Glittering awards ceremony caps off successful Light Middle East 2017
(UAE) – The twelfth edition of Light Middle East has been declared a success by organisers and exhibitors alike.
A glittering awards ceremony capped off a successful three days at Light Middle East 2017, where a dedicated student showcase and the launch of the region’s first institute dedicated to lighting education and knowledge were among the many highlights.
The 12th edition of Light Middle East concluded on 19th October 2017 at the Dubai International Convention and Exhibition Centre, drawing in 5,755 visitors from 84 countries.
Showcasing their latest products and solutions were 345 exhibitors from 30 countries, with global manufacturers and regional distributors mixing it up with their latest innovations, from smart home lighting and controls to LED street lights that integrate Wi-Fi, electric car charging stations, CCTV, loudspeakers, and motion detection sensors.
That was before the 5th Light Middle East Awards, where 700 industry professionals gathered at a gala dinner to celebrate the best in architectural lighting and design, as a shortlist of 40 projects and 29 products contested for the ultimate accolade across nine project and six product categories.
The shortlist was drawn from more than 250 entries, with the most hotly contested category being the International Lighting Project of the year, where entries from France, USA, UK, Germany, and Italy made the cut.
Abu Dhabi’s Khalifa University, The National Museum of Oman, and Lightscapes at the Venice Architecture Biennale 2016 were among 15 winners on the night.
Khalifa University was the only shortlisted project to be nominated for more than one category this year, with the UAE’s top ranked university eventually winning the Exterior Lighting Project of the year.
An award also went to Team One from Heriot-Watt University in Dubai for their lighting project at Light.ication, a popular student competition at Light Middle East in collaboration with design studio Light Func. The initiative is aimed at nurturing the talent of future designers, where university teams, with the guidance of design studio professionals and equipment from Light Middle East exhibitors, conceptualise and display their own inspirational lighting installations during the show.
Light Middle East 2017 also featured the Think Light forum, a two-day conference discussing lighting from the three perspectives of concept, project and application, and featuring an expert speaker line-up of more than 30 interior designers, architects, lighting designers, and engineers.
Think Light was the launch platform for the Lighting Institute, the Middle East and Africa’s first virtual lighting design community that raises awareness of the profession and provides dedicated industry training courses throughout the year.
Meanwhile on the exhibition floor, returning major local companies such as Debbas, Cinmar Lighting Systems and Huda Lighting were presenting their latest services and innovations from global partner brands, while the likes of HCC Lighting and BMTC were exhibiting at Light Middle East 2017 for the first time in many years.
Light Middle East has established itself as the region’s number one networking and sourcing platform for the entire scope of decorative, architectural, outdoor, and indoor lighting solutions, attracting a wide range of visitor profiles from around the globe.
The international flavour was underlined by country pavilions from Italy, France, and the UK, while 52 UAE exhibitors took up 2,130sqm of exhibition space, an impressive 27% year-on-year growth over the previous year.
Ahmed Pauwels, CEO of Light Middle East organisers Messe Frankfurt Middle East, said: “Light Middle East 2017 has fulfilled its objective of creating a vibrant atmosphere where experts in diverse disciplines come together to present, discuss, debate, exchange and explore best practices and emerging concepts.
“A large number of major industry players were on board again this year, while the many new companies that took part reinforces a bright future for the regional lighting sector.
“The latest in innovative technology as well as key insights into the road ahead for lighting technology and design was on offer, while the exhibition continues to be the premier launch platform for global players looking to engage with this promising region,” Pauwels added.
The 13th edition of Light Middle East returns In October 2018.
BÄRO celebrate milestone 50th anniversary
(Germany) – This year the retail lighting partner BÄRO is celebrating its 50th anniversary – and the company is looking to the future with optimism.
Founded in October 1967, BÄRO can look back on half a century as a family-owned company – something that is not commonplace in today's fast-paced world. But Dr Sandra von Möller and J. Manuel von Möller, the married couple who have managed BÄRO since 2004, are focusing less on looking back nostalgically and more on future strategies.
Everything started 50 years ago with an idea that has been an integral part of BÄRO's brand DNA ever since: offering lighting for food products that makes their freshness and quality visible. This resulted in close-knit partnerships with customers from the food production and food trading sectors that expanded to include further areas of the retail industry. Today, BÄRO luminaires illuminate premises ranging from individual stores to supermarkets, chain stores, small-scale manufacturers, outlets, shops, boutiques, specialist or lifestyle retail formats.
