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LYTEHOUSE
Steering
The Course For Architechtural Lighting
Spring
2008 - Volume 1 // Issue 1 |
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 Rhomney
Forbes-Gray is a renowned Lighting Design Consultant and Principal
of Lightbrigade. She has won numerous awards for her designs
including the GE International Edison Award, the Prix Lumiere
Award and no less than thirteen IESNA International Illumination
Design Awards. Rhomney took some time to answer some questions
for LYTEHOUSE
1) How did you get into Lighting
Design? Prior to my introduction to lighting I
was studying to be an actor I went to university to study
theatre and in first year was exposed to the back stage
life of theatre. I immediately switched direction to the
world of theatrical lighting and eventually lighting design.
After years of stage crews and spot light operating I
began designing the lighting for small shows and assisting
with large productions in such theatres as the St. Lawrence
Centre and the Shaw Festival. Out of interest I took the
IES ED100 course which coincided with H.H. Angus’
expansion of its lighting design department. The rest,
as you say, is history.
2) What was your first real professional
success? I would say that there were 2. Early on,
during my time at H.H. Angus we had the opportunity to
light the special functions rooms of the Skydome Hotel.
These rooms integrated colour changing light and theatrical
effects which at the time were uncommon in architectural
spaces. The design was awarded an IESNA IIDA Award –
my first.
The second “first” real professional success
was the recognition received for the La Maison Simons-
St. Bruno department store – a project that commenced
soon after the inception of my company Lightbrigade. The
project received an IESNA IIDA Award, a Prix Lumiere Award
and a G.E. Edison Award of Merit. This acclaim jumpstarted
the firm’s profile and visibility within the design
community.
3) At which point did you begin
to realize you had a passion for this profession?
The Skydome Hotel project (mentioned above) introduced
me to an architectural lighting world that could benefit
from my creative and artistic lighting side. Prior to
this project, I had been designing elementary schools
and questioning if I had really made the right decision
with this career re-direction.
4) What changes have you encountered
in the industry in the last 10 years? The most
prominent changes I have encountered are:
• the acceptance and growth of the lighting design
profession in Canada
• an aggressive shift, near obsession, with energy
efficiency
• vast improvements in light source quality, size
and efficiency
• the introduction of LED’s
5) How do you see Lighting Design
in 5 years? While lighting design has been a well
established profession in the United States and the UK,
Canada has lagged behind. I believe that within 5 years
the lighting designer will be considered a basic component
to a project’s design team. I feel that more architects
and interior designers will embrace our involvement and
include this role at the time of bidding on a project,
rather than bringing us on board at a much later point
during the project.
I also believe that the new energy restrictions, not
to mention those to come, will require lighting specialists
to keep on top of the technologies and requirements.
Our role is becoming not just that of a creative design
team member but also that of a researcher and mathematician.
6) Which of your applications are
you most proud of? We are very proud of the Holt
Renfrew, 2nd floor project. It was very challenging and
required extensive calculations and sight line studies
to ensure proper product illumination. This project recently
received an IESNA IIDA International Award of Merit.
7) Who, if anyone, is your mentor?
Without a doubt, I would consider Ken Loach of
H.H. Angus my mentor. Ken took a chance on me with very,
very little architectural knowledge and assurance from
me that I could “visualize a space” (fingers
crossed of course – who doesn’t tell white
lies in job interviews). While I had an extensive comprehension
of light from my theatre experience, I had no experience
attaching quantitative numbers to my lighting or of the
extensive library of lamps and luminaires that are the
tools of the architectural designer. Ken patiently taught
me everything while still permitting me to draw from my
previous background and experience. I spent 10 years working
side by side with Ken and will always be grateful for
the patience, friendship and opportunity.
8) How do you keep up with the
changes and challenges? Good sales people continuing
education, research, mock-ups and observation.
9) Which of your projects had
the most challenges in completing? The La Maison
Simons – Laval project was one of our first extensive
LED installations. Due to the early stage of this technology
(8 years ago) we fell victim to many, many of the untruths
about LED’s. We struggled with circuit board construction,
wiring dilemmas and rumours of achievable white light.
