The Bahá’í Temple, Chile
"Build ye houses of worship throughout the lands in the name of Him Who is the Lord of all religions… Then, with radiance and joy, celebrate therein the praise of your Lord, the Most Compassionate,” - Baha’u’llàh, founder of Bahá’í faith
The Bahá’í Temple of worship in South America is one of the last to be built by the spiritually guided Bahá’í community.
As a faith that prides itself on welcoming all walks of life to follow a spiritual path, this new temple of worship acts as a pillar of the community not only for the city of Santiago, but for South America as well.
Age, gender, religious background, no matter what history or identity you carry, Bahá’í is an all encompassing faith that passes no judgment on its followers, but encourages a community-orientated and compassionate approach to spiritual guidance.
Much like the growth of the religion internationally, places of worship for the Bahá’í community have also been established in each continent and all with slightly different designs bringing something different to the architectural world. South America was the last location that was yet to receive its temple, after all other major geographical locations. In the 1950s, Chile was chosen and plans were created to build the next home for their faith. However it wasn’t until 2001 that construction began with Canada-based Hairi Pontarini Architects (HPA) and directing designer Siamak Hairi.
Designed as a place of tranquil prayer and solace, the temple is a magnificent feat of architecture and lighting, situated at the base of the Andes Mountains, looking over the cityscape of Santiago. The structure is reminiscent of a closed flower bud that is on the brink of opening and expanding its coloured petals for all to see. Warm lights peek through the cracks of each white marbled wing, enticing passers-by to approach.
In essence, the design of the House of Worship was inspired by teachings from the founder of Bahá’í Faith, Bahá’u’llàh. Using a metaphor of a house that is occupied by its legitimate owner and what occurs when we allow the divine light to permeate our hearts: “All the pillars of the dwelling are ashine with His light.”
Much like a flower bud about to open, the structure also represents a heart bursting with light and warmth that represents the Bahá’í community.
The architectural project from HPA was designed by Siamak Hairi as a singular object, inspired by the simplistic vision of a house of light, and is composed of nine petals. The building has a steel structure covered in the interior by a translucent white marble. The surface on the exterior of the structure is formed with cast glass cladding.
During the day, the building receives dynamic daylight from the central oculus and from the nine vertical windows situated between the wings, diffusing the light in a soft ambient manner. However, when the sun sets across the Chilean horizon, Limarí Lighting Design (LLD) stepped in as the luminaire providers to create this religious lighting spectacle.
Pascal Chautard, Director of Design at LLD explained how the firm began their journey on the project: “We became involved with the project because we were initially part of the landscape lighting team during 2007 and 2008. Architect Siamak Hairi then approached us to work on the temple building lighting. The general brief for the project was ‘monastic’.
“In relation to the interior of the temple, he wanted very warm and ambient lighting, appropriate for meditation and prayer. For the exterior, as part of the architectural concept, he was looking for a glow effect that will give the impression of a body of light or a flower of light.”
The interior lighting aspects had the objective of illuminating the amazing architectural elements, forms and materials. With the building being so tactile, the lighting design had to bring out the variety of textures from the wood, marble, bronze and glass, without detracting from the architectural structures, all whilst maintaining a discreet presence. The main interior lighting element that creates the warm ambience of the whole building is achieved through small elliptical distribution spotlights placed behind benches and on the mezzanine level. These strategically placed spotlights produce a grazing effect on the marble petals, highlighting their complex textures and shape.
As with most projects, and especially with those that run over an extended period of time, there are bound to be changes and challenges to the designs and approaches. Chautard described some of the challenges LLD faced when working on the temple lighting: “This project was very complicated from the beginning to the end. This was due to the very complex, and at the same time, very pure architectural design. The lighting fixtures were limited in options and proved difficult to achieve the desired results.
“During the lighting process, we also had to negotiate with the engineering team, and on numerous occasions there was a conflicting vision from the architectural team as well as with the construction team, who had their own differing plan, that was close to the clients wishes.”
In comparison to other projects the lighting firm have worked on, Chautard explained how this one was particularly notable for them: “This project was very special because it is the last of the eight continental temples of the Bahá’í religion, and it’s a little bit like a modern day cathedral for Chile.”
Post completion, the team were pleased with the achieved results after the hard work carried out during the lengthy project. Chautard reflects: “The ambience brought by the lighting design is really adapted to meditation and prayer, and the light fittings completely disappear so as not to take away from the architecture and material fittings of the building.”
New majority owner for Glamox
(Norway) – Triton have acquired more than 75% of shares in Glamox AS.
