtolocaltraditions,likethereflectanceofdaylighton goldorredsurfacesinJapan [73].Theuse ofcross-culturalcolorschemesneedsto becarefullyevaluated,becausebothsim-
Figure7: Spatialdiagramforthreeroutesthroughthemuseum.Illustrationofdaylightopeningsingroundplan,sectionandperspectivesfortheFondationd’Art ContemporainFrançoisPinault,Paris(France).2001.Architect:TadaoAndo.Image©a+u(Ando2002).
ilaritiesanddissimilaritiesoccurforcolor meaningassociationsbetweendifferent countries [51,57]
Duetothefactthatthetypesofprojects varywidely,severalsemioticissuesbecomerelevant.Theexampleswillbeillustratedwithspecificapplicationsranging fromsingleinstallationsuptourbandesign projectsinthecontextofspectrum,light distribution,andluminaireform.Theywill bediscussedinregardstostyle,thesymbolicmeaning,theroleoftheinterpreter, andchangesincontextovertime.
5.4.1.Daylight:Parametriclanguage
TherelevanceofSchumacher’snotion forparametricismbecomesvisibleinthe useofdiagrammaticgrammartotranslate algorithmicrulesfordaylightdesignsolutions.Thecomplexhoneycomb-inspired shadingsystemfortheAl-BahrTowers (Figure 8)inAbuDhabidesignedbyAHR respondskineticallytothesun’smovement andgeneratesadistinctidentityforthe client,involvingastrongpictorialitythatUllrichdiscussed [46]
TheemergenceofLEDtechnology,which wasaccompaniedbynewformsforlamps andluminaires,hastriggeredadiscussion aboutstyleandsocialcontextinvolving semioticsaswell.Thepixelaestheticof LEDshasindicatedinnovativedesign.One partofthistransformationisduetothe changingperceptionoflightsourceswhen comparedtothelargerhigh-pressuredischargelamps,tungstenlamps,orolder linearfluorescentlamps.Nevertheless, therisingusageofLEDtechnologywas accompaniedbyanincreaseinretrodesignmimickingvintageEdisonfilamentlight bulbs.Thisretrodesigncanbeassignedto asocialenvironmentandworksasasignifierinthesenseofSaussure’smodelfora pricelevelinstores;forexample,inBrooklyntoindicateupscaleshops(Campanella 2017).
Whenlookingforacontemporaryexpressioninordertoachieveaspecificnew identityfortheclient,thedesignerstartsto questionthetraditionaldesignlanguageof luminaires.Historicalconcerthallslikethe Neo-BaroquePalaisGarnierfortheParis Operahadacentraldecorativeandround chandelierintheirmainhalls [93].Forthe mainhalloftheoperainOslo,thedesignersquotearoundformincombinationwith sparklinghand-castglassbars,butthe overallformisalargelinearlayoutthatcan befoundinmodernistabstractpaintings (Figure 9) [97].Furtheron,thedetailed singlecrystalsappearlikeanicesculpture andtherebyemphasizealinktothelocal environmentofglaciers—anaspectthat Norberg-Schulzdiscussedwiththeterms “geography”and“landscape”aspartofhis geniuslociconcept.Theroundcoolform ontheceilingisametaphorasitgenerates aconnectiontothemoon.
directquotescan,forinstance,relateto culture,religion,ornature.TheKingfisher MallinRedditchcontainsastrongsymbolicdimensionwithasun-likeelement (Figure 10).
Thecommunicationofthedesignwas accompaniedbyaso-calledcode—the abbreviationforconstruction,operation, anddesignexecution.Thepatterndesign quotesthemashrabiyaasatraditionaland localIslamicfaçadedetail.Butwithparametricmodelingandcontrolsoftware,the solarscreenevolvesintoadynamicdaylightfaçade.Fromapatternpointofview, theAl-BahrTowersscreenrepresentsa large-scalequoteofJeanNouvel’sInstitut DuMondeArabeinPariswithitssmallscalelight-sensitivediaphragmsbutwith anautomateddesignprocess.
MainHallatNorwegianNationalOpera andBalletwithchandelier,Oslo,Norway,2008. Architecture:Snøhetta.PhotobyHeleneBinet. Image©HeleneBinet.
5.4.4.Luminairedesign:Directquote IncontrasttotheOsloconcerthallwith aregionalreinterpretationofchandeliers,
2003.Monofrequencylight,foil,hazemachine, mirrorfoil,scaffold.Installationview:TateModern,London,2003.©OlafurEliasson.Photo byAndrewDunkleyandMarcusLeith.Courtesy theartist;neugerriemschneider,Berlin;Tanya BonakdarGallery,NewYork.
Theorangecirclebelowtheceilingatthe endofalonghallevokestheassociation ofasunsetwhencomparedtonatureand emanatesanintensepictorialitylikeUllrichargued.Withthewidelypublished “TheWeatherProject”installationbyOlafurEliassonattheTateModerninLondon (Figure 11),theorangecircleappearslike aquoteoftheartisticpredecessor [60]
Consideringthattheartisthimselfquoted thenaturalsun,wefindaquoteofthefirst quoteinthemall.Thecentralupperpositionattheendofalonghallalsocreatesan homagetoGothicchurcharchitecturewith thecharacteristicluminousrosewindows. Theiconicorangeimageofbothprojects appearstobesimilar,thoughthedetails aredifferent.Eliassonusedasemicircle illuminatedwithmonofrequencylightsthat hemirroredandahazemachinediffused theimage.Incontrast,ElektraLighting avoidedasinglepurecolorandprinteda graphicpanelonthefrontforthesunatthe mall.Thetwoorangeandredlightcolors incombinationwithlightcontrolleadtoan animatedsurface.
Thedesiretoquotedaylightisvisibleinnumerousprojects.Numerousinstallations refertothenaturalskytoenableanatural atmospherefortheinterior,butoftenthey achievethisonlyonthelevelofastaticimageontheceiling.Dynamicceilingimages withchangingpatternsandcolorsarethe exception,liketheCondéNastCafeteria inNewYorkcompletedin2006,andoften theystillgenerateonlydiffuselightincontrasttodirectsunlight.Thismeansthaton animagelevelwecoulddetectacloserelationshiptonaturefortheceiling,whereas withregardtothelighteffectinthespace therelationshipisnotgivenduetolacking directlight.
Theuseoffewarchitecturalandlighting elementsformsareactiontoadesignenvironmentthatemploysamultitudeofsigns suchasthoseusedinthebaroqueperiod.Thisminimalisticperspectivewas typicalfortheCalifornia“LightandSpace” movement,whichfocusedonperceptualphenomenainthe1960s.Lightand dark,sunlightandshadow,timeandspace werecentralelementsoftheartworks [13] ArtistslikeRobertIrwin,JamesTurrell,and DouglasWheelerusednaturalaswellas electricallightingfortheirasceticspaces.
