The lighting designer today and the tools available
T he world of lighting is constantly evolving , not only in terms of the availability of sources and systems that are increasingly ingl controllable and adaptable to different needs , but also because lighting designers today have at their disposal increasingly sophisticated tools for all phases of the design process . Starting from the mapping of the existing environment by means of photogrammetry , also with the use of drones , passing through the modelling and digital verification tools , which include
BIM simulations and applications with Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality , up to the onsite verifications with innovative measuring instruments equipped with systems for the collection and processing of the acquired data . We therefore wonder , on the one hand , about the potential and the extent to which these tools have changed the activities of designers , also in terms of time and costs , and on the other hand , whether traditional design techniques , such as the use of hand sketches or scale models , can continue to coexist with the more advanced ones , which mainly use automatic processes . We asked experts in the field for their opinions on these issues , and we are pleased to welcome the contributions of Bianca Tresoldi , Alessandro Grassia , Massimiliano Guzzini , Robert Heinze , Francesco Presepi , and Claudio Valent .
Four questions Innovative systems and tools such as
1 . VR ( Virtual Reality ) and AR ( Augmented Reality ), or such as drones and laser-scanners , have become new tools for lighting designers and companies , as they allow to perform simulations or acquire useful data both for the proposal and verification of new luminaires and for the lighting design . What do you think ? And where do you stand ?
One of the big questions raised by the
2 . use of sophisticated and predictive tools is that the act of designing is impoverished or simplified . As always , the methods of use are important . What is your opinion ?
The very tools for drafting the project have
3 . evolved , from the drafting table , passing through AUTOCAD to the BIM platforms : but is the pencil still a usable tool , at least in the initial stages of the project ?
In your opinion , both in the company
4 . offices and in the professional studios , can the use of these tools lead to a change in the number of staff who collaborate in the creation of lighting systems and projects ? And are there any professional upgrade trainings or new skills you think would be necessary ?
Alessandro
Grassia Lighting Designer , Astrapto 1
. I am certainly in favour of anything that can move the working and design phases that do not
require any critical reflection or reasoning from man to machine . The new technologies that allow us to improve the quality
of projects and reduce production times are welcome , as the value of the final product will surely increase . Our studio is always willing to evaluate new technologies to support the design . In particular , for over a year now , we have equipped ourselves with an UAV aircrafts ( Unmanned Aerial Vehicle ), which came in handy for our lighting simulations and tests . We initially used them for the 3D reconstruction of artefacts . Subsequently , we had the camera of one of our drones calibrated by a specialised laboratory in Germany , in order to use it as a videoluminance meter , i . e . via specific software we can measure the luminance values of the surfaces through the images recorded by the camera . A particularly advantageous use of this new technology is that it enables you to measure the luminance values of the road surfaces quickly and
Fotografia aerea con drone per la misurazione dei valori di luminanza delle strade / Aerial photography with drone for the measuring of the luminance values of roads Courtesy Alessandro Grassia
without creating
obstacles to the vehicle traffic . 2 . The risk of this happening is always around
the corner , especially when you have acquired an ease of use with sophisticated tools ; you must always see new technologies as a useful support for design and never as a substitute for it , because the final result would suffer . A project that preserves the passionate , human , and cultural contents of the designers will always stand out from another developed “ mechanically ”, even in the eyes of nonspecialists . 3 . Yes , that ’ s right . In the initial stages of
the project , where the concepts take shape , the pencil is certainly irreplaceable ; perhaps because it is the only instrument that does not add any filters between the elaboration of the
mind and the action of the hand . 4 . Not in terms of changes ; if anything ,
the use of the new tools will require the acquisition of new skills for staff members , thus increasing their qualification . However , the humanistic and cultural knowledge always remains at the basis of good design , and cutting-edge technologies can be a great support . Having sophisticated tools at your disposal , and the ability to use them , will never on their own make anybody a good designer .
Massimiliano Guzzini Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer ,
iGuzzini Illuminazione 1 . Especially in a social and health care
context like the current one , the use of these tools greatly facilitates any phase of the process , generating value for all the players in the supply chain : from the manufacturer of lighting fixtures to the designer , from the client to the end user . For example e , in iGuzzini
Visualizzazione 3D di un ' area di progetto ottenuta grazie all ' uso di velivoli APR / 3D visualisation of a project area obtained through the use of APR aircrafts Courtesy Alessandro Grassia
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