Jorge L. Hernandez
Dividing his time between teaching and his architectural practice, Miami-based Jorge L. Hernandez speaks to arc about his exhibit at the Venice Biennale, focusing on the integral role that lighting plays within architecture, both physically and spiritually.
While the architecture headlines are regularly dominated by the latest designs for the newest, ultra-modern, up-to-date buildings, there are some in the industry that prefer to pay tribute to the great works of the past.
One such architect is Jorge L. Hernandez. Based out of Miami, USA, Hernandez is both a professor and practitioner of architecture, balancing his time between his eponymous architecture firm, opened 32 years ago, and teaching at the University of Miami.
“I’ve always had one foot in the classroom and one foot on the sidewalk, so to speak,” said Hernandez when asked of his dual career paths. “I often get asked ‘which one would you keep, and which one would you give up, if you had to?’ And I always answer the same way, which is you don’t know what you don’t know - I don’t know another reality.”
Born in Havana, Cuba in 1956, Hernandez emigrated to Miami in 1962, and completed his Bachelor of Architecture from the University of Miami in 1980. He then went on to the University of Virginia, where he studied design and architectural history and completed his Master of Architecture. Following graduation, Hernandez was asked by the Dean of the University of Virginia to stay on and teach, which he did for two years, before moving back home to join the faculty at the University of Miami as a professor of Architecture - where he still teaches to this day.
Owing to his multiple commitments, Hernandez’s architectural practice remains relatively small at ten people. As such, a lot of his work is done collaboratively, as he explained: “On larger projects, I’m brought in to do the conceptual work, then stay on in a supportive role to ensure that the design is faithfully executed. I don’t want a firm of 120 people. I want to still be able to go in and out of the classroom.”
Despite the firm’s small size, it hasn’t limited the type of project that Hernandez has worked on, although he concedes that over the course of the last 30 years, the majority of his portfolio has been residential projects. That said, he has been able to develop a diversity of projects, including the design of a new courthouse in Williamsburg, Virginia, a number of religious structures, including churches and synagogues, ensembles of large urban buildings in Miami, and the renovation of an historic municipal building into a museum.
This renovation ties into one of Hernandez’s main passions - heritage work. Something he has implemented across both aspects of his career. “I’ve been very involved in heritage work across the years, as an advocate and architect; and that work has opened other doors,” he explained.
“I’m very interested in cross-pollinating the academic work and the professional work by exposing the students to heritage stewardship. I’ve travelled with my students to many places, for example to Santiago de Cuba, to work on churches that were affected by Hurricane Sandy. The twelve colonial churches and their corresponding plazas form a framework around which the city of Santiago was built. We nominated these to the World Monument Fund Watch, and we’re now working on a 300-year-old synagogue in Curaçao.
“Heritage work is rich by nature, and by definition cross-disciplinary. In engaging real world exercises, students learn by the application of knowledge. When appropriate, I try to position the student at the boundary between academic work and professional experience.”
Because much of Hernandez’s work is based on heritage projects, it’s hard to determine whether he has a ‘signature style’ - a term that he isn’t particularly fond of - however, working on such a range of projects from different eras has had a profound impact on Hernandez himself, and on his work as well.
“I dislike the word ‘style’ in its current usage. We seem preoccupied in labelling architecture before the perspective garnered by time has been understood. When you work in heritage, you’re exposed to many different architectural expressions,” he explained. “In the face of excellence, regardless of what period, you start to see a commonality in the dedication to detail, the logic of construction and innovation, which happens across the ages as a function of problem solving by imagination.
“We can learn from this, even though we might not be in the same place and time. If we keep delving deeper, studying works of heritage, peeling off layers and getting at the core of its idea, then the buildings of the past are always informative and alive. I’d like to think that relationship of architecture to time and its passage has very much influenced my work.”
This approach means that for Hernandez, architecture is more about context, and building something that will last, rather than about implementing a particular signature aesthetic or appearance repeated with each project. “It’s more about a comprehensive notion of sustainability and fit, where one decision now will have a ramification well into the future.
“I call it proactive stewardship: our actions now are a form of stewardship because you’re taking care that a building can be looked after with minimal investment for a long time.”
Hernandez’s assertion that we can always continue to learn from architecture, no matter its age, is a further element that fuses his professional work with his teaching. He believes that “if nothing else, an architect should be humbled before a building that dates back 100, 200 or more years and needs care so yet another century can be added to its life.”
However, it’s not the only message that he tries to instil in his students, as he elaborated: “It’s really important to reduce everything to the point of fundamentals, which is another way of saying to get to the radical essence, the origin, the idea of a project, so that what you start with can be sustained over time.
“I’m interested in the ethical concerns that govern the act of building today, and how those concerns can guide the students’ development. At the same time I always try to find their voice and encourage it.
“I try to guide them to that space of understanding common principles as seen from individual vantage points. So by the time they’re at graduate level coursework, I’m coaching them to hear their own voices more clearly, develop their own ideas and become more aware of their individuality in the collective search for answers.”
This interaction with younger minds is a great source of joy for Hernandez, not only in shaping their future but also to provide new perspectives for himself.
“People ask me how I split my time. The good thing about entering the classroom, whether with first year students or graduate students, is that their minds are supple and open. And I believe the nature of studio teaching, of architectural education, is not strictly a hierarchal model at all. So if you think through problems together, you work in dialogue, the experience is a collaboration, which is good for them, and really wonderful for me.”
Throughout Hernandez’s work, while there is no overriding ‘signature style’, the role of lighting, and in particular the use of natural light, remains prevalent. Hernandez ascribes this to his childhood in Cuba, and the large, Bauhaus-esque residential tower, built by his grandfather and two great uncles, in which his family lived.
“In my memory, the light was always crystalline there, and having lived most of my life in the tropics, it’s hard to avoid an awareness of the quality and power of light. Very early on in my work I started thinking about light in architecture, and it’s one theme that will continue to be important.
“I think of light as a chisel that can hollow out the voids of a great edifice with laser sharp penetration, constructing the beautiful voids of architectural space. Light is a feature that, regardless of style or character or context, regardless of which inflection the occasion calls for, is a constant in architecture. It ties us to a place, in the grand scheme of things. When I travel now, I’m very aware of what the light is doing at the time of year, of day; when I look at buildings I’m always analysing how natural light is handled and manoeuvred.”
