LUCE 328 | Page 21

Guido Bianchi This is only the beginning of the future lighting designer, Rossi Bianchi Lighting Design 1 New forms in the design of lighting fixtures with LED technology F rom when they appeared in the lighting market, a little over a decade ago, with a very promising performance, prohibitive costs, and a future that could not be fully foreseen, we have seen the very rapid diffusion of LEDs, so much so that today almost all new designs, as much as requalification projects use these sources. The advent of LED systems has broken the dichotomy of companies producing lighting fixtures on one hand and companies producing the sources on the other, and has forced numerous manufacturing companies to reconvert, opening the road to new manufacturers with know-how in the field of electronics and favouring new industrial cooperation. Furthermore, the LEDS have jeopardized the old relation of the lamp and its shell, they have shaken the related photometry, questioned the colour rendering index and the glare ones. However, due to their geometric and optoelectronic characteristics, LEDs enable a precise control and dynamic management of luminous scenarios. Their flexibility and adaptability allow greater integration of lighting in the architectural context and the realization of units with new shapes and photometrics. Besides, also other aspects that are not always positive must be observed and considered, as for example the production of LED lamps for previously existing units that imitate the traditional sources, which, in the name of energy efficiency, do not provide the same lighting conditions and visual comfort, and the introduction in the market of low cost and poor quality systems. In this varied panorama, one thing is certain: whatever the outcome, LEDs have forced lighting designers to think differently, and therefore it is important to listen to some of their opinions on this topic. We did it with this Special Report on Design and the interviews with Guido Bianchi, Giorgio Biscaro, Miriam Emiliano, Daniele Ruzza, Giacomo Rossi, and Enzo Panzeri. The questions 1 What changes has LED technology brought to the design of lighting fixtures, compared to the traditional sources, both aesthetically and functionally? 2 LED sources are ductile, and this enables the realization of systems in which form and function are integrated even more perfectly. Do you agree? And if so, why? 3 LEDs have led to a greater freedom and control of light, but also to a greater complexity and responsibility. What do you think? LED sources initially replaced the traditional sources in lighting fixtures that were designed for the old technologies. Only later did they generate the design of new lighting fixtures, which were designed according to the technological characteristics of the diodes. The elements that are perhaps most interesting in the new design approach are: the decreased size of the optics and the lighting components, and glare control. The combination of these two factors has originated a new generation of spotlights and linear systems that are totally innovative compared to the previous ones. This has given lighting design greater possibilities to integrate and customize the light installations in indoor and outdoor areas. 2 From the point of view of construction, there surely is an integration between form and function in LED lighting fixtures; however, it is less from the point of their usage. The potentiality of LED sources has produced a proliferation of typologies of lighting fixtures, which on one hand allow innovative installations, but in many other cases has produced an excessive presence of details of light that are more decorative than functional. We note more and more that there is a greater need for an accurate lighting design, so that the new lighting fixtures can be used in the best possible way. In fact, many high-quality installations have produced diffused high expectations with regard to the use of light, which do not allow any improvisations. 3 When using lighting fixtures with LED sources, the complexity is given by the great versatility and ductility of these new technologies: the specifications of each lighting fixture have become very detailed and segmented. Within a lighting design project there is also the responsibility of the installation from the point of view of the luminous effect and from that of the durability and sustainability of the choices. The long life (declared by the light manufacturers) of the LED sources does not exclude the need to carry out maintenance (for example, to electrical and mechanical components). Therefore, it is very important to carefully evaluate the position and the conditions of the installation of each lighting fixture. Club Med, Cefalù garden design: Gaia Chaillet Giusti lighting design: Rossi Bianchi Lighting Design LED DESIGN SPECIAL REPORT / LUCE 328 19