James Cadisch
The newly rebranded Phos was officially unveiled at [d]arc room. Formerly Ecoled, the company announced its new brand with a special film entitled The Power of Light. arc spoke with James Cadisch, Development Director at Phos, about the film, the rebrand, and the next step for the company.
How did you get into lighting?
I slightly fell into lighting, as it seems most people do. Ten years ago I left the City for the bright lights of manufacturing and never looked back. What I didn’t realise was how passionate I was going to become about the subject and how powerful a medium it is!
You unveiled the newly rebranded Phos at [d]arc room. What was the reason for the rebrand?
Ecoled formed in 2008 when LED lighting was still in its infancy. The company was initially aimed at capitalising on energy saving, as the name intimates. We repositioned our focus in 2013 on the architectural grade specification market. Our business capitalises on its strategic relationships and knowledge from the company’s investors, where we have uniquely been able to draw upon a century of materials expertise in metals to create our own superior product lines in the UK. Having undergone a development in both product and core values, we decided a new, more apt brand name was necessary and launched, Phos.
Following the change, will we see a shift in direction or approach from the company?
Our new focus is to support our specification partners in challenging our target customers to rethink their decision making on the importance of their lighting, and the positive impact products such as ours can make to their homes or businesses.
Why “Phos”?
We place significant emphasis on the provenance of the materials we use to manufacture. These are the building blocks of our products. ‘Phos’ is a Greek word, which holds an important place in the building blocks of the language of the Western world. Phos means ‘light’ and represents our dedication to this magical medium in all its glory. Phos is an evolution of over a century of technical expertise, forward thinking creativity and precision engineering. This combined knowledge within the team has culminated in the rebranding of our architectural lighting company.
Alongside the new brand, you launched the film The Power of Light. How did this come about?
At the heart of our company is a passion for lighting and its significance in our world. Light is arguably the most influential force on how we perceive and connect with the world around us, but we felt that people often overlook the impact it has on us and the spaces we inhabit. The best way to try and articulate this message is through a film and after two years we finally got there!
What do you hope to achieve with the film?
We believe in The Power of Light and our ambition is to build a collective consciousness, and admiration of its benefits to our lives. We hope this film will help elevate light in the architectural environment, so it is fully considered. This in turn should help raise the profile of lighting.
Will you be touring the film around? How can people view it?
We have had a positive response from the film so far and several trade/industry websites and portals are kindly hosting it online for us. Our aim is to also feature it at other trade shows and events throughout the year too. Alongside these, the film can be found on our website, under our Power of Light section. We are also releasing a series of exciting and informative content, told through some of the world’s most respected and celebrated lighting designers, called Conversations with Light. Their passions and beliefs are aligned with our core values and focused around the emotion that light can bring, so that our community can feel its power.
Do you have any new products to coincide with the rebrand?
The rebrand is a culmination of years of background work which the company has undertaken. To compliment the rebrand we are delighted to announce the latest edition to the Phos family; the highly versatile, modular patented projector range for indoor and outdoor, the Orba. Our design philosophy has always been to develop and engineer highly original products. Our new spot light range is not just another “Can on a stick”, but a sphere. The range features a wide choice of installation options from track, recessed, pendant and drop tube. The high range of adjustability is achieved by a magnetic ‘puck’ and rail design that enables the lighting designer complete control when commissioning.
What do you think the future holds for the lighting industry?
I think it is an incredibly exciting time to be involved in the lighting industry. When I first started in the industry, LED technology was still very much evolving, and people didn’t always understand the importance of light or using a design consultant such as a lighting designer. A decade on and the industry is looking very different. The technology is superlative, and consultants really do have a design palette of lights to choose from. Creative limitations are only in the eye of the designer. Consumers and end clients are becoming much more aware of how integral lighting is to the success of an architectural scheme and on the back of this more and more lighting design practices are appearing. We at Phos truly believe that lighting is finally becoming a key factor in the building industry and we feel proud to be part in elevating its importance and help advocate its power!
The Power of Light can be viewed online here.
