CLS illuminates Rijnwaal cycle path
(Netherlands) - 300 interactive light elements enhance cyclists' route between Arnhem and Nijmegen in Holland.
By appointment to the city councils of Arnhem and Nijmegen and especially to the Lingewaard municipality, CLS has recently accepted the responsibility to provide the design and production of a unique light-based artwork.
The Rijnwaal cycle path is a so-called fast-cycling route that connects the cities of Arnhem and Nijmegen. Cyclists can now directly and safely bridge the distance between both cities.
The light-based artwork consists of 300 interconnecting elements in the form of bicycle chain links. Every module of the installation can individually differ in shade of light and intensity. Even under the brightest daylight conditions, the light is clearly noticeable.
Incoming cyclists or pedestrians are detected via sensors at both ends of the tunnel. Depending on the amount of people in the tunnel, different light mood programs are shown.
The project also makes use of an app, with which the users of the tunnel can earn points, which they can in turn use to influence the colours of the light-artwork.
Special attention was paid to limiting damage caused by vandalism. For this purpose, all metal elements are provided with an anti-graffiti coating. In addition, all LED modules are equipped with a 1.5cm shockproof polycarbonate, protecting them from heavy battering.
Just a few weeks after the commissioning, the colourful artwork has been a success as pedestrians and cyclists seem to feel more comfortable while using the tunnel.
The Lighting Practice announces new associates
(USA) - Emad Hasan and Jonathan Hoyle will uphold TLP's design and customer service standards while furthering its mission to transform spaces.
The Lighting Practice (TLP) has announced the recent promotion of Emad Hasan and Jonathan Hoyle to Associate. Both Hasan and Hoyle have shown their commitment and dedication to lighting design, their clients and TLP team.
As Associates Hasan and Hoyle will uphold TLP's design and customer service standards while furthering its mission to transform spaces.
TLP said: "We are proud of both Emad and Jon, their talents have enhanced The Lighting Practice's team and the lighting design community at large."
Emad Hasan, Associate IALD, LEED BD + C
Associate
Hasan began his career with TLP as an entry-level lighting designer eight years ago. Hasan is a natural leader and is often found heading in-house charrettes and when the opportunity arises, impromptu learning sessions for younger designers. He is committed to expanding his own knowledge and that of the lighting design community at large through participation in the International Association of Lighting Designers (IALD). In his new position he will continue to lead by example and support TLP clients on a variety of projects.
Jonathan T. Hoyle
Associate
Hoyle has been with TLP for seven years. With a background in theatre and geology and a MFA in lighting design, he quickly established himself at TLP. His knowledge base and patience have secured his role as a respected designer and mentor. Hoyle is a source of support for his fellow designers. In addition to his unofficial teaching role at TLP, Hoyle is an adjunct professor for the Drexel University Department of Architecture + Interiors focusing on lighting design. He will continue to lead by example and support TLP clients on a variety of projects.
Targetti restructures US operation
(Italy) - Targetti USA to trade as independent business offering full line of US approved products from both Targetti and Duralamp.
Targetti Group will be transforming the Targetti brand in the US under new management and representation as a result of the December 2014 sale of Louis Poulsen to the Polaris Private Equity group - the group of shareholders who originally sold Louis Poulsen to Targetti in the ultimately doomed acquisition in 2007.
Targetti Group has announced its new operations in the US that will operate under the name Targetti USA and will be led by US Business Development Manager, Marie Paris.
Targetti USA headquarters will be located in Costa Mesa, California and will offer a full line of US approved products from both Targetti and Duralamp brands, available via Targetti USA sales representatives.
Luigi Ferrando, CEO of Targetti Group said: “Targetti is very excited about this transaction to enable Targetti USA to operate as an independent business under new management to help us establish our long-term, growth in the US market.”
