BXR London, UK
When he’s not winning title fights in the ring, IBF and newly crowned WBA heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua has been striving to make a name for himself as a businessman too. This reputation has been boosted recently with the opening of BXR, London’s first high-end, boutique boxing gym. This facility, backed by Joshua, is the first fitness facility of its kind to operate a members-only gym, as well as a pay-to-train boutique fitness concept.
Designed by Marie & Albin interior designers and Studio Webb architects, the facility covers the ground and lower ground floor of a residential development on Chiltern Street in Marylebone, London. The project includes state of the art gym equipment on the ground floor, along with three studio spaces, a juice bar, saunas and changing facilities on the lower ground floor. But the site’s centrepiece is no doubt its full-size boxing ring, which adds a rawness and authenticity to the venue.
The lighting design for this space was carried out by DHA Designs and led by Peter Fordham, partner and director at the London-based design firm, from its conception right through to completion in January of this year, just months before Joshua’s epic heavyweight title bout with Wladimir Klitscho at Wembley Stadium in April.
DHA Designs was first introduced to the client, BXR Limited, back in April 2016, through interior designer Marie Soliman. The gym was always intended to be a ‘fast-track’ project, and for the client, it was their first experience of working with a lighting designer, as Fordham explained: “When we first met, it was clear that the client had not worked with a lighting designer before.
“So we needed to start from first principles and explain why they should consider a lighting designer in the first place. And explain that we don't supply any light fixtures!”
The initial brief for DHA Designs was to design the architectural lighting for all of the public spaces at BXR London, together with some ‘show’ lighting for the boxing ring area and ‘Zen-like’ lighting for the three studio spaces.
“The show lighting included a couple of moving head fixtures and RGB floods,” Fordham explained. “The moving heads didn’t make it through VE, but we held onto the RGB floods each side of the ring. We also included a facility for plugging in a lighting desk at a DJ station for controlling colour change, plus a couple of extra positions on the pre-wired lighting bars for hired moving-head fixtures, again controlled by DMX from the DJ desk.
“As for the Zen-like studio lighting, this part of the brief went through many, many changes, mainly due to the final choice of gym equipment that was being purchased for each studio space.”
However, by the time that fit-out and electrical contractors, WFC Contractors and HMS Electrical respectively, had been brought in, budgets for the project were starting to be tightened and the lighting design, like everything else, needed some fine-tuning in order to bring it in line with the available cost plan.
Apart from the ever-evolving brief and VE exercises, DHA Designs did experience some difficulties during the construction phase, particularly between the client and the building’s landlord that needed to be overcome. Fordham continued: “BXR London is located in the basement of a high-end residential development in London, and the apartments were fully occupied during the construction. So the contractor needed to be extra careful not to inconvenience tenants.
“Also, there were some issues with obtaining the landlord’s permission to penetrate through existing external walls to provide power for external lighting. Unfortunately these elements of the lighting design had to be dropped due to these difficulties.”
The tight time frame set out from the beginning also played an important role in DHA Designs’ sourcing of lighting manufacturers for the project, as Fordham elaborated: “We selected a group of key manufacturers to work with, who could meet a demanding specification on a tight time scale.
“Factorylux was an obvious choice for its industrial style fixture detailing, which fitted in well with the chic New York/Fight Club spin on the BXR interiors.”
DHA Designs made use of Xicato LED modules in the Factorylux luminaires to ensure colour consistency and dimming stability, and instead of using a conventional lighting track, the lighting designers selected a combination of Factorylux’s new Track Pipe system (a pre-wired 20mm conduit with fixed DALI outlets) and internally wired lighting bars from Doughty to complete the industrial look in the ground floor boxing and gym areas. Elsewhere, a combination of Margo and 99 spotlights were used with 2700K Xicato LED modules to light the gym equipment and training areas.