Issue 111
arc Aug/Sep 2019 – Issue 111
Yesterday is gone...
Tomorrow has not yet come. We have only today. Let us begin…
After twenty years as editor of arc, the time has finally come for me to hang up my editorial boots and to pass on the baton to the talented team we have here at [d]arc media. Helen Ankers, editor of darc, will take on the role of Managing Editor of both titles with Matt Waring taking on responsibility of Editor of arc and Sarah Cullen moving up to Assistant Editor.
We have changes to our commercial staff too. We welcome new members Andrew Bousfield and Isaac Lorenzo into Media Sales with Jason Pennington becoming Head of Business Development.
I will not be heading off into the sunset, however. As Managing Director of [d]arc media, I will be responsible for further developing the commercial aspect of the business. In truth I have been spending more and more time directing our events and leaving the editorial in the capable hands of Matt and Sarah. They will continue to create dynamic and interesting features for you all to enjoy in both the printed and digital formats as well as creating engaging content for our [d]arc awards and [d]arc room events.
It’s been a long journey and, initially, a steep learning curve. I’m the first to admit that when I started as editor I didn’t know my Artemides from my Zumtobels (or Zumbotel as I printed in 1999!) and Speirs + Major was the only lighting design practice I was really familiar with due to their work in the entertainment sector from where I came (arc began life as a supplement to mondo*dr magazine, our publication for technology in entertainment). It was through the encouragement of key players in the profession such as Jonathan Speirs and Mark Major that we have thrived and have now reached a position where our next issue will be exactly twenty years since we started (where has the time gone?!). Expect to see a celebration of this in our Oct/Nov issue.
Print is still the foundation of our business and, unlike many other media companies, we will continue to produce regular bi-monthly printed issues of this publication that we know you enjoy so much.
It’s been a pleasure to be arc editor for all this time. I am as excited about the future as I am proud of the past. Here’s to the next twenty years!
Paul James
Editor
arc
Entries open for 2019 Casambi Awards
(Finland) – Awards ceremony to be held at Light+Building 2020.
The entry process for the 2019 Casambi Awards is now open.
The award winners will be announced at a ceremony held during Light+Building in
Frankfurt next year.
Judges for this year’s awards include Kai Piippo, Head of
Design at ÅF Lighting; Pavlina Akritas, Associate Lighting Designer at Arup;
Andrea Nava, Managing Director of Erco Italy; Marc Juarez, Technical Director
Europe at Seoul Semiconductor; and Paul James, Managing Director of [d]arc
media.
To submit a project, entrants are invited to fill in a form on Casambi’s awards website (casambi.com/awards), and submit it along with 3-10 photographs to marketing@casambi.com.
Of the awards, Casambi said: “Feel free to nominate all
types of architectural lighting projects that have Casambi technology installed.
You can nominate as many projects as you like, the project has to be at least
in final installation phase, if not completed. There are no categories, nor any
restrictions in location of the project.
“It doesn’t matter if you are a lighting designer,
electrical consultant, architect, interior designer, a commissioning engineer
or just a general influencer, as long as you are passionate about the project,
and know how the project came about.”
Entries for the awards are open until 12th
January 2020.
Nordeon Group appoints new CEO
(Germany) – Ralf Knorrenschild replaces Louis van Uden as CEO of Nordeon Group.
Ralf Knorrenschild has been appointed as the new CEO of the
Nordeon Group, taking effect from October 1st, the company has
announced.
Knorrenschild succeeds Louis van Uden, who is now focusing
on his new role as COO on the Management Board.
A proven leader in the lighting industry, Knorrenschild has
assumed a position of responsibility as CEO, bringing his 31 years of
experience in the lighting industry to the Group – which includes brands Griven,
Hess, Vulkan, Lamp, Schmitz Wila and Nordeon.
Born in Hamburg, Knorrenschild started at Philips Licht in
1988, and soon gained leadership there in sales. At the end of 2003 he moved to
Zumtobel Group, and as Senior Vice President, he was responsible for the
worldwide Key Account Business and Public Lighting sector.