LED technology has revolutionised the lighting industry in recent years. BÄRO has been a part of this revolution, placing a clear focus on LED. In addition to the wide range of designs, power ratings and light distribution patterns BÄRO also offers a wide range of LED spectrums for its luminaires: from standard light colours to colour-intensifying and product-specific light colours, for example for meat products, bread and bakery products, fish or fruit.
The company’s leitmotif of “Fresh Light for Fresh Products”, and its clear, fresh implementation is not only understood and valued in Germany and Europe, but also in North America, Asia, Africa and Australia, where BÄRO operates with subsidiaries and distribution partners as a project partner and system supplier. The development of new markets worldwide is an integral part of the company's growth strategy.
Fifty years after the foundation of the company, BÄRO's presentation is now fresher than ever: a company that is both down-to-earth and open-minded, that combines the long-term prospects of a family-owned company with the speed of a modern network structure – from the supply chains that integrate suppliers for maximum customer satisfaction and highly specialised companies throughout Europe to management and staff that are committed to values such as diversity and responsibility for the environment and society.
Premiere of combined TiL & LpS 2017 events hailed a success
(Europe) – The first combined LpS and TiL event, held in Austria at the end of September, has been declared a success by organisers after more than 1,600 visitors attended the joint shows.
The organisers of TiL 2017 (Trends in Lighting Forum & Show) and LpS 2017 (LED Professional Symposium +Expo) have hailed the combined event a success, after welcoming more than 1,600 visitors to the Festspielhaus in Bregenz, Austria.
Alongside the high number of visitors, more than 130 exhibitors and around 100 speakers at the shows focused on a number of lighting topics, including Human Centric Lighting, Connected Lighting, Smart Controls, IoT, Light as a Service, Agriculture and Healthcare. Future visions, innovative technologies, trend insights and research findings were shared in lectures, workshops and forums.
The workshops, carried out by organisations such as Bluetooth SIG, Photonics21 and EPIC, gave participants hands-on experience and the chance to explore light and its possibilities. They covered a range of subjects including miniaturisation, LiFi, and the potential of Bluetooth and IoT.
As well as a successful series of lectures, workshops and forums, LpS and TiL 2017 presented three awards during a special presentation in the main lecture hall; the LpS Technology Award, the TiL System Award and the LED Professional Scientific Award.
The LED Professional Scientific Award went to Dr. Ekaterina Nannen from the NanoEnergieTechnikZentrum (NETZ) at the University of Duisberg-Essen, for her paper, which deals with alternative techniques for light generation.
The LpS Technology Award was presented to ams AG for its AS7221 Tunable White IoT Smart Lighting Manager, while volatiles lighting won the TiL System award for its VOLATILES display system.
Speaking after the show, Event Director Siefried Luger said: "LpS 2017 and TiL 2017 was a truly immersive experience, which helped to close the gap between application, design and technology. Light quality, digitalisation, Human Centric Lighting and connected lighting were the striking key trends."
www.led-professional-symposium.com
www.trends.lighting
IALD and LightingEurope bring Human Centric Lighting to European Parliament
(Europe) - The IALD and LightingEurope held a joint event in European Parliament to discuss Human Centric Lighting and the importance of working in a healthy environment.
The International Association of Lighting Designers (IALD) and LightingEurope have stressed the importance of lighting and wellbeing in buildings with a joint event in the European Parliament hosted by MEP Peter Liese.
A panel of EU policy makers, industry representatives and lighting designers gathered to discuss the importance of working and living in a healthy environment and how lighting can contribute to healthy buildings.
Saving energy has been and will remain a key objective for EU policymakers and industry stakeholders, however, the IALD and LightingEurope believe that addressing lighting quality and well-being should be granted a similar importance.
In the morning, the European Parliament Committee for Industry, Energy and Research (ITRE) voted on the Energy Performance of the Buildings Directive (EPBD) review report. ITRE Committee, with this vote, expressed the need to take into account not only energy savings but also wellbeing of people in this legislative review.