“Over the boxing ring, we used Factorylux’s 500mm diameter aluminium spun pendants, supplied with concentric louvres, which I had first spotted in the Factorylux van in Shoreditch, London,” added Fordham.
EcoLED supplied the majority of the architectural lighting in the lower ground floor, as Fordham used a combination of its recessed ZEP6 LED downlights, along with the linear DecoLine 15s LED strips, all in 2700K. And Fordham was full of praise for the work done by EcoLED. “EcoLED really stepped up to the mark with competitive pricing, and was extremely flexible with fixture finishes and optics available in its downlight range,” he said. “Its linear LED profiles fitted into even the tightest of details, providing dot-free illumination for the stairs, changing rooms and studios.
“The architect described our lighting design as very ‘Tron’, which I took as a complement!”
DHA Designs turned to Architainment Lighting to provide the lighting control and dynamic lighting elements for the project. The lighting control is engineered around the Philips Dynalite solution, and each floor uses a custom-built control enclosure, made by Architainment.
A Philips Dynalite AntumbraDisplay user interface at the facility’s main reception has been designated as a master controller, and allows for full control of all lighting on site. Additional AntumbraDisplays are located in the three basement studios and each treatment room, enabling the lighting in each room to be independently adjusted as required.
Alongside this, the LCDs of all user interfaces are branded with the BXR logo, and are prevented from unauthorised use by a ‘lock out’ feature. Once unlocked, a series of icons are displayed, providing users with intuitive operation.
The exposed brick walls on either side of the boxing ring feature 20-ft murals of Muhammad Ali, Joe Frazier and Sugar Ray Leonard, and to accentuate these works of art, each wall is illuminated by two Philips Color Kinetics ColorBlast Powercore gen4 luminaires, fading between red and blue. These are programmed to come on in the evenings, as the gym closes to the public, and run a series of dynamic effects, which are visible outside through the six-metre-high, triple glass frontage on Chiltern Street.
An input panel for external DMX control has also been provided beside the boxing ring, and provides local control of the ColorBlast Powercore gen4 units for special events.
The system also takes advantage of any natural light that comes into the venue via the front glazing, using daylight harvesting to adjust the light levels in the gym accordingly.
As well as working closely alongside DHA Designs throughout the project, Architainment Technical Services commissioned the complete solution into operation, and provided training for the client, “and what a great job they did too,” said Fordham, “particularly during the commissioning and programming.”
Towards the end of the construction phase, once the lighting had been installed, it took a long time on site for the lighting to gel the spaces together, as Fordham explained: “The contractor completed the upper ground floor areas first of all, but by the time we had completed our first focus of the lighting, the client’s team had decided to rearrange the gym equipment, requiring a re-focus.
“During this stage, the basement space was a construction site. But in the last few days before the handover, the site began to settle down and we were able to set up the lighting to maximise the full potential of the interiors.”
A key highlight of which was, in Fordham’s eyes, getting the ColorKinetics RGB floods to light onto the side wall murals each side of the boxing ring. “That was quite a moment,” he said. “And the evening when the security film was removed from the external glazing was quite an event, allowing a brilliant view into the gym at night from the street.”
The end result is a brilliant facility that perfectly captures the urban industrial aesthetic that it set out to achieve. However, Fordham added that he is disappointed that the project had to lose some elements along the way. “I don’t think I would change anything in the boxing ring and gym area,” he said. “Although it would have been great to have kept a couple of moving head fixtures in the scheme on a permanent basis.
“It was also a shame to have lost the feature RGB lighting to the three studio spaces due to VE and issues with the landlord. Ironically, as soon as the training staff had been hired for BXR, the first thing they requested was additional coloured lighting in all of the studios. So much for the Zen lighting brief!”
The project still remains a knockout though, certainly befitting of World Heavyweight Champion Joshua. With many stand-out features throughout the site, including the combination of architectural lighting and Factorylux’s functional decorative fixtures, and the view from the street into the gym and boxing ring at night, Fordham concluded: “It was great to work with a new client in BXR Limited, especially since it was their first experience working with a lighting designer. This project was my first high-end boxing gym, but it hopefully won’t be the last.”
