Future Lighting calls for architects to stop compromising efficiency for aesthetics in lighting design.
Contemporary architectural design is exciting. During the last 40 years London has seen its fair share of monumental new buildings and the skyline has been transformed. A more human approach is evident and the greening of London’s urban design is well underway with much-needed apartments, public spaces and new housing making their mark with roof gardens, green walls and urban horticultural spaces.
Probably not since the massive transformation begun by the Great Fire in 1666 has London been so completely redesigned. However, despite innovative design and exciting developments in technology, the exterior of new developments often belies what’s going on in the guts of the building. It appears that the same attention to detail given by architects to aesthetic appeal is not necessarily applied to the internal services that residents rely on to ensure they can live comfortably in their homes.
Basic errors
Lighting is a case in point. Specialists Future Lighting have many years’ experience of working on internal fit outs, but the company is aware that the number of basic errors within new developments doesn’t appear to be diminishing. Says Director Jamie Willsdon, “This is surprising, bearing in mind the profound changes that have been seen in the construction sector since the turn of the twenty first century. It is as if architects haven’t fully grasped or understood the developments in lighting technologies and design that have taken place during the last decade”.
The smallest detail can add significant costs to the day-to-day running of residential blocks and residents are inconvenienced by endless maintenance call outs. Jamie explains that otherwise good light fittings can be damaged beyond repair by a poor understanding of lighting set ups; for example why would you place sensors next to glazed areas with natural light flooding in and not utilize the daylight sensor to hold lights off and use the sun’s energy? This simply compromises their ability to react effectively. Choosing the correct fittings and commissioning occupancy sensors correctly for the location saves vast amounts of energy and money and promotes efficiency.
Even in blocks built as recently as 2010, it’s likely the lighting will still be fluorescent but LED has developed significantly in the past five years and lighting solutions are cost effective compared to even the recent past. If block managers are working in fabulous, architecturally significant spaces but are bogged down by lists of failed lights and resident complaints, then, says Jamie, it’s time the industry as a whole took a more proactive approach to lighting.
Get a lighting designer involved
So what does that mean exactly? “Being ‘proactive’ is a buzzword, agreed, but it requires a slightly different attitude,” says Jamie. ”Gone are the days of simply accepting the status quo. Management companies and other businesses are looking for the best solutions to their problems not just the most obvious. If a light is failing regularly, a service provider that simply replaces a lamp and doesn’t ask questions about why so many failures are occurring is not really offering an intelligent service.
“Sitting down with block managers and even being involved in the lighting design at construction stage is a much more proactive approach. Discovering the pain points of block management in respect to their lighting needs can make a massive difference to the way a building functions. It really is surprising. Setting up effective housekeeping systems to make management more effective is another winning strategy. And data makes all the difference. Looking at footfall, usage patterns; the most appropriate locations for lights and sensors is just the start of a contemporary approