Light + Building Day Events Round Up
The biennial visit to the Light + Building never fails to deliver an electrifying mix of innovation, networking, and celebrations. Amidst the bustling crowds and displays from brands, we at arc eagerly dived into both seeing our familiar encounters and fresh connections. While the event may exude the opportunity to reunite with those old friends, our mission remained focussed on both work endeavours and discovering new insights. Below is a snapshot of what we got up over the few days.
DALI
Monday’s celebrations on the Dali Alliance stand included a special drinks reception to celebrate the victors in the Dali Lighting Awards 2024. Members of the winning teams were invited to raise a glass to their achievements with the DALI team, while being informally presented with a DALI Lighting Award trophy.
12 winners over eight categories were selected for their innovative application of DALI in lighting design and control.
Paul Drosihn, Dali Alliance General Manager says: “These projects demonstrate the outstanding results that can be achieved across the globe using DALI in lighting design and control, spanning a breadth of applications and sectors. It’s a fantastic testament to how the lighting industry has embraced DALI and is leveraging this technology to gain significant benefits.”
Silhouette Awards
The Silhouette Awards held an in-person celebration hosted by LED Luks on Tuesday, where young talents in the lighting were honoured. Inspirational talks were hosted by members from the co-founders of the programme, Katia Kolovea of Archifos and Stacey Westbrook of Parrot PR and Marketing, along with mentors and past winners of this remarkable initiative.
The pioneering awards, a collaboration between Parrot PR and Marketing and Archifos, aims to spotlight emerging talent in the lighting industry and provide support throughout their careers. This includes a platform to showcase new industry talent and a six-month mentorship programme with a senior lighting professional for the awardees.
VLDC
On the Wednesday afternoon, the Virtual Lighting Design Community (VLDC), held a get together with drinks, canapés, and baklava, on the Aero Lighting stand. Normally an online community, the get together gave current and potential members from around the world the opportunity to meet in person and catch-up face to face. VLDC founders Martin and Ingmar Klaasen, Amardeep Dugar, Katia Kolovea, Martin Lupton, and Sharon Stammers were all present and on-hand to answer any questions about the platform, and to talk about the benefits of joining the ever-expanding community of members.
Claudia Paz LEDC4 collaboration
Peruvian lighting designer Claudia Paz displayed a lighting installation in the Architectural Indoor and Outdoor product area. Paz provided visitors with a transformative experience to understand the impact of light on space perception and materials. Integration of a DMX system allowed individual control of each ‘Taglio di luce’, injecting dynamism into the space and creating an area where light sequences designed by Paz came to life.
Paz says: “We live in a digital world, where everything is in motion and constantly evolving. Lighting design merges with technology to move beyond the technical aspects and towards creating experiences and emotional connections with users. Where are we headed? Towards a digital world where light plays a crucial role.”
Erco Play
Erco offered an interactive stand this year that allowed visitors to experience sustainable lighting solutions in a fun game allowing visitors at the ERCOplay stations to test their lighting knowledge across five interactive stations:
At Station 1, participants turned into lighting directors on a miniature stage. Using the new Axis showcase lighting, a lighting concept based on the "3-point lighting" approach, had to be realised. Moving on to Station 2, the lenses of Optec spotlights were to be changed until the light was precisely aligned with the target surfaces. At the downlight station, the objective was to solve estimation questions, including about light distribution, with a quick tap on the buzzer. Station 4 was outdoor-themed: The teams were asked to practise aligning the Beamer spotlights. The 5th station, 'hands on' Invia, encouraged participants to experiment with ERCO's linear system to create their own lighting scenes including wall washing, ambient lighting, indirect and accent lighting.
After completion everyone who participated then entered a draw to win an Erco Light. However, everyone left a winner with knowledge on sustainable lighting and a delicious chocolate bar to boot.
Next edition of Light _+ Building set to be held 8-13 March 2026, Frankfurt.
Fiberli - C-Line
C-Line’s Balanced High Voltage feature eliminates the need for electrical feedback cables in the field. This results in material savings but also accelerates project implementation by reducing assembly times. This innovative approach underscores the product’s commitment to resource efficiency and timely project execution. With its outstanding slim design and true color DMX feature, Fiberli C-Line is produced with 30% less material compared to its previous versions, aligning with the sustainability goals of our contemporary world.
Women In Lighting celebrate 5th anniversary
(Germany) – Women in Lighting (WIL) celebrated its 5th anniversary at Light and Building, Frankfurt.
Celebrated annually on International Women’s Day, the organisation drew a crowd of supporters at the Messe Frankfurt in March, where Founders Sharon Stammer and Martin Lupton hosted a morning of celebratory content and networking event.
Created to spotlight women who are largely underrepresented in the industry and champion their achievements, while also highlighting challenges that they face, the platform has to date connected designers from across 79 countries. Its expanding network foster’s support among both emerging and established professionals.
Commencing the event was an exploration of “Inspirational Women”. Six industry experts, three men and three women: Carla Wilkins, Lichtvision; Cherine Saroufim, WIL Lebanon Ambassador; Andrea Hartranft, Hartranft Lighting; Philip Rafael, Insight Lighting Design; Amardeep Dugar, Lighting RN-D; Tejas Doshi, Light & Beyond, in a Pecha Kucha style presentation served alongside refreshments.
This line-up was followed with keynote speakers. Jen Lewin, installation artist, discussed interactive landscapes and the power of interactive light art. Followed by Lighting designer Ulrike Brandi reflecting on her 35-year career journey as a seasoned light designer, author, and international teacher. Multimedia director Julie Boniche concluded the keynote sessions with a discussion on lighting in the entertainment industry and how lighting orchestrates emotions. A mixture of short remote and in person discussions with five international ambassadors of WIL followed, before finishing with a networking party.
