GVA LIGHTING’S GLOBAL GROWTH PROPELS EXPANSION TO NEW ‘SHOWCASE’ LOCATION
(Canada) – GVA Lighting has announced that it is expanding into a new headquarters in Oakville, Ontario.
As it celebrates its 20th anniversary, GVA Lighting announces a new expansion that will help meet its long-established goal of creating landmark architectural lighting projects worldwide.
Founder and President, Vladimir Grigorik, announced on June 1, 2017 that GVA will be expanding from its current Mississauga plant to a new headquarters in nearby Oakville, Ontario. The new 110,000sqft plant will enable GVA to quadruple production for supply of its innovative lighting technologies to some of the world’s biggest structures and new construction projects.
“Our goal is to build a perfect, world-class engineering, production and office facility that is suitable for GVA’s next 10 years,” said Grigorik.
“It’s normal for a business to say, ‘We’re excited about this leap forward.’ But in this case, our clients are just as excited. GVA has been participating in more and more sizeable projects that have tested our maximum production capacity, so architects, builders and lighting designers are delighted that we will be in a better position to serve projects of any size.
“As our clients continue to innovate with new lighting designs that push the boundaries, we will soon be announcing new contracts and technologies that will truly advance the art and science of architectural lighting,” he added.
After eight years in its current Mississauga location, GVA Lighting expects to move into its new headquarters, in eastern Oakville, beside Highway 403, by the end of this year.
According to Grigorik, the new facility offers GVA many new and exciting opportunities: As the business grows, the new space will allow the GVA team to double in size, to more than 200 people. Meanwhile, the additional production space will allow GVA to undertake bigger, more complex projects.
The renovated building will also offer more space for offices, meeting rooms and upgraded employee facilities, including a climate-controlled production floor.
“When people spend eight hours a day with you, you want them to be more than comfortable, you want them to feel at home,” continued Grigorik. “We want to create a work environment that lets them flourish.”
GVA’s new offices will include a large-scale showroom to demonstrate its lighting products and technologies in a unique way.
“But in a sense,” added Grigorik, “the whole building – inside and out – will be a showcase. Visitors will see our products on display within the interior of the office as well as on the exterior façade. GVA’s vision is ‘To Create New Beauty for our Home Planet.’ Finally, we get to do that for our own neighborhood.”
WILLIAM J. SIMS TAKES HELM AS CEO OF COOLEDGE LIGHTING
(USA) – William J. Sims has been appointed permanent CEO of Cooledge Lighting, having served as interim CEO for the past year.
Cooledge Lighting has announced the appointment of William J. Sims as CEO, underscoring its opportunity to drive the most significant advancement in illumination since LEDs were first embraced nearly two decades ago.
A board member since 2015, Sims served as interim CEO for the past year, during which time the company nearly tripled its project pipeline and expanded its sales presence in Europe, the Middle East and Asia. His acceptance of the role on a permanent basis positions Cooledge for rapid growth, fueled by proprietary technology that fuses digital light with architecture in wide-ranging retrofit and new construction projects.
"Having led and advised companies in this sector for over 15 years, I can say with confidence that Cooledge is a stand-out, both in terms of the luminous surfaces we make possible today and the opportunity we have to make them ubiquitous – blurring the lines between lighting and architecture," said Sims.
"We are answering the unmet demand for fully-integrated luminous ceilings and walls, which exploit the advantages of LEDs far beyond mere replacement bulbs and fixtures. We will change the very way illumination is delivered, controlled and experienced, and I'm excited to guide the company to realise this full potential."
Sims is well known as the former President and CEO of Color Kinetics, the company largely credited as the pioneer of intelligent LED lighting. In his seven-year tenure he guided the company to profitability and oversaw its successful IPO, secondary offering and eventual sale to Philips for nearly $800million. He has more than 30 years' experience growing both emerging and established companies, including the successful launch of industry-first technologies in both the consumer and business-to-business space.
"We could not have found a better leader than Bill to chart the course for Cooledge, and we're looking forward to the company's next chapter under his guidance," said Clint Bybee, Chairman of the board of directors. "He is a visionary with a special knack for identifying breakthrough technologies and successfully bringing them to market, and his enthusiasm for Cooledge is validation of the company that we've built to date."
SEOUL SEMICONDUCTOR UNVEIL NEW SUNLIKE TECHNOLOGY
(Germany) – Seoul Semiconductor and Toshiba Materials’ new SunLike technology matches the spectrum of natural sunlight, contributing to a healthier life for humans.