We persevered and the project was very successful. We
have been able to continuously draw on this experience
for current LED projects.
10) If you could change one thing
with the specification process what would it be?
I am frustrated with the luminaire selection process including
the distributor. As consultants we are paid to make the
decision, on behalf of the client, for the product best
suited to his/her project. Why we should be asked to compromise
which product we want because a particular distributor
does not have a relationship with the specified line or
agent is ridiculous. Combined with the above pet peeve
is the “packaging” that takes place at the
time of tender, once again, requiring the lighting designer
or engineer re-assess their choices for the given project.
We should not be bullied into accepting someone’s
downlight, for example, just because we have specified
their troffer.
Projects should be quoted as specified using the various
names and equals offered within the specification document
to get the lowest price
11) You have a relatively new
team at Lightbrigade. Tell us about your team.
When Lightbrigade was growing and moving from my house,
it was critical to me that the spirit of the company and
its roots were maintained in the expansion. We had become
known for a certain style of design and theatrical approach
to design set us apart from others in the industry. I
was interested in a highly creative staff but also required
strong technical support since my background had no engineering
base.
Jesse Blonstein, senior associate, offers both the creative
and technical ability. His engineering background combined
with a truly inventive and detailed design approach make
Jesse a great addition to the firm.
In keeping with the original essence of the company,
Julia Vandergraaf joins Lightbrigade directly from theatre.
Most recently she has designed shows for the Shaw Festival
and the Grand Theatre in London. Julia offers a truly
artistic design approach and energy without preconceived
industry biases.
12) Where did you go to school?
Vaughan Nursery School, Frankland Public School,
Riverdale Collegiate and York University
Thank you Rhomney for your time and insight, we can’t
wait to see your next award winning lighting design.
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What makes a building
green? A green building is also known as a sustainable building,
a structure that is designed, built, renovated, operated,
or reused in an ecological and resource efficient manner.
Green buildings are designed to meet certain objectives that
include, occupant health, improving productivity, using energy,
water and other resources more efficiently and reducing the
overall impact of the building on the environment. Hardly
a day goes by without media attention to Climate change, Green
House Gases and dwindling natural resources and of course
the impact all this is having on our planet. There are of
course differing opinions but the facts are our planet is
under tremendous stress, It took thousands of years for the
world  population
to reach 1 billion, yet its taken approximately 100 years
for it to reach 6 billion and it is speculated that the world
population could reach 10 billion within the next hundred
years. So what’s this got to do with the lighting products
we manufacture, lighting is an important part of the built
environment and the building industry and government has recognized
that buildings are one of the largest contributors to the
environmental and pollution issues we face by contributing
as much as 40% of the carbon dioxide going into the atmosphere.
It’s well recognized that we need to do a much better
job in planning for a sustainable future. We owe it to our
children and in essence it is the description of Sustainability
– Meeting the needs of the present without compromising
the ability of our future generations to meet their own needs.
As a grandparent I can’t help but think that my generation
for the most part has done little to ensure the future health
of the planet for my grandchildren when they graduate in 2020.
Fortunately the building design sector in Canada has recognized
the importance of sustainable design and few years ago the
Canadian Green Buildings Council (cagbc.org) a National not-for-profit
organization was formed. They have developed a Green Building
Rating System similar to what was being used in the USA and
other countries. The LEED tm building rating system is a design
guideline that is used to measure and certify some of Canada’s
“greenest” buildings. The LEED (Leadership in
Energy and Environmental Design) certification system aims
to improve occupant well being, environmental performance
and the economic return of buildings by using established
green building principles. Building performance criteria includes
Sustainable Sites, Water Efficiency, Energy and Atmosphere,
Materials and Resources and Environmental Quality. Lighting
globally is a large contributor to energy use, it’s
estimated that in Canada alone lighting consumes 20-25% of
all electrical energy consumption. Significant improvements
have been made in the commercial and industrial sector with
average energy use for lighting dropping substantially over
the past 10 years. Now with the introduction of energy codes,
and the surging popularity of the LEED green building rating
system, designers and architects will need to think differently
and perhaps learn to do more with less. As a manufacturer
we need to do our part as well by providing you with products
that “do more with less” less not only in the
energy consumed by the product, but also less in energy and
resources used to manufacture them. This lighting once installed
must also be controlled, green lighting design means ensuring
the right amount of light exists when needed and where it’s
needed, this means identifying and implementing the appropriate
lighting control strategies to reduce energy consumption.
