Ellie Walton

Workspace Design Show announces 2025 theme

(UK) – The UK tradeshow on workspace design has announced the theme of ‘Activate the Senses’ for its return to the Business Design Centre from 26 – 27 February 2025.

The theme invites attendees to embark on a journey of immersive experiences that stimulate the five senses. Guests will step into a space which showcases how each ‘sense’ has a profound impact on the mind, contributing to wellbeing, engagement and productivity.

The show will explore how factors like light, sound, and temperature are crucial in workplace design but can be divisive if not carefully considered, as individuals have varying sensitivities. Elements such as acoustics, lighting, aromas, and textures contribute to a multi-sensory workspace that enhances focus and wellbeing.

Esha Bark-Jones, Co-Founder of the Workspace Design Show, says: “With the industry being at such a pivotal point of change we are looking to gain a deeper understanding of how, through research and knowledge, Technological innovations can benefit the workplace environment. We are all becoming increasingly more in tune with our personal needs and how they differ from one person to the next. Through talks, exhibitors and connections, Workspace Design Show will bring this to life.”

www.workspaceshow.co.uk

by Ellie Walton

Scot Lim joins LEDFlex as North America Sales Director

LED Flex has expanded into North America with appointment of Scot Lim as Sales Director.

In a strategic step towards global growth, the expansion responds to an increasing demand for LED Flex products across the region, driven by the success of several projects.

Lim will lead the venture, bringing 15 years of experience in sales and business in the healthcare lighting sector. The move enables LED Flex to provide end-to-end support for designers, architects, and distributors across North America, empowering the designer to execute more impactful projects.

www.ledflexgroup.com

by Ellie Walton

Helvar welcomes Kim Långström as CEO

(Finland) - International lighting manufacturer announces with immediate effect Kim Långström as CEO as of 2 September.Långström aims to foster a culture that prioritises wellbeing and innovation, aligning with

Helvar’s goals of delivering smart solutions that enhance both occupant wellbeing and energy efficiency. Under his leadership, Helvar says it will continue to invest in research and development, exploring new technologies and approaches for the smart building industry.

Previous roles for Langstrom included senior leadership positions at Schneider Electric and Kone with his expertise lying in energy-efficient building solutions, commercial operations, and market expansion strategies. His background positions him to capture new opportunities in the market which are driven by increasing demand for smart building technologies and stricter energy regulations.

"I am thrilled to officially join the Helvar family,” says Långström. "Helvar is known for its commitment to sustainability, wellbeing, and intelligent lighting solutions. I look forward to meeting our customers, partners, and the team, and building on our strong foundation to seize new opportunities and further expand our market presence.”Långström adds: "Helvar has tremendous potential to shape the future of smart buildings. I am eager to lead our efforts in innovation, reinforcing our market position, and meeting the needs of our customers and partners worldwide."

www.helvar.com

by Ellie Walton

LiGHT24 hosts discussion on gender equality

(UK) – Join LiGHT 24’s discussion on why it is important for both men and women to get behind Women’s Groups in the design industry and how male colleagues and peers can help change the narrative.

On 21 November at 12:00 and  the Associations Lounge will host the panel discussion on the Gallery Level of the Business Design Centre, offering an opportunity to participate in the discussion of gender equality in the workplace alongside designers and representatives from these important women's initiatives in the design industry.

Speakers on the panel include Carmela Dagnello representing Women in Lighting; Rachael Davidson representing Women in Architecture; James Poore of JPLD; Harsha Kotak representing Women in Office Design; and Neil Knowles of Elektra Lighting.

The talk will be followed by a complimentary LiGHT Lunch providing an opportunity for visitors to network with peers and find out more about these much-needed industry women's groups. Kimberly Bartlett of Women Lighting Professionals and Zoe Bonser of the Women in Furniture Network will also be in the room to answer any questions.

This event has a limited capacity sue to the size of Associations Lounge therefore interested visitors should arrive in good time. However, this event is free for all LiGHT 24 visitors, which you now register here: https://register.visitcloud.com/survey/2my29bj4rukck

by Ellie Walton

Silhoutte Awards announces call for mentees

(UK) - Applications for Mentees open until December 2024.

Designers now welcome to apply for a bespoke mentorship programme through annual Silhouette Awards. Applicants must have eight years or less experience in architectural lighting. This is an opportunity to benefit from a bespoke mentorship programme led by an expert panel of judges.

To enter, applicants must complete the online applications and submit a 3 minute (max) video recording.

Twenty successful applicants will be selected and supported by one of the programme’s mentors for a six-month mentorship journey. With the help of the Silhouette Awards’ sponsors and supporters, the winners will be granted the opportunity to enhance their skill set, pursue their career ambitions, adding real value to the creativity of the industry and raising the bar for talent around the world.

