174 TECHNOLOGY / LED
Klimahaus 8° Ost in Bremerhaven, Germany features a façade lighting scheme, by Pfarré Lighting Design, that employs 1,900 individually addressable, cold-white feno LEDs. The scheme won the competition as it was the only one that focused on the design skin and the use of LED points.
Pic: Markus Tollhopf, Hamburg
Matching (SDCM) are terms that are now heard on a daily basis when referring to LEDs. The Black Body Curve suddenly be- comes interesting when dimming LEDs. The photometry is different, how it is measured and how it is published. LEDs emit direc- tional light which means that the optical systems and interfaces, like reflectors and diffusers, must be designed differently than in the past, in order to transmit the light to where it needs to be. Just like the manu- facturers, the specifiers have to consider the cooling elements of the system. Is an electronic fan really necessary, or indeed acceptable at all, as part of a lighting system? What about the constantly changing specification and performance of LEDs? We tell the end user and building owner, ‘get LEDs now cos they are great and they will save you energy and cost and make you look really eco’. But if an LED solution is speci- fied today, as LED technology is advancing so fast, won’t it be replaced by something better and cheaper in six months time? What about projects being specified today that will be realised in five years time? Is there a way to future-proof the specifica- tion?
There are two very interesting related issues here also. With regards to light- ing guidelines and regulations there are a number of developments. In the US we have the Department of the Environment and others publishing lighting guidelines around
testing of luminaires and also lighting design. There are the IES LM-79 and LM-80 testing procedures, and LEED accreditation. In Europe we have sets of guidelines called ‘European Norms’ (EN). The latest is a new iteration of an existing norm, now called BS EN 12464-1:2011. It focuses on lighting de- sign techniques like cylindrical illuminance, reduced uniformity and LENI measurements. This may allow us to design in to our light- ing scheme using LEDs in a more architec- tural way, perhaps less LED fixtures than traditional fixtures but the same amount of light where light is really needed. The other is that the quest for more and more lumens is a red herring these days. It’s like an endless technology arms race, but we may be forgetting some important elements. The quest should be for quality of light and useful light, which is matched to the right applications and human activities. It needs to cover the right beam distribu- tion, ‘the right light, in the right place, at the right time’, which includes designing-in daylight and controls to a lighting scheme. Crucially daylight design and controls ensure that the LED technology delivers the real savings we need (and are promised). These challenges can be overcome, but it takes design effort, investment, and an intrinsic understanding and passion for the technology, the market, the application and the brand.
THE BRAND
Concerning the brand – it is absolutely key for manufacturers and specifiers to have a brand strategy; who you are, why you are, what you stand for. All the touchpoints in the market should feel that brand identity from your staff, whether for instance it’s in the streetlights sector or in the media fa- cade sector. All the online and offline sales and marketing materials should reinforce this. People should feel the quality of the brand and know why it exists and what it’s trying to achieve.
The markets I describe above, the custom solutions and technology partnership oppor- tunities, OEM opportunities, standard prod- uct lines based on supply chain excellence, the environment where your competitors are also your customers, collaborators and suppliers, is a marketplace that exists today with untapped potential. The companies and brands who can capture this and take their proposition to the market will elevate themselves not just at the market level, but within the industry itself.
This will be where true brand value and equity will be created.
Pete Earle MSLL co-founded his own LED lighting company before selling it to a US manufacturer in 2007. He has freelanced for solution providers Artistic Licence and can presently be found working with Philips Lighting.
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