Discussing the EPBD review and the future of EU regulation on lighting, Kevan Shaw, Professional member and Director-at-Large of the IALD, said: “We need to look at actual energy used not product efficiency or power density of lighting to create meaningful energy savings in the real world.
“The lighting energy numeric indicator (LENI) provides the best metric to quantify system efficiency. Extreme care is required not to over-regulate, the speed of EU policy measures must follow rate of technological advance.”
Ourania Georgoutsakou, Secretary General of LightingEurope, added: “EPBD will create an opportunity to boost investments in better performing buildings by including good quality lighting. The focus must be on energy efficiency and on benefits for people.
“Human Centric Lighting will play an important role to realise healthy buildings and thus to shorten pay-back time.“
www.iald.org
www.lightingeurope.org
Neil Salt appointed Managing Director at Gooee
(UK) – Gooee has announced the appointment of co-founder Neil Salt as Managing Director
Gooee, the Internet of Things (IoT) ecosystem that provides space and occupancy analytics, wireless lighting control and beacon networking for the smart building industry, has appointed Neil Salt as Managing Director. This announcement is in advance of Gooee’s official European launch at LuxLive 2017, Nov 15-16, Excel London.
In 2014, Neil co-founded Gooee alongside Andrew Johnson and Simon Coombes, drawing on his extensive experience within the lighting and building industry as a founding director and CMO of the Aurora Lighting Group.
Andrew Johnson, Gooee’s Co-Founder and Chairman, said of the appointment that it is an excellent strategic move for the company: “With 18 years experience in the lighting industry, Neil’s expertise in delivering products into the built environment, combined with his experience in marketing and technology, make him a valuable addition to the team in this next phase of Gooee’s growth and deployment.”
Over the past three years Gooee has been building it’s ‘full-stack’ data and analytics platform, which comprises hardware, software and cloud infrastructure, as well as signing up more than 50 lighting and building companies to commence integration and channel development.
Neil added: “Gooee’s vision is to be the ‘Data Brain’ for Building Activity Data. The deployment of our sensory and communications network uses Lighting-as-a-Host and provides a wireless IoT backbone for the smart building industry. In 2018 we will see a significant change in our execution strategy as we partner with industry disruptors across multiple sectors to accelerate adoption.” Neil will grow the business out of Gooee’s new offices in Paddington, London, supporting the UK/European team.
Over the past two decades Neil has worked in various roles spanning product ideation and development, technology solutions and global marketing. After spending seven years in the USA supporting the global expansion of Aurora Lighting, Neil returned to the UK in 2014 to drive the development of IoT within the lighting vertical and is a strong advocate of this disruptive opportunity within the industry.
Winners announced for Zumtobel Group Award 2017
(Austria) – In what is the fifth edition of the Zumtobel Group Award – Innovations for Sustainability and Humanity in the Built Environment, in 2017 the international expert jury awarded first prizes to the projects submitted by Michael Maltzan Architecture, UNStudio, Arturo Vittori and TeamMinus.
The Zumtobel Group had invited entries in three categories, Buildings, Urban Developments & Initiatives and Applied Innovations. This year there is also a special award for Young Professionals. The international architectural award, curated once again by Aedes Architecture Forum Berlin, honours contemporary realised or conceptual works that make a significant contribution to greater humanity and sustainability in the built environment and its design.
“The Zumtobel Group Award emphasizes the importance of architecture for human beings. Architecture determines how people feel in the built and urban space and how they live there. The Zumtobel Group Award addresses this topic and, just like our lighting solutions, places people in the centre of the living environment,” said Karin Zumtobel, Head of Arts & Culture Zumtobel Group.
A total of 347 projects from 48 countries on five continents were submitted for this year’s award. A first-line jury reviewed the entries and submitted a smaller number to the main jury comprising leading figures from around the world of architecture, as well as experts in the new technologies. The jury then selected five projects per category as nominees and chose a winner from among them in each category.
Along with the three main categories, this year the jury was also tasked with nominating five Young Professionals. Projects qualified for this special award if the persons submitting them were under 40 years of age on 15 January 2017. Here too, the jury chose a winner from among the nominees.
“We have a wide spread of contributions for this prize from all over the world and there is no difference between one country and the other. These are people who are truly dedicated to what they are doing and they do it in such a fabulous, non-egoistic manner, with the aim of trying to create better lives for many other people,” said Jury Chairman Kjetil Trædal Thorsen from Snøhetta Architects.