Winners of the 2016/17 Jonathan Speirs Scholarship Fund announced
(UK) - Two students have been awarded the 2016/17 Jonathan Speirs Scholarship Fund award.
The Trustees of the Jonathan Speirs Scholarship Fund have announced this year that there are two winners of the 2016/17 award: Eleanor Connolly of the Royal College of Art, London and Martyna Marciniak of the Bartlett School of Architecture, University College London.
This year’s entries were of an extremely high calibre, and while the two winning scholars showed strengths in different areas, they both conveyed equally high levels of passion and creativity, and showed a clear understanding of the importance of light in architectural design. They were also keen to explore its influence on human perception and emotion.
Eleanor’ Connolly’s passion for light stems from the belief that unique conditions of light are responsible for how we engage and experience our surroundings. Her post-graduate work explores the idea of colour perception as a consequence of light reacting to surface formation and shifts in observation.
Eleanor aims to use the scholarship to complete her thesis and bring some of her ideas to reality, in collaboration with the Grymsdyke Farm – a research facility, workshop and living space for creatives, based in Buckinghamshire.
Meanwhile, Martyna Marciniak believes that light is both a generator of atmosphere, and highly influential to the human condition. During the course of her studies to date she has focused on the contribution of light to wellbeing and health, including a competition winning entry for the Hospital Extension in Poznan, Poland. This project maximised the use of natural light in order to improve both healing and mood, achieved by the use of light wells and a customisable light filtration system of metal shutters. Her designs also focus on unique narrative and experiential spaces.
Martyna plans to use the scholarship to help fund her remaining architectural studies, specifically to fund the required physical models and prototyping for her projects, and subsequently to aid her transition into the lighting design industry by subsidising a period of internship at a suitable company.
John Roake, Chairman of the JSSF commented: “The Trustees discussed at some length the strengths of the nominations received this year. There were two exceptional and worthy candidates who stood out and, after further discussion and research, we reached the decision to award not one, but two awards this year. I have met both scholars and have seen two talented, very dedicated and ambitious students who in different ways have shown a passion and understanding of light and how it can enrich architecture and people’s lives.
“We congratulate Eleanor and Martyna (as well as their Tutors and Schools).”
LpS returns for its seventh year this September
The seventh international LED professional Symposium + Expo (LpS 2017) will take place from 26th to 28th September in Bregenz, Austria.
More than 100 specialist lectures, workshops, forums, and in the exhibition, over 1,600 visitors will be discussing the topics surrounding ‘Smart Technologies for Lighting Innovations’.
The conference programme encompasses strategies and markets, engineering and design, testing and applications, and covers the central building blocks of lighting systems, from the component or materials right the way through to the application. The design questions concern topics such as reliability, costs and issues around the production of modern lighting systems.
The LpS 2017 is primarily aimed at technology experts from industry and research, as well as those who are curious about the latest developments in lighting technology.
Awards for the Best Scientific Paper (LED professional Scientific Award), the best technology product (LpS Award) and the best application system (TiL Award) are a focal point of both the industry and the academia.
"This conference is very important to us, because we can improve our knowledge about new technologies, LEDs and different kind of applications and to bring these new acknowledgement to our projects and to our design methodologies,” said Giulia Gobino, LDT Lighting Design Team, Italy.
The integration of light within the world of information technologies is a leading trend in the lighting sector after the introduction of LED/OLED technology. Experts will share their thoughts on the interfaces we engage with every day, the form of the data transmissions, and about the important topic of the connection to the Internet cloud and the related safety issues.
Global giants Philips and Huawei will give Keynotes that tackle the topic of Connected Lighting from the point of view of industry and urban planning.