Funds advised by Triton have agreed to acquire Arendals Fossekompani ASA’s shareholding in Glamox AS, a Norwegian industrial group that develops, manufactures and distributes professional lighting solutions.
Triton will acquire the 75.16% shareholding in Glamox for a total consideration of NOK 2,762.7million plus interest until closing date. The other main shareholder, Erik Must AS and affiliates, will retain the 24.7% shareholding in Glamox.
Glamox was founded in 1947. Today, the company is a global provider of LED lighting solutions for marine and offshore, and a provider of professional building solutions in several European markets across its Glamox, Aqua Signal, Luxo, Norselight and LINKSrechts brands. The Glamox group consists of seven production units as well as 40 sales offices and 70 agent/distribution offices covering all continents. The group has about 1,300 employees, revenues of NOK 2.5billion (2016) and a long-term history of profitable growth.
“Over many years we have enjoyed a strong and sustainable development with Arendals Fossekompani as our main shareholder. We will now get another business owner that is renowned for its track record of developing and growing industrial companies similar to Glamox,” said Rune Marthinussen, CEO of Glamox AS.
“Triton has proven repeatedly that they are capable and willing to make significant investments in the businesses they own. This is something our customers, partners and employees will benefit from.”
"We want to support the management and employees of Glamox as a stable owner by investing in and supporting the growth and development of the company. We will contribute with our strategic insights and operational know-how in this industry. We look forward to working together with the management team, the Board of Directors and the other shareholders in building a stronger company", added Peder Prahl, Director of the General Partner for the Triton funds.
The other main shareholder, Erik Must AS and affiliates, will retain the shareholding in Glamox.
“We have been shareholders in Glamox since 1982. We believe in the company, its management and employees, and will remain a long-term, responsible owner,” said Erik Must.
Closing of the share purchase agreement will take place subject to the fulfillment of customary closing conditions, including necessary anti-trust clearances. Estimated time of closing is November/December 2017.
John Cullen Lighting lights up India
(India) – John Cullen Lighting extends its operations to the Indian sub-continent.
As part of its strategy for continued growth, John Cullen Lighting has announced the extension of its operations to the Indian sub-continent.
“The extension of our operations to this important region allows us to deliver our brand promise for luxury residential and hospitality lighting to our customers and business partners across the region,” said Peter Rowledge, Regional Director John Cullen Middle East & Asia Pacific.
This development will provide strong project support for the Indian sub-continent, as the firm hopes to share its 36 years of luxury lighting knowledge with the local market.
“By working closely with our colleagues and business partners in London and Dubai, we are now able to provide our unique and high quality lighting products and services direct to the region which will help us greatly to personally deliver our brand promise to the local market,” added Surbhi Jindal, Business Development Director, John Cullen Lighting India.
Basalte keypads now Crestron connected
(UK) - Basalte’s Sentido and Enzo lines of multi-function, touch-sensitive keypads, are now Crestron Connected, allowing integration into system designs to control lights and shades.
Crestron has announced that through its partnership with Basalte, the Sentido and Enzo lines of decorative, multi-functional, touch-sensitive keypads are now Crestron Connected.
This means that Crestron residential dealers can now integrate them in their system designs to control lights, shades, HVAC, and more. Crestron Connected technology enables interoperability among diverse, independently manufactured products to deliver significantly smarter homes with technologies that all work well together.
“This is truly exciting news for our residential dealers,” said John Clancy, Vice President, Residential at Crestron. “Basalte products give them the potential to take their system designs to a higher level of functionality, customisation, and sophistication.”
Basalte keypads are multi-functional and combine sophisticated European design with high-quality materials and innovative technology. The touch-sensitive surfaces in high-grade finishes such as aluminium, bronze, glass, and leather, plus integrated temperature sensor and unique multi-touch functionalities, provide highly intuitive control of lights, shades, HVAC and more. The integrated multicolour LED backlight provides visibility in the dark and status feedback.
Klaas Arnout, CEO at Basalte, added: “We’re very excited about this unique partnership, especially since more customers can now enjoy our handmade products in their luxury homes, apartments, and yachts.
“This direct integration with Crestron systems ensures a straightforward installation of our keypads, while the refined aesthetics appeal to any interior designer’s requirements.”
Nulty opens Beirut office
(Lebanon) – The new location in Beirut is Nulty’s third office, following the Dubai office, opened in 2016, and the London HQ, established in 2011.