At the beginning of 2017, he was appointed to the Executive
Board of the Selux Group in Berlin, where he led Sales, Marketing and Human
Resources.
Knorrenschild said of the appointment: “I am very much
looking forward to this exciting task, together with my colleagues Louis van
Uden, and CFO Winfried Falk, to further strengthen the attractive brands of the
Nordeon Group, and to continue on the growth course that we have already begun.”
[d]arc room delivers in new home
(UK)
- [d]arc room exceeds
expectations at Old Truman Brewery with 4,000 visitors, up from 2,000 in 2018.
Taking place during London Design Festival, [d]arc room had
its very own hall at the Old Truman Brewery, home to London Design Fair, where it
continued with its unique exhibiting concept as well as having educational
workshops and live streaming.
Organised by [d]arc
media, the team behind arc and darc magazines
and the [d]arc awards,
in collaboration with creative consultants Light Collective, the
exhibition showcased the most up-to-date solutions in lighting, a must for
anyone involved in lighting specification.
London Design Fair regularly attracts close to 30,000 visitors across four days of exciting and creative content. Over half the visitors were designers or architects with retailers also making up a big part of the audience. [d]arc room brought a welcome contingent of lighting designers to the show as well as educating non-lighting professionals about the benefits of lighting design.
Paul James, director of darc room,
commented: “I was delighted with the way [d]arc room was
received this year with its integration into London Design Fair. The show has
gone from strength to strength since the inaugural event in 2017. Our
substantial increase in both exhibitors and visitors prove to us that
there is a need for a dedicated lighting design event at London Design
Festival.”
The boutique lighting specification exhibition had 75
exhibitors, eight workshops and a unique live stream of lighting talks.
James continued: “The mix of creative, small stands where no one
company dominates the event, together with strong education content in a great
location really appeals to the designers and architects that attended this
year’s show. We will aim to develop the concept further as we move
forward with the [d]arc room event.”
darc room : workshops and darc room : live,
curated by the event’s creative consultants Light Collective, were very popular
with packed audiences enjoying the unique format of the educational content.
darc room : workshops, sponsored by Phos, had a host of detailed,
interactive sessions and panel discussions featuring topics such as
Sustainability and Design, Women in Lighting, Acoustic Lighting, Wellness in
Design, Daylight and Experience and the Beauty of Bespoke. It even had a Sunday
matinee of lighting films for visitors to enjoy.
Speakers for this year’s [d]arc room: live programme, sponsored by Delta Light, included Moritz Waldemeyer; Magdalena Gomez, Elektra; Lora Kaleva, BDP; Sacha Abizadeh, WSP; Clementine Fletcher-Smith, Speirs + Major; James Poore, JPLD; Neil Tomkinson, SBID; Heinrich Böhm, JOI Design; Kael Gillam, Nulty; Lee Painter, BDP; Paulina Vilalobos, DiaV, and Jo Littlefair, Goddard Littlefair.
Delta Light also hosted a residential lighting micro conference
featuring a group of leading architects and lighting designers to share their
knowledge on residential lighting, and how best to light a home with a room by
room approach.
Also on show, Speirs + Major presented its virtual reality Third
Age of Light – a VR experience through which the studio envisions the lighting
of the future, predicting how our cityscapes will look in 2050.