Elsewhere, as the lighting industry continues to develop, these developments require new strategies in order to face the ever-changing market conditions. Lectures by Philips, Zumtobel Group, Trilux, Feilo Sylvania, Osram and other industry leaders will address this complex theme.
At the conference, the most contemporary products, investment goods and services will be presented. From the component to the module, from the measuring instrument to the production machine and from research facilities to the test laboratories, the exhibition offers an insight into the progress of the lighting industry.
"LpS 2017 covers the complete value chain in lighting from an industry and research point of view. Together with the co-located Trends in Lighting Forum & Show, dedicated to Smart Lighting, the events offer a holistic view into the lighting sector,” said Event Director, Siegfried Luger.
TiL 2017 Forum & Show to focus on Smart Lighting & IoT
(Austria) – Trends in Lighting (TiL 2017) will look at the growing emergence of Smart Lighting and the impact of the ‘Internet of Things’.
Trends in Lighting (TiL 2017) will take place on the 26-28 September 2017 in Bregenz, Austria. The event has been created to address the questions being asked in modern light design and technologies.
The event comprises of exclusive lectures, panel debates, workshops and an exhibition. A carefully curated hub, TiL 2017 will offer architects, planners, designers, manufacturers and systems integrators a unique experience, a place to learn about modern lighting and connect with international experts including Zaha Hadid Architects, Zumtobel Group, Philips, Amazon, Huawei and Osram. There is also a chance to get hands-on with the latest technologies, making it a truly immersive experience.
"TiL 2017 is an interactive and practice-oriented hub created by, and for, experts in order to collectively experience the future of light. It will close the gap between application, design and technology,” said Event Director, Siegfried Luger.
During the event, lead architect Thomas Kinzler of Zaha Hadid Architects will share his passion and ideas about the role of lighting design in modern architecture, while lighting designer Massimo Iarussi will present the excellent lighting project for the Museo dell'Opera del Duomo in Florence, where lighting, design and the forms all contributed to finding new solutions.
Elsewhere, the diverse questions of networking and connectivity are central to the TiL 2017 lectures and workshops. The aim of which is to generate a greater understanding of smart lighting and to present solution concepts from global brands such as Huawei. In addition to the lectures TiL 2017 will offer interactive workshops. The wide range of topics for these workshops include, data transmission via light, an exploration of visual perception, the theme of ‘Design meets Technology’ and the balance that must be struck, miniaturisation of lighting systems, and the issue of cyber security.
ERCO Joins LightingEurope
(Germany) – ERCO becomes latest manufacturer to join LightingEurope.
German-based fixture manufacturer ERCO has become a member of LightingEurope. ERCO specialises in architectural lighting with LED technology and operates with own sales organisations and partners in 55 countries. In 2015, the company was the first traditional luminaire manufacturer globally that has changed its product range completely to LED technology.
“ERCO develops, designs and produces digital luminaires with focus on photometrics, electronics and design,” explained Mark Oliver Schreiter, Managing Director of ERCO. “The future prospects as a result of ERCO pioneering the market in optoelectronics are gigantic. Accordingly, we have a strong interest in the dialogue between industrial actors and European policy experts as represented by LightingEurope.”
“LightingEurope is proud to be joined by a technology pioneer such as ERCO,” added Ourania Georgoutsakou, Secretary General of LightingEurope. “As a family-run, middle-sized company, ERCO is indicative of the wide range of companies that LightingEurope represents. With their strong technical expertise and their presence in many European countries, ERCO will make a valuable contribution to LightingEurope’s work to shape a positive EU policy framework for the lighting industry in Europe.”
www.erco.com
www.lightingeurope.org
Altman Lighting introduces Jaime Friedstadt as International Sales Director
(USA) - In an expansion of its sales division, Jaime Friedstadt will manage the Caribbean, Latin American, European, Middle Eastern and African markets
In a move to expand its international sales division, Altman Lighting has appointed Jaime Friedstadt as its new International Sales Director. With a wealth of knowledge in both the architectural and entertainment lighting industries, Friedstadt will now manage the Altman Lighting sales channels in the Caribbean, Latin American, European, Middle Eastern and African markets.