Hernandez’s approach to light was evident for all to see at the 2018 Venice Biennale, where he, alongside close friend and long time collaborator, photographer Carlos Domenech, was selected to exhibit as a part of ECC’s Time Space Existence exhibition. Although each chosen separately, the pair decided to collaborate on one joint space. Divided into three ‘chapters’, the first featured a selection of Domenech’s work entitled City of Shadows, the second, created by Hernandez, was called Architecture is Made of Light, while the final ‘chapter’, Light Box, was more collaborative, featuring the heritage piece that Hernandez, Domenech and the University of Miami worked on together regarding the recuperation of the colonial churches in Santiago de Cuba following Hurricane Sandy.
The narrative for Hernandez’s Architecture is Made of Light installation was divided into three separate sections, as he explained: “The first engaged the physical aspects of light, not just visually, but also corporally, sensually, by the wondrous incorporation of light in all sensory ways that architecture participates in.
“The second idea looked at light being the intellectual agent of architecture, which leads to the ‘light as a chisel’ analogy, in that it hollows out space, which is the centre point of architectural composition.”
The third section focused on the spiritual concept of light, as evident in works of heritage. “In being mindful of places that human communities have built, we realise that stewardship is a form of engaging in a very intimate relationship with others across time,” he continued. “When restoring an old building, you decipher the designer’s thoughts, restore the craftsmen’s skill, understand the community’s values, discover the patron’s intent, participate in the history of the generations of occupants, and more. Heritage work involves care which connects to others across time and space, that is its spiritual dimension.”
This spiritual dimension of light is an area that Hernandez feels is more apparent in some projects than others, and is something that can be harnessed and celebrated, particularly in sacred work, “because of the metaphor of light and divinity, regardless of faith”.
“Whether you’re talking about a mosque, a church, a synagogue, a temple, there has always been this analogy of light and divinity in sacred space. In that case, the association is obvious, and rich, and you have a wealth of material to play with.”
There are times though when it is not as clear, like in the case of the Williamsburg courthouse, a commission secured from an international competition entry. Hernandez explained: “There was an interesting requirement in the program brief that stated a preference for natural light in the courtrooms, but discouraged the use of windows for security reasons. It seemed like the Riddle of the Sphinx.
“Solving that problem is what gave rise to the architectural solution of bringing an unseen source of top light via three shared light wells into five courtrooms distributed on two separate levels. Inside the courtrooms, the soft, filtered light became an allegory for justice.”
Since creating the installation at the Venice Biennale, Hernandez revealed that he is now much more aware of “seeing how every commission can promote a novel handling of light”.
“The question is how to appropriately fit the handling of light with the purpose, place and meaning of each commission.”
This approach, of considering light as an integral part of architectural design, as a “chisel” that opens up a space, is something that Hernandez believes should be shared amongst his fellow architects. “This is among the ethical concerns, the question we must continue to ask. How do we build by equitably sharing our inherent cultural heritage and the heritage of nature’s resources? And I think the search for the answer is true not just for light, but in all ways where architecture participates in our natural resources. As architects, we have a responsibility when interacting with the Earth, and everything that brings with it, those are occasions for elevated thinking.
“In my work, very directly it’s been my tripartite study of light, but it has also included concerns with efficiency, and the use of surface, winds and local weather patterns, recycling, frugality, abundance, tradition and all without necessarily predicting the absence of joy in architecture. The list is endless.
“That’s the big picture, that’s what we have to figure out as architects, and more than architects, as communities.”
Oodi Central Library, Finland
Oodi, the new central library for Helsinki, stands centrally in the cultural district of the city as a gift for Finland’s 100th anniversary of independence. Created by ALA Architects, the firm also designed the lighting scheme alongside Rejlers Finland.
ocated opposite the Finnish parliament, the site for Oodi, Helsinki’s new central library, was chosen specifically because literature and education are regarded to be as important to Finnish society as politics is. The United Nations named Finland the world’s most literate nation in 2016, as well as being among the most enthusiastic users of public libraries; the country’s population borrows an average of 68 million books a year.
As part of the Helmet network (Helsinki Metropolitan Area Libraries), the Oodi offers far more than just book loans. Creative spaces with glass walled rooms for visual projection artists, media suites, children’s areas, a cinema, recording studios, areas for hosting exhibitions and even 3D printers are all available to the people of Helsinki.
Oodi, translated as ‘ode’ in English, is a three-storey open plan structure, created by ALA Architects, a Finnish design firm that won the opportunity to design the new public building in an annonymous competition open to international designers.
Niklas Malhberg, architect and Oodi project team leader at ALA Architects, described the firm’s initial involvement: “In 2012, we entered the first phase of the open international and anonymous architectural competition between the 5th January – 16th April. At the end of 2012, the second phase of the architectural competition began on 21st November, where six candidates (out of the original 544) were selected by the jury. The winner was announced in 2013, and it was our project, titled Käännös.
“Our multidisciplinary team started the process to execute the building in 2014; construction started on 1st September 2015 and was completed in 2018.
The project was presented in the Mind-Building exhibition at the Finnish Pavilion in the Venice Biennale 2018 before opening its doors on 5th December.”
The building is divided into distinct levels that are split into different active spaces. The ground floor is an extension of the exterior Kansalaistori square, drawing visitors in to an open and clean space. The first floor is home to a host of workable spaces and the top floor is nicknamed book heaven.
The book heaven is a bright and airy floor that is filled with natural daylight through the floor-to-ceiling glass windows and skylights that perforate the undulating roof.
With the changing role of a library for current and future generations, ALA designed a modern and energy efficient building that utilised local building materials to sustain local climate conditions. A sweeping curved canopy is clad with 33mm-thick Finnish spruce planks that extend the façade into the exterior square, creating shelter for public events in front of the library. The upper surface of the canopy, located adjacent to the café, provides an outdoor roof space that allows visitors to gather and view the square and the city.
Lighting was an important aspect of the build, as it had to fit with the natural aesthetic of the building, but also act as a functional tool for readers and workers alike.
With no initial lighting brief offered by the client, the team at ALA had artistic freedom to create a scheme fitting for their design, as long as it was energy efficient and met the normal lighting levels for libraries.
The team collaborated with Rejlers Finland, an electrical design company, to implement a lighting scheme according to the appropriate lighting levels, good serviceability and measured lighting control.
“We utilised the in-house expertise we’ve gathered through several public projects. The electrical designer specified the lighting and did the necessary calculations. All in all, we had plenty of freedom to design the lighting,” explained Mahlberg.
With the functions of each floor varying, it was important that the lighting adapted to each need.
A variety of fixtures were used, from Regent, Planlicht, iGuzzini, Finlight, GDS and Erco for the larger main spaces, multipurpose hall and children’s multipurpose area on the third floor, whilst Zumtobel was used for the second floor studios. Bega and LTS fixtures were used for the staircases and exterior lighting, whilst LED Linear illuminated the escalators. Erco luminaires were placed as indirect lights for the third floor pillars as well as in the cinema room, alongside Osram LEDs.