Our IGEN personal control systems have been shown to reduce
energy consumption through the use of daylighting, occupancy
control and personal workspace control by up to 70%, visit:
http://www.canlyte.com/igen/
 Green
Building design and efficient quality lighting systems go
hand in hand, the biggest obstacle facing Architects and
interior designers today is keeping abreast of rapidly advancing
lighting technologies, we can help, just ask. Sustainable
lighting design is good for the environment and benefits
your client. Holistically, remember we can all contribute
through our daily life style choices, think about your carbon
footprint, can you do better, I know I can and I am working
on it…………….. Martyn Timmings
LC
Canlyte is a member of the Canadian Green Building Council
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| The lighting industry
today is inundated with fabricated, false and fallible information
aimed at the unknowing, unaware and under informed end-user.
Obviously, education is the key. When one is offered a
3 watt LED MR16 style lamp that saves you 85% of energy
compared to a 20 watt MR16, it sounds like a no brainer.
The math works, so it must be true. What they fail to inform
you is that you are not getting the same volume of light
(lumens) or, more critical with this type of lamp, light
intensity (candlepower). They don’t lie to you. They
just omit certain unflattering information.
It doesn’t help that the lighting industry has terminology
that can be ambiguous if the specifier is unaware. Take
the term “efficiency” for instance. When one
hears the term one thinks of energy usage or lack there
of. In fact the term efficiency is the percentage of light
that is emitted from the luminaire divided by the amount
of light delivered by the lamp. A bare lamp has 100% efficiency.
When discussing energy efficiency of various light sources
the correct term is efficacy. Efficacy is the volume of
light (lumens) produced by the source divided by the amount
of energy (watts) used to produce these lumens. It is given
as lumens per watt.
To illustrate, a standard 100 watt incandescent lamp has
an efficacy of 17 lumens/watt. A comparable 26 watt compact
fluorescent has an efficacy of 69 lumens/watt. Four times
the amount of light for the same energy. The 20 watt MR16
mentioned above delivers 240 lumens or 12 lumens/watt. The
3 watt LED MR16 delivers 62 lumens but with an improved
efficacy of 21 lumens/watt. So while one is saving 85% in
energy, one is getting a quarter of the lumens or volume
of light, 240 lumens to 62 lumens. Slightly more energy
efficient or efficacious, but is it enough to offset the
increase in price? In comparison, a 20 watt metal halide
lamp has an efficacy of 74 lumens/watt.
Typically, however, these lamps are used for accenting.
When one is accenting, one must take into consideration
the light intensity of the source, or candlepower. The higher
the candlepower the more light is being aimed at the object
or objects in question. The centre beam candlepower (CBCP)
of a 20 watt MR16 spot is 3400. The 3 watt LED MR16 CBCP
is not published, but will be considerably less. Less than
20% of the MR16.
Efficiency itself, even when used in the correct manner,
is misused and misunderstood. As mentioned previously, efficiency
is the percent of lumens leaving the luminaire compared
to the lumens emitted from the light source. There is no
consideration given as to “where” this light
is going, just if it is coming out. If you want to increase
the efficiency of a highbay, drill some holes in the reflector.
(Not recommended) More light will come out but less effective
light will be delivered  where
it is required. It is far more important to take into account
its candlepower distribution and, if in an enclosed space,
its coefficient of utilization (CU).
The lighting industry is fraught with such conundrums.
Knowledge of the terminology and nomenclature of lighting
is critical when assessing the most ideal source or luminaire
for a specific application. Ensure that you are aware of
what is being said and make an informed decision based on
accurate facts. If it sounds too good to be true it probably
is.