Manufacturer participants were Acclaim, AC Special Projects, Adolights, Airstream, Archilume, ARIA, Arkoslight, Astro, Avivo, AxaLight, Barthelme, Bert Frank, B Light, Blond, Buzzi Space, Cameron Design House, Casambi, CLS, Delta Light, Dyson, Edison and Mansfield, Enttec, ELR, EPS / Elumeros, ES-System, Feelux, Filix, Forge, formalighting,, Fritz Fryer, Gap Lighting, GDS, IBL, Insta UK, Kreon, LED iBond, LED Ltd, LensVector, LightGraphix, Lightly Tech, Linea Light Group, Lite, Lucenti, Lumenpulse, Lumino, Luminus, Madrix, Megaman, Mesh, Mode Lighting, Nicolaudie, NJO, Nulty Bespoke, Original BTC, Orluna, Osram, Performance In Lighting, Pharos, Phos, PROLED, Pulsar, Radiant, Recolight, Reggiani, Sagitario, Seoul, SLV, Soraa, Specialty Lighting, Speclight, Targetti, Technilum, TLS, Traxon, Truelux Group, Tryka, UFO, unonovesette, Vexica, Vode, Whitegoods. And Xicato
The show is supported by CIBSE (Chartered Institution of
Building Service Engineers), BIID (British Institute of Interior Design), IALD
(International Association of Lighting Designers), ILP (Institute of Lighting
Professionals), SLL (Society of Light & Lighting) and SBID (Society of
British and International Interior Design).
Brunel University take on ultra-thin lighting design challenge
(UK) - Brunel University London is to collaborate with Lightly Technologies on an ultra-thin lighting design challenge for 2nd year students.
Approximately 120 students will choose from one of three challenges that
have been set by Lightly Technologies. From retro-replacement to the Japanese
art of chindōgu to automotive design, the challenges have been designed
to test design skills, foster
innovation and explore new commercial opportunities in the application of
ultra-thin lighting design.
Brunel University London and Lightly
Technologies will choose three student projects from all submissions for
further development. Finalists will be awarded a bursary with which to develop
their concept to an advanced prototype and an overall winning design will be
selected through a social media poll.
Speaking at the launch of the challenge in London, Lightly Technologies Marketing Director, Joe Farinella, commented: “This collaboration with Brunel University London is an incredible opportunity for Lightly Technologies to work with future leaders in design and innovation. Fresh thinking and new ideas are the lifeblood of our industry. We feel privileged to be able to support emerging talent by providing students with this opportunity to apply their learnings and express themselves creatively while giving them an insight into a possible future career path in lighting design.”
The three challenges are:
Design Challenge 1: Decorative Lighting Product
Retro-style LED filament bulbs are trending from New York to London and can be found everywhere from bars and restaurants to homes and hotels. The current trend has spread worldwide and is expected to reach a market valuation of $1.8B - $2B by 2020.
Design
Challenge 2: Functional Lighting Product
The Japanese art
of chindōgu involves combining unrelated products to create
inventions that are wonderfully unusual. These inventions might not be
immediately practical, but each one opens a door to new ideas that just might
be.
Design Challenge 2 is to
apply the principles of chindōgu to create a totally new, functional
application for an ultra-thin light source that answers a real-world problem. Students
must document how they have explored
outside of their normal creative influences to seek out collaboration from
people from a variety of disciplines, departments, cultures, ages, mindsets and
orientations.
Design
Challenge 3: Automotive Lighting
Design Challenge 3 is to devise an application for Hikari SQ in
new car interior or
exterior designs.
The Ultra-Thin Lighting Design Challenge will commence on 26 September with winners being announced on 30 October. Project submissions and updates will be available to view online and will use the #madeinbrunel hashtag.
www.madeinbrunel.com
www.lightly.tech
Ecoled rebrand to Phos, launch The Power of Light
(UK) – The LED manufacturer unveils the rebrand at London
Design Festival
LED lighting manufacturer Ecoled has announced that it will
be moving into a new direction under the new name Phos.
Under its previous title, Ecoled, the engineering team has
spent nearly a decade finessing LED lighting fixtures, producing miniature
luminaires in the UK, culminating with the launch of Eyeconic 2.0 earlier this
summer.
Having undergone a development in both product and core
values, the team decided that a new, more representative brand name was
necessary, resulting in the launch of Phos this month.
“Phos, which means ‘light’ in Greek, represents our
dedication to this magical medium in all its glory. With Phos, we will
enlighten, we will enthuse, and we will inspire,” said Herman van Driel, Phos’
Managing Director. “As the lighting industry changes and evolves, we have
changed ahead of it and in striving to innovate, Phos has been born.”