This year’s line-up of mentors include:

• • Andrew Powell - Lighting Design Alliance (LDA)

• • Armaghan Ahmadi Venhari - Light-Life-Academy

• • Camila Blanco -  Glare

• • Cherine Saroufim – Atelier Saroufim

• • Daniel Blaker - Nulty

• • Eugenia Cheng - LightOrigin Studio

• • Fabiana Nery Pardhanani – Glare UK

• • Lee Barker-Field - AECOM

• • Magdalena Gomez - So It Is Design Studio

• • Maneck Tandon - ATPL Lighting

• • Marc Juarez - UPC Barcelona

• • Myriam Patricia Lopez Yanez

• • Philip Hammond - BHA Lighting Design & Consulting

• • Ratna Kumari - CD+M Lighting Design

• • Sacha Abizadeh - WSP UK

• • Sergio Boccia - Sergio Boccia Lighting Design

• • Shahrzad Abtahi - Borealis Lighting Studio

• • Tim Hunt - Arup

• • Ximena Munoz Abogabir - LUXIA

• • Vinod Pillai - Studio Lumen

Katia Kolovea, Co-Founder of the Silhouette Awards, says: “We are so excited to announce our outstanding line-up of Mentors for season four of the awards. By announcing a new year of the programme, we are able to create more meaningful relationships and offer 20 more designers an opportunity to learn from a mentor’s knowledge and experience to benefit them in their careers. We are so grateful to be able to continue this success for another season, offering more experiences to all of our winning mentees for 24-25. We can’t wait to see the incredible talent representing the industry this year and encourage mentees to get their entries in as soon as possible.”

Eve Gaut, Co-Founder of the Silhouette Awards, adds: “We are overjoyed to be back with a new season of The Silhouette Awards. Over the last three years we have seen countless successful journeys and development between our mentor and mentee pairings, and it has been a rewarding experience for everyone involved. We encourage all interested mentees to apply for an experience that is much more than an award and will make a huge difference to their future career and opportunities.”

More information about how to enter can be found here: https://silhouetteawards.com/how-to-enter/

by Ellie Walton

[d]arc awards entries are now open

(UK) – You can now enter your 2024 projects and products into the [d]arc awards, the international lighting design awards organised by [d]arc media.

Entries will then be taken through a shortlisting process where a panel of esteemed lighting designers will decide who will make it through to the voting process. Every entry will be displayed online for full exposure and every entry will receive a free profile in the online darc directory.

This is the only lighting design awards in the world to use a peer-to-peer voting system, where the winners are chosen by the lighting design community. As a thank you, each voter will the receive an invitation to attend the beloved [d]arc awards night, an evening celebrations and partying, and where the winners will be announced.

There are 14 categories in total – covering high and low budget lighting design projects, as well as light art installations, and products.

The architectural categories include:

• Structures Low Budget
• Structures High Budget
• Place Low Budget
• Places High Budget
• Spaces Low Budget
• Spaces High Budget
• Event

Head to the [d]arc awards website to enter now entries  www.darcawards.com/

Entries close on the 25^th of January 2025.

by Ellie Walton

One Click LCA and Recolight partner for carbon transparency

(UK) - One Click LCA, a provider of life-cycle assessment (LCA), and environmental product declaration (EPD) software, announce a reseller partnership with Recolight.

The agreement follows the launch of One Click LCA’s Luminaires EPD Generator, a tool to streamline manufacturing of EPD for lighting products.

By generating LCAs and EPDs, lighting manufacturers will better understand the carbon impact of its products and satisfy increasing specifier and client requirements for achieving green certifications like BREEAM, LEED, Net Zero, and more.

Key benefits of the partnership:

• Simple EPD generation: One Click LCA’s intuitive EPD software automates the process, helping lighting manufacturers to save time and resources.
• Market differentiation & benchmarking: EPDs will help lighting manufacturers stand out in a competitive market by showcasing its products’ environmental performance.
• Meeting customer demand: With EPDs, lighting manufacturers demonstrate their commitment to reducing carbon, meet green procurement standards, and attract sustainability-focused customers.
• Expert guidance: Recolight and One Click LCA’s understanding of the lighting industry will provide support and guidance to companies helping them cut through the complexity of environmental metrics.

Panu Pasanen, Founder and CEO at One Click LCA, says: “This collaboration with Recolight highlights our commitment to decarbonising the lighting industry. Recolight’s extensive network of luminaire manufacturers will benefit from combined access to world-leading LCA and EPD software, and support and consulting to enable them on their decarbonisation journey.”

Nigel Harvey, CEO at Recolight, adds: “An increasing number of specifiers and end-users are now demanding credible environmental metrics as part of their lighting procurement and specification.  Those companies that move early will gain a competitive advantage.  We are delighted that through our partnership with One Click LCA, we can provide access to industry leading LCA and EPD software that enhances embodied carbon transparency and helps both specifiers and manufacturers move towards a low carbon future.”

www.recolight,com

www.oneclicklca.com

by Ellie Walton

Nichia Announce 2024 European Roadshow

(Europe) - LED manufacturer, Nichia, launches sustainability focused roadshow across Madrid, Lyon, and London 2024.

This event will gather top industry experts, architects, lighting designers, and manufacturers to delve into lighting technology and conscious design to create spaces that enhance the way people live, work, and interact with their environments.

