CoolKitList
COMMENT KEVIN GRANT
The returning Light + Building has also seen the revival of the CoolKitList from Kevin Grant, Design Principal of Light Alliance. Here, he breaks down some of his favourite finds from the show.
Something about Light + Building seems to attract a mixture of creativity and chaos, disruptors and disruption. This often transpires into a bit of an adventure for those brave souls travelling to or from the event. In recent years we have had to deal with the impact of Volcanic Ash clouds, ‘The Beast from the East’ and Thundersnow storms, and this year’s adventures were provided courtesy of Lufthansa airline ground staff strike and rail strikes, meaning many of us had a choice of staying at home, leaving early or staying later than planned – I chose the latter. Aside from all the chaos, this is still the biggest and best lighting show globally, and this year attracted a fantastic and diverse mix of brands, products, and people. As with previous years there were some bold claims about sustainability, but many of the brands were displaying some good progress and implementing some innovative ways to reduce waste and improve efficiencies. Considering the reduction of energy and materials, easily replaceable parts, and upgradable components, minimising waste in the production/packing/transportation and installation of their products, using bio-based natural materials, re-using materials, fewer parts or multifunctional components. There were some obvious examples of things becoming much smaller, meaning less material, waste, transportation impact, and cost. The fusion of light and controls was also prevalent with many integrating lighting within other systems and incorporating access to different types of sensor data and triggers. Glare management was mentioned a lot, but some clearly doing better at this than others, (which is why this type of event is so valuable – you can see with your eyes that things that can appear identical on paper or screen, don’t always look or behave the same in reality!) We always discover some nice and unique features, innovations, and problem-solvers when our industry comes together like this – so with this in mind, here are some of our highlights… 102 / 103
A.A.G Stucchi presented its minuscule lighting track system, the Core5 (which as the name suggests has an aperture of only 5mm and with a depth that can be contained within a sheet of gypsum plasterboard). It’s made from a polymer that provides mechanical strength and electrical features – so smaller dimensions, less components, and more flexibility in terms of shapes and forms. The Auto Tracking Light (ATL) by Aero is a range of elegant remote-controlled downlights that can be paired with an auto-tracking remote device to easily auto-focus by placing the tracker device where light is required. Aero also presented the Akin Honeycomb 3D Bendable range, which incorporates a honeycomb anti-glare shield within continuous linear flex product. Alphabet by Zambelis displayed some innovate concepts, such as its Architainment systems, which combine functional light with dynamic digital media and the Airslot modular magnetic track system, which allows for ventilation without visible grilles. APL presented a modular, miniaturised luminaire system called LTwo – based around the form factor of a T5 lamp diameter. It uses nanotechnology optics and includes a wide range of optical configurations with quick-fit or retrofit magnetic holders and interfaces. Artemide presented a beautiful concept called Somnium, based around a modular cell that comprises of translucent louvre and lens, crafted from a single material (to reduce material, weight, and production steps) into a single 30x30mm modular component. The cell can be arranged into straight or curved arrays and provides direct and indirect emission to deliver useful low-glare light. The Turnaround system is a miniature track available in recessed trimless, surface-mounted or suspended variants, with linear, angled and curved modules which can be combined providing electrical and mechanical continuity. The vast Bega stand was a magnificent presence in Hall 3, and reinforced the Bega philosophy of robust, well-designed equipment that is