Star Lighters

STAR LIGHTERS

This year's awards honoured some of the more stellar figures in the lighting firmament

Reflecting the importance of the SLL's relationship with other design disciplines, this year's AGM and Awards took place at the Royal Institute of British Architects in London.

The President’s Medal, first awarded to Joe Lynes in 2009, was introduced to recognise a significant and lifetime contribution to lighting, and this year went to Sharon Stammers and Martin Lupton of Light Collective.

Lupton and Stammers began as lighting designers, working in the profession since the late 1990s, Stammers at Lighting Design Partnership and later Light Matters, before moving to PLDA to act as its UK coordinator in 2007. Lupton began his career at Pinniger and Partners before moving to BDP, where he stayed for eight years.

They found a common ambition in wanting to achieve something different in the lighting profession, to be 'lighting evangelists', showcasing and celebrating the work of others. They formed Light Collective in 2010. 'Most of their projects involve collaboration and engagement with a wider group, spreading the positive power of light,' said former SLL president Ruth Kelly Waskett in her citation, describing them as 'two of my lighting heroes'.

Most of their projects involve collaboration and engagement with a wider group, spreading the positive power of light

They have made films, and organised conferences, events and exhibitions (including works by women light artists based on their recent book, Collected Light), in the UK and around the world. One of their significant achievements has been Women in Lighting, launched on International Women’s Day in 2019. Today, WiL has ambassadors in 78 different countries and features more than 200 interviews with women in lighting on its website.

'Martin and Sharon’s impact on the lighting industry is immeasurable,' said Kelly-Waskett. 'The mission of Light Collective, to be “lighting evangelists”, continues to increase awareness of the importance of light as a language for communities, and inspires us all.'

An honorary fellowship, given by the SLL in recognition of a significant contribution not only of services to the society but to the wider lighting profession, was awarded to Mark Ridler.

'If ever there was somebody who talked quietly but carried a big stick, it is Mark Ridler,' said Bob Bohannon in his citation. 'When Mark talked, you listened, and that big stick was the moral and ethical compass and that blend of art, design, science and engineering that he brings to all his work.'

As a Cambridge University engineering student, Ridler was asked to operate the followspot and so began a career in lighting, first a very successful one in theatre and then in architectural lighting design. He began as a senior lighting designer with Maurice Brill Lighting Design in 1998 and was soon made associate.

Then, one icy night 20 years ago, a motorcycle accident left him with life-changing injuries. 'In the years I’ve known Mark it was the very fact that he’s hardly ever mentioned that night, never let it define him, or indeed stop him, that I find truly awe inspiring,' said Bohannon.

It did stop him from returning to Maurice Brill, but he joined BDP under Martin Lupton in 2003 as a senior lighting designer, eventually becoming head of BDP Lighting in 2010. Ridler won the IALD Award of Excellence for Finsbury Avenue Square back in 2004 and with his team has won many awards since.

He was the first to gain chartered engineer status via a lighting design route, with the Engineering Council and the ILP. He became a VP of the ILP in 2011 and in 2013 won the Lighting Designer of the Year Award. The ILP went on to give him a special recognition award in 2016 and he became a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts in 2017.

A crucial contributor to TM66, Ridler had the idea of devising a score that could be used by specifiers to protect their positive sustainability choices against value engineering. 'That key, catalyst idea started us on the journey that ended with the full scoreable Circular Economy Assessment Method,' said Bohannon. Ridler has recounted BDP’s circular economy journey in the TM66 publication, and was a founder of the GreenLight Alliance.

After 45 years, Ridler recently left lighting to undertake a new role as director of programmes for the Spinal Injuries Association, having served on their board for four years and also on an NHS board for the past two. 'Fittingly he will bring his talents to help drive the charity’s role of being the expert, guiding voice for life after spinal cord injury,' said Bohannon.