Nulty, the international architectural lighting design practice behind the lighting concepts for global brands such as Hakkasan, Bloomingdale’s, Nike, Selfridges and The Ritz Carlton, has announced the launch of its new Beirut office, its third after Dubai (established in 2016) and the London HQ (established in 2011).
The last eighteen months have seen the Dubai studio expand quickly, with a growing design team headed up by Director Mark Vowles.
The decision to launch into Lebanon comes after a busy and successful year for the team within the Middle East, delivering high-end projects across retail, commercial, hospitality and residential sectors. The new Beirut office will assist with the expanding needs and demands of projects within the region and enable the practice to open up further to North Africa and beyond.
Founder Paul Nulty said: “The success and growth of our Dubai team has proven to us what an exciting location the Middle East is, and we believe in being able to support each project through face-to-face interaction. The new Beirut office headed up by Hala Nasrallah underlines our commitment to the region.
“Hala is an extremely talented designer and natural leader and I believe the combination of opportunity and personnel means that there is huge potential for Nulty within this dynamic market. Dubai has been tremendously successful and to continue to build on this success it is crucial that we look towards North Africa and other countries in the Middle East. There is a great synergy between the demands of the projects we work on and the quality of service that we offer. The new Beirut office will allow us to continue to react quickly and proactively to our clients.”
Associate Director Hala Nasrallah added: "If success is where preparation and opportunity meet, then my experience in the lighting field, along with the amazing opportunity to work with Paul, has success written all over it. This region has great potential and it requires the ability to adapt to emerging markets, which I believe the team at Nulty can do effectively.
“Beirut is a commercial and cultural hub in the Middle East and there is nothing better for business than surrounding yourself with recognised architects and designers who have both local and international reach."
AC-ET lights up British Grand Prix party
(UK) – A.C. Entertainment Technologies celebrates ten years of producing lighting design for the BRDC Grand Prix Party.
A.C. Entertainment Technologies (AC-ET) Ltd. produced the lighting design for the British Racing Drivers’ Club's (BRDC) glamorous annual British Grand Prix Party, held at Silverstone Circuit on Saturday 15th July.
Staged every year within the grounds of the BRDC Farm as part of the Formula 1 Rolex British Grand Prix weekend, the occasion attracts high-profile members and personalities from the world of motorsport.
This year's event marked a decade for AC-ET's Patronage of the British Racing Drivers’ Club’s exclusive ‘Rising Stars’ Programme, and as supplier of the creative lighting design for the British Grand Prix Party.
Working closely with the BRDC to create the lighting theme for this year's event, AC-ET supplied the complete indoor and outdoor effects lighting systems incorporating nearly 150 fixtures. This included some of the very latest static and moving LED technologies from ProLights. The project was overseen by Andy Walne Smith, in-house production manager at AC-ET.
For the event's two-storey VIP hospitality marquee, separate daytime and evening lighting schemes were needed for the downstairs dining and lounge areas, and the upstairs bar and DJ/live band entertainment areas.
A flexible package of ProLights Luma700, Stark 1000, Razor 440 and Diamond range LED fixtures provided wash and static lighting during the day. During the evening, the luminaires delivered high quality coloured effects and moving beam lighting – creating a lively and dynamic atmosphere for the party's bars, dance floor and performance areas. More than 40 ProLights Solar IP65 colour-mixing LED wash lights illuminated the exterior of the marquee and the Farmhouse, as well as the surrounding trees and garden – extending the ambience of the party into the outdoor spaces.
BRDC Events Manager, Hannah Thompson commented: “With a host of Formula One drivers present, alongside over three hundred BRDC Members and guests, the pressure was on to deliver a first-class event. The result was sensational and the feedback confirmed that, once again, A.C. Entertainment Technologies had pulled out all the stops. The company delivered an exceptional lighting display.”
illumination Physics expands to Europe
(Germany) - Illumination Physics are delighted to announce their opening of a new European office and welcomes a new European Manager.
Performance milestones were put in place as precursors to activate their journey to the West, once they had fully established their capability of handling numerous large-scale projects simultaneously within their own region.
With this also came the capability of manufacturing the fabrication needed to illuminate at least two of the world’s largest structures at the same time.
The final component for their performance milestones was about their personnel. With a specific business culture, they aim to be entirely project orientated rather than following industry traditions.
“Why get it almost right, when with a little more effort, the lighting could be perfect!”