“We have significantly improved the performance and versatility of our international offering in the architectural lighting business over the last five years, and are excited to have established a strong management team and innovation pipeline in the US. We are convinced that with an independently run US headquarters, Targetti can grow further, attract more customers and increase scale as a leading international company,” commented Ferrando.
Targetti USA will officially celebrate their USA operation opening at a ribbon cutting ceremony on Wednesday, September 16th from 6:30 p.m. - 9:30 p.m. PDT at the Irvine Spectrum Center in Irvine, California.
darc awards voting has begun!
(Worldwide) - An international panel of independent lighting designers have chosen their shortlists for each of the project categories. Public voting by independent lighting design community has now begun.
The project shortlists have now been chosen by the international lighting design judging panel for the darc awards and voting by the international lighting design and light art community has begun.
The shortlists can be viewed here... www.darcawards.com/view-entries
The panel consists of Kaoru Mende (Japan), principal of Light Planners Associates; Karolina Zielinska-Dabkowska (Poland), a lighting architect and researcher; Chiara Carucci (Italy), Lead Coordinator of Light-Related Organizations for the International Year of Light 2015; Emma Cogswell (UK), Projects Manager for the IALD; Liz Peck (UK), President of the Society of Light and Lighting; Lara Elbez (Spain), lighting designer; Christopher 'Kit' Cuttle (New Zealand), lighting designer, author and academic; Naama Steigman (Israel), a partner at Studio Twilight; and musson+retallick (UK), artists who regularly use the medium of light in their work.
Out of the 450 entries for the darc awards, twelve from each project category have been chosen by the judging panel for lighting designers and light artists to vote on.
Product categories go straight to the public vote so that lighting designers can genuinely vote for their favourite products from the last three years.
Votes are now being cast on the darc awards website, www.darcawards.com, from until August 17th with the awards event, darc night, taking place in London on September 24th during London Design Festival.
All independent lighting designers that vote will be able to attend darc night free of charge on a first come first served basis (suppliers will be subject to a charge) turning the traditional awards ceremony protocol on its head. The awards evening itself will be completely different with free streetfood and drinks all night, lighting installations by lighting designers who have teamed up with the manufacturer partners, and a completely different format for presenting the evening.
Manufacturer partners are Concord (who are teaming up with Speirs + Major); Cooledge (Light Bureau); Griven (Paul Nulty Lighting Design); Innermost (Elektra); KKDC (dpa); L&L Luce&Light (LDI); LSE Lighting (Troup Bywaters + Anders); Lucent (Michael Grubb Studio); Lumino (Electrolight); Megaman (Design In progress); Reggiani (BDP); and Zumtobel (Arup). Technical partner is XL Video and the event is part of the the International Year of Light 2015 programme.
CLS moves HQ
(Netherlands) - New location in Bijsterhuizen, Wijchen boasts 3000m2 of storage and production space and more than 1000m2 of office space.
Due to growth that CLS LED has experienced, the current building does not meet the requirements to produce professional LED lighting fixtures on a large scale. After a long period of searching for a suitable venue, it has found a new location.
The architecture of the building is suited to CLS, as the combination of design and functionality reflects its fixtures.
The location has 3000m2 for storage and production space and more than 1000m2 of office space. CLS continues with its ethos: 'Designed and Made in The Netherlands'. A unique selling point that makes a difference to fast deliveries at a very affordable price. Hence this rehousing was a logical step in continuing to meet growing demand.
The production space is set up on a large scale and equipped professionally. Because of this, with the current growth, CLS plans to meet the objective of producing every order, in any configuration, within two weeks.
As of July 22nd 2015 CLS will start working from the new address.
The new address details are:
CLS LED BV
Bijsterhuizen 2523
6604 LM Wijchen
The Netherlands
Tel: + 31 (0) 26 326 36 76
Fax: +31 (0) 26 326 36 77
8point3 appoints new technical sales consultant
(UK) - Gary Mills brings 30 years electrical and systems engineering experience to grow 8point3's lighting business.