TheinfluenceofthismovementisalsovisibleintheworksofartistslikeOlafurEliassonorarchitectslikeTadaoAndo,Peter Zumthor,andJohnPawson,whereminimalinterventionswithdaylightcreateimpressiveexperiences.Regardingillumination,theconceptofminimalismisapparent inadesignapproachwhereonlythelight isvisibleandnottheluminairesthatwere used.Decorativeluminairesassurfaceor pendantmountedareavoidedinfavorof concealeddetailslikerecessedluminaires orwallslotlighting.However,criticsremark thatthemeaningofminimalismhasshifted fromanart-historicalmovementintoasignifierofaglobaleliteChayka2016 [14]
5.4.6.Retaillighting:Indirectquote Indirectquotesofferretailbrandsthe chancetodefinetheircorporatedesign onanabstract,generallevelandthereby avoidaspecificimagethatmightlookless attractivetosomeclients.Thefashionretail showroomsbyJilSanderrefertoAmericanminimalismandtheminimalisticlight artofJamesTurrellWagner2017.The preferencefortranslucence,invisiblelight sourcesandrenderingvolumeswithlight linestocreatefloatingsurfaceswasintroducedbythearchitectGabelliniSheppard intheJilSanderflagshipshowroominParis in1993(Figure 12)andlaterimplemented innumerousshowroomsworldwideand includedinacorporatestyleguide.With thisarchitecturallightingdesignscheme, theGermanfashionlabelpayshomageto theAmericanlightartistandintensifiesits simplisticbrandimagebyformingalinkto minimalart.Duetothefactthatnospecific artprojectwithreferencetoform,material,andlightwasquotedintheJilSander showroomasTurrell’sWedgeworkseries emphasizingwalls,theauthorwouldregardthereferenceintheParisshowroom, locatedat52AvenueMontaigne,asanindirectquote,althoughTurrell’sminimalism accordingtoUllrichisametaphor.Indirect quotesenablestorestoaddabrandimageonaconceptuallevelwithregardto cultural,economic,ecological,andsocial contexts.
theintensityoflightingforvisitorsestablishesastarkcontrasttodimlyilluminated spacessignifyinganunchangedandneutralappearance.TheRookerybuilding, designedbyDanielBurnhamandJohn WellbornRoot,wascompletedin1888and designatedahistoriclandmarkinChicago in1970asanearlyhigh-risebuildingwith asteelframe.Acentrallightcourtprovideddaylightfortheoffices.Electriclamps wereavailableforilluminatingbuildings, butthearchitectsassessedthetechnology asunreliableandthereforedidnotilluminatethebuildingexterior(EvittsDickinson 2012).Thebuildingunderwentseveral renovations,includingchangesofinterior luminairesandreopeningofthelightcourt ceiling,beforeexteriorlightingwasadded in2011(Figure 13) [77]
Illuminatinghistoricbuildingswithmodern lightingtechnologyfacesthechallengeof linkingaclient’sdesireforamoreattractive marketingimagewithrespectforconservativehistorianswhoattempttopreserve theoriginalmeaning.Therefore,increasing
Interaction.PhotobyAdamDaniels.Image© AdamDanielsPhotography.
Astrictpreservationistattitudewouldnot havepermittedilluminatingthefaçade,becauseitwouldhavebrokenuptheoriginal nightappearanceofthebuilding.Incontrast,theuseofasteelframeatthattime indicatedthatthearchitectsexpresseda highinterestinthelatestavailabletechnology.Therefore,thelightingdesignersfrom theOfficeforVisualInteractionconsidered contemporarylightingtoolsandsensitively litallofthewindowframesofthebrick façadewithgrazinglightusingsophisticatedLEDtechnology.Floodlightingand brightspotlightswereregardedasinadequatelightingtoolsforthecomplexsurface details.Ofcourse,luminairescouldnot bedirectlyfixedtotheterra-cottasurface becauseofthebuilding’shistoricallandmarkstatus.Thenewfaçadeillumination isnotaneutralresponseduetoitshistoricalbackgroundasCapdevillaremarked, butitkeepstheuniformityofthebuilding byincludingallwindowframeswhilethe frontsurfaceisnotlitinordertoprovidea linkwiththeoriginalnonlitexteriorlighting.
AsimilarsituationoccurredforCarnegie HallinNewYork,wherethefaçadewas illuminatedforthefirsttimeafter125years. ThedesignforthelandmarkbyKugler NingLightingincludedilluminatedwindow framesaswell,butadditionalareasusing grazinglightfortheentranceandfirstfloor, aswellaslightforthecornice,havecreatedamorefestiveimage.
5.4.8.Mediafacades:Semanticshift acrosstime
Thefieldofmediafacadesisanotherexamplewheresemioticspresentsavaluable assettoevaluatethedesignandcouldhelp todevelopreadabledesignsolutionsfor citizens.Forexample,theHongkongand ShanghaiBank(HSBC)Headquartersby NormanFostervividlyillustratesthechange oflightingovertimeinthedigitalageof LEDsandscreentechnology [92].The originalopenlayoutwithitsexposedsteel structuregeneratedapowerfulcorporate identityforthebank(Figure 14).
orfullightlinesandbrightsearchlights tocreateabeaconoflightfortheHong Kongskyline.Since2004,theHongKong TourismCommissionhastriedtobecome abenchmarkforcitymarketinginAsiawith thelargestsoundandlightshowinthe world,called“SymphonyofLights.”With globalization,risingeconomiccompetition, andpoliticalchanges,thecityhaslooked totourismtoincreasebusinessandto markastrong,modern,anddynamicidentity.Nevertheless,thefirstfaçadelighting updatedidnotcoverthenewerexpectationofhighervisibilityandmoreexplicit messagesofbrandcommunication.For thatreason,thefaçadelightingwasamplifiedwithamediawallforthe150thHSBC anniversaryin2015(Figure 15).Synchronizedwiththefaçadelighting,themedia wallsofferaveryflexibleinfrastructurefor independentcontentorechoingtheeffects ofthearchitecturallightingonscreenor viceversa.Erectedoriginallyontheground ofaBritishcolonyasadistinctiveBritish high-techofficetower,localizedwithafeng shuiexpert,theHSBCbuildingnowresides onanautonomousterritoryofChina.The searchforanewidentity,significantlyinfluencedbyglobalization,hasledtoanew luminousmasktoconcealatoughand coldfinancebuilding.Thiscolorfuloverlay ofpattern,madeoflight,hasturnedthe HSBCintoanobviousdualism:duringthe daytime,itconveysthecoolrationalimage ofproductivism,butatnighttheexplicit scenographydemonstratesasoftemotionalcharacter.