The first prize in each of the three categories carries a purse of EUR 50,000. An additional purse of EUR 15,000 will be distributed for the Young Professional. This raises the total purse from EUR 150,000 to EUR 165,000.
Award in the Buildings category
First prize in the Buildings category goes to Michael Maltzan Architecture, USA for the Star Apartments project in Los Angeles in which an existing single-floor commercial building was converted into a 95,000 square foot supportive housing facility within Los Angeles’ downtown core. Expanded to six storeys, the building provides 102 homes and support services for previously homeless individuals. “Star Apartments has set a new standard for architecture within the field of social housing, social and environmental sustainability, as well as community and bottom-up processes,” wrote the jury in its statement.
Award in the Urban Developments & Initiatives category
In the Urban Developments and Initiatives category, the award goes to UNStudio, Ben van Berkel and Caroline Bos, in the Netherlands for their master plan for Arnhem Central Station as a new mass transit and mainline rail hub designed for mixed use and to integrate public space. “The impressive and unbending determination of Ben van Berkel and UNStudio to see Arnhem Central Station through a series of significant challenges all the way to completion is exemplary. The project demonstrates the necessity of continuous involvement and engagement for sustainable solutions,” stated the jury.
Award in the Applied Innovations category
First prize in the Applied Innovations category is awarded to Italian architect Arturo Vittori. Vittori impressed the jury with his Warka Water project which provides an alternative water source in the Dorso / Omo Valley region of Ethiopia. The project offers a potential solution to inadequate access to clean and secure water resources in rural regions of Africa. “The strong innovative aspect of the Warka Water project lies in its independent use of archaic knowledge combined with deep understanding of needs and context. To achieve simple and functional solutions for comprehensive problems takes time and intense research,” the jury said.
Special award for Young Professionals
In what is the first edition of this special award for Young Professionals, the winner is Atelier TeamMinus for their Jianamani Visitor Center in Yushu, China. This modern visitor centre in Yushu engages closely with its historical Tibetan context by forging explicit links with the ancient local site intrinsic to Tibetan Buddhism. “The Jianamani Visitor Center awakes hope for the future of architecture, defending the position that experimentation is not contradictory to contextual solutions,” stated the jury.
The jury of the Zumtobel Group Award 2017
The 2017 jury comprised Klaus Daniels, HL-Technik Engineering GmbH; Elke Delugan-Meissl, Delugan Meissl Associated Architects, Elizabeth Diller, Architect Diller Scofidio + Renfro, Elgar Fleisch, Professor of Information Management, Holger Hagge, Architect & Management Expert, Zhang Ke, Architect ZAO/standardarchitecture, Ulrich Schumacher, CEO Zumtobel Group and Kjetil Trædal Thorsen of Snøhetta Architects.
Honourable Mentions
Nominated in the category Buildings and awarded with a honourable mention by the jury are the following projects in alphabetical order: "Farming Kindergarten" by Vo Trong Nghia Architects, Vietnam; "Jianamani Visitor Center" by Atelier TeamMinus, China; "La Maison du Savoir" by Baumschlager Eberle Architekten, Austria and "Transformation of 530 Dwellings" by Anne Lacaton & Jean-Philippe Vassal with Fréderic Druot and Christophe Hutin architects, France.
In Urban Developments & Initiatives, the jury congratulates the following projects on a honourable mention, in alphabetical order: "Empower Shack" by Urban-Think Tank, ETH Zurich, Switzerland; "Recovery of the Irrigation System at the Thermal Orchards" by Cíclica [space·community ecology], Spain; "Sydney Park Water Re-use Project" by Turf Design Studio, Australia and "Urban Rigger" by Kim Loudrup and Bjarke Ingels, Denmark.
In the category Applied Innovations are awarded with a honourable mention, in alphabetical order: "3for2 Beyond Efficiency" by Architecture and Building Systems Research Group, ETH Zurich, Switzerland; "Hy-Fi" by The Living - David Benjamin, USA; "Mine the Scrap" by Certain Measures, Germany and "From Solar Trees to Active Glass Facades" by Opvius GmbH, Germany.