This year's Lighting Award, acknowledging outstanding service to the SLL, went to Bob Bohannon and Kristina Allison, respectively the project lead and project manager of CIBSE TM66, Creating a Circular Economy in the Lighting Industry. 'I have known both recipients for a considerable length of time and have enjoyed their professionalism and passion for lighting,' said David Mooney in his citation.

Mark Ridler, recipient of an honorary fellowship

President's Medal winners Martin Lupton and Sharon Stammers of Light Collective with new SLL president Helen Loomes (centre)

Bob Bohannon and Kristina Allison, who were presented with the Lighting Award

Allison has worked on the sustainability side of the profession for more than 16 years, at Lighting Enterprises Consultancy and Associates, and as senior lighting consultant to the Carbon Trust UK among others. Having also worked for Into Lighting and Zumtobel, she now works for Atkins in the specialist architectural lighting team where she has been involved in large infrastructure projects such as London City Airport and HS2 Euston, adding daylight design to her skills.

A chartered engineer, through the SLL/CIBSE, Engineering Council alternative route, she has chaired the SLL education and membership committee (2019-2022) and is now a vice president of the society. She also sits on the CIBSE Knowledge Generation Panel. Her recent task has been working with Bohannon on both CIBSE TM66 and CIBSE TM65 – Embodied Carbon in Lighting Equipment.

Bob Bohannon attended Bradford University Management Centre and joined the family firm before regretting his career choice. His first sight of the blue-lit Lloyds Building was the catalyst for a career in lighting. Signing up to lighting courses at the then Lighting Association and Lighting Industry Federation (winning the LIF Outstanding Student), he was then accepted on the MSc architectural lighting course at the Bartlett.

A lighting consultant with DPA and then BDP, he went on to lead the UK subsidiary of German lighting company Sill for 19 years, working on projects ranging from Swiss Re and the Millennium Dome to Heathrow’s T5 and T2, and many rail termini (with St Pancras being his favourite – his name is inside one of the projectors lighting the clock).

After leaving Sill, Bohannon founded his own consultancy, LuxRapide, also helping friend and mentor Thomas Paterson to set up a UK team for his Mexico-based LuxPopuli practice. His schemes include the multi-award-winning Iron Bridge in Telford with Liz Peck.

His work for the SLL has included roles as honorary treasurer, VP and president. Making good on the themes of his presidential speech, he instigated the groundwork for what would become TM66 with Allison managing the project. It won both Green and Platinum Build Back Better awards and is now used not only in the UK but also Europe and the US. It was described by lighting designer Kevan Shaw as 'at last providing a comprehensible standardised scoring system for circular economy aspects of lighting equipment... it is delightfully readable compared to most technical memoranda, is insightful and, by including detailed case studies for both manufacturers and projects, demonstrates that this is doable now…'

The Regional Award, presented in recognition of the work undertaken by an individual on behalf of the society in the regions, was presented to Chris Dicks of the Home Counties North West region. 'He has proven to be very successful in raising the profile of the society in his region,' said Jim Shove in his citation, praising his hard work, including his switch to online events due to Covid. 'A few of the events he has organised read like a Who’s Who of the industry.'

The Leon Gaster and Walsh Weston Awards are given annually for the best published papers in Lighting Research and Technology. The Leon Gaster award, presented for the best paper concerned with lighting applications, went to Yukio Akashi, Yuta Kuno, Kaori Murakami, Masaru Inatani and Tomoe Aoki for their paper 'Readability model of letters with various letter size, luminance contrast and adaptation luminance level for seniors' (see LR&T Vol 54, Issue 5).

The Walsh Weston award is for the best paper concerning more fundamental lighting matters. This year it was given to Janne Askola, Petri Kärhä, Hans Baumgartner, Santeri Porrasmaa and Erkki Ikonen for their paper 'Effect of adaptive control on the LED street luminaire lifetime and on the lifecycle costs of a lighting installation' (see Vol 54, Issue 1).