8point3, provider of energy saving LED solutions to customers across the private and public sector, has announced the appointment of Gary Mills as technical sales consultant.
Mills brings over 30 years of experience in electrical and systems engineering in the Ministry of Defence and computing and energy management industries. Using his background in electronics, optical quality, systems engineering, data-capture and energy management, Mills will be helping 8point3 grow its lighting business.
He commented: "Working within 8point3 I will be helping to develop still further lighting as a technology and network for a complete data-capture system, providing data from the site for the client to use for building efficiencies and business improvement."
Sharp Devices Europe relaunches microsite
(Germany) - SDE redesigns www.sharpleds.eu to include expanded search function and address increasing significance of LED market.
Sharp Devices Europe (SDE) has completely redesigned its microsite www.sharpleds.eu. The website's many features include a clear overview of all available product types on a single page, an expanded search function, and a broad range of download options. By relaunching the website, LED pioneer Sharp lends credence to the increasing significance of the LED market.
As one of the pioneers in LED technology, Sharp established a series of industry benchmarks beginning with the mass production of LEDs in 1972. Sharp's invention of the multi-chip ZENIGATA LED in 2007 redefined standards.
With its relaunch of the website www.sharpleds.eu, Sharp Devices Europe makes it easier and more user-friendly to search for information about the Sharp LED line-up and LED products. The latest products, such as Natural Toning and INTERMO Module, are presented immediately on the start page. The user gets an instant overview of corresponding areas of application and technologies. The ‘Products' menu displays all of the available product lines. By selecting individual components, the user is guided to product-specific details that can be downloaded with a single click, just like user instructions or optical .ray files. Alternatives within the same product class are also recommended.
The new search functions guide the user directly to LED products. These functions allow for the entry of a serial number or selection based on area of application, technology, or performance features such as number of lumens. SDE also set up the ‘Previous Products' menu to make sure that users still have access to older product generations. All of the corresponding data sheets and assembly documents are available there. Distributors within the EU can be selected using a country-specific interface.
The new website's finishing touch is its press area, which offers press releases specific to LED topics, as well as other announcements. SDE Communication Manager Christian Hansen said: "Sharp focuses on LED technology because it is the most efficient and long-lasting source of light in the world. We are delighted that our new site at www.sharpleds.eu lives up to such great expectations. The website features a clear overview of all available types of products, a targeted search function, and a broad range of download options. This makes the microsite as efficient as an LED itself."
ETC mourns passing of Fulvio Cotogni
(USA) - ETC's regional manager for Southern Europe and Middle East passes away after courageous battle with cancer.
One of the industry's brightest lights dimmed on Thursday, when Fulvio Cotogni, ETC's regional manager for Southern Europe and the Middle East, passed away after a courageous battle with cancer.
A funeral for Cotogni was held on Saturday, where friends and family had the opportunity to share memories of him. ETC CEO Fred Foster gave a eulogy in which he said: "I am incredibly honoured to have known Fulvio for a couple of decades, and to have been his colleague for much of that time. My wife, Susan, refers to Fulvio as an ‘ancient soul', not because he was old, but because he had the wisdom and patience of the ages. It was in his eyes, it was in his rich voice and in his wry smile. Fulvio has taught us all more than we even realise."
Cotogni was known for his immense personality, sense of humour and infectious laugh. He began his career in lighting when he was 25 years old, joining Rome-based broadcast lighting company Quartzcolor Ianiro as a salesman, where he stayed for eleven years.
In 1985, Fulvio and his wife, Assunta, founded Arri Italia. The company grew quickly under their direction, and they began selling the very first ETC controls, branded as Arri lighting products. Arri Italia eventually became one of the top broadcast lighting firms to gain a major foothold in the entertainment lighting market. Eventually Fulvio left Arri Italia and returned to Quartzcolor - which was under the Strand umbrella by then - where he worked for four years, ultimately becoming the general manager for the Italian market.