Light is arguably the most influential force on how we
perceive and connect with the world around us, but we often overlook the impact
it has on us and the spaces we inhabit. Phos’ ambition is to build a collective
consciousness, and admiration for the power of light in the world, by providing
a portal for the whole industry.
New product innovations, an integrated ordering process and
an authoritative technical information hub will sit alongside original,
exciting and informative content curated by the world’s most respected and
celebrated lighting specialists.
This has been showcased in The Power of Light, an
immersive film experience created by James Cadisch, Development Director at Phos,
and the team at Driftend Films.
“The Power of Light is a manifesto,” said James, the
architect of the rebrand, “a proclamation of a new direction, not just for
Phos, but more importantly, we are striving to elevate the perception of
lighting for the industry as a whole.”
For the film, Cadisch called on artists, designers,
creatives and innovators from all around the world to communicate their
perceptions of light: emotive and practical, natural and engineered.
The film will be premiered at [d]arc room on
September 19th during a special workshop session. The show will be
the inaugural exhibition for Phos under its new moniker.
To attend the premiere, register for free at www.darcroom.com.
Trilux appoints new CEO
(Germany) – Guillermo Fernandez
de Peñaranda Bonet will become Trilux CEO on October 1.
Trilux has announced
that Guillermo Fernandez de Peñaranda Bonet will become Chief Executive Officer
on October 1st. Peñaranda will assume the duties of Michael Huber,
who is as General Representative taking over an active role in the Trilux
Supervisory Board.
Guillermo de Peñaranda
has been a member of the Trilux Management Board since April of this year, and
has almost 20 years of experience in the international management of successful
German industrial groups, such as Thyssenkrupp and Bosch. As the new CEO, he
will be responsible for the strategic alignment of the Trilux Group.
“With our strategic
core themes of digitalisation, internationalisation and our customer-centric
approach, we create the perfect conditions for Trilux to develop into a strong
global player within a dynamic market,” said Peñaranda about his areas of
responsibility.
A company-wide
change process will make this realignment both visible and tangible at all
levels, as well as successfully implementing it long term into the company.
Elsewhere, long-standing
CTO Dietmar Zembrot will leave Trilux at the end of September. Since 2008, Zembrot
has been responsible for Research, Development and Product Management at
Trilux, making a decisive contribution to the technological development of the
company in recent years.
“With his many
years of experience and expertise, Dietmar Zembrot has played a significant
role in the successful development of the Trilux Group,” said Michael Huber. “Under
his leadership we have successfully completed the transformation to LED. We
have established our technological leadership with the founding of the ITZ, and
have systematically further developed it until today.”
Integral LED expands to UK base
(UK) - Integral LED launch new Logistics Hub in Aylesbury
Lighting manufacturer Integral LED has relocated its European logistics and warehouse operations to Aylesbury. The new Rabans Lane site will be central to a network of supply links to the company’s resellers throughout the UK and to support its subsidiaries in France, Netherlands and Spain. At an official ceremony on Friday 13th September the management team were joined by Sir David Lidington, MP for Aylesbury, and the Town Mayor, Councillor Mike Smith, to celebrate the official opening of the new facility that marks a major step to accelerate European-wide trading despite the existing backdrop of confusion caused by Brexit.
“Whatever the outcome of the UK Government’s negotiation with the EU, we are committed to providing improved supply-side support to our customers throughout the domestic market and on the continent. Faster stock deliveries and ultimately more competitive product margins will provide a major benefit to trading partners ahead of challenging market conditions. Ultimately, we believe that British businesses have an exciting future in the European market if they are agile and remain responsive to the demands for disruptive technologies like LED lighting,” commented Sunil Kotecha, MD of Integral Memory plc.
“The need for innovation is never going to let up. There will always be opportunities for canny and innovative companies to increase their market share. Whatever happens with Brexit, the simple facts of geography are not going to change. The EU will remain the single most important trading market for companies in the UK."
Jonathan Speirs Scholarship Winners announced
(UK) - The Jonathan Speirs Scholarship Fund has announced the winners for 2018/2019 award.