At a special press conference in Frankfurt, Germany, held on June 26th, Seoul Semiconductor unveiled SunLike, a new LED technology developed alongside Toshiba Materials that produces light that closely matches the spectrum of natural sunlight.
The SunLike Series LED technology closely matches the spectrum of natural sunlight that human have enjoyed for thousands of years. It maximises the advantage of natural light and minimises the shortcomings of artificial light sources, providing light more like natural sunlight. This natural spectrum of light is achieved by combining Seoul Semiconductor’s world-class LED chip technology with Toshiba Materials’ TRI-R technology, a leading global phosphor compound.
“We are pleased to introduce another South Korean innovation in LED technology with the launch of the SunLike Series LED lighting technology. Our SunLike Series LEDs represents a revolution in creating natural spectrum LED lighting,” said Chung Hoon Lee, CEO of Seoul Semiconductor. “The SunLike Series LEDs will be applied in the lighting sector, contributing to a better and healthier life for humans. They will also be used in horticultural applications to create an ideal environment to help plants grow that is safer than using genetic modification.”
He added: “We are delighted to partner with Toshiba Materials to provide our customers a light source that delivers the natural spectrum of sunlight – from the brightness of morning sunshine, to the energy of daylight, to the warmth of an evening sunset. We believe that the SunLike Series LEDs will improve the quality of human life by advancing a new era of human-centric lighting technology.”
Because SunLike Series LEDs are designed to deliver light that closely matches the natural spectrum of sunlight, they provide an optimised light source for human-centric lighting that maximises benefits of natural light while minimising the negative side effects of artificial light sources.
Some recent studies have suggested that blue LED chips, used in most commercial LEDs to create visible light, provide positive stimulation to the human eye that increases alertness and elevates mood when viewed during daytime hours. However, these blue LEDs create a blue light ‘spike’ in the light output of an LED that may produce negative effects when viewed for prolonged periods during nighttime hours by interfering with natural human biorhythms. Alongside this, excess blue light can over-stimulate the retinal cells in the eye, and may cause eyestrain and loss of concentration.
The SunLike Series’ natural spectrum LED technology employs a purple LED in conjunction with the TRI-R phosphor compound to minimise the blue light spike that is characteristic of typical LED light sources, producing a light output that closely matches the spectrum of natural sunlight to deliver a healthier light experience.
The SunLike Series is available now, and Seoul Semiconductor expects to see installations by the end of the year.
DARC AWARDS / ARCHITECTURAL OPEN FOR ENTRIES
(UK) - Deadline for project entries is 2nd July; deadline for Product entries is 11th July. Lighting designer voting begins on 12th July.
Entries are now being accepted for the darc awards / architectural via its website www.darcawards.com/architectural.
The Project categories (SPACES, PLACES, STRUCTURES, ART & EVENTS) are split into High and Low Budget for both large and small projects so all types of projects have an equal chance of winning.
The project entries will be shortlisted by an international lighting design jury before being voted on by the lighting design and light artist community in a unique online voting system.
Product entries will go straight to the lighting designer vote so the specifiers can pick their favourite product from the last twelve months.
All lighting designers and light artists who vote in every category will be eligible for a free ticket to darc night, the awards party at MC Motors in London on 14th September.
Follow @darcawards for all the latest updates and information regarding the awards.
Every entry will be displayed online for full exposure and every company who enters will receive a free profile in the online darc directory.
Just like in the pages of mondo*arc and darc, we’re not after the most efficient, the best money saving, the safe. We’re after the creative, the clever, the brave.
The categories are:
STRUCTURES - BEST EXTERIOR LIGHTING PROJECT (LOW / HIGH BUDGET)
PLACES - BEST INTERIOR LIGHTING PROJECT (LOW / HIGH BUDGET)
SPACES - BEST LANDSCAPE LIGHTING PROJECT (LOW / HIGH BUDGET)
ART - BEST LIGHT ART INSTALLATION (LOW / HIGH BUDGET)
EVENT - BEST LIGHTING EVENT
KIT - BEST INTERIOR / EXTERIOR / TECHNOLOGY LIGHTING PRODUCT
Now, over to you…
To enter your architectural lighting projects and products go to:
www.darcawards.com/architectural
LAMP AWARDS WINNERS REVEALED
(Spain) - The seventh Lamp Lighting Solution Awards were held in Barcelona last week, aimed at celebrating all that is good in architectural lighting design.