efficiency.Thoughfromanengineering perspectivetheinstallationswerecomparabletoorbetterthantheolderhighpressuresodiumlampsintermsofilluminationlevel,lightingdistribution,energy consumption,andlifetime,theeffectof oneminorchangewassignificantlyunderestimated.Thelocalresidentsperceived thechangetoacoolercolortemperature aslessromantic [99].Theresponserevealedastrongsymbolicpowerofthe colortemperature,whichwasalsolinked todifferentregionslikeLosAngelesasa moderncitytoleratingacoolercolortemperatureincontrasttotheancientoriginof Romerequiringamoreromantic,warmer light.Inanothercitytheresidentscalled thenewLEDstreetlighting“zombielights” and“prisonlighting,”forexample,dueto acombinationofhighbrightnessandcool colortemperature [9].Asemioticanalysis withthesemioticmodelofPeircecould helptoidentifytheroleoftheinterpreterto prepareaholistic,user-friendlydesign.
5.4.10.Lightforbranding:Urbanidentity
Theterm“light”hasalsobeenturnedinto atoolforurbanself-representationand therebyintomarketingcommunication aswell.Thisstrategyisvisibleinhotel nameswithilluminatedsignageontop ofthebuilding,liketheNordicLightHotelinStockholm,orforlarge-scaleurban marketingwiththeterm“cityoflight,”like Paris,Eindhoven,orLüdenscheid—either associatedwithalonghistoryofelectric lightinggoingbacktotheExpositionUniverselleof1889orwithlocallightingmanufacturerslikePhilipsorERCO.Theworldwidelightfestivalsrepresentatemporary versionforcitymarketingwherecitiesuse lighttocreateawarenessanduselightto definetheiridentity [40]
Figure14: HongKongandShanghaiBank Headquarters,HongKong,in1986.Architects: Foster+Partners.Lightingdesign:Claudeand DanielleEngleLighting.Photographer:IanLambot.Image©ERCO,www.erco.com.
However,therestrainedatmosphereof whitearchitecturallightingwithtwocolor temperaturesandthelackofdistinctive façadelightinghadlostitsattractiveness twodecadesafteritsopeningin1986.The colorfulanddynamicrelightingpresents aremarkableexampleofhowanarchitecturiconhasshiftedfromaproductivist ideologytowardascenographicimage —atemporaldimensionthatBontadiscussed [28].TotheWesternobserver,the multicoloredlightlanguagemaygiveoffa playfulimpression,buttothelocalculture thetransformationevokesgrandiosity.
In2003,thefaçadeilluminationchanged fromadiscreetglowfromwithinintocol-
5.4.11.Urbanlighting:Imagestriggering sustainability
Despitetheinterestinlightfestivalsand representativeoutdoorillumination,the risingawarenessoflightpollutionhasled toacountereffectwhereregionsregard darknessasanimportantvalueandhave startedtoestablishdarkskyparksinorder tocommunicatetheirsustainableorientation [1,24].Thegrowingnumberofsatellite imagesofcitiesatnightandthepublication ofrespectivereportshavedevelopedinto importantvisualmediatoinformawide audienceaboutlightpollution [52].The changeinvisualizationsoflightfromstreetviewphotostosatelliteimagessymbolizes ashiftinthesocialcontextfromlocalto global.Later,intensestreetlighting,capturedonalargescalewithsatelliteimages, triggereddiscussionsregardingpolitics andeconomicswiththemutuallyprofitable relationshipbetweenpoliticians,electrical
distributors,andenergysuppliers—asocial dimensionthatDelitzemphasizedandthat hadbeenpointedout,forexample,inthe highwaysinBelgium [94]
5.4.12.Urbanlighting:Rhetoricforpolitical activism
Thesymbolicpoweroflightandarchitecturehasbeenusedincreasinglyinrecentyearsbyvariousgroupstoengage thepublicandrelatestothebehavioristic semioticmodel.Illuminationwithcolorsor projectionswithimagesandtextweretemporarilyappliedmainlytolandmarkbuildings.Thedesignrangedfromabstractto figurativeimageryandthefieldsofinterest includedenvironment,health,andsocial issuesaswellaspolitics.Iconicdesign solutionswereusedtoensureawideresponseformasscommunicationinprinted andsocialmedia.
TheannualEarthHourhasturnedinto aglobaleventtoraiseawarenessofenergyconsumptionandlightpollution [108] Withits1-hdurationforturningofftheillumination,theeffectcanberegardedas symbolicandnotasasignificantinfluence onthetotallightingenergyconsumption.
FamouslandmarksliketheEiffelTowerplay animportantroletogainwidespreadattention.Incontrast,artistsconsideredprojectedanimationsofendangeredspecies fortheirenvironmentalcampaignonthe EmpireStateBuilding [81].Again,theselectionofabuildingwithaglobalstatus wasessentialforpresscommunication.
TofocusonhealthissuesliketheWorld AIDSDay,textprojectionsonseveralbuildingswereusedtocreateawareness [65] Alternatively,thecampaignagainstautism wasmoreabstractandusedbluelighton WorldAutismAwarenessDay [98]
Inoppositiontothegeneralprojections ontofaçades,anartprojectinSydney activatedresidentsoftwo30-storyresidentialbuildingstocreateanarchitecturallightsculpturewithlightfromwithin (Figure 16) [35].Allparticipantsreceived acolor-changingluminairefortheirwindowwitharemotecontroltoindividually expresstheirmoodusingconstantcoloror strobeorflash.Theprotestwastargeted againstthedemolitionandprivatizationfor alargeinner-cityrealestatedevelopment andgainedinternationalpresspublicity.
Politicalinitiativesaddressissueslikeeconomyandterrorism.DuringtheOccupy WallStreetmovement,activistsutilizedtext projectiontosummarizetheprotestofa march [41].Later,theNewYorkart-activist collective“TheIlluminator”usedavanfor optimummobilityforvariousevents,which raisedandloweredaprojectorthrough theroofandappliedsoftwarethatalsoallowedwritingonbuildingsinlightinreal time.Lightinstallationstocommemorate tragicattacksbyterroristsstartedwith the“TributetoLight”inNewYorkinmemoryofthepeoplekilledonSeptember11, 2001 [68].Thetwinbeamsreachedup intotheskyandbecameanannualevent. Theworldwideterrorthreatsledtoglobal actsofsolidarityandsympathyafterterrorattacks—forexample,afterincidents inParisin2015andBrusselsandBerlinin 2016—whereinternationallandmarkswere highlightedwiththecolorcodeoftherespectivenation [72]
Themaincriticagainstinterpretingarchitectureaslanguageliesintheaspectthat architecturedoesnotfulfillthetwobasicrequirementsforlanguage:Partsof buildingsdonotcreateavocabularythat createscertainmeaningsbasedonlexical rulesandneitherdosyntacticrulesexistfor thewayinwhichthemeaningofcomplete buildingsresultsfromtheirparts [6].The aspectoflightasamediumadditionally raisestheargumentthatlightcanonlybe perceivedviaareflectivesurfaceandthereforedoesnotrepresentanindependent language.