In addition to the awarding of the first prize, the jury spoke out in favour of the following honourable mentions among the Young Professionals, in alphabetical order: "3for2 Beyond Efficiency" by Architecture and Building Systems Research Group, ETH Zurich, Switzerland; "Mine the Scrap" by Certain Measures, Germany; "Nest We Grow – House of Food, for Food" by LIXIL International Student Architectural Competition, Japan, USA and "Salpi Industrial Factory" by Enzo Eusebi + Partners, Italy.
Curated by Aedes
The Zumtobel Group Award 2017 was held under the curatorship of Dr. h.c. Kristin Feireiss and Hans-Jürgen Commerell of Aedes Architecture Forum in Berlin, who have stewarded the architectural award over the past ten years, ever since it was first created.
“In the space of ten years the Zumtobel Group Award has become an established international competition. The Award puts the spotlight on the challenges posed by the design and development of current and future built environments, but that is not all. Because over the years we have continuously adapted the parameters of the Award to the ever-expanding technological possibilities and increasingly digitised processes, enabling the resultant social interactions to be taken into account as the winners are selected,” said the curators Dr. h.c. Kristin Feireiss and Hans-Jürgen Commerell from Aedes Architecture Forum, Berlin.
Douglas James appointed Design Director of Inter-lux
(USA) – Inter-lux appoint Douglas James, award winning lighting and product designer, as their Design Director with immediate effect.
In a move which affirms the company’s commitment and belief in the importance of design throughout their business, US based Inter-lux have made a major appointment to their executive team.
“Aside from being a great Lighting Designer with a clutch of awards to his name, Douglas James is the author of the clearest brand of lighting products on the market today. “Say’s Mark DeVries, CEO of Inter-lux. “Douglas has made Whitegoods into a language. No other brand is as well defined or loyal to its message. It has become the most successful of the European Brands which we represent across North America.”
Inter-lux has had tremendous success in bringing high quality, high design, European manufacturers into the US market, which can be a notoriously difficult process for the uninitiated. Inter-lux has made that process smooth and efficient.
Their current stable includes Whitegoods, Linea Light & iLed, Sattler, Filix, Vice and ALM. They are also currently in the process of bringing Mike Stone and Nimbus to market.
“North America quickly became Whitegoods’ largest market once Inter-lux were involved.” says Douglas James. “Mark and his team have the entire process down. From the UL/ETL certification process and re-interpreting and formatting of literature, through to the market approach via specification, distribution and the best Rep network in the business. They have shown a consistent appreciation and commitment to design since I have known them, so I’m pleased to be in a position to drive that to a new level across the business.”
Design Director is a new position within the organisation, and the remit will cover all aspects of the company’s identity, marketing and product development functions. “When you look at the brands we represent, design is core to all of them. We believe in great design, great products and great service, and that’s exactly what we represent to our customers. Douglas is now a key component of our continually improving capability to deliver just that.” DeVries concludes.
IALD and LUCI sign Friendship Agreement
(USA) - IALD (International Association of Lighting Designers) and LUCI (the international network of cities on urban lighting) agree to work together to promote quality lighting in the urban environment.
The President of the International Association of Lighting Designers (IALD), and the General Director of LUCI, the international network of cities on urban lighting, signed a Friendship Agreement between the two organisations at the IALD Enlighten Americas event in Denver, Colorado.
Signed by Mark Burton-Page, General Director of LUCI and Victor Palacio, IALD, CLD, President of IALD, the Friendship Agreement acknowledges the common goals that unite LUCI and IALD. Both organisations recognise the importance of light and lighting design in the planning and development of urban spaces, and that quality of light is essential to quality of life.
The Friendship Agreement encourages the two organisations to promote cooperative discussion, efforts and activities to raise awareness on the crucial role of light in architectural and urban design. It also constitutes the first step towards initiating a structured dialogue between cities and lighting designers worldwide.
“The Friendship Agreement asserts our intention of exchanging information and increasing collaboration between our two organisations. More cooperation between LUCI and the IALD will foster better projects and developments in cities worldwide.” – Victor Palacio, President of IALD
“Public lighting needs to be a multi-lateral, multi-layered co-construction between cities, industry, researchers and lighting designers. We look forward to strengthening the relationship between LUCI and IALD.” - Mark Burton-Page, General Director of LUCI
IALD Enlighten Americas, Denver, Colorado finished for another year.