Mahlberg described the functions for each of the levels and how the lighting adapted to these needs: “The design divides the functions of the library into three distinct levels: an active ground floor, a peaceful upper floor, and an enclosed in-between volume containing the more specific functions. The lighting scheme had to be in sync with the architectural concept and therefore every space had a specific lighting solution. As we had control over the lighting design and also had a continuous presence on the building site during the realisation period, we could easily follow up on any issues, and when necessary, propose solutions that supported our original concept.”
In the most part, the lighting fixtures were subtle and blended into the architecture seamlessly, disappearing into the background. Some exceptions appeared, for example in the bathrooms, where pendants were suspended from the ceiling to create another layer of light in the space.
“There were fixed requirements for lux levels depending on the function of each space and the light fixtures had to fulfil the illuminance demanded,” explained Mahlberg. “In some areas, dimmer lighting was sufficient to emphasise other more important areas, such as circulation routes and bookshelves. The fixed furniture is equipped with lamps for personal work, and these lamps are effectively part of the furniture.”
Most of the lighting scheme is controlled and dimmable with DALI and operated with KNX building control.
In the workspaces and reading rooms, the lighting was important to the users needs. The glass façades and skylights in the book heaven provide ample daylight in the public areas, reducing the use of artificial lighting. However, during different seasons and weather conditions, the lighting throughout Oodi is an integral part of its architecture, adapting to the different times of day and seasonal lighting conditions.
“There were some new concepts to be implemented in this particular project. The overall design concept was based on the idea that the building itself would not be illuminated. Instead, the functions inside were made visible through the glass façades using light. This was a new concept and we had to develop a lighting control programme that would support this idea. Since the building is standing in the very centre of the city, it can never be completely dark. Outside opening hours it is only dimly lit up and thus avoiding looking deserted, it participates in activating the city space around it,” described Mahlberg.
“In the cinema hall for the first time we used fibre optic lighting combined with LED lights to achieve the design intent with continuous light dot lines on the walls and the ceiling marking every seating row. This worked out fine in the end, even though we had our doubts regarding the possible difference of the quality of light from these different light sources. This is also the first project where white neon light tubes were used in the signage.
“One element was the colour of the light, normally 4000K is used as a standard but sometimes it gives a rather pale and dull atmosphere, especially with wood involved. So, we did some testing and found out that 3000K or 3500K worked better in some circumstances.”
There were some custom made solutions throughout the building made to accommodate the lighting fixtures, such as the bookshelves that were modified so the lighting fixtures could contribute to the overall lighting of the book heaven.
A hanging bubble made of ETFE (Ethylene Tetra Fluoro Ethylene, a plastic construction material) hangs in the southern entrance way and acts like a lantern guiding visitors in.
“Lighting brings clarity, warmth and readability to the spaces and helps one to orientate through the building. The final result is fantastic and works very well with our initial ideas. There are still some adjustments to be made in the lighting control, but we are very happy with the overall finish,” reflected Mahlberg.
Gillard Group
Jenni Gillard and the Gillard Group have developed ‘Lighting as a Service’, a concept designed to help the industry prosper from the uptake of LED, avoid pitfalls and contribute to positive global environmental outcomes.
The Gillard Group is an internationally recognised architectural lighting design firm based in Brisbane, Australia. Established in 2005 by Jenni Gillard, the firm provides day and night lighting solutions that combine art and science.
Alongside this, Gillard Group pioneered and launched ‘Lighting as a Service’ (LaaS) in 2015. LaaS uses design, business cases and technology to deliver sustained value, with a focus on optimising the volume of LED luminaires and reducing energy consumption (carbon footprint) and fixture wastage on the environment.
Gillard is a multi-award-winning architectural lighting designer and lighting consultant (CLD, IALD and IES). She also fills her time as a lighting judge, contemporary artist and art dealer, and was a former art gallery manager and university lecturer. Since founding Gillard Group, she has become a pioneering woman in the Australian lighting design community.
Gillard was the first woman to graduate in a degree wholly devoted to lighting; graduate with a Masters in Lighting; qualify as a Certified Lighting Designer (second person in Australia and seventh in the world); start, build, lead and grow an independent lighting design studio and become a full member of the International Association of Lighting Designers (eighth person in Australia).
The firm’s first lighting project was to relight the interior of the State of Queensland’s oldest continuous-use church – Ann St Presbyterian. The team went on to light the then world’s largest oceanarium, the 43-marine habitat S.E.A Aquarium, Resorts World Sentosa, Singapore.
“Illuminating such a large-scale marine habitat is one of the world’s most complex lighting design undertakings. Failure leads to loss of sea-life and commercial stress,” explained Gillard.
“Research, sourcing, testing, modelling and designing took two years. Our use of LED on this scale in this environment was a world first.”
In 2012, the company expanded, introducing Mark Lloyd as a new business partner. Lloyd is a technology thought-leader and Hall of Fame member of the Australian Computer Society (ACS). Foreseeing the impact of digital LED on the lighting industry, he designed and invested in solutions to service the new paradigm.
Before entering the world of lighting, Lloyd was the Chief Information Officer for Department Premier and Cabinet, amongst other agencies in Queensland, where he managed a global network and the biggest ICT outsourcing service in the State. He is also responsible for the organisation of numerous ICT-based events and societies in Australia. As Vice President of ACS, he won the rights for Australia to host the World Computer Congress 2010 and managed Young IT and ACS Women nationally.
The Gillard Group recently completed lighting designs for 24,000sqm of the Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre, and the head office for an international retail chain. It also commissioned lighting for the foyer of the Ovolo Hotel. The firm is also working on St Mary’s church, which dominates the regional centre of Warwick, Australia and is overseeing different stages of several projects, including a college and a public housing asset (Thornhill).
The Spectrum Apartments, commissioned at the end of 2016, comprises 60 apartments and commercial spaces and features four three-storey, neon-lit waterfalls of rainbow colours. The Gillard Group completed the lighting scheme for this residential project, which went on to win UDIA’s Affordable Housing award for excellence in 2017 and a LUX Designer Award in 2018 for Best Multi Residential Design (Lighting).
“The journey continues to be fulfilling. We are winning more awards than years of operation and aim to make functional beauty and loyal clients. We do affordable housing to the glamour end and everything in-between,” explained Gillard.