Fulvio then made the decision to work with longtime friend Mario De Sisti. In that job, he was responsible for promoting ETC products in Italy. Just a couple of years later, in 1999, he officially joined ETC, overseeing the opening of the company's Rome office. In his role as regional manager, he ran ETC Italy, and grew the sales territory in Southern Europe and the Middle East.
"Fulvio was a very dear friend," says ETC Vice President of Sales Mark Vassallo. "He was one of the best salesmen I've ever worked with, and he cannot be replaced. Our hearts and thoughts go out to Assunta and [their son] Valerio. He will be missed and there will be a hole in our hearts from his passing."
Acolyte opens new Australia office
(Australia) - Acolyte increases global reach by adding David Virgona to team as Australian National Sales & Technical Manager.
Acolyte LED has increased its global reach by adding David Virgona to its growing team. As the Australian National Sales & Technical Manager, Virgona will be covering the markets of Australia and New Zealand.
Virgona was born in Sydney, Australia, and has a diverse background that includes more than fifteen years of lighting experience. After an early stint as a police officer for the NSW Police Force, he worked for Legrand Australia and then Thomas & Betts as a sales manager for the emergency lighting division.
He moved on to Gerard Lighting to reinvigorate their emergency lighting section. Within a seven-year period, he more than tripled their gross annual sales, re-engineered their product line to utilise LED technology, and introduced Lithium Ion batteries to the mix. He also incorporated DALI control & sensor technology to keep up with market trends and customer demands.
Virgona's more than fifteen years of experience also includes mechanical engineering, wireless communications, lighting product design, LED product design, Lithium Ion battery design & structuring, and emergency lighting.
Tree of Life, World Expo, Italy
As part of Expo 2015 ACT lighting design was commissioned by Balich Worldwide Shows to create and develop the visual and lighting design of an iconic installation, Tree of Life - Albero della Vita. Designed by Marco Balich and Studio Gioforma, artistic director of the Italian Pavilion of Expo 2015, Balich was inspired by the drawing Michelangelo Buonarroti created for the piazza del Campidoglio in Rome. The structure was built by Orgoglio Brescia and Koert Vermeulen joined the creative team as Lighting Designer / Director of Mise-en-Scene.
The tree with it's vertical, symbolic gesture is both an Italian and international icon representing nature as a source of life, but also symbolising the many roots and metaphorical branches of the Italian excellence. This iconic structure symbolically offers its seeds and fruits to Italy and the entire world.
Placed in front of the Italian Pavilion, the monument was installed in the middle of Lake Arena, where visitors were immersed into breathtaking events. The Tree of Life interactive structure, with an inner skeleton made of steel and an outer cover in wood, is over 30-metres high and on top of the gigantic trunk stands a hat that simulates the intertwined branches of a tree, with a diameter of 45-metres.
Visitors were able to not only enjoy the spectacle from the exterior, but also had the chance to climb inside the structure to discover more surprises. For this monument, with its advanced technology, constantly illuminated with LED lights, Koert Vermeulen and ACT lighting design created an original visual scenography to produce genuine dynamic effects through a play of light, video, water, fireworks, as well as bubbles and sounds. The Tree of Life also changed as the hours went by, truly becoming the centre for many of the events in the Pavilion's extensive schedule.
UAE Pavilion, World Expo, Italy
Bringing the planning principles of the traditional desert city to Milan, the UAE pavilion’s interior of self-shaded streets evokes the experience of the the country’s ancient communities, while demonstrating the natural energy efficiency of their compact urban form. Foster + Partners and Land Design Studio (Visitor Experience Designers) required a varying lighting design approach which had to cover several different disciplines from architectural and landscape to theatrical lighting. With extensive experience in theatre and architectural lighting DALD helped create a sympathetic synergy between the architecture and the visitor experience.