Critiquesagainstarchitecturalsemiotics havebeenpublishedbyseveralauthors. Oneproblemofalinguisticviewofarchitecturebeganwiththedifferentassumptionsaboutthenatureoflanguage [96] Manywritersmixedlanguagewithstyle, arguedScruton.Furthermore,hedifferentiatednaturalandintentionalsignsandconcludedthatarchitecturalsignsarerather naturalbutacodeisnotnecessarilyinvolved.Itisalsoimportanttocriticallyreflectontheperspectiveofthediscourse, becauseinterpretationscanvary,dependingonwhethertheanalysishasahistorical orstylisticfocusoralternativelyafunctional ortypologicalemphasis [11].Forinstance, whenonedepictsproblemsinthebuilding typeorincertainfaçadedetails,thetypologicalormorphologicalsimilaritieswould bemoreimportantthanhistoricallinks.
Theanalogybetweenarchitectureand languageistemptingfortheissueofmeaninginarchitecture,butseveralcriteriafor languageprovedarchitecturetobenonlinguistic [21].Duetotheoppositionof formandcontentincombinationwitharchitectureasafieldwheretheformappearstobeparamount,onecoulddetect attemptstoisolatethecontent.Thistendencymarkedashifttowardadiscoursein anaestheticofformratherthanasemiotic discussion [67]
Anotherreactiontoveryabstractsemiotic analyseswastheintroductionofsociosemiotics,wheretheconnotativecodes wereinterpretedasproductsproduced bygroupsandclassesconnectedwithurbanlife [31].Oneexampleisthelegacy ofLynch,withhispublicationofthefive featuresofpaths,edges,districts,nodes, andlandmarksasurbanreferencepoints, whichreducedtheuseofurbanenvironmenttotheactivityofmovementanddid notconsidertheroleofideologyaccording toGottdienerandLagopoulos.Thisurbanviewisparticularlyrelevantforcreating urbanlightingandthecreationofmaster plans.
ForHarries,thefascinationbetweenlinguisticsandarchitecturewaslinkedwith thecrisisofmodernarchitecture,where meaninghadbeenlostandcriticshad lookedformorecomplexreflections [36] Hequestionedwhetherobjectscouldsend anintentionalmessage.Forinstance,ifwe callacloudasignofrain,itseemsinappropriatetoassumethatthiscloudwants totellussomething.Transferredtolighting,thiswouldmeanthatweunderstand thesunasasignoflight.Inthecontextof ancientEgypt,thesunwasregardedasa signlinkedtothesolardeityRaandcould consequentlybeinterpretedasasign,but withinmodernnaturalsciencesthisintentionofthesunisnotgiven.
Furthermore,Harrieswarnedthattheuse ofwordslike“language,”“syntax,”and “grammar”couldconfusemorethanthey areabletoexplain.Inalanguage,specificwordscanreplaceeachotherina sentencewhereasotherscannot.Forexample,awindowframewithinawallcould befilledwithstainedglassorwithsimple transparentglass.Thiswouldbeequivalenttointroducingawordfromanother language.Fillingthewindowframewith abrickwallwouldgeneratearchitectural nonsense,butwecouldimaginethata deconstructiveorpostmodernarchitect couldattempttodosuchconstruction. Certainbrands,forexample,breaktherole ofgoodvisibilityintheirstoresinorderto
offercustomersanabnormalmysterious appearancewithinadarkspace [90]
Additionally,HarriesreferredtoEcowhen hementionedthatobjectsmustcommunicateordenotetheirfunctionandthatthis needstobesupportedbyexistingcodification.Thisaspectbecomesapparent whennewelementslikelightcontrolinterfacesareintroducedwitharadicalnew look.Asaresult,inhiscritiqueofsymbols, Harriespreferredtospeakaboutarchitectureasrepresentationandtoascribe apictorialfunction.Heexemplifiedthis perspectivewiththemedievalchurchand theuseofgoldandespeciallyilluminated withflickeringcandles.Theshimmering goldwasametaphoricaldevicerelatedto passagesfromtheBibleandshouldtransportthefaithfulfromthisworldinto“the TrueLight” [36].Thestainedglasswindowwasanothermetaphoricaldevicefor Harries.HereHarriesindicatedthatwe considersuchlanguageoflighttodayas merelymetaphorical,butforthemedieval artist’sworldview,lightwasspiritualand thebridgetothesacredsphere.
Duetothelinguistic-andimage-orientated conceptsofthesigntheoriesbyFerdinand deSaussure,CharlesS.Peirce,Nelson Goodman,andUmbertoEco,Gleitersuggestedextendingthesemioticmodelwith phenomenology [29].Forhim,architecturalsignsincludedthreeaspects:pictorial, phenomenological,andperformative.From adistance,awindowmayappearasapictorialsign.Beingclosetoawindow,itmay appearasarealwindowforlookingout andthatitcanbeopened.Ifapersonactuallylooksoutofthewindoworopensit, ashiftfromthephenomenologicalaspect towardtheperformativebegins.
Ingeneral,thecritiqueregardingarchitecturalsemioticscannotberemovedfor architecturallighting,andsomearguments havealreadybeenillustratedintermsof light.Butduetothefactthatweseeonly reflectedlight,theaspectoflightisinherent toourobservationofarchitecturalforms, contours,textures,andmaterials.However,thedimensionofeitherdaylightor illuminationisseldomaddressed.Itappearsthattheimageoflightemergesas anotherlayeronthearchitecturalsurface. However,theraysofsunlightdonotstop atthesurface,buttheyarereflectedand therebyinfluencetheappearanceofother areasaswell.Adiscussionoflightasa languageindependentfromarchitecture seemsabsurd.Butasemioticperspectivecanhelptoidentifythetwoelements oflightandarchitectureandtodescribe
theirrelationship;forexample,asaunity, contrast,transformation,orexaggeration. Forinstance,aspacewithdesignedwhite wallsgeneratesaunitywithreferenceto materialandcolor.Consideringdownlights withtheircharacteristicscalloppatternon theupperpartofwallsdissolvestheunity, whereasauniformlightingdistributionof wallwashersenhancesthespatialunity [89]
Hillrespondedtotheissueofreflectivityonsurfacesaswellwhenhecriticized Scruton’sargumentswithrealisticand nonrealisticsubcategories [38].When seeingphysicalobjectslikefaçadeconstructionscreatingpatternsofbrightlight andshadow,onecouldassignarealistic seeinginScruton’sterms.Butthecaseis moreproblematicwhentheoverallspace isconsideredandweseeaqualityofcalm andclarityofthelightandraisethequestionofwhetherthisshouldberegardedas nonrealisticseeingaccordingtoScruton. Hillsuggestedsolvingthisproblembyinterpretinglightasreflectivityonsurfaces.In thefirststep,theindividualsurfaceswould beconstruedasrealisticseeing,which wouldbeequivalentwithScruton’srealistic perception.Inthesecondstep,thelight inthespacewouldbeunderstoodasan imaginativeobject,whichwouldrelateto thenonrealisticperception.Anoptionfor Hillwastheideathataspacehascharacteristics,oneofwhichisthequalityof light.AccordingtoHill,lightmovespeople.HeillustratedthiswithJohnSoane’s architectureandarguedthattheaesthetic perceptiondoesnotderivefrommanipulatingsurfaceswithcolor,decoration,and mirrors.
