Interview CIBSE president
Mike Simpson
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BSc Hons, CEng,
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Simon
Born Christmas Day 1954
in Bromley, London
Education BSc Hons
Electrical and Electronic
Engineering with lighting
specialism, South Bank
Polytechnic, London
Career
1977-1997: Technical and
design roles at Philips
Lighting including
designing the external
lighting for Tower Bridge
and St Paul’s Cathedral
in London, and the
Pepsi-Max roller-coaster
at Blackpool
1977-2003: Technical
director, Marlin Lighting,
responsible for product
design and development.
Mike Simpson’s work at Philips has included designing the
In lighting terms we have to
Since 2003: UK technical
external lighting for St Paul’s Cathedral, London
and design director,
remember that whatever we are
Philips Lighting. In 2007
designs new façade
> Certainly one of the challenges for my year is to start to
doing, it isn’t just a set of numbers
lighting for Buckingham
get cross-fertilisation between the different groups and
on a piece of paper, it’s about
Palace using Solid State
societies so we start to join the dots. There’s no point
Lighting
saying it’s a one-stop shop for building services if you
creating an environment that people
Honorary posts Worked
get to the shop and [find] it’s like a store with individual
find pleasant and stimulating
on the drafting panels
for many of CIBSE’s
departments in it.”
lighting guides as well
Simpson, who has found a way to couple his passion
as British and European
for lighting with his enduring interest in theatre by ones that no one even knows about [yet], or is just an
Application Standards. In
1994, made president of
lighting local amateur shows like musicals and idea on the drawing board at the moment. In 40 years’
the Institution of Lighting
pantomimes, has a great belief in the emerging and time? Goodness knows.”
Engineers,and in 2001
existing technologies designed to cut energy use and He predicts that, over the next 10 years, LED lighting
president of the Society
of Light and Lighting.
carbon emissions. So meeting the UK government’s will completely take over, and we could even be using
Guest lecturer on college
reduction targets are possible, he believes, but only something that is only just an emerging technology
lighting courses
if a holistic approach is taken, involving the people today, with the low-energy compact fluorescent lamps
Hobbies Theatre an who conceive, design, locate the buildings, put in the (CFL) that we’re changing to now probably becoming
“enduring passion” –
services and then ultimately go on to use them. If they obsolete in 10 years’ time.
outside of work, creates
lighting for the theatre,
all come together, there’s a chance of achieving the Simpson knows more than most about the angst
mainly for pantomimes targets, says Simpson. But when it comes to references caused by the demise of the incandescent lamp and
and musicals
to zero emissions, he says it will be hard to imagine the thrusting of the CFL upon the nation, but he says
Family Simpson lives being able to meet zero-carbon targets unless we all it could be a lot worse – people could be banned from
with his wife, son
stop working when it gets dark. having their lights on at all, for example.
and two daughters in
Bromley
“You can put jumpers on for heat and open windows “In lighting terms we have to remember that
for cooling, but you have to have the light on when the whatever we are doing, it isn’t just a set of numbers on
sun goes down. Light will consume energy. We have to a piece of paper, it’s about creating an environment that
produce that light in the most efficient way we can, by people find pleasant and stimulating. We have to do
making sure that it comes from renewable sources.” that first and then do it in an energy-efficient way.”
As for the future, Simpson sees the biggest challenge He believes it is imperative not to return to the 1970s
in 40 years’ time for the industry as being able to make when there was such a big energy drive that it became
all existing buildings hit even tougher carbon reduction the panacea of that time to save energy at any cost,
targets. But trying to foresee the changes that could leaving people with poor working environments. “We
occur in the lighting industry is nearly impossible, he have come a long way in making sure that we talk about
insists. the environment for people. We don’t want to lose that
“We are going through a technological revolution the on the altar of energy efficiency.” l
like of which I have probably not seen in my career. In
10 years’ time there will probably be something around
For your next job move, search out
that will be a really good solution to [our] problems, or
http://jobs.cibsejournal.com
30 CIBSE Journal May 2009 www.cibsejournal.com
CIBSEmay09 pp26-28, 30 interview.indd 30 5/1/09 2:58:11 PM
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