The lighting industry is sprinkled with visionaries, but illumination Physics believes the layer is thinning and they can take lateral thinking to another level.
illumination Physics is delighted to announce that Martin Opolka will assume the role of European Manager. Opolka is a career lighting professional and his experience and specialisation are ideally suited to illumination Physics’ core business in architectural and architainment façade lighting. Some of Opolka’s more notable roles in the industry were with Zumtobel, A&O Lighting Professional and Martin Professional, an array of technical qualifications and management roles. Additionally, Opolka has been responsible for many international Light-Art Projects, like Lichtrouten, Ludenscheid, Germany.
“My new role as European Manager for illumination Physics represents an exciting challenge that I’m honoured to accept,” says Opolka. “I have known the company directors and have been familiar with their work for many years and am delighted now to be part of its success story.”
www.illuminationphysics.com/home
Keynote speakers announced for IALD Enlighten Americas
(USA) - The International Association of Lighting Designers (IALD) is proud to announce the keynote speakers for its 17th annual IALD Enlighten Americas conference this 12-14 October in Denver, Colorado.
OPENING KEYNOTE: ROBERTO SCHAEFER, ASC/AIC
Cinematographer Roberto Schaefer, ASC/AIC will open the day on Friday, 13 October with a keynote address about his experiences working in film and video, exploring the connection between light and film. Roberto attended art school and received a BFA degree in multimedia and conceptual art with a minor in photography. He began making moving images in his childhood using his father’s 8mm camera. These included early music videos as well as dramatic and experimental shorts. After a 4-year hiatus traveling the world and discovering life, Roberto started as a producer of TV commercials in New York.
In 1982, Roberto moved to Roma, Italy to shoot a feature film for a friend. In 1992, after 3 features, hundreds of TV commercials, music videos and documentaries, he moved to Los Angeles to try the Hollywood film world. Since then he has shot more than a dozen films, hundreds of music videos and TV commercials, and documentaries – including Stranger Than Fiction, The Kite Runner, Quantum of Solace, Leaves of Grass, and The Host.
CLOSING KEYNOTE: RAFAEL LOZANO-HEMMER At the close of sessions on Saturday, 14 October, attendees will be treated to a talk from Rafael Lozano-Hemmer, an electronic artist who develops interactive installations at the intersection of architecture and performance art. He creates platforms for public participation by subverting technologies such as robotics and computerized surveillance. Rafael was the first artist to represent Mexico at the Venice Biennale, with an exhibition at Palazzo Van Axel in 2007. He has also shown at Biennials and Triennials in Cuenca, Havana, Istanbul, Kochi, Liverpool, Montréal, Moscow, New Orleans, New York ICP, Seoul, Seville, Shanghai, Singapore and Sydney.
His public art has been commissioned for events such as the Millennium Celebrations in Mexico City (1999), the Expansion of the European Union in Dublin (2004), the Tlatelolco Student Massacre memorial in Mexico City (2008), the Vancouver Olympics (2010) and the pre-opening exhibition of the Guggenheim in Abu Dhabi (2015). His work is in collections such as MoMA in NYC, Tate in London, MAC in Montréal, SFMOMA in San Francisco, MONA in Hobart, and MUAC in Mexico.
Trilux celebrates E-Line's Silver Jubilee
(UK) – TRILUX is celebrating the 25th anniversary of its E-Line luminaire by improving its luminous efficacy to up to 169 lumens per watt.
E-Line, TRILUX’s high-performance continuous line luminaire, is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year.
To mark the occasion, TRILUX is making the E-Line solution more efficient by equipping it with an improved luminous efficacy of up to 169 lumens per watt, cutting operating costs compared to conventional lighting solutions.
Offering quality, flexibility and adaptability, the E-Line has grown over the past 25 years into an industry benchmark across Europe. But what began as a reliable continuous line for industrial uses has become a diverse solution for retail spaces and more recently offices and classrooms, with the introduction of a UGR19 version for screen usage. With luminous flux levels from 4,000-20,000 lm, eight different optics, choice of beam characteristics and various protection ratings, there is an E-Line to fulfil every lighting task.
“From an installer’s perspective, working with E-Line is a dream,” said Simon Hegarty of Encore Electrical Ltd. “The installation process couldn’t be simpler – it goes up in a fraction of the time of other systems and the build quality is superb, minimising costly site visits to replace faulty units.
“TRILUX really support the installer too, helping with lighting designs and offering one of the best product warranties available today. This is refreshing to find in a manufacturer and ensures that our clients get the light levels they need from a system that is reliable and energy efficient.”
St. Petersburg to be a centre of Russian lighting culture
(Russia) – The fourth annual International Research-to-Practice Conference on Lighting Design will be held in St. Petersburg on October 12th-13th.