There are many places where a specifier can get the information
required to make an informed decision. Many websites offer
free education such as:
The Lighting Research Center
http://www.lrc.rpi.edu
National Research Centre
http://irc.nrc-cnrc.gc.ca/ie/lighting/
Illuminating Engineering Society of North America
http://www.iesna.org/edoppts/LEARN/
Canlyte
http://www.canlyte.com/www/education.asp
Canlyte’s Lighting Concept Centre also offers seminars,
programs and can customize these to any and all of your
needs.
Tom Butters LC
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 Traditionally
retail lighting has been the heavy weight in power consumption
for commercial interiors. It is always such a challenge to
incorporate good design and good value in any lighting design
project, now we have elevated it to an even more challenging
plateau with sustainability at the forefront of everybody’s
minds. With the emergence of LEED (leadership in  energy
and environmental design) into the construction process, owners
are now more conscious about sustainable building strategies.
Going green doesn’t have to mean expensive, Mountain
Equipment Co-op (MEC) in Victoria demonstrates this beautifully.
MEC in Victoria not only achieved LEED silver but also met
the client’s financial needs by using good value, excellent
performing luminaires to illuminate this retail space. The
designer really stepped out of the conventional retail box
by omitting the use of the incandescent light source. Accent
and vertical lighting techniques used newer and more sophisticated
light sources  such
as the T5 power wash fluorescent track luminaire and the ceramic
metal halide track luminaire. Using premium optics in selecting
the appropriate luminaire allowed for the elimination of extensive
watt consuming luminaires for the desired lighting levels.
The ambient lighting also adopted these same principles by
selecting such luminaires as the Pendalyte and Director2 for
this task. Making the selection of fluorescent and HID luminaires
for this project was in good design practice because they
are energy efficient sources due to the efficacy rating of
the lamps. The finesse to this project was the element of
controls incorporating daylight and dimming properties into
the design. Including light control has proven to save up
to 60% of the energy consumed for lighting alone. Here in
Canada, 19% of all energy consumed is for lighting alone which
makes the energy impact that much more significant. Light
control and daylight have become an essential and required
addition to the luminaire system in a building, MEC has achieved
this beautifully. Not only has Mountain Equipment Co-op transcended
the art of illumination incorporating the natural and electrical
light sources to control  it
on point but also to meet the strict environmental ingenuity
that is requested and required of attaining a LEED certified
structure. Achieving a sustainable accredited building demonstrates
to the public a commitment to the well being of future generations
and a sense of caring. Attaining any additional LEED certified
building is always such a design achievement in this day and
age where the mighty dollar and compromised building tactics
have been practiced and become the “norm” for
the past many years. This is an exceptional demonstration
of quality lighting design and a quality environment at MEC
in Victoria, British Columbia. Congratulations to Mountain
Equipment Co-op, Canlyte’s Vancouver Sales Office and
Mark Hepher of Farnham Design for the design.
By Janine Mighton
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| Small profile, powerful
impact: Lightolier launches Tangent line voltage track lighting
 Lightolier
is now introducing Tangent*, the smallest profile line voltage
track lighting system available. Tangent offers a variety
of clean architectural style, ideal for commercial, retail
and residential applications. Tangent may be installed in
an infinite range of configurations: surface mounted on
ceilings and walls, or suspended from wire or stems, in
straight or curved patterns. Tangent's modern extruded aluminum
track provides durability, but allows for custom bending.
Crystal clear polycarbonate is architecturally neutral and
blends with any surface. Tangent's innovative "side-by-side"
busbar design allows the track to be surface mounted flush
to ceilings and walls for the most unobtrusive installation.
Tangent is available in the following three track styles:
surface mounted for the smallest profile, suspended in both
a solid I-Beam or a perforated truss. Tangent’s unique
design, diminutive size and strikingly clean lines redefine
the state-of-the-art in line voltage track lighting.
*Winner of the 2007 LightFair International’s
Innovation Award, Category ‘Interior Luminaires: Track,
low-voltage cable and rail systems’
Clean architectural expression, multifaceted
glow: Lightolier expands Vetro decorative lighting family
with new downlight trims
 The
new decorative elements feature a modern, architectural
design expression. The Vetro Downlights add a level of visual
interest to a space while still providing the functionality
of Lightolier's halogen and compact fluorescent downlights.