Amid architectural lighting projects, the group continued to focus on the implications of digital-friendly LED and the unfolding Internet of Light, in which LED would be much more than low-energy and long-life illumination. Predictions made in Gillard and Lloyd’s 2012 research paper, 2015-2024, continue to materialise, and together they build and refine services for a new future based on ubiquitous smart LED. Driving this investment was the realisation of the risks and benefits faced by clients and the environment.
“LED saturation builds a global Internet of Light and photons have too many advantages over electrons. Despite some challenges, as the Internet of Everything unfolds, all roads lead to light – nothing is faster or provides more spectrum,” commented Lloyd.
As a working solution to this shift in LED possibilities, the Gillard Group established LaaS.
“From 2013-2015, we built our LaaS offer,” explained Gillard. “LaaS requires significant thought and production of many artefacts. We also knew LaaS would be adopted by manufacturing, technology, energy and telecommunications companies. These suppliers would leverage their strengths.
“Most solutions, however, will be proprietary. Many suppliers also have large overheads, and some may gouge clients’ savings generated by energy reductions from LED implementation. Others fit non-lamp replaceable luminaires, which have downstream consequences for many clients.
For many LaaS suppliers, lighting is not their core business and some clients may receive sub-optimal lighting designs,” she added. Gillard’s take-away is that LaaS hinges on sustaining trust and value.
“Globally, conventional lamps are being banned or phased out. LED is the future of artificial illumination – conversion is inevitable. LED is a totally different lamp type. LED is complex, low-energy, digital-friendly and requires management to optimise ROI and maintain compliance. Smart LED luminaires herald a paradigm shift in lighting and will underpin the Internet of Things. Soon, interconnected smart LED will be a dominant gateway to connecting physical spaces with digital services, especially the Internet,” she explained.
In order to help their growing LaaS community, the Gillard Group chose an alternate path that allowed the community to make informed decisions and retain their purchasing autonomy.
“Our clients can choose any product or energy supplier and buy and consume only what they need. The results are spectacular. One client, for example, will save around $100,000 per annum for ten years from energy and bulb-turnover savings alone. Under our LaaS, more value is retained by the client,” she added.
As a package, Gillard’s LaaS includes lighting design, wholesale product pricing, economies of purchasing scale, asset management, product maintenance, warranty management, a capital rollover programme and expert support services and advice.
Gillard described its benefits and how the service is implemented: “Our LaaS deals with variable quality LED, maximises energy savings and reduces volumes of luminaires. We position the client to make informed decisions about their lighting assets and relevant new light-based technologies and services into the future. Moreover, we are working with clients, accountants and technologists to develop our MinMin Light System to deliver even greater value.
“MinMin is so advanced it qualified for generous Federal Government research and development support,” she added.
The cloud-based MinMin Light System is designed to be offered as Software as a Service (SaaS). Inspiration behind its name originates from Queensland Aboriginal folklore about the MinMin light phenomenon, where people have claimed to witness fast moving coloured light balls in the Australian outback.
Gillard, Lloyd and Chief Technology Officer Bryan Wain designed and built the core system of MinMin. The system turns a light portfolio into managed assets and generates, for example, a forward replacement schedule, cash flow projections and benefits realisation analysis.
In 2017, to strengthen the Group’s LaaS value-proposition, Mike Goodman became the newest member and third Principal of the Gillard Group. Goodman is a strategic thinker, corporate management expert and accountant.
The team also partnered with 1ICT, a progressive fast-growing tech company. 1ICt will further enhance MinMin through 2019. Satish Naidu, CEO of 1ICT added: “The MinMin Light System is beautifully constructed and we are delighted to accelerate and support its development into the future.”
Managing large installed LED portfolios is a driving force behind MinMin’s conception, and Gillard sees their product independence as a source of strength in turbulent times.
“We harvest and mine data, analyse it, distill it and provide it in an interactive format to help clients manage their lighting investments,” she explained.
“Our LaaS provides long term surety and direction, progressive reductions in energy costs and compliance risk and aesthetic improvements commensurate with the client’s means.”
Reflecting on client outcomes, Lloyd commented: “The solutions’ package empowers our clients because they can see the future state of their LED lighting investments now.”
“The greatest obstacle to our LaaS is Australia’s slow uptake of LED and commitment to minimum LED standards relative to the northern hemisphere,” noted Goodman.
“According to Statista, global LED saturation will reach 61% by 2020. Eventually the phase-out of traditional lamps, rising energy costs and new smart light-based services will force change,” he added.
When that change accelerates in Australia, the Gillard Group will be ready to help many more businesses secure value from LED and related technologies and avoid surprises from accelerating digital disruption.
“We will also look for partners to grow our LaaS business offshore and sell MinMin via Software as a Service,” concluded Gillard.
Casino Düsseldorf, Germany
Lighting designers at Licht Kunst Licht have created a unique way to bring a touch of the outdoors to a basement cafeteria, harnessing the power of “artificial daylighting”.
Few people would suggest a basement without daylight as an ideal location for a cafeteria. However, Licht Kunst Licht, alongside Frankfurt-based architectural firm ttsp hwp seidel, has created a biologically effective “artificial daylighting” system that transports employees of a multinational banking and financial company in Düsseldorf to the banks of the Rhine.
The canteen in the financial corporation’s basement was typical for the time of its construction. Yet while the red granite façade of the building, designed by HPP Architekten in the 1970s, still emanates a timeless elegance, the windowless canteen had become visibly outdated. Coupled with the inadequate technology, illumination and functionality, the space had a distinct lack of daylight and flair, which affected the overall quality of the space. A renovation was therefore badly needed.
This renovation saw the architecture and lighting of the staff restaurant and associated kitchen optimised; the crooked and inefficiently used dining area and kitchen plan layouts were fundamentally simplified, and free flowing, interlocking functional areas were established. As a result, the amount of seats could be increased from 150 to 200.
An essential design task in the renovation of the 465sqm space was the introduction of an additional daylight component and a reference to the outside world. Given the canteen’s basement location, this task proved difficult for the architects, and for the project lighting designers, Licht Kunst Licht.
Isabel Sternkopf, lighting designer and project manager from Licht Kunst Licht, explained: “After getting involved in this project, the architect and client gave us an initial briefing that was focused on artificial lighting only, but in the course of the project it turned out that an additional daylight entry was required by the local district government. As a result our lighting design suddenly focused on generating this subsequent daylight input.”
However, comprehensive studies undertaken by the German lighting design firm demonstrated that, with the small window openings that could be established, the daylight intake would be minimal, and the positive effects of natural light and a view to the exterior would be imperceptible.
“We performed calculations and realised that there is no possibility to provide sufficient daylight,” Sternkopf continued. “So we started a discussion with the local district government and tried to convince them that an artificial daylighting concept adds more value to the users than small basement windows.”