On June 15th, the seventh edition of the Lamp Lighting Solutions Awards was held at Espai Xavier Corberó, Esplugues de Llobregat, Barcelona.
The event, lead by Mr. Ignasi Cusidó, CEO of Lamp Lighting, and hosted by TV journalist Bibiana Ballbè, was closed by the prestigious lighting designer and president of the jury, Kaoru Mende (Japan), supported by the rest of the judges: lighting designers Gustavo Avilés (Mexico), Colin Ball (United Kingdom), Anna Sbokou (Greece) and Rafael Gallego (Spain), architect Joan Roig (Spain), and interior designer Stefano Colli (Italy). Furthermore, the event counted on the collaboration of La Invisible Lighting Design Studio, who surprised visitors with its lighting installation.
The gala was attended by 450 professionals of the worldwide lighting sector. Paying homage to the sculptor Xavier Corberó (1935-2017), the attendees toasted to art and light, while recreating the legendary parties of Dalí. It was an enjoyable, bohemian-artistic event in which the attendees could taste typical Spanish tapas and rice, do networking in the calm chill outs, or drink a gin and tonic whilst dancing to live music in the Piano Bar, and also take home a funny ‘photocall’ caricature of themselves.
This year’s edition saw an increase in the number of lighting designers, with 60% of participants coming from this field, rather than the architects and interior designers, who together used to make up the majority.
A total of 523 projects from 43 countries prove the international reach of the Lamp Lighting Solutions Awards. The winners in the four different categories of the Lamp Lighting Solutions Awards ‘17 were:
ARCHITECTURAL OUTDOOR LIGHTING
Winner: Australian War Memorial, Canberra, Australia by Steensen Varming
Special Mention: Light Frieze Kunstmusuem Basel, Switzerland by Multivision LED-Systeme and iart AG
With a prize of €5,000, the 2017 Lamp Lighting Award for Architectural Outdoor Lighting went to the Australian War Memorial, in Canberra, Australia, by Steensen Varming, for: “an elegantly balanced scheme where each detail is accented appropriately. Integrating the light throughout the monument the consistency of approach is equally expressed in the constructed elements of darkness."
INDOOR LIGHTING
Winner: First Sunset in the Pacific, Madrid, Spain, by Clavel Arquitectos
With a prize of €5,000, the judges gave the 2017 Lamp Lighting Award for Indoor Lighting to First Sunset In The Pacific, in Madrid, Spain, by Clavel Arquitectos, for: "a totally unique way to look at the experience of parking and elevate it to a sense of arrival. Taking a fully immersive experience into a mundane space is brave and truly original."
URBAN AND LANDSCAPE LIGHTING
Winner: Light In Transition Central Square of Kozani, Kozani, Greece by Mara Spentza
Special Mention: RAVAL KM0, Barcelona, Spain, by Curro Claret and Maria Güell Ordis
The judges awarded a prize of €5,000 and the award for Urban and Landscape Lighting to Light In Transition Central Square Of Kozani, in Kozani, Greece, by Mara Spentza, saying: "implementing a lighting strategy in the midst of an economic crisis is not only courageous, it truly recognises light’s ability to provide central focus to a community and increase social engagement, stimulating night-time economy and enhancing a whole town’s identity."
STUDENTS PROPOSALS
Winner: In Praise Of Shadows by Sergi Sauras and Pau Garrofé, Barcelona, Spain
With a prize of €1,000, the judges gave the 2017 Lamp Lighting Award for Students Proposals to In Praise Of Shadows by Sergi Sauras and Pau Garrofé, students at Escola Tècnica Superior d'Arquitectura La Salle, Barcelona, Spain. In giving this award, the judges said: "to capture one’s shadow, a sensitive proposal exquisitely illustrating and stunningly executed. Every element of the production was simply beautiful."
Flos introduce new outdoor lighting collection
(UK) - Flos unveils artistic catalogue for new outdoor lighting collection at special photography exhibition held in Atrium’s London showroom.
The new collection blurs the lines between architectural and decorative lighting by looking at the ‘dialogue’ between nature and architecture, and the photography exhibition by artists Tomasso Sartori and Nicholas Cope for the new catalogue exemplifies this dialogue.
