Questions and Answers  

Questions and Answers on Fundamental and 

Inspirational Light webinar

Do you think that emotional effects of lightint are very dependent on cultures or would you say there are mostly commonalities?

I think there is a commonality to the emotional reaction to lighting, which is independent of other regional factors such as brightness tolerance and color temperature preference.

Do you believe the lighting design community is too segmented in thought, missing the grander picture, the betterment of human health? I'd love to hear your take on this.

I think that a good portion of the lighting design community, myself included, had been slow to study and fully incorporate lighting strategies related to human health. While one could argue that the endeavor to create beautifully illuminated spaces, with appropriate light levels and contrast ratios for the space function, itself leads to a healthy relationship between space and user, many of us began more seriously considering specific health-related lighting issues as sustainable and human-centric design and construction practices began to gain more traction.

How do you take care of the Glare effect?

With the proper selection and positioning of the light source, and the proper shielding strategy, which can be based on glare reduction attachments available from the light fixture manufacturer, to architecturally integrated enclosures that can partially conceal the sources.

­­­­Are we lighting people the 'moths' or 'butterflies' of the human race?

WE are the moths. Movie stars are the butterflies.

What do you think about the trend (predominantly in Asia – e.g. China, Hong Kong) who are using sophisticated computer driven external building lights?

Sophisticated lighting control of facades goes hand-in-hand with the more flexible, re-configurable, color-changing façade lighting equipment that has become a reality in metropolitan areas around the world. As most other lighting components, these are but a tool, to be used either in a thoughtful, well considered manner, or haphazardly without regard for architecture, surroundings and context. We see both approaches every evening around the world.

Any ideas regarding dynamic projects in architecture? For example how do you see any use of OLEDs in architecture, memorial structures etc.?

See previous question and answer for my view on dynamic projects. As far as the use of OLED’s, this is a technology that has been on the cusp of much promise for a long time. I see its potential for soft, diffuse illumination over large surface areas in the near future.

Where in the World are the best schools to get the technical education needed for lightning design projects?

There are more and more schools with dedicated lighting design studies. A good source to learn about them is through the International Association of Lighting Designers website: https://www.iald.org/IALD-Education-Trust/STUDENTS/learn-2-light/Lighting-Design-Schools

Will the visual light communication aspect of light (internet of things) augment or deter the architectural nuance?

I think the humans charged with the design and control of lighting will be the ones to either augment or deter architectural nuance. The trick is to have sensible, educated professionals in charge of making these decisions. Internet of Things and connected networks will make controlling of lighting environments easier but not necessarily more functional or beautiful. That is up to the designers and users.