“With the expansion of our product offerings and our growth in a worldwide market, we are very fortunate to have Jaime join us to reinforce our efforts and expand our market presence accordingly,” stated Julie Smith, Altman Lighting General Manager.
Friedstadt has more than 20 years of experience providing quality sales support and generating client relationships for a number of entertainment and architectural lighting manufacturers. Prior to joining Altman Lighting, Friedstadt worked with Chauvet Lighting, Philips Vari-Lite, Philips Strand Lighting and Hubbell Lighting.
“The global lighting markets are expanding exponentially with the introduction of many ground-breaking and energy-efficient lighting technologies,” said Friedstadt. “When reviewing both the current and upcoming solutions provided by Altman Lighting, I am confident we will be able to expand our multinational client relationships and further strengthen our position as a market leader.”
Dr. Ernst Smolka To Become new Managing Director Of Hess Licht + Form
(Germany) – Dr. Ernst Smolka will take over as Managing Director of Hess Licht + Form.
Hess Licht + Form has announced that Dr. Ernst Smolka will be the company’s new Managing Director – a change which sets the agenda for further positive developments within the company. Dr. Ernst Smolka (53) will begin the role on 1st July 2017, and after a short transition period will succeed Interim Manager Louis van Uden.
Dr. Smolka completed his studies in physics at the University of Karlsruhe and Oregon State University in the USA, and obtained his doctorate at the Lichttechnisches Institut (Institute of Light Technology) of the Fakultät für Elektrotechnik (Faculty of Electrical Engineering) in Karlsruhe. He brings with him extensive managerial expertise as well as many years of professional experience in the sector.
Since the early 1990s Smolka has held many managerial positions, including technical director and director of research and development, as well as management positions with responsibilities in sales, technical project development, light engineering and also production. Most recently Ernst Smolka was responsible for the German activities of one of the largest businesses in the lighting industry worldwide.
Pierre van Lamsweerde, CEO of the Nordeon Group said: “We are very happy to have won over Ernst Smolka for Hess. He is a proven expert with many years of expertise both in the sector and in leadership. We are convinced that with him we will be able to pursue our strategic goals: Made in Germany, Innovation, (Special) Solutions, and also International Expansion sustainably and successfully.”
Meanwhile, Ernst Smolka is already looking forward to his new role: “Hess is of course very well-known to me owing to my long-standing experience in the lighting sector. I’m looking forward to continuing to develop Hess as a premium supplier. I can see, precisely for Hess, enormous potential in future development.”
darc awards / decorative Winners Announced
(UK) - The art deco Bloomsbury Ballroom was home for the first darc awards / decorative event, held on the 18th of May.
The inaugural darc awards / decorative took place at the beautiful, Art Deco Bloomsbury Ballroom in London on the 18th of May.
Around 500 people attended the awards party by designers, for designers to enjoy gin, jazz and the best decorative lighting in the industry.
More than 200 entries from 30 countries were counted to determine our winners, a comprehensive list of can be found here.
A huge thank you to all who took part, for making the awards and the after party a darc night to remember.
IALD Launches First European Chapter
(Europe) – IALD Europe launch first European IALD chapter, IALD Alpine.
IALD Europe has announced the formation of IALD Alpine, the first IALD chapter located in the European region.
Following a successful event in September in Zurich last year, Julia Hartman, IALD, and Paul Ehlert, IALD, took the initiative to gather independent lighting designers to form an official IALD chapter in the Alpine region. The chapter includes Austria, Liechtenstein, and Switzerland, and will open its activities to lighting designers from Northern Italy, as well as parts of Germany, France, and Slovenia.
The Alpine chapter is officially the first IALD chapter in the European region.