The roadshow will unveil sustainable lighting innovations leveraging the latest advances in LED technology, solutions that enhance light quality to engage more profoundly with human experience, cultural context, and biophilic principles, fostering a closer connection to nature within built environments.

Featuring a comprehensive agenda including a sessions that address local design challenges and opportunities along with hands-on lighting demonstrations to allow participants to engage directly with technology solutions both in architecture and automotive lighting.

The roadshow starts with a half-day forum on 19 September held at the Four Seasons Madrid. The programme includes conference-style presentations featuring contributions from Anoche Iluminación, Arkilum, ARUP, Estudio Lamela, Formula Luci, MadeinLED and sAtt. The presentations will explore luxury retail and hospitality lighting along with lighting design powered by Nichia in Centro Canalejas Madrid.

Attendees will also participate in a roundtable debate, led by a panel of industry experts and moderated by Lightecture, on the challenges and opportunities to promote sustainability and well-being in architectural projects.

Part two is held in Lyon on 6 November and will present topics including high CRI for indoor automotive applications, and the convergence between architectural and automotive lighting. Guest speakers include ENTPE, Cluster Lumière, Gaggione, Stilec, and Formula Luci.

Dr Ulf Meiners, Managing Director of Nichia Europe, says: “Nichia is dedicated to pushing the boundaries of sustainable lighting technology to achieve unparalleled light quality. Our roadshow is an opportunity to share this vision with the architects, designers, and innovators who will bring it to life. These events will not only showcase our latest advancements but also serve as an engaging platform for collaboration with our customers, as we work together to shape the future of lighting.”

www.nichia.com

by Ellie Walton

Goldensea Acquires SGM

(Worldwide) - SGM Lighting AS, will be under new ownership of Goldensea.

Established in Italy in 1975, and now located in Aarhus, Denmark, SGM is a well-respected lighting manufacturer pioneering the use of IP65 moving lights before, more recently, focusing on architectural lighting. Both these aspects create strong synergies with Goldensea which is investing heavily in both entertainment and architectural IP65 solid state lighting products.

As a globally renowned brand, SGM has always focused on technological innovation, being the first in the industry to launch all-weather waterproof moving head fixtures.

SGM’s unique patented technology covers both the architectural and stage lighting portfolios, and its products are well-known in the industry for low maintenance costs, unique design, and consistent performance.

Recognising the qualities and potential within SGM, Goldensea identified complementary aims and philosophies between the two companies, and the benefits its financial investment can bring to SGM’s product development and growth.

“Our investment in SGM aligns with Goldensea’s future strategic and long-term development plans,” says Christopher Agius Ferrante, VP Goldensea.“The purchase of SGM is highly complementary to our existing business, and will help to enrich and strengthen the product range and expertise that we can offer all our clients – for both architectural and stage lighting equipment.”

Goldensea states that all SGM Denmark staff will remain in place. “We strongly value the whole SGM team and are excited to have them on board as we seek to invest and grow in our determination to make SGM sustainably successful,” continues Ferrante.

SGM Light has begun the process of reviewing existing orders and will be contacting all customers to discuss these orders, advise of new lead times and deliver other pertinent information.

Due to the necessary change in legal entity, all customers are advised that new orders will need to be placed in lieu of the existing orders for them to remain valid.

In the coming days, SGM will also be able to accept new orders for all current SGM products.

SGM also announces that all existing warranties which were valid under the old entity are to be honoured going forward.

www.sgm.com

www.goldensea.com

by Ellie Walton

Sofia Hagen designs installation for Spotlight 2024

(Austria) - From 9-12 October, Spotlight in Feldkirch by the Lichtstadt association, will showcase an installation by artist and architect, Sofia Hagen.

The London-based multidisciplinary artist and architect from Vorarlberg, Austria created the installation fusing art, design, and architecture. Crystaline features metres tall, illuminated salt crystal, prominently positioned in the historic centre of Feldkirch.

This central piece is accompanied by smaller crystals, all of which are crafted from recycled medical plastic waste using advanced 3D printing technology. These sculptures are not only visually striking but also incorporate specifically designed light and sound elements that interact with the surrounding architecture, creating an immersive experience.

The installation offers a blend of sustainable materials, technology, and artistic expression that harmonises with a historic context. The event is set to be a captivating experience, showcasing Sofia Hagen's talent in combining various artistic disciplines with a focus on environmental sustainability.

Hagen says:  "Crystalline is a beautiful collaborative journey where we were able to explore the frontiers of cutting-edge technology, sustainability, and multi-sensory light art. The success of this project hinged on the dedicated teamwork involved: from my advanced 3D printing partners and software engineers who pushed their robots to the limit, to the structural, installation, and lighting engineers who transformed our innovative methods into a striking piece of art. And ultimately, turning the light art installation into an immersive experience, the ephemeral, poetic soundscape was composed specifically for ‘Crystalline’, perfectly complementing its context within Feldkirch's medieval centre.”

The light art installation is open to the public and is free of charge.

www.lichtstadt.at/en/spotlight-

by Ellie Walton