Produced with the art direction of Omar Sosa, the catalogue is intended to be an emotional communication tool in which art, nature, design, culture and technology are all brought together by the sensitivity that typifies the Italian manufacturers.
Produced by new Group Company Ares, the fourth production unit alongside the successful Home, Architectural and Custom sectors, Flos Outdoor is a collection created to illuminate open spaces through a new language, finding balance both by hiding in the natural landscape with discrete objects, and by conversing with the architecture through designs that have a unique identity.
As part of the exhibition, guests sat in on a talk between Flos CEO Piero Gandini, and landscape designer Luciano Giubbilei, as they discussed the new Flos outdoor collection and the move to create lighting that is both artistic and functional.
During the talk, Gandini said: “In a world like outdoor lighting, one that is often so obsessed with technical specifications that it forgets the delicate and wonderful relationship between light and nature, our desire is to explore the poetry of open spaces in a new way,.
“As a result, Flos Outdoor products are designed to satisfy contemporary technical lighting needs with precision, but also to define a new balance between technology, form, light and shade.”
ACOLYTE LED OPENS NY SHOWROOM
(USA) – Alongside a new showroom in New York City, Acolyte LED has moved its service departments to its Garfield, New Jersey manufacturing facility.
To accommodate its continued growth, Acolyte LED has moved its service departments to its manufacturing facility in Garfield, New Jersey, and opened a new state of the art showroom for the sales force just off Fifth Avenue in New York City effective June 1, 2017.
This will now allow key personnel to be with the product and be a part of the production process.
“This was a very hard decision that I struggled with for the last couple months, and I knew we would lose some key personnel by relocating these departments to N.J, but at the end of the day I knew it was the right thing to do for our customers and the only way to improve our service,” said Scott Vontobel, President and COO of Acolyte LED. “We were able to triple the size of our office space with this move and now have all employees working closer together with our production managers in our open space plan.”
Immediate changes include the addition of two new employees to Acolyte’s Customer Service department and the addition of two more people in the Sales Support department in the next 30 days. Further staff expansion includes the new position of an electrical engineer, an in-house lighting designer and two new graphic designers to help support the company’s product and the continued growth.
“Now that the dust has cleared from the move, I will be traveling throughout the U.S. for the next couple months to get more feedback from our representative offices and bring that back to the factory to push us to be one of the most efficient companies out there,” added Vontobel.
Castaldi Series of KEA
KEA reinterprets the light within the residential environment, matching the needs of lighting different spaces with a complete range of compact outdoor fixtures. The composition of the elements remains unchanged among all the lighting fixtures, which makes KEA distinctive: thinness, parallelism, and a light sign for all versions. Trimless recessing, compactness and looping installation make the family an innovative tool for lighting. Where the structure stops and the light is generated, the product becomes architecture.
Nordlux, Artist
Artist is a stylish pendant that can perform both solo and in clusters. Its lightness and warmth instantly create a special atmosphere. The thin design is possible because of the use of an LED panel. The Artist range is available in copper, grey and black. Behind the design is Bønnelycke mdd, a multidisciplinary design firm with both national and international experience. The range of design disciplines is wide – architecture and interior design, furniture and product design.
LUG Light Factory CRUISER 2 LED
The main advantages that the CRUISER 2 LED industrial luminaire has over other solutions for this application segment are high quality, a set of dedicated optics systems for different types of projects, good design, a variety of mounting methods and user-friendly packaging. During the CRUISER 2 LED development, needs of different groups of recipients were taken into account including investors, electro-installers and all the people who work in the spaces illuminated with the product.
Philips OneSpace luminous ceiling prefab
The Philips OneSpace luminous ceiling prefab integrates LED lights with textile to create a white light ceiling surface that hides the source of light completely. Compact thin units make home spaces look great while delivering uniform light distribution. Glare-free LED light eliminates shadows completely, meaning users can see more clearly and view objects in their true light.
Occhio lui spotlights
The new lui spotlight series unites clear, minimalist design, state-of-the-art VOLT LED technology and perfect lighting technology in a comprehensive spotlight system. Interchangeable lenses and a zoom function turn the lui spotlights into a multifunctional ‘light tool’ for precise lighting design tailored to the situation. Both fixed and mobile versions are available as recessed, surface-mounted or track spotlights. The almost invisible hinge mechanism allows the clear, functional geometry of lui to be displayed to its best advantage.