Fromalinguisticpointofview,withmorphemesastheminimaldistinctiveunitof grammar,lightcouldbeconsideredasa boundmorpheme,whichislinkedtothe architecturalelement.Itrequiresarchitecturetoalterthemeaning [17].Inthis waylightbecomesaderivationalaffix.This meansthatasanaffixitcannotexistwithoutthemorphemeoftherespectivearchitecturalelement,butasanaffixitbuildsa newwordincombinationwiththearchitecturalunitandcarriesanewmeaning.
Critiquewithregardtocommunication theoryandlightwasbroughtforward byMcLuhan,whosaidthatlightisnota mediumandelectriclightispureinformation,unlessitisusedtospelloutsome verbaladvertisementorname [62].This statementwasdevelopedfromhisunderstandingthatasocietyisinfluencedmore bythemediausedthanthetopicswithin thismedium.However,thisintensefocus onthemediumalsoimpliesthatthecontentandsocialdimensionofmediaare
neglected.Itisobviousfromthedifferent above-mentionedcasestudiesthatthe contentofthemediumlighthasasubstantialeffectandisrelevantfortheresulting reactionsbypeopleandsociety.
Applyingsemioticsdirectsthefocusonthe qualityoflightingdesign.Consideringthe meaningoflightwithinthedesignprocess leadstomoresustainablesolutionswithan optimizationbeyondthewidelydiscussed economicandperformancefactorslike efficiencyorvisibility.Semioticscanserve asatooltounderstandarchitectureand lightingregardingtheirsignifyingdimension andtoidentifythemeaning.Thisviewis basedontheconceptthatlightingconveys ameaningnexttothefunctionofvisibility andsafety.
Thestrengthofthesemioticmethodliesin theabilitytoanalyzecomplexsystemsof signsthatlightingdesignersdealwith:light sources,luminaires,integrationinarchitecture,andilluminatedinteriorspaces,upto urbandesign.Thisapproachoffersavarietyofperspectivestoimagineandanalyze thestructuralrulesofthelightingdesign composition,therelationshipbetweenthe light-filledspaceandthemeaning,and howpeoplerespondtolight.
Theoriesofarchitecturalsemioticsoffera valuablebackgroundfortransferringthe methodtoarchitecturallightingdesign. Thesemioticmatrixoffersadifferentiatedviewofrelationshipsbasedonthe aspectsofsign,object,andinterpreterin relationtolightcharacteristics,illuminated building,andarchitecturallightingingeneral.Dependingontheresearchproblem, theemphasisofthesemioticapproachis adjustable.Academicshavepointedout severalaspectswheretheapplicationsof semioticscouldleadtoproblems;forinstance,whensemioticsbaseseverything onsignsorwordsandmovesawayfrom perceptionwithoutusingwordslikethe phenomenologicalperspectivewithemotionandpresence.Asemioticanalysis consideringonlylightwithoutarchitectureisshort-sightedaswell.However,the critiquedoesnotquestiontheuseofsemioticsforarchitectureandlightingeneral butfocusesonstructuraldetails.
Addressingthemeaningoflightcouldalso benefitthedebateabouthuman-centric lightinganditssearchtoincludetheusefulnessoflighting.Withthismethodologicalpotential,semioticsdeservesalarger recognitionnotonlywithinthelightingresearchcommunitybutalsoforpractitioners,educators,andcritics. ■
Author:Dr.ThomasSCHIELKE
Dr.ThomasSchielkestudiedarchitecture attheUniversityofTechnologyinDarmstadt,Germany.Duringthecourseofhis studiesheworkedasaresearchassistant atthedepartmentforBuildingDesignand LightingTechnology.Hisdoctoralthesis analysedarchitecturallightingforbrand communication.ThomasSchielkeworks asalightingdesigntraineratthelighting manufacturer ERCO.Hewasatrainerfor lightingseminarsandworkshopsatDIAL from2014till2015.Beforethat,hewasin chargeofthedidacticandcommunication divisionatERCOfrom2001till2014where hedesignedanextensiveonlineguidefor architecturallighting,ledlightingworkshopsandpublishedinternationalarticles onlightingdesignandtechnology.Heis co-authorofthebooks“LightPerspectives –betweencultureandtechnology”and „SuperLux–Smartlightart,design&architectureforcities“.Thefirstbookcovers theactualqualitiesoflight,therelationship betweenlightandspace,finally,thedimensionoflightasitrelatestoculture–based onpairedtermstoexplorethedesigndimensionoflight.
Additionally,hehastaughtlightingdesign atdifferentuniversitiesandwasinvitedfor lecturesatinstitutionslikeHarvardGSD, MIT,ColumbiaGSAPPandETHZ.His dissertationattheUniversityofTechnologyinDarmstadt,Germany,hasanalysed architecturallighting.Hisresearchinterestsfocusonqualitativelightingdesign. Thereby,heexaminesthewayinwhich lightcanbeusedtointerpretarchitecture andtoexpressasemanticquality.Further, heexploresthedevelopmentofcontemporarylightpatterns,technologiesand visualisationtechniquestodetecthistoricalinfluencesandtocriticallydiscussthe progressoflightandarchitecture.Hiscolumn“LightMatters”onArchDailyreveals variousperspectivesofarchitectural lighting.
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ZhagaConsortium1
Smartcitiesdependondata–datathat isoftencollectedusingsensors.Infact, manycitiesarealreadyusingsensorsto monitortraffic,measureairpollution,forecastweatheranddetectnoiselevels.