Sternkopf and her team argued that the added value for the user could only be established through artificial light that simulates natural light with daytime-related and annual variations, dynamic changes in light colour, light direction and intensity, while simultaneously supporting the circadian rhythm of the occupant.
As a result, Licht Kunst Licht developed the idea of a 22-metre-long, floor-to-ceiling artificial panorama window. Extending across the entire canteen rear wall, it compensates for the lack of daylight by establishing a mimicked relation with the exterior.
Displaying images from artist Stephan Kaluza’s series The Rhine Project, in which he followed the entire 1,233 kilometres of the river Rhine, documenting his voyage with a series of camera shots taken every few minutes, the window was intended to show a view of the Rhine that one might see from a room at ground level. The photograph is printed on a folded plasterboard, which is applied to an existing concrete wall. A floor-to-ceiling glazed window is located in front of the photograph, protecting it from dust and damage, while enhancing the impression of a window to the outside.
Illuminated by iGuzzini’s Linealuce Compact fixtures concealed in the ceiling behind the glazing, the lighting starts at a warm 2,700K in the morning, gradually changing to a cool 6,000K around noon, before returning to the warmer hues in the evening. Similar floor-mounted RGBW-LED profiles, mounted behind the glass wall, allow for an upward grazing light effect on the backdrop, emphasising and intensifying the texture. These fixtures create light colours in orange hues for the scenes during sunrise and sunset.
However, while the panorama window is an impressive, innovative solution to the lack of natural daylight, Sternkopf had to work to convince the district government that the window had no harmful effects on the health of the employees. “We had to prepare countless presentations and meetings, and at the end we needed to provide a medical certificate that confirms that our artificial lighting concept was not harmful to the users,” she said. “We did a lot of technical and scientific research to find out how the artificial lighting could appear as natural as possible, and we had an expert of occupational health and safety, as well as an occupational physician consultant involved in the project.”
Further to the introduction of more natural light, the architects wanted the new-look space to feel “more like a restaurant than a canteen,” according to ttsp hwp seidel architect and project manager Tanja Nopens, and the new lighting scheme was designed to support and respect this impression. “An intelligent lighting control system allowed us to create differentiated lighting scenes to avoid the homogenous and uniform lighting atmosphere often experienced in canteens,” Sternkopf explained.
Functionally, the space is organised into four ‘zones’, each with distinct lighting approaches, ceiling heights and furniture. The largest area, with long wooden benches under an open white ceiling, is the central meeting point for larger groups to eat and exchange ideas. The wooden furniture designed for the project creates punctual warm accents that contrast with the black seating.
The focal point for visitors is the free-flow area with the food counter. Designed entirely in black, its ‘spaceship-like’ counters extend to the kitchen partition wall. Towards the exterior wall is a narrow zone with a group of four-person tables, which is surrounded by building columns and a lower ceiling, making it suitable for quiet and more confidential conversations.
The illumination for these different zones is, as intended, more akin to a restaurant than a canteen: warm and inviting. Some of the seating areas are accentuated by pendant luminaires, courtesy of XAL and Artek, while the large flex-use seating zones at the centre of the dining room are more evenly illuminated with Soraa spots embedded into a custom-designed, grid-like structure. iGuzzini’s Laser Blade High Contrast provides vibrant accent illumination above the buffet stations, complemented by the Italian manufacturer’s discreet Pinhole Adjustable Round recessed luminaires in the circulation areas.
The colour temperature of the circulation lighting and the illumination of the adjacent open kitchen area is also variable, and is controlled in sync with the panorama window wall. All luminaires are programmed to create an atmosphere similar to daylight, with gentle light transitions intended to create the impression that occupants are in a room illuminated primarily with daylight and only supplemental electrical light. “Together with the architect we have developed a concept that makes the room appear spacious, friendly and inviting,” Sternkopf said.
While the project may have presented some difficulties to Sternkopf and her team, she feels that any problems that they encountered only helped lead them to the end result. “Sometimes I still wonder what twists the project has taken over time,” she said. “In the end, we can even be grateful that the district government demanded the entry of daylight, and allowed it to be interpreted through the artificial panorama window, as it enabled us to pursue this innovative approach.
“There is no study or hormone examination yet, but there is feedback from the client that the occupancy rate of the canteen has increased significantly. Of course, this is not only due to the lighting, but the client also mentioned that the seats at the window are always occupied first, which is an indication of the successful implementation of the concept.”
Since completion, Sternkopf and Licht Kunst Licht have received a lot of positive feedback, with Sternkopf going on to present the project, and particularly its use of ‘artificial daylighting’, at last November’s IALD Enlighten Europe conference in Barcelona. “Many people were surprised by the result, and that we put so much effort into the project,” she said of her presentation.
“A lot of them were very interested in the topic of human centric lighting, especially because it is still relatively rare to work on such projects. Even though this was only a small project, it shows what added value a human centric lighting concept could generate for users.”
Liquid Light, Sweden
ÅF Lighting has created Liquid Light, a unique approach to lighting design that orientates itself to human needs where natural light is lacking.
The demands of today’s technological and fast paced society requires a lighting scheme that keeps up and remains as fluid as the environment it is situated in.
Liquid Light, created by ÅF Lighting, is a design concept that brings light to life, by creating a visual environment with its own identity and unique expression.
ÅF Lighting is making it its mission to take part in designing the cities of the future and make them more environmentally friendly, efficient and navigable.
The concept of Liquid Light originated during collaboration with architectural firm Snøhetta and the construction of Powerhouse.
Located in Trondheim, Norway, Powerhouse is the world’s northernmost energy-positive building, where Liquid Light has ensured sustainability and an inspiring visual environment. The building is designed to be an office building that produces more energy than it consumes; the construction is designed so that the excess energy produced during the building’s operational time will exceed the energy used to produce the building materials, operation and eventual demolition.
“Liquid Light is contextually designed with respect for human needs and energy efficiency, ensuring unique lighting solutions for the users,” described the firm.
“The concept is inspired by natural light and based on the philosophy that the lighting should respond and adapt to the changes that are physically happening throughout the day.
“The absolute main challenge in the Powerhouse project was to reach the high energy goals without compromising the quality of lighting. Some energy goals were conflicting with each other, so we encouraged the client to deviate from these constricting criterias and instead ensure a good working environment where those who want can choose to use a desk lamp, as well as ensure an overall low power consumption used for the functional lighting,” explained Thea Collett, Architect and Senior Lighting Designer at ÅF Lighting.
“Further challenged by the demands of keeping a low energy consumption, the idea of having the light triggered by real time data, such as people moving around in the building, prompted the development of the lighting concept Liquid Light.”
