LIGHTING BIM
‘Small companies may well have to outsource their BIM work and, if they do not offer BIM, they may well be excluded from some projects,’ says Bissell. This is the concern of independent
Cundall Light4 visualisations (top) built in CAD with the Radiance simulation tool providing analysis and images
lighting designer Kevan Shaw of KSLD. ‘As a representative of smaller practices, I am very concerned with the future of lighting design in a BIM world. Although the Cobie structure can be coped with without a Revit seat, I absolutely expect the project managers and contractors to insist that all the consultants have live Revit access to the project model. ‘The cost for lighting designers is threefold
Since all the information is shared, it is very easy to spec bust. A lighting supplier for one part of the building could, for example, substitute their luminaires for another manufacturer used elsewhere. Cheapy Lighting Ltd, whose fittings are in the WCs, could replace the Zumtobel ones in the main office. Only the sharp- eyed would spot it Alan Tulla, former SLL president
– the software and relevant hardware, the training, and the additional work needed in the design process to keep lighting information up-to-date in the model, particularly at a time when fees are under significant downward pressure.’ Shaw is also concerned that the dominance
of Revit software will affect specification. ‘I believe we will also have trouble with specification of lighting products for which a Revit-compatible model does not exist,’ he says. ‘This limits what we do and our independence in specifying the right product – and even custom products. We cannot be expected to do this modelling ourselves, certainly not without considerable extra fees.’ Spec busting could also be taken to a
whole new level, says independent lighting consultant and former SLL president Alan Tulla. ‘Since all the information is shared, it is very easy to spec bust,’ he says. ‘In fact, a lighting supplier for one part of the building could substitute their luminaires for another manufacturer used elsewhere. Cheapy Lighting Ltd, whose fittings are in the WCs, could replace the Zumtobel ones in the main office. Only the sharp-eyed would spot it.’ Bissell believes that can be resolved,
though lighting professionals will have to take 42 CIBSE Journal March 2014
BIM model of Notre Dame Catholic College, created by Cundall Light4 – the light source is arbitrary and only there to allow the model to be seen. Lighting design is done using specialised software
appropriate measures. ‘There will be a need for lighting designers to have a robust system in place such that they record the lighting design information they issued – essentially, a piece of software that takes a snapshot of the live model at a particular time. In many ways, that is no different to knowing where you PDF an issue and record it in your issue folder.’ Bissell also highlights another concern. ‘We typically – like most, I assume – complete our electric lighting design work in a number of phases. Early on we put forward
sketches, precedent images and occasionally 3D renders or architect-adjusted renders. BIM is too slow for this process. We need to put forward the ideas long ahead of when a BIM model is ready to produce images.’ Bissell says he can see BIM offering an opportunity to render the scene and show a client what they are going to get with more accuracy, which would be a benefit. ‘However, two caveats would be: the quality of the render package; and the quality of the person producing the render – will they have the knowledge and experience to adjust the lighting parameters to give the most realistic view of the space? I still see a need to produce sketches and then move into BIM for the tender process.’ Daylighting is a slightly different proposition as the daylight design needs to feed into the BIM model in terms of areas
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