Butthisisonlythetipoftheicebergof whatthesesensorsarecapableof.To leveragetheirfullpower,theymustbe completelyintegratedintoacity’sexistinginfrastructure.
luminairesdesignedandcertifiedinaccordancewithaZhagaBookareguaranteed toworktogetherasintended,evenifthey comefromdifferentmanufacturers.Taken together,theinterfacespecificationsestablishedbyZhagaBooksenableaninteroperableecosystemofluminairesand components.
TheZhagaSmartCitySensorAwards recognizethemostinnovative,streetlightcompatiblesmartcitysensorsalready onthemarketandencouragethedevelopmentofnewones.
Enterthehumblestreetlight.
“Whenitcomestosmartcitysensing tasks,nothingbeatsthestreetlight,”says FrancescoMartini,ChairoftheZhaga SteeringCommittee.“Alreadyubiquitous inmostcities,thestreetlightnotonlyoffers astrategiclocationforsmartsensors,it’s alsoasecurepieceofpoweredinfrastructureavailableatalowcost.”
FRANCESCOMARTINI
Entitled‘SmartInterfaceBetweenOutdoor LuminairesandSensing/Communication Modules’,ZhagaBook18standardizes theinterfacebetweenluminairesandsensorsthatcanbeinstalledonstreetlights. “Streetlightsareregularlypositioned,secure,poweredandinagreatlocationfor manysensingtasksandforcommunications,”explainsMartini.“Zhaga’sBook 18takesthisfurtherbystandardizingthe mechanicalinterface,intra-luminairecommunicationprotocolandpowerbudgetfor acontroldevice.”
TheBookwasdevelopedbasedonaliaisonbetweentheZhagaConsortiumand theDALIAlliance(DiiA),theownersofthe DALIlightingprotocolandD4i,whichstandardizesthecommunicationbetweenthe sensorsandtheluminaires.
1ZhagaConsortium c/oIEEE-ISTO,attn.KatherineValenti,445 HoesLane,Piscataway,NJ08854,USA info@zhagastandard.org
zhagastandard.org
Withover500members,Zhagaisthe globallightingindustryconsortiumwith themissionofstandardizingtheinterfaces ofcomponentsofLEDluminaires–includingstreetlightsensors.Itdoesthisthrough itsspecifications,whichZhagareferstoas Books.
Eachbookdefinestheinterfaceofoneor morecomponentsofanLEDluminaire. Allsensor/communicationmodulesand
“ZhagaBook18createstheecosystemof productsneededtofuture-proofluminaires, whiletheZhaga-D4icertificationprovides thetrustcompaniesneedtogetthere,” addsMartini.“Byputtingthemtogether, we’veelevatedthestreetlightfrommere lamptothebackboneoftomorrow’sdatadrivensmartcities.”
“Whenitcomestosmartcity sensingtasks,nothingbeats thestreetlight.”
JuryMembersoftheZhagaSmartCitySensorAwards(lefttoright): KevinFITZMAURICE,PrincipalofSmartServicesatGeorgiaPower
PaulBAGINSKI,HeadofLightingServicesatDortmundEnergyCompany
GrahamMAWER,PgMoftheSSROCStreetlightingImprovementPrograminSydney
ChristopheORCEAU,ChairmanoftheTALQConsortiumSteeringCommittee
CarlBLOOMFIELD,VPofCommercialInfrastructureandIndustryRegulationsatIntertek
TedDROST,GlobalTechnicalLeaderatDEKRA
In2021,theZhagaConsortiumpublished thethirdeditionofBook18.Thisneweditionallowsforarchitecturesthatcombine anANSIC136.41dimmingreceptaclewith aZhagareceptaclenexttothearchitecturespreviouslyspecifiedintheprioredition.
LaunchedinSeptember2022,theAwards recognizeexcellenceinsmartcitysensors designedtobeinstalledonstreetlights usingtheZhagaBook18standardand thataresuitableforZhaga-D4icertification. “TheSmartCitySensorAwardsareagreat waytohelpidentifyexcellenceinsensors,” saysGrahamMawer,ProgramManagerof theSSROCStreetLightingImprovement ProgrammeinSydney,whoalsoservedon theAwards’jurypanel.
“Thisisgoodnewsforthosepartsofthe worldthataremorecomfortablewith ANSI/NEMA-basedlightingcontrolswho stillwanttoaddZhaga-D4ibasedsmart citysensorstotheirstreetlights,”notes KevinFitzmaurice,PrincipalofSmartServicesatGeorgiaPower.
Withover200familiesofZhaga-D4iluminairesfromover50manufacturersalreadycertified,ithasbecomethemost cost-effectivewayfordeployingsmartsensors.Asaresult,morecitiesthaneverare nowleveragingthepowerofstreetlightcompatiblesmartcitysensors.Oneof thosecitiesisDortmund,Germany.Over thecourseofthenexttwoyears,thecity planstochangeabout11,000streetlight fittingstoD4icertifiedluminaires.
Meanwhile,inSydney,Australia,alarge groupoflocalgovernmentsintendedto design62,000hybridZhaga-D4icertifiedstreetlightstobethebackboneofits plannedsmartcityinfrastructure.However,beforethiscouldhappen,thegroup firstneededarangeofinnovative,lowcost Zhaga-basedsensorswithcompellingcapabilities.So,theydecidedtoapproach theZhagaConsortiumtoseewhatcould bedonetopromotethecreationanddevelopmentofZhaga-D4iinnovativesmart citysensors.
“WequicklyrealizedthiswasanopportunitynotonlytosupporttheSydneyregion,buttorecognizethemostinnovative, streetlight-compatiblesmartcitysensors alreadyonthemarketandencouragethe developmentofnewones,”saysMartini.
TheoutcomewastheinauguralZhaga SmartCitySensorAwards.
Companies,academicinstitutions,and individualsfromaroundtheworldwere encouragedtosubmittheirsmartcitysensorsforconsiderationinoneormorecategory,includingmobility,climate,pollutants, sound,lightingcontrols,multi-sensors,innovationandresearch.
Allsubmittedsensorshadtomeetthe physical,electrical,andconnectivityrequirementsofZhagaBook18Edition3. ThisincludedtheabilitytocomplywithD4i requirementsforluminaire-mountedcontroldevices.Sensorscouldbedesignedto communicatedirectlywithanexternalIoT communicationsnetworkorviatheDALI busintheluminaire(andultimatelyviaa luminaire-mountedlightingcontrol).Sensorshadtobeeitheranavailableproduct suitableforZhaga-D4icertificationor,if new,aworkingprototypeneededtobe availablefordemonstration.
Judgedbyapanelofsmartcityandsensor experts,includingcityofficials,utilitycompaniesandindustryassociations,thejury evaluatedqualifyingsubmissionscoming fromsensormanufacturers.Aftercareful consideration,thejuryawardedfoursolutionsfromfourcategories.