The product line's minimal, clean, high quality design elements
complement the existing family of Vetro pendants and wall
sconces. Available in a variety of styles and sizes ranging
from a 2 7/8" aperture to a 7 3/8" aperture, the
Vetro Downlights offer unlimited scope for a broad variety
of applications - all within the same design family.
Like the pendants, the true attraction of the downlights
lies in their understated minimalism. Subtle light patterns
are revealed as light emanates in different ways when viewed
from different angles beneath the fixture. The downlights
are the perfect complement to Vetro pendants but also excel
as a standalone visual statement at the ceiling line.
Vetro Downlights are available in six distinct styles with
multiple ceiling aperture frame-in kit versions, including
3" and 4" Evolution and 4", 6" and 7"
compact fluorescent:
- D01 Series: A geometrically clean
solid translucent form that is polished to a jewelry level
finish. This style includes a beveled aluminum insert
that creates a visually dramatic negative space when illuminated.
- D02 Series: A geometrically clean
solid translucent form that is polished to a jewelry level
finish. This style features a frosted interior ring that
creates an intriguing glow that is defracted through the
solid illuminated form.
- D03 Series: An architecturally sound
simple design element featuring a gently illuminated angled
opal glass with carefully designed proportions for each
lamping and aperture combination.
- D13 Series: Angled opal glass is encased
under an additional layer of clear glass, creating an
added level of décor.
- D04 Series: A clean ring of hand blown
opal glass is carefully proportioned for each aperture
and each lamping combination.
- D14 Series: A straight ring of opal
glass under an additional layer of clear glass adds an
additional level of sophistication.
Lightolier introduces the newly expanded
Kubik family of optic forms and mounting systems.
 One
cubic inch is the starting point for Kubik’s blend
of discreet, aesthetic forms with versatile and efficient
lighting functions. Its many facets provide a host of creative
possibilities that can be tailored to meet your lighting
needs and design objectives. Its unique design covers the
lamp end, leaving a pure luminous form.
Kubik simply depends on the look and the lighting you have
in mind. There are three channel-to-lamps to choose from:
Flush, Stand-Off and Suspended. Ceiling-to-channel or structure-to-channel
height can also vary, using adjustable aircraft cables or
matching stems. The adorned style of the bare luminaire,
and the interchangeable lamp-held louvers maintain purity
of form and austerity of design. Orbit and Tri-Level louvers
incorporate built-in adjustability for added control over
brightness and lighting effects. Finally, the Spiral creates
a new fluid design for shielding as its form varies depending
on the viewing angle.
With its exclusive mix of features, Kubik is a leading
architectural lighting instrument devoted to minimalist
lighting design.
Reinventing Alter: luminaires so practical,
they could change the way architects design energy efficient
buildings.
 When
creating lighting layouts for the sustainable workplace,
consider Alter Concept luminaires to achieve appealing,
comfortable, productive surroundings. They combine streamlined
lightweight construction, ergonomically sound capabilities
and remarkable energy efficiency. In addition, they integrate
well into economical lighting concepts and design strategies
for sustainable buildings and high-performance spaces.
New Alter Concept direct-indirect luminaires include Concept
Elegance and Concept SR, both of which offer exclusive features
in addition to streamlined housing depths of only 3-5/8”!
Architectural grade Alter forms are suited to a wide variety
of applications, including retail and public spaces, as
well as schools and healthcare facilities. In the workplace,
Alter is suitable for private offices and open-plan environments,
with and without partitions, in addition to conference rooms,
hallways and lobbies.
Alter Concept brings together a new generation of low profile
luminaires offering Alter hallmark aesthetics in a greener,
more compact lighting package.
Keene Expressive Series
One series, two styles and one million lighting possibilities.
Expressive Series enhances or compliments a broad range
of commercial and retail spaces with great versatility for
a variety of applications such as exterior wall, pole and
sign lighting as well as interior accent, sign and ambient
lighting. Expressive is available with a multitude of energy
efficient sources, styles and color options in both the
sphere and linear series giving you the ability to design
the fixture to best suit the application.
More new products>>
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