Morten Jensen, Country Manager of Norway for ÅF Lighting, explained the decisions behind the colour temperature choices for the space: “We are not trying to copy nature, but rather adapt to it. For example, if the weather outside is rough and cold, the lighting could adapt by bringing warmth and calm lighting into the building. The lighting changes organically in parallel with the outside environment. It adds a natural element to the lighting installations and the architecture with the intention of connecting people to their surroundings.”
Associating the living and working space with nature and the outdoors, and its impacts on our physical and mental health, is a current point of interest in the lighting industry, and recognised through ÅF Lighting’s research.
“When we include natural elements in architectural design, we instinctively reconnect with nature,” they said.
The variability of this lighting approach allows ÅF Lighting to create schemes and concepts that are individually customised for the end user, without the need for any involvement from the individual.
Sensors are used to detect movement throughout a space, and lighting is programmed to react accordingly. The changes in movement are seamlessly integrated into the environment due to long dimmer curves and positively affect the user’s senses.
Each zone can be shaped to any personal need or set the mood for a particular space that facilitates meetings or workspace.
Powerhouse was fitted out with multiple predefined sensors that determined the time of day, week or year and controlled the lighting scenarios.
“As the project developed, so did the concept of Liquid Light,” explained Collett.
“We constantly adapted what kind of sensors to use, how the control system should be programmed and what real time data should be triggering the light levels. When it was decided that the concept should be implemented, all other technical decisions needed to adapt to this.
“One of the main challenges in the early stages was to find an energy efficient, visually comfortable luminaire that could adapt to the architecture and maintain general lighting.
“The design of the luminaire was a collaboration between Evolys, Snøhetta and ÅF Lighting,” continued Collett. “This multidisciplinary process ensured a general lighting scheme that adapts to the architecture, meets the highest energy demands and provides visual comfort through both technical and visual design aspects.
“We know that people feel positive when the lighting harmonises with their tasks or location in a workspace. Liquid Light is designed to adapt and follow each person as they move around in the building. Sensors trigger movements and the lighting seamlessly changes and adapts accordingly, which creates a sense of wellbeing.
“We recently completed an inspection to see the nearly finished result, with all the different lighting principles mounted. One of the most striking elements to see was the great impact of the different colour temperatures working together.
“In all working areas we used 4000K in the E-16 fixture. A main architectonic element is the cores (toilets, kitchens, stairs, lifts, etc.) running all the way through the building. “These are covered in wooden slats and in-between some of the slats we used linear LED products with a very warm light (2400K).
“Seeing the effects of the warm wooden cores, both from indoors and outdoors, exceeded all our expectations. We often illuminate vertical surfaces as a key feature in our designs. This ensures the impression of a bright area and allows us to dim or even skip lighting in areas such as corridors. The functional neutral lighting combined with the warm wooden verticals created just the atmosphere we were aiming for.”
Energy-positive constructions are encouraged globally and are playing a significant role in hopeful solutions to global warming. Snøhetta’s new architectural concept aims to set the standard for future commercial buildings to follow suit in being environmentally conscious in their construction.
The World Health Organisation predicts that stress-related illnesses would be one of the largest contributors to disease by the year 2020. The use of lighting to create a more natural environment is one of the proposed solutions to creating a better living and working space. It is thought that by bringing elements of the natural world into the built environment - known as biophilic design - stress levels and other ailments are reduced and productivity increased.
Incorporating biophilic design into their projects, the Liquid Light concept will play a crucial role in creating the natural environment effect with artificial lighting.
“Liquid Light is designed by using real time data harvested from traditional and natural sources like windmills or through temperature sensors, such as seasonal changes, or direct and indirect sunlight, as well as unconventional data sources, such as cloud formations, bird migration, human movement and automatically generated sine curves. It is a combination of conventional parameters and real-time data that determines these organic light scenarios,” explained ÅF Lighting.
Following on from Liquid Light’s conception, ÅF Lighting joined up with Snøhetta once more, this time to create an underwater dining experience at Under. The restaurant, due to open in March 2019, is located on the coastline of the Norwegian village, Båly. The concrete rectangular structure is semi-submerged five-metres under the North Sea and provides diners with a one-off underwater eating experience.
Due to the uniqueness of the project, it was important that the designers and client were transparent with their plans throughout the construction process. “All of the designers were forced to work together in order to deliver a holistic design that added value to the building and the business the project will show and serve,” explained Jensen.
“From day one, the design group has been a part of the client’s vision. All the designers were part of an advisory group that acted as ambassadors and gave the client input on professional skills.
“The project demanded full transparency in the design and engineering, therefore all the members had to have a good understanding and knowledge about each others’ approaches and were kept informed of any technical issues throughout the whole construction period.”
Both teams at ÅF Lighting and Snøhetta undertook extensive research, before embarking on the project, into the human impacts on marine life and the effects artificial lighting and architectural creations had on it.
“Research shows that light has a significant impact on the ocean’s ecosystem and, together with marine biologists, ÅF Lighting tested different lighting solutions and measured the effects on local marine life. Thus, the lighting concept at Under extends beyond the interiors into the water to measure the effects of light according to luminous emittance and spectral distribution,” explained ÅF Lighting.
The aim was for the lighting to attract various species that would be visible from inside the restaurant for the guests to see, but without harming the natural environment.
“By adding light to the area around the submerged restaurant, we can attract fish and observe the marine life at night. The light sources and amount of light will affect the marine species, depending on the light source,” explained Jensen.
“The underwater stage lighting was a challenge to position correctly due to the fact the ground is continuously changing through tides and currents,” elaborated Collett.
“The initial lighting fixtures are now in place and positioned under the water but there will need to be a scuba diver with lighting design skills that can maintain the luminaires over time.”
As well as functioning as a restaurant, the building’s other purpose is as a research centre for marine life. The coarse concrete surface of the building is specially chosen to encourage marine life such as mussels to cling to it, resulting in an increase in biodiversity.
The structure of the building played an important factor in the lighting design, as it was key for the designers to illuminate the space but discreetly disguise the fixtures, so as not to distract from the overall completed look.
“The whole building is mostly covered by seawater and leaning into the sea,” described Jensen.
“The ceiling is curved for acoustic purposes, so there was a special need for a tailor-made solutions for each luminaire. We ended up with more than 400 fixtures positioned exactly with vertical output and into a grid formation with no space for flexibility, which brought with it some challenges in the detailing.”
“Our main challenges were to maintain a natural light and to create a safe atmosphere at the bottom of the ocean for the visitors,” added Jensen.