BasedontheZhaga-D4istandard,this game-changingimage-basedsensoris designedtoaccuratelymeasuretrafficdensityandpatternsinrealtime.Thesensor providesdatathaturbanplannerscanuse tomitigate,forexample,roadcongestion, whilealsooptimizingtheuseofroads, bridgesandtunnels.Itcanevenbeused togeneratestreetlightingbasedontraffic density.
“Thankstotheapplicationcontrollerlogic, SensorXwillbeabletosendcommands, viatheDALIline,directlytothedriver–
EduardoPEREIRA,ProductManagerOutdoor ControlsatTridonic
afeaturethatenablesseveralbenefits, includingenergysavings,reducedlight pollutionandincreasedsafety,”saysEduardoPereira,ProductManagerOutdoor Controlsandcontinues,“AtTridonic,we arethrilledandproudtoaccepttheZhaga smartcitysensorsawardinthemobility category.Thisrecognitionisatestament toourcommitmenttodeliveringinnovative andsustainablelightingsolutionsthatenablesmartcitiestobecomemorelivable, efficientandresilient.”
Otherusecasesincludeadvancedpresencedetectionandparkinglotmanagement.Astotheformer,becausethesensorcanrecognizedifferentroadusers, whenitdetectsapedestriancrossingthe street,itcansendcommandstoadjacent luminairestowarnoncomingvehicles.
EDUARDOPEREIRA
Forparkinglotmanagers,SensorXwilloffer aflexiblesolutionthatcanbeintegrated intothelightinginfrastructure.Notonlywill thisallowuserstoadd,removeorchange theparkinglotspacesondemand,itwill
“ZhagaBook18creates theecosystemofproducts neededtofuture-proofluminaires.”
“ThisnewTridonicsensorisa realgamechangerforstreet lightingandtrafficmeasurement.”
enableincreasedflexibilityandlowercosts comparedtothemagneticcounterpart. SensorXisbeingdevelopedusingartificialintelligencewithedgedeployment, meaningthattheimagesacquiredbythe sensorareprocessedinthesensoritself andonlytheresultoftheanalysisissent viatheDALIbus.Thismeansnopicture ofvideoeverleavesthesensoratanytime duringoperation,thusfulfillingdataprotectionrequirements.AccordingtoPereira, whenreleasedinOctober2023,theSensorXwillrevolutionizethemarket.“Camera systemsareexpensive,bulkyandrequire specialmountingsystems,”hesays.“With thehelpoftheZhagainterface,SensorX changeseverything,makingtheinstallation andintegrationintostreetlightinginfrastructurealmosteffortless.”
www.tridonic.com ■
TEConnectivity|LUMAWISEMotion Sensor
IntheAdaptiveLightingControlcategory, whichincludesmotiondetectionandother sensorsthatcontrollightinglevels,TEConnectivitywasawardedforitsLUMAWISE Motionproduct.
TheAmerican-Swisscompanydesigns andmanufacturerssensorandconnectivity solutions.
“LUMAWISEMotionisamotionsensor designedspecificallyforstreetlighting,” explainsJonathanCatchpole,SystemArchitectatTEConnectivity.“Thepluggable deviceenablesenergysavingsbydimming oreventurningoffaluminairewithoutcompromisingthesensor’ssafetyandsecurity benefitsofreactingtomotionandbringing theluminairebacktofullbrightness.”
“WithLUMAWISEMotion,you don’thavetochoosebetween efficiencyandsafety,itletsyou haveboth.”
JONATHANCATCHPOLE
ThesensorwillfitintotheZhaga-D4iecosystem,whichCatchpolesaysisthenew standardforsmartcities.Itcanworkas astandalonecontroldevice,incombinationwithZhaga-D4iphotocell,or,foreven greaterlevelsofcontrol,asacommunicationnode.
AccordingtoCatchpole,someorganizationsarechoosingtoturnoutdoorlighting offduringlowusetimes.“Whiledoingso mayimproveefficiency,itcompromises safetyandsecurity,whichisthemainpurposeofoutdoorlighting,”hesays.“With LUMAWISEMotion,youdon’thaveto choosebetweenefficiencyandsafety,it letsyouhaveboth.”
Citylight.net,whodesignssmartIoTluminairecontrollers,wasalsoawardedinthe AdaptiveLightingControlcategoryforits CNODEIOTAMRIoTsensor.Theversatile andconvenientall-in-oneoutdoorluminairecontrollerprovidesadvancedlighting controlforarangeofoutdoorlightingapplications.Thesensor,whichiscommercially available,featuresbuilt-incellulartechnologiessuchasLTE,withfallbackto3Gand 2G,providingglobalcoveragewithoutthe needforagatewayinfrastructure.
TEConnectivity’sLUMAWISEMotionSensor
JONATHANCATCHPOLE
Otherbenefitsincludeacompactdesign thatdoesn’tdistractfromtheaesthetics ofthemodernluminaireandtheability foraninstallertoeasilysecurethesensor withonehandwhileworkingbelowthe luminaire.“TEConnectivityisexcitedto receivethisZhagaAwardforLUMAWISE Motion.TheZhagaAwardsisn’tjustabout bringendusersandmanufacturerscloser together,butisasymboloftheZhaga-D4i ecosystembeingcompletedwithsmartcity sensors,”Catchpoleconcludes.
www.te.com ■
ReinisKULA,FounderofCitylight.net
OneoftheCNODEIOTAMRsensor’skey differentiatorsisitssupportfortheWireless MBus868MHzOMSautomatedmeter readingprotocol–awirelessprotocolused bytheutilitymeterindustry.
AccordingtoCitylight.netfounderReinis Kula,withthisfeature,utilitycompanies canreadwater,heat,gasorelectricitymeterdatafromadistanceofupto600m oftheluminairecontroller.“Thismeans multiplemunicipalutilitycompaniescan simultaneouslyreadmetersandsharethe costsforonecellularcommunicationchannel,”hesays.“Remotemeterdatareading alsoreducesmaintenancecosts,improves servicesandprovideson-timedataforutilitycompanies.”
“Zhaga-D4iecosystembeing completedwithsmartcity sensors.”
Thesensorenablesdetaileddriverdata readoutandcontrol,makingitidealfor areaswherepreciselightingcontrolisrequired.TheCNODEIOTAMRalsofeatures aZhagaBook18physicalinterface,ensuringfastandreliableconnectionwiththe luminaireandmakingiteasytoinstalland maintain.Moreover,thebuilt-inGPSreceiverprovidesautomaticcommissioning ontheluminaireduringsetupandeliminatestheneedformanuallabor.