(USA) - Another successful annual event for IALD Enlighten Americas, hosted in Denver, Colorado, is over for another year.
From 12-14 October 2017, more than 450 lighting professionals - a record-breaking crowd for the IALD Enlighten conferences - gathered in Denver to learn, connect, and celebrate light.
Over three days, attendees had access to more than 20 educational seminars from some of lighting's leading professionals - view a full schedule of sessions here. Topics included a session on Circadian rhythms presented by Robert Soler from BIOS Lighting; an interactive seminar about negotiation skills presented by Richard Fallon; and a panel presentation from three of HLB Lighting's principals - Carrie Hawley, IALD; Lee Brandt, IALD; and Teal Brogden, IALD - on providing mentoring for the next generation of lighting designers.
This year featured two keynote speakers; opening keynote Roberto Schaefer, ASC/AIC, spoke about his experience as a cinematographer or "writing with light". Closing keynote Rafael Lozano-Hemmer presented a series of his projects in electronic and performance art, exploring the intersections between the experiential, the theoretical, and the political.
A full conference schedule marked this year's event; a walking tour hosted by IALD Rocky Mountain on Wednesday evening welcomed early arrivers to Denver, and additional programming on Thursday - including a hands-on workshop in lighting field measurement provided by Craig Bernecker, PhD - kept attendees busy for all three days.
Light Bureau joins ÅF Lighting
(UK) – London and Oslo-based Light Bureau has joined ÅF Lighting
Light Bureau has become a part of ÅF Lighting, the specialist business area of the ÅF Group.
Established by Paul Traynor in 1999, Light Bureau has gained an enviable reputation in the field of architectural lighting design. Almost two decades on, the practice is still keen to develop, so the opportunity to join a global leader felt like a natural progression.
ÅF’s motivation is to increase its international portfolio and in this respect, Light Bureau is ideally-placed with roughly half its work being non-domestic and half its work UK-based.
Light Bureau was receptive to joining ÅF Lighting, recognising how well aligned the cultures and objectives of both companies are. Light Bureau’s credo is ‘Light as Craft’, which translates into highly individual and meticulously realised projects based on clear strategies. ÅF Lighting define what they do as ‘New Nordic Lighting’, embracing natural simplicity, authenticity and practicality, a mature style which the world recognises as distinctly Scandinavian.
“Light Bureau already has a foot in the Scandinavian market with our Oslo office set up in 2014 with Arve Olsen, so culturally this is very easy to envision,” said Paul Traynor.
“Being part of ÅF Lighting, I foresee access to a richer project base and reinforcement of key skills across infrastructure, daylight and even product design, also a collective understanding and a strategy for training and development. I’m really looking forward to this union and I couldn’t imagine a better fit culturally and professionally.”
“ÅF Lighting and Light Bureau already share a common vision, both rating innovation and professional experience highly. The combination of our teams will provide a solid international platform, from where we will offer lighting design solutions across all sectors. This step further strengthens our brand as a leading lighting design and engineering consultancy,” added Allan Ruberg, Head of ÅF Lighting.
With this move, Light Bureau becomes part of a network of 100 lighting designers in Europe. Paul Traynor will continue as Principal Director for Light Bureau alongside his existing team in London and Oslo.
KIM Lighting, Ouro
The Ouro was designed to blend in naturally with the environment in which it would operate, while meeting strict performance metrics that keep pedestrians safe and secure. The sleek, contemporary style family of luminaires can scale from pedestrian walkways up to 40 feet. It is the first contemporary modern round site/area luminaire to offer up to 37,000 delivered lumens at 137 Lumens per Watt.
Lec-Lyon, 5642-Button A projector
The new 5642-Button A projector offers a discreet handrail LED-integrated solution with lighting performances for passage ways, stairs or terraces. Complying with the Disabilty Discrimination Act (DDA), LEC’s 5642-Button A projector is equipped with an MA4 optic, has a 45-degree horizontal tilt, and is embedded every two meters.
It offers a standard luminous flux of 150 lumens and has a large number of colours. It is IP67-IK10, has with an organic glass scratch-free, UV rays free and has a blasted stainless steel flange grade 316.