“Due to the minimal amounts of daylight below the sea and with a natural reference to the theme of the restaurant, we envisioned that the lighting would float into the room where it is needed. It is finely tuned to the surroundings inside the restaurant and designed in harmony with the nature around, with an aim of creating a visual ecosystem.”
“By use of LEDs in a matrix located in the ceiling, the light sources are small with good glare control, which makes them almost invisible. Technically, Liquid Light consists of data harvested from different sensors, and for instance in Under, infrared sensors detect heat, while acoustic detectors respond to sound frequencies in the room. The data is then interpreted and transformed into light scenarios constantly changing and adapting to its milieu and the people using the space,” reflected ÅF Lighting.
“Liquid Light is designed to bring the wild outdoors into our civilised world. Just like air quality, thermal comfort and acoustics, lighting is a precondition for people to live and work comfortably in a healthy building. With Liquid Light, we embrace the challenges of designing human centred lighting.”
www.afconsult.com
www.snohetta.com
Issue 107
arc Oct/Nov 2018 – Issue 106
Oh what a night…
darc awards 2018 ends in spectacular fashion with Christmas themed darc night and some stunning installations…
The 2018 darc awards came to an end on 6th December with darc night, a spectacular Christmas party event in the wonderful surroundings of MC Motors in London. Christmas tree light installations, street food, a free bar and a unique presentation format all contributed to a hugely enjoyable and creative evening.
darc night marked the conclusion of a record-breaking six month process. There were over 400 entries (up from 300 last year) including 100 entries in the PLACES (Best Interior Lighting) – High Budget category and over 100 entries in the Product categories. Altogether there were projects from 50 countries submitted and, remarkably, over 7,000 votes (up from 6,000 last year) making the darc awards a truly global, democratic awards programme.
A massive congratulations to all our winners but in particular to DHA Designs, who are celebrating their 30th anniversary this year, for their Hintze Hall project at the Natural History Museum in London. Even though this project was in the most highly contested category (PLACES – High Budget), it still received the most votes out of any of the winning projects thus winning the ultimate darc award.
Whilst 18 Degrees and Delta Light won the Best Installation on the night, all of the installations were spectacular in their creativity and delivery. I want to thank all the sponsors and installation teams that participated and helped make darc night so spectacular.
As announced during darc night, we also have some exciting news regarding darc room, our lighting specification exhibition that takes place during London Design Festival. 2019 will see the event partner with London Design Fair in the Old Truman Brewery in Shoreditch. Taking place on 19-22 September, darc room will have its very own hall where we will continue our unique exhibiting concept as well as having educational workshops and live streaming. We’re all very excited about this new development as being part of London Design Fair will enable us to expose lighting design to even more design professionals from outside the lighting fraternity. Something that we always strive to do with our events and media.
We look forward to your participation in next year’s [d]arc events.
Paul James
Editor
arc
arc to support Women In Lighting
(Global) – Light Collective and lighting designer Katia Kolovea launch celebratory project that looks into leading women in lighting industry.
Women In Lighting is a project established by Light Collective’s Sharon Stammers and Martin Lupton that will set out to create an inspirational digital platform for women working in lighting to promote their passion and achievements, narrate their career path and goals, celebrate their work and elevate their profile in the lighting community.
Starting with lighting designers, the scope will expand to include women in all aspects of lighting – education, journalism, manufacturing, art and research. A website and social media campaign launching on International Women’s Day (March 8), will begin with interviews with female lighting designers completed by Light Collective.
Light Collective have interviewed women in Sweden, Holland, Spain and the UK and some of the interviews will form part of the website launch with further interviews added from Italy, Dubai, the EILD event in Uruguay and the US as the project progresses. The team hope to add more participants to their ever-growing list of female ambassadors to the project that already boasts an amazing 50 women.
The project launch is being supported by formalighting. Light Collective approached formalighting with this project as it is a company with a strong, inspirational woman in a lead role – Sharon Maghnagi. Also supporting the initiative is Katia Kolovea (Archifos) from Urban Electric as the head of the social media campaign.
arc magazine is proud and excited to participate as media partner for the project and will feature a regular editorial piece in each issue, celebrating the work of the ambassadors and promoting female design in the industry.
“We started this project to try and make a difference. Although women make up at least 50% of the lighting design profession, you only have to look at the number of women speaking at major conferences, acting as judges in awards, being asked as keynotes and serving on editorial boards to realise that the profile of women is significantly lower than men. We want to change this,” explained Martin Lupton of Light Collective.
Available Light studios relocate
(USA) – Available Light’s Salem and New York studios expand into bigger locations to accommodate growing staff.
After eighteen years in Salem, Massachusetts, Available Light has relocated to the centre of downtown Boston. “We are thrilled to join many of our colleagues and clients in the hub of one of America’s oldest and most beautiful cities. Our modern studio is the perfect home and headquarters for our burgeoning design firm,” said Founder, President and Creative Director Steven Rosen.
“Salem has been a wonderful and gracious home; although we are moving to the big city, the Witch City will always have a place in our hearts.”
After eleven years on the Great White Way, Available Light’s New York studio will be moving to a larger location on the eighteenth March.
“Our good fortune has led to a larger staff, and we’ve finally outgrown our space,” said Managing Principal Ted Mather. “While we are sad to leave the bustle of Broadway behind, this new space will allow us the opportunity to both better serve the many clients we have here in the city and grown our activities and staff in the New York metropolitan market.”
“We are very proud of the growth we have seen over the past few years, not only in terms of the number of designers, but also the increasing number and variety of projects. As we continue to support the next generation of lighting designers, we look forward to the many opportunities these geographical moves will deliver,” added Rosen.
Planlux opens London office
(UK) - The new Planlux UK office is the first satellite location for the Turkish lighting designers.
Turkish lighting design firm Planlux has expanded beyond its home base of Istanbul, launching its new London office.
Led by Director Doğan Kozan, the expansion comes off the back of an expanding international client base, and will aim to help the firm develop more opportunities in one of the most important cultural and commercial hubs in the world.
Of the new office, Kozan said: “Planlux’s skill and quality has been proven with more than ten years of background. Now, with our combined experience and skill, we’re very positive that Planlux UK will take part in landmark projects all around the globe.
“London is the capital of design and innovation in Europe, and also a gateway to other regions like the Middle East, East Asia, South America, etc, and we’re very excited to be a part of this network.”
As a practice aimed for a combination of creativity, efficiency and expertise, Planlux focuses to provide joyful lighting design in its projects, while balancing time, budget and quality.
The new London office is the first satellite location for the Turkish firm, and the team is hopeful it will act as a milestone to reach further markets in the future.