The Russian Creative Association of Lighting Designers, RULD, and the Higher School of Lighting Design at ITMO University (CLD ITMO University) have announced the fourth International Research-to-Practice Conference on Lighting Design in 2017.
The event will be held at the high-tech New Stage of Alexandrinsky Theatre on October 12th–13th 2017, and will bring together Russian and international experts from the fields of lighting design, architecture, multimedia, urbanism, art, IT and engineering.
The International Research-to-Practice Conference on Lighting Design is a unique annual conference in St. Petersburg and is a key platform for the interaction of domestic and international representatives in the fields of science, business, art and the innovation sector to implement this programme.
The main goal of the conference is to connect science with business through art and innovative technology to develop a competitive market of lighting design and produce new ideas and trends. More than 500 architects, lighting designers, engineers, IT and multimedia specialists, scientists, representatives of Russian government, top-managers, set designers, producers and artists are expected to attend this year’s conference and discuss the main theme of ‘Identity’.
The two-day event features four general panel discussions, more than 20 presentations, workshops and lectures given by key Russian and international experts. In addition to the main programme, there will also be cultural and social events arranged, as well as open lectures for the city to promote the development of lighting culture and to increase awareness and knowledge amongst the local citizens in the field of science and light.
Furthermore, during the conference the first International Lighting Design Competition awards ceremony will be held during the Festival ‘Night of Lights in Gatchina’. The competition is organised by St. Petersburg State Budgetary Institution of Culture’s ‘National Reserve-Museum Gatchina’ and CLD ITMO University, with the support of the Committee of Culture of St. Petersburg.
The best installations from the competition were displayed for the visitors of the festival on the 12th August, along with professional installations that are included in the event’s main programme. The festival’s expert jury will choose the winner of the competition, while the winner of the online poll will get the Audience Choice Award. The prizewinners will be announced at the International Research-to-Practice Conference on Lighting Design.
www.interlight-moscow.ru.messefrankfurt.com
Aurora and BMW partner for first smart lighting pilot
(UK) – Aurora Lighting and BMW are to begin beta testing AXiO, a new connected lighting scheme, powered by Gooee.
Aurora Lighting has partnered with BMW to carry out its first smart lighting pilot scheme following the recent announcement of its new enterprise connected lighting platform, AXiO.
BMW is focusing on challenging and testing new experiences in which customers select, enjoy and purchase ‘the ultimate driving machine’. With a customer’s lighting design experience needs at its core, Aurora’s projects and IoT division will be working in partnership with BMW to develop and test a customer-centric retail lighting hardware platform and IoT experience, all powered by Gooee, to help BMW achieve its goals.
With the AXiO lighting platform, BMW will receive much more than just a bespoke lighting design. The car manufacturer will have the ability to manage and deliver an engaging end-to-end customer experience that immerses the user at the level they want to engage.
Aurora recently exclusively previewed its new smart lighting platform, AXiO, at EuroShop in Düsseldorf, revealing to the retail sector how the new system will deliver exceptional Value Beyond Illumination.
Gary Bennett, Managing Director of Aurora Projects, said: “With the AXiO platform, the lighting enables a new dimension of sensing and control. From enhancing a car’s assets when a customer approaches it to the delivery of immediate tailored information as they’re walking through the door, the BMW customer experience will be very different to that elsewhere. Smart lighting has the potential to create significant competitive advantages.”
AXiO is a smart lighting platform powered by Gooee – the IoT enabling technology that significantly enhances business intelligence and revenues by providing data on energy efficiency, human engagement and space optimisation, while giving users a range of dynamic toolsets and intuitive Man Machine Interface (MMI) features to manage the system from one location.
The smart lighting installation was completed with BMW in Munich the first week of May 2017.
Neil Salt, Managing Director of IoT at Aurora, said: “This is an exciting opportunity for Aurora’s IoT division and hardware engineering teams to work in partnership with BMW and be selected for this innovative retail lighting project. They have some amazing concepts and it ratifies the development of Aurora’s smart platform AXiO and the fantastic connected experiences that can be delivered by the Gooee ecosystem.
“With two highly technical and engineering businesses working in harmony, we really can demonstrate Value Beyond Illumination.”
Philips Lighting, Lightolier Calculite LED Downlights Generation 3
The third generation of this LED downlight range produces warm, soothing light. Soft beam transitions ensure flawless, consistent light in offices, educational institutions, and catering or retail spaces. The three-part system allows for a tool-free plug and play connection that is safe both from a mechanical and electrical point of view. Lightolier Calculite is available with a large selection of interchangeable optical assemblies, lumen packages and beam spreads.