Originally created for architectural lighting design, WIL has grown to include light engineers, artists, those in education and entertainment. In making these connections women share knowledge and have sourced inspiration from each other.
The first WIL event, conducted virtually, took place during Covid in 2019, and ran again in 2022. In 2023 a global gathering of data was conducted examining the lighting profession in the context of the 2023 theme of International Women’s Day, embracing equity. The data gathered was discussed at the event and looked to uncover where equity was thriving and where it needed to improve.
800 people from 73 countries completed the survey, which was designed for both men and women to participate, although only 30.9% were men. The results found both positive and negative results. Positives included policies being implemented in workplaces for gender equity however a high percentage of people reported sexism and racism in the workplace.
Sharon Stammer, co-founder of WIL, says: “We are often asked, what’s the point of WIL? Or I don't get it or isn't it time to stop going on about women or if its divisive. We disagree. Our digital platform is celebratory. The aims of the project have always been to try to do something that is primarily positive - we didn’t want to create a forum for negativity and felt that the best thing we could do was showcase the amazing work of women working in lighting from around the world.”
Stammer adds: “The journey towards equality and diversity in lighting design is ongoing, and the Women in Lighting Project plays a crucial role in steering this journey forward. As we move ahead, we commit to uplifting, and amplifying the voices of women in our industry, recognising their invaluable contributions and potential to shape the future of lighting designs.”
Katia Kolovea, communication strategist for WIL, says: "Reflecting on the exciting five-year WIL anniversary event in Frankfurt, I would love to celebrate each participant, male or female, from various industry sectors and career stages who came together to participate. As the talks ended, we gathered on stage, inviting everyone to bring their physical or digital flags, creating the most colourful and multicultural photo the Women in Lighting Network has ever seen. Seeing those photos now, tears of joy fill my eyes, feeling the global energy and support this movement has ignited."
Clear Lighting - Arcflex
The 4th Gen lighting technology Arcflex Free Bend Linear Light, powered by Clear Tech's groundbreaking Adapwire, SegPCB, ZagLiu, InterFlexa technology. Seamlessly blending horizontal and vertical bends into a single light, Arcflex empowers you to bend and shape light freely in three-dimensional space, unlocking endless design possibilities. From captivating architectural installations to dynamic commercial settings, Arcflex revolutionizes the way you illuminate your environment. Experience unparalleled flexibility, unleash your imagination, and illuminate your world with Arcflex.
Artemide - Hegoland
The patented technology of the refractive optics is miniaturised and developed according to a hexagonal mesh that maximises the density of the luminous flux emitted reaching 150 lm/W output. Helgoland has an optimised sustainable construction. The light engine is an element of only 12.5mm of thickness which can be combined with various accessories for ceiling or recessed installation, or connected to other systems such as Casambi.
KUMUX Platform
KUMUX Platform is a cutting-edge software that optimises dynamic lighting in architectural spaces by bridging the gap between the control system and the lighting fixtures. The software supports the creation and automation of illuminance and colour temperature settings throughout the day based on scientific principles to ensure users’ well-being. KUMUX applies AI algorithms to customise lighting to the project geolocation, space type, international circadian guidelines, and the luminaires spectrum.
Proled - Flex Tube
The Proled Flex Tube Wellness the ideal product for areas with large temperature fluctuations. Whether in spas or in façade projects, the IP67 tested tube prevents moisture ingress thanks to its injection-moulded end caps, and offers consistent light intensity even at high temperatures. Available in 2200K, 2700K, 3000K and RGBW, it can be adapted to your individual application length up to 10 m.
Acclaim - Unity
The award-winning Unity rethinks what an outdoor LED floodlight can be. It uses the all-new Spectrum Five engine to give the perfect, high output / high CRI whites, dynamic white operation, and full colour mixing in the same unit. It also provides a single, fully homogenised beam with no colour striations or separation. Unity features Colour Calibration technology and Aria Wireless control built into every unit.
Zumtobel - IZURA
The IZURA concept luminaire with its modular design not only offers countless options for customisation, but also meets all the criteria for circular product design. The concept envisages a modular product design that consists of just 40 individual components and no requirement for welding for example, a plastic-free reflector made of degradable bio-composites and a housing made of recyclable sheet steel ensuring greater sustainability.
Luce&Light - Ginko 3.5
The new Ginko 3.5 uses the internal framing system of Light Shaper optics to shape the light output to obtain regular and irregular forms, ready to frame objects in light. It offers a delivered lumen output of 585 lm, 15W power, and three colour temperatures 2700K, 3000K, 4000K with CRI >90. The transparent, tempered extra-clear glass guarantees excellent impact and scratch resistance of IK09, and its high transmittance ensures chromatic uniformity. A version is available on request with a customised gobo to project logos and words onto walls.
LEDiL - DALINE
Meet DALINE the latest addition to LEDiL's Dark Light portfolio, known for exceptional eye comfort and captivating aesthetics, DALINE optics are the perfect solution for compact, glare-free architectural lighting. It seamlessly integrates with the LINDA-10 platform for effortless luminaire customisation, providing a versatile solution for refined lighting in various settings.
APL - LTwo
Introducing our LTwo and Lumami products a small but powerful wall washer. The multifunctional, easy to specify, operate and replaceable light source-luminaire system, reminiscent of the T5 tube. With thirteen different optics offer architectural lighting quality for all types of lighting tasks.