Ecosense acquires Lumium Lighting
(USA) - The LED technology company expands its presence in the architectural linear lighting market with the acquisition of Lumium.
Ecosense has announced the acquisition of Lumium Lighting, a privately-owned, California-based company that specialises in the design and development of architectural linear lighting.
Ecosense and Lumium share similar values, development and innovation philosophies, and the acquisition allows Ecosense to expand its presence in the architectural linear market. Coupled with the company’s other products, it will enable Ecosense to fully compete in the tier one, general office space.
“Lumium’s specifier-grade portfolio is a great complement to our brand,” said Mark Reynoso, CEO of Ecosense Lighting.
“We are thrilled to partner with Ecosense and leverage their key strengths, including new technology development, manufacturing efficiencies and global sales expertise,” added Jordan Kloos and Jeff Mitchell, Co-Principals of Lumium Lighting.
www.ecosenselighting.com
www.lumiumlighting.com
Light & Tech to dominate Expo Lighting America 2019
(Mexico) - Expo Lighting America will take place at the CitiBanamex Center in Mexico City on March 5-7.
The ninth edition of Expo Lighting America will return to Mexico City this March.
The annual event acts as a hub for the Central American lighting design community, gathering a multidisciplinary community of lighting enthusiasts through innovation, experiences and knowledge, in a bid to strengthen the light industry and culture in Mexico.
As Expo Lighting America organisers look to reflect on and understand the technological convergence, alongside the growing capabilities of the Internet of Things, artificial intelligence, and other technologies that are changing the world, this year’s event will operate under the central theme of Light & Tech, in which the relationship between light and technology will be explored.
Alongside keynote talks from Fisher Marantz Stone, Pelle Design and new media artist Maja Petric, the show will see the return of Dark Room, which will feature a set of light art installations with the intention of showing light without any distractions, so that it can be experimented with the latest developments of the illumination world.
This year’s event also introduces the Nuevos Talentos (New Talents) space, in which independent designers, young design firms and enterprises can showcase their creations.
Elsewhere, the ELA Showroom will showcase various solutions and applications focused on retail, smart home and landscape. This will be complemented with the most important brands in the world of decorative illumination in the Décor Lighting Pavilion.
Thanks to its Go Green programme, Expo Lighting America is the first exhibition in the lighting sector that is entirely sustainable, compensating 100% of the carbon footprint generated during the event through wind farms located in Oaxaca.
Once again, the event organisers have collaborated with opinion leaders, allies and new talents to put together a printed accompaniment - Insights & Inspiration. Edited in conjunction with lightroom.lighting, the fourth edition of the publication will gather the most innovative ideas and trends from the lighting world.
Registration is still open for Expo Lighting America. Visitors can register here.
Full lineup of speakers unveiled for Light Space Design
(Australia) - The Light Space Design summit, held in Melbourne on 27 March, will feature keynote speeches from NDYLight, Mint Lighting, Ramus Illumination, Arup and Michael Grubb Studios.
At the upcoming Light Space Design 2019 summit, to be held in Melbourne, Australia on 27 March, attendees will gain and share knowledge on how lighting should best fit into the overall design puzzle.
Supported by the Building Designers Association of Victoria (BDAV), the event will feature a variety of speeches, panels and networking sessions, allowing lighting and design professionals to engage in a distinctly Australian dialogue on maximising lighting design within a variety of settings.
Steve Brown, one of Australia’s most experienced lighting consultants and Director of NDYLight, will draw from his 30-year career to deliver an opening speech on the history and future of lighting design.
Brown will be joined at the summit by a group of talented and experienced local lighting professionals turned speakers. Ramus Illumination Founder/Creative Director Bruce Ramus will present on the intricacies of lighting public events, using his practice’s award-winning work on Perth’s Optus Stadium as a case study. Ramus will also discuss how new lighting technologies can be harnessed to elevate human experiences within such settings.
Zooming into a significantly smaller setting will be Mint Lighting Director Adele Locke. Through her presentation, Lifting Mood, Lighting the Home, Locke will explore how broader lighting industry shifts reflect best-practice solutions for residential lighting designs. The nexus between our increasing focus on energy efficient lighting and designing wellness-enhancing, aesthetically pleasing lighting for homes will be a key point of discussion throughout Locke’s keynote speech.
Elsewhere, Arup’s Florence Lam will take the stage to unpack how changing expectations for building tenants impact the way we should apply lighting within interiors. Lam’s skill in utilising light to draw out the architecture of a space will echo throughout her speech, especially when discussing the implications tenant preference shifts have on architects seeking to efficiently utilise light within their designs.
Meanwhile, UK lighting designer Michael Grubb will provide a big-picture view of lighting design, analysing whether lighting professionals would benefit from looking to the past or moving ahead with the times when evoking more alternative, out of the box methods of working. Creative Director of the eponymous Michael Grubb Studio, Grubb’s keynote will feature a variety of case studies, including his practice’s work on the darc award-winning Black Prince Road.
The packed lineup will also feature presentations from Martin Klaasen, Principal and Founder of Klaasen Lighting Design, who will discuss the challenges of lighting heritage buildings; Simon McCartney, Director and Partner of Illumination Physics, who will examine the challenges and opportunities of contemporary façade lighting; and Farah Deba, Senior Lighting Designer at Steensen Varming, whose Lighting Critical Areas talk will look at the lighting needs for healthcare environments.
Alongside this, the summit will include two panel discussions. The first - Achieving Cohesion Between Light, Space and Design: Effective Collaboration Between Design Professionals - will see David Bird, Director of 2B Designed, David Ritter, Associate Director at Atelier Ten, Donn Salisbury, Director of Electrolight, Nicolò Brambilla, Senior Lighting Designer at Schuler Shook, Robert Hamilton of Webb Australia Group and Illumination Physics Director/Partner Simon McCartney discuss the role that lighting plays in the wider design world.
The second, entitled New Parameters of Wellbeing-enhancing Lighting will tap into the ongoing debate surrounding the positive impacts that human-centric lighting can have on wellbeing. This debate will feature Anne Truong, Design Manager of Light Project, Antony DiMase, Principal Architect at DiMase Architects, Lighting Consultant Dave Anderson, Jenny Petschenyk, Architectural Lighting Consultant at H.I. Lighting and Laurie Aznavoorian, Senior Practice Director at BVN.
The programme for Light Space Design 2019 is filled with diverse content, covering topics including future-proofing retail lighting design, the challenges of lighting heritage buildings, lighting design for critical medical areas, and lighting up Australian hospitality venues.
Registration for the event is still open. IESANZ members can gain up to six CPD points when attending.
www.lightingdesignsummit.com.au