Lighting Integration
Lighting up the future
OLED lighting works by passing electricity through
one or more extremely thin layers of organic
semiconductor material. These layers are sandwiched
between two electrodes – one charged positively and
one negatively. The ‘sandwich’ is placed on a sheet of
glass or other transparent material and protected by
a cover glass.
When current is applied to the electrodes, they
emit positive and negative particles that combine
in the organic layer of the ‘sandwich’ to create a
brief, high-energy state. As this layer returns to its
original ‘non-excited’ state, the energy flows evenly
through the organic film, causing it to emit light.
Using different materials in the organic films makes
it possible for the OLEDs to emit different coloured
light.
Mike Simpson, technical and design director with
Philips Lighting, says: “Small panels are already in
production but a cube law applies to the cost, so if you
> “LEDs need to be treated in the same way as MR16 Integrated lighting can have double the surface area the price increases eight times.
spotlights; they are directional sources so you have to
startling effects, as shown,
“There are also production issues: basically, if
deal with the surface brightness for them to be useful,”
above and below, at Cabot
you go from a 50mm x 50mm panel to a 600mm
Circus shopping centre in
Downey notes.
Bristol, UK
x 600mm panel you need a much bigger oven.
Another constraint is that many designers prefer to And would you want to restrict the design to the
work with LEDs that have proved their performance conventional 600mm x 600mm approach anyway.”
and reliability over two to three years, rather than In fact, it’s predicted that OLED panels may
taking the risk of installing newer designs that claim eventually get up to 1m sq, creating the opportunity
higher light outputs. for illuminated walls and even desk surfaces – but,
Looking further ahead, many lighting designers if that happens, glare and contrast are going to be
consider OLEDs to be the light source of the future. major challenges.
They are light, thin (around 0.5mm) and flexible, and “OLEDs certainly have the potential to make
have the potential to be attached to surfaces to provide traditional fittings disappear so that the surface
a large, diffuse light source. However, it will take a few becomes the light source,” says Tim Downey of
years for them to come onto the market. Pinniger & Partners.
Bob Venning of Arup Lighting points out that there “However, as the light output of OLEDs increases
is another relatively low-output, distributed light source to a point where they are useful light sources, the
that is already being used to supplement general surface brightness will also start to create problems
lighting – the increasingly common display screen. with contrast.
“There are now many more illuminated advertising “So it’s likely that we’ll move to higher numbers
and information screens in buildings, using either LED of lower-brightness sources. For example, in a space
or fluorescent light sources, and these should be taken that would currently use two or three conventional
into account when doing the lighting calculations and fittings you might have 36 OLED panels scattered
controls strategy,” he says. around the space.”
“In a 3m wide corridor lined with illuminated billboards,
for example, there would be very little requirement for
any other lighting and as the building operator is getting
income from them, this can be an attractive proposition.
Façade design
Information screens in offices can perform a similar role,
is often dictated
though you have to watch the contrast,” he adds.
So, while there is considerable potential for artificial
by thermal-
lighting to evolve into quite a different beast from the
based decisions
one we are currently familiar with, there is still a need
long before
to stick with some tried and tested principles.
Says Valentine: “We have evolved with light coming
the lighting is
from above, that’s what our bodies are used to, and we
considered.
can’t break away from that completely. Consequently, we
– Dominic
need to view new technologies as extra tools that we can
use while being clear that we still need good design.” l
Meyrick
38 CIBSE Journal August 2009 www.cibsejournal.com
CIBSEaug09 pp36-38 lighting.indd 38 23/7/09 15:57:18
Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52  |  Page 53  |  Page 54  |  Page 55  |  Page 56  |  Page 57  |  Page 58  |  Page 59  |  Page 60