REINISKULA
“TheCNODEIOTAMRsensoroffersa rangeofcompellingbenefitsforthoselookingtostreamlinetheiroutdoorlightingcontrolandutilitymanagementneeds,making itanidealsolutionforsmartcityapplications.InnameofallCitylight.netteamI wouldliketoextendoursincerethanksto theZhagaConsortiumfororganisingthe SmartCitySensorAwardsandforrecognizingourproductCNODEIOTAMRsmart outdoorluminairecontrollerandWireless MBusgatewayasthewinnerintheInnovationcategory.Thisawardisagreathonor andavalidationofourteam’shardwork anddedicationtodevelopinginnovative solutionsforsmartcities.Weappreciate theopportunitytoparticipateinthisevent andlookforwardtocontinuedcollaboration withtheZhagaConsortiuminthefuture.,” addsKula.
www.citylight.net
■
Signify|PhilipsOutdoorMultiSensor
LRI8135
IntheMultiSensorcategory,whichcoverssensorsthatcombinetwoormore functionalities,theawardwenttoSignify foritsPhilipsOutdoorMultiSensor(OMS) LRI8135.TheOMSconnectstostreetlight luminairesviatheZhagaBook18(edition 3)socketinterface.
IntendedforuseinZhaga-D4icertifiedoutdoorluminaires,theOMSincludesseveral
MariaLuisaMARTINEZCESPEDES,Global ProductManagerSensor(Public)atSignify
sensorstosupportdifferentsmartcityapplications.Forexample,itcanserveas aradarmotionsensortoautomatically increaselightlevels,asalightsensortoenabledusk-to-dawnoperations,orasnoise andtemperaturesensorstomonitorambientconditionsnearthelightpole.
“ThemainbenefitsofthePhilipsOMSare increasedsafety,reducedcrimeandsignificantenergysavings–byasmuchas 30%,”saysSignify’sglobalproductmanagersensor(public),MariaLuisaMartinez Cespedes.“Thedatacollectedcanalso contributetowardsmoreefficientmaintenanceschedules.”
ThemultisensorcanbeusedeitherstandaloneorincombinationwithSignify’sCT nodesthatconnecttheluminairetotheInteractCitylightingmanagementsystem. Inastand-alonedeployment,thedevice canbeusedfordusk-to-dawnlightcontrol orlightondemandapplicationsinwhich thelightlevelisincreasedwhenactivity isdetected.Theneighboringluminaires canbecontrolledthroughaninternalmesh network.InanInteractCityconnecteddeployment,thedevicecanalsobeusedto flagunsafelightpoleconditions(forexampleduetocrash).
“ThePhilipsOMSisafuture-proofedsystemthatcaneasilybeupdatedwiththe latestsoftwareversions,”continuesMar-
tinezCespedes.Besideslightondemand, ambientnoiseandtemperaturemonitoring, theOMSfeaturessomeadditionalsafety notificationusecases.Forinstance,tilt sensorsandimpactsensorscanbeset atspecificthresholdsintheInteractCity application.Ifthesetvalueisexceeded,it generatessafetyalertstosignalapotential danger,crashormaintenanceissue.The sameholdstrueforthenoisesensor.
needed.”
MARIALUISAMARTINEZCESPEDES
“ThehousingoftheOutdoorMultiSensor canberotated,makingitpossibletofinetunethemotiondetectionareaforevery usecase,”addsMartinezCespedes.“As such,theOMSprovidesreliabledetection ofvehicles,cyclists,andpedestriansand lightlevelsthatcanbeadjustedasneeded. WearedelightedtohavewonaZhaga SensorAwardforourZhaga-D4icertified,PhilipsOutdoorMultisensor,whichis designedtosupportmanysmartcityapplications.”
Launchedin2021,theOMSisalready beingusedinmanyprojects.
www.signify.com
“TheZhagaSmartSensorAwardisanothersteptowardsthetransferofknowledgegainedfromsmartlightinginthepast decadetoavarietyofothersmartcityapplications,”concludesMartini.“Notonly doeachofourwinnerscelebratetheinnovativesolutionsonthemarkettoday,they alsochallengeothermanufacturers,innovatorsandresearcherstocreatethenext generationofsensorsthatwilldefinethe smartcityoftomorrow.” ■
“Withthiswirelessfeature, utilitycompaniescanread water,heat,gasorelectricity meterdatafromadistanceof upto600m.”Signify’sPhilipsOutdoorMultiSensorLRI8135
At the annual LpS Digital Summit (December 2023), the LpS Digital Awards will be presented in four specific categories.
2023 Product Award
Sustainability Award Scientific Paper Award Achievement Award
www.LpS-Digital.global
LpSDigitalistheuniqueandfirstdigitallightingconferenceand exhibitionavailabletoviewers24hoursaday,7daysaweek.LpS Digitalpresentscurrent,high-qualitycontentaboutlighting technologies,designandapplications,andacquaintstheviewers withthelatesttrendsinproductdevelopmentsandapplications.
LiketheLEDprofessionalSymposium +ExpoandTrendsinLightingForum&Show thattookplaceattheFestspielhausinBregenz/AustriaeveryyearsinceSeptember, 2011,LpSDigitalismeanttoapproach andsupportthecompletevaluechainin thegloballightingindustry.Whenitcomes toTechnologicalDesign,LpSDigital’sgoal istoprovideCorporateManagment,TechnicalManagement,R&DandProduction/QMwithinthegloballightingmanufacturingindustrywithtopnotchtechnical knowhow,primarilyonacomponentlevel. IntermsofLightingDesign,LpSDigitalwill showbestpracticeforArchitects,LightingConsultants,ElectricalConsultants, LightingDesigners,LightingOEMs,IT/IoT SystemIntegratorsandstudents.TheeditorsfocusonHumanCentricLighting, ConnectedLighting,SmartControls,InternetofThings,LightasaServiceandmuch more.
VIRTUALCONFERENCE
Theauthorsofcontributionsacceptedby theprogrammanagementwillbeinvitedto giveapresentationand,ifappropriate,to writeaqualifiedarticle.Eachpresentation willbeannouncedtotheindustryand/or designchannelcontactsandfollowers immediatelyafterpublication.
VIRTUALEXHIBITION
Virtualexhibitorshavethepossibilityto presenttheirproductsand/orservices.The maximumlengthofthepresentationis20 minutes.Eachproduct/servicevideois announcedtotheindustryand/ordesign channelcontactsandfollowersimmediatelyafterpublication.
WiththeIndustry/Technologychannel, over30,000contactsinthelightingsector aretargetedandaddressed.Theopt-in databasesarehighlyselective,highlyqualifiedandaddresskeypersonsintherespectivechannel.
• Magazine:30,000
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