The pavilion occupies a large site close to the centre of the Expo and is accessed via its main circulation axis, the Decumanus. From here, visitors are drawn into the mouth of a canyon-like ramp space, defined by two undulating 12-metre-high (GRC) walls. The high walls continue through the 140-metre site in a series of parallel waves, unifying the visitor spaces within a dynamic formal language designed to convey the ridges and texture of sand dunes.
After extensive lighting trials with samples of the GRC wall material, adjustable buried lighting fixtures fitted with 2,700K LED, light straw filters and spreader lenses were chosen to up light the walls, which subtly create soft warm brush strokes of light across the undulating surface complementing the wall pigment. Within the central ramp, as a part of the visitor experience, dynamic interactive displays housed within cubes are supported by glass fins which feature a dot manifestation, which is edge illuminated, creating an interesting ethereal contrast between the spine of the ramp and the walls.
As the ramp weaves a path, small custom designed buried fixtures fitted with a 2,700K LED and diffusion film up light the walls at the pinch points, effectively creating an interesting perspective vista at night through the canyon-like space. At the top of the ramp a large drum houses a state-of-the-art auditorium and interactive post show space.
The external lighting of the drum plays an important part in creating a dramatic focal point to the pavilion. Extensive lighting trials took place in Italy with Foster + Partners to establish what cladding material and light source should be used for the exterior of the drum – a Gold Tecu material was chosen along with a high output linear LED strip fitted with an amber filter. The LED strips are positioned at the top of the drum, which uniformly graze the Tecu material, without creating any glare issues. The light in turn reflects off the drum and onto the surrounding GRC walls and perimeter staircase, creating an ambient depth. Within the drum is an auditorium, with a 360º perimeter screen. As the creative design team required the space to be more than just a cinema, but also an immersive experience. DALD chose to use a combination of automated LED wash lights and spots.
The automated lighting fixtures are positioned off a large circular truss, which allows for multiple lighting positions for illumination of the perimeter screens, suspended casement roof and the tiered audience seating block. The perimeter staircases are edge illuminated by custom lengths of LED strip set within an extrusion.
After the screening of the film, the visitors enter the post show space, which features a large holographic experience. As with the auditorium, automated lighting is used, which helps to add to the immersive quality of the space. On exiting the post show space the visitors move to the external ‘Oasis’ area, linking the first floor level with the ground floor. The ‘Oasis’ features desert flora planting as well as two large palm trees. By night the space is lit by a combination of sources, which includes the projection of dappled palm leaves and low level accent spots set behind planting, creating a sense of intimacy within the ‘Oasis’. Influenced by ancient planning principles, the pavilion’s interior evokes the narrow pedestrian streets and courtyards of the traditional desert city, and its contemporary reinterpretation in the sustainable Masdar masterplan.
The first floor level features an exhibition of cultural objects, discretely lit by small linear fittings recessed up between dark slatted ceilings that are almost invisible off axis and a detail which is used throughout the pavilion. A 3000K LED source was chosen to compliment the interior terracotta wall colour. All the curved staircases throughout the pavilion are illuminated by custom designed side emitting diffused LED strips set within the handrail, which when viewed from below appears homogenous.
An exhibition on the ground floor of the main drum celebrates Dubai as host city for the 2020 Expo and is lit by a selection of RGB and single colour LED fittings to graphics and design detail. Although the Pavilion is large the lighting design approach is minimalistic stretching the light sources to their maximum potential.
The UAE’s National Media Council assembled a world-class team to deliver an unforgettable pavilion experience, not only producing a building design that ‘wows’ visitors but also satisfies the requirement for the pavilion to be environmentally friendly. The use of LED technology is now a given but the pavilion goes several steps further. The design of the pavilion follows the principles of LEED with a combination of passive and active techniques. Most significantly, the building is designed to be recycled and rebuilt in the UAE after the Expo.