More information on the activities of the IALD Alpine Chapter can be found at https://www.facebook.com/IALDAlpine.
For more information about IALD Europe, the IALD Alpine chapter, and its activities, contact Nele Devolder at +32 2 761 16 2 or via email at nele@ialdeurope.com.
Ai Weiwei Embraces Amsterdam Light Festival
(Netherlands) – World-renowned Chinese artist Ai Weiwei makes light object that connects all artworks.
World-renowned Chinese artist and activist Ai Weiwei will make a special debut at the upcoming Amsterdam Light Festival with a light object that connects all the artworks with each other.
This artwork, titled Red Line, is the linking thread that connects the Water Colours boat route. With the artwork, Ai Weiwei hopes to confront visitors with metaphorical and literal boundaries. Land borders, language barriers, but also personal boundaries and limitations of possibilities. At 7.5 kilometres, the artwork is the longest object that has ever been presented during the festival.
According to curator Lennart Booij, this is the first time that there is one artwork that functions as the connecting thread of the festival. With his object Ai Weiwei depicts the festival theme of the Water Colours boat route for 2017 – Existential. Red Line does not let go of the visitors during the boat route; it is an illuminating border as connection.
“With Existential we want to positively stimulate visitors to think about what unites people and what role light plays in this,” Booij explained. Because Ai has created an object that connects all other artworks with each other, Amsterdam Light Festival has assigned him with the special status of art ambassador.
www.amsterdamlightfestival.com
Targetti Under New Ownership
(Italy) – Targetti Sankey S.p.A is now under the ownership of IDeA Capital Funds SGR.
Targetti Sankey S.p.A has announced that it is under the new ownership of the IDeA Capital Funds SGR. In addition to the new ownership, the Fund has appointed Italian native and industry veteran, Piercarlo Gramaglia, as the new CEO and Massimo Manelli, former CEO of Artemide, as President.
"Targetti is a perfectly aligned brand with the philosophy of the Fund, which identifies companies that have a strong growth potential for brands around the world,” remarked Francesco Gori and Vincenzo Manganelli, Managing Directors of the IDeA Capital Funds.
IDeA Capital Funds SGR acquired 100% of the company in February 2017. In order to accelerate the international growth of the Company, new investments are expected over the next several years. Dedicated resources will go to research, product innovation and a range of new product introductions, while large investment is aimed at accelerating the path of international development over the next several years by enhancing the important technological and design know-how and heritage of this historic Italian brand.
"60% of our production revenue can be accounted from our international exports with France and the U.S. as major contributors," reported Targetti’s new CEO, Piercarlo Gramaglia. "We have placed a great emphasis on the continued development in America, where Targetti recently opened its subsidiary in 2015. We want to also concentrate on new growth markets such as Asia.”
Steve Barlow Rejoins Lumileds as SVP of Illumination
(USA) - Lumileds has appointed Steve Barlow as Senior Vice President of its Illumination Business.
Lumileds has announced the appointment of Steve Barlow as Senior Vice President (SVP) of its Illumination Business, effective May 22. Barlow rejoins Lumileds from Cree, Inc., where he served as SVP of Sales and Business Development, responsible for the lighting division products, channels and revenue growth.
Barlow has more than 25 years of sales, marketing and business development experience in the semiconductor and LED lighting industry. Barlow first joined Lumileds in 2003, helping to build its LED lighting business. He then served as the Chief Commercial Officer at Intematix Corporation, where he was responsible for all commercial functions including global sales, marketing, application engineering, customer service, business development and distribution.
“We are excited to have Steve back at Lumileds. He has an outstanding track record in the lighting industry, where he has demonstrated strong leadership, technology vision and customer relationship building skills,” said Mark Adams, CEO of Lumileds.
“Lumileds has created a unique position in the marketplace by offering differentiated lighting solutions. The company’s intellectual property, comprehensive product portfolio and deep customer relationships will be the cornerstone of our continued success,” added Barlow.