The Trustees announced that the recipients selected this year are Apoorva Jalindre and Merethe Granhus.
Apoorva Jalindre is in the process of completing her second Masters degree, in Architecture, Design and Health at the University of Michigan’s Taubman College of Architecture and Urban Planning. Having undertaken the lighting Masters program at Wismar, she further deepened her passion for lighting design with an internship at Office for Visual Interaction Inc. in New York City. An important aspect of her work considers how the perception of lighting might affect mental health conditions such as autism, dyslexia, schizophrenia and migraine.
Meanwhile, Merethe Granhus is studying for a Professional Diploma in Architecture RIBA Part II at the London Metropolitan University. Her passion for lighting was cultivated as an intern at 31/44 Architects, working on, amongst other projects, the lighting of the Barbican Frobisher Rooms. Merethe believes nuanced lighting is critical to enabling any built environment to function comfortably. However, her passion lies with the transformative aspects of light that enable intuitive connection and communication with people.
John Roake, Chairman of the JSSF commented: "This year presented another excellent shortlist culminating in the selection of two outstanding scholars with completely different approaches, but with a clear understanding of light as not just a medium by which to visualise but also using it as a tool to enhance the experience of the viewer.
"Both scholars presented projects that have a social element we enjoyed discussing […] Both are worthy and responsible projects which we are happy to encourage with the aid of the Scholarship."
For further information on the Jonathan Speirs Scholarship fund, visit www.jssf.org.uk.
Roland Lorenz named as EVP and Head of ÅF Pöyry Management Consulting Division.
(Sweden) - Roland Lorenz has been named successor to Martin à Porta as EVP and Head of ÅF Pöyry Management Consulting Division on 1st October.
“I am excited to welcome Roland Lorenz into the Group Management team. Roland will continue to champion the great culture of brave leadership and entrepreneurial excellence as we continue to focus on our clients and deliver the next successful years of growth together,” said Jonas Gustavsson, President and CEO of ÅF Pöyry.
Lorenz has been at the company for 20 years and brings with him a wealth of management consulting experience. In his most recent position as Head of Energy Management Consulting for central, southern and northern Europe, Lorenz leads the team of consultants with strong sector expertise to drive value and support clients in the energy transition and changing bio-economy.
“I am honoured to lead this outstanding team of consultants and excited to continue leveraging our strength and the breadth of expertise in our new organisation to bring our Management Consulting business to the next level. It is a privilege to be in a position to offer a unique set of advisory services that can transform industries and create sustainable value for clients and society,” said Lorenz.
“We thank Martin à Porta for the highly successful Pöyry turnaround and playing a key role while joining forces and becoming an industry leader as the new company ÅF Pöyry,” added Gustavsson.
GDS appoints Business Development Manager
(UK) - Prince Sofunmade is appointed as the new London Business Development Manager
Bristol-based lighting manufacturer GDS has appointed Prince Sofunmade to its business development team. Sofunmade's appointment marks the next phase of GDS's 2019 plan to expand its lighting solutions outside of the entertainment industry, and share its expertise with the architectural sector as well.
Reflecting on this, Sofunmade states: “I was attracted to the culture within GDS, and I love that they are looking to build a lighting dynasty and disrupt another industry with something new… Ultimately, we work hard to create the best lighting solution for our clients, and that always starts by working together to create one vision.”
Sofunmade joins GDS with almost ten years of industry experience. His background includes work in the office sector, and more recently, he worked within ‘Save Money Cut Carbon’ where he played an active role in implementing effective strategies for businesses aiming to be compliant with this latest industry regulation. Working exclusively on the architectural side of the business, Sofunmade will be working alongside the team in Bristol to build GDS's presence in this new arena.
James Hall, Head of Sales welcomed the addition of Sofunmade, stating: “Prince is an excellent addition to our team due to his great enthusiasm and his incredible breadth of personal and professional experience. I look forward to working alongside a highly motivated individual with a track record as a highly successful Senior Business Development Manager.”