UK Pavilion, World Expo, Italy
The UK Pavilion highlights the decline of the world’s bee population and the importance of pollination for food production, looking at how new UK research and technology are helping to address challenges such as food security and biodiversity. Designed by an all British team - Nottingham-based artist Wolfgang Buttress with engineering from Simmonds Studio and the Manchester office of BDP who's lighting team, consisting of Rhiannon West, Chris Lowe and Colin Ball, provided the lighting design - the pavilion is an homage to the ground-breaking UK technology developed by physicist and bee expert Dr. Martin Bencsik.
The bees’ activities are monitored from the roof of Nottingham Trent University by Bencsik using accelerometers to detect and translate the vibrations made by bees as they communicate with one another. Visitors meander through an orchard, discover a meadow of wild flowers and enter the Hive, which pulses, buzzes and glows according to live-streamed signals from a real beehive in the UK. The accelerometers are used to measure the activity of the colony and algorithms are used to convert the bee colony vibrations into lighting effects. The concept, designed by Wolfgang Buttress, consists of 1,000 individually-addressable bespoke RGBW LED pixels (custom-made and integrated into the Hive engineered by UK manufacturer Stage One) allowing the Hive to pulse and glow, acting as a visual representation of bee activity.
Rhiannon West commented: “Our lighting vision from the start was integration of lighting within the landscape and architecture. We wanted to be seamless right from day one. We wanted light only where it was required; maintaining incredibly low levels of light whilst ensuring sufficient light is available to all required tasks.”
BDP needed to keep in mind low viewing angles and glare. The journey from beginning to end was intended to replicate a ‘waggle dance’ - a movement bees make to signal the direction of pollen to one another. This route by night comes alive with glowing pathways being the only source of lighting. Following the light takes you on a journey to the pavilion’s main attraction, the Hive.”
Due to the low levels of light in the centre of the Hive, BDP took care to reduce ambient light levels and minimise glare. This is achieved through luminaires integrated within details, ensuring that visitors’ eyes adapt as soon as they arrive. The Pavilion has various functions and the lighting design ensures that the systems for the bar, dining and conference spaces, together with the wayfinding and emergency lighting, integrate seamlessly into Buttress’s vision whilst maintaining incredibly low levels of light. Entering the Pavilion, the orchard’s pathways glow gently leading to the meadow where a series of trees are uplit and visitors are guided past a busy ‘swarm wall’ emanating a slight sparkle.
Visitors move around the meadow pathways in the formation of the ‘waggle dance’ all lit from a low level skirting detail. Over 600m of British company Lumenal’s Mira 7mm deep aluminium profile, integrated with iGuzzini LED, is used at ankle level around the honeycomb shaped walkways, the bar areas and into handrails to give a warm, honey like-glow. Below the hive deep recessed, low glare adjustable spotlights from Light Projects (also from the UK) provide pools of light to aid the reading of brochures and offsetting the drama of the animated Hive overhead.
Inside the heart of the building lies a decorative beehive-inspired lighting installation. This is a show space for fine dining, conference and government hosting, and the installation offers a variety of flexible lighting for each. An array of hexagonal aluminium extrusions from Scottish manufacturer (still part of the UK, just!), Mike Stoane Lighting (MSL), are scattered in small clusters over the ceiling, each providing a warm white glow with a slight sparkle using 2200K Cree chips.
Dave Hollingsbee, Mike Stoane Lighting's Managing Director, was clearly buzzing about the project: “We were delighted to be approached by BDP to help with the lighting of the inner hub. The brief was relatively flexible and open to suggestion, providing the result was very rich and warm and in the vein of a honeycomb.”
West is extremely happy with how the project panned out: “We developed a great working relationship with Wolfgang and this was fundamental to the success of the scheme. I enjoy focusing on the unique relationship between light and architecture, especially developing ideas where the atmosphere and experience of space become more important than the materials. This is a perfect example of that.”
The UK Pavilion is intended to be an exemplar of British design quality and ingenuity. It's all-British cast has blazed a trail at the Milan Expo with many critics lauding the pavilion as the most creative concept on site. And all done on time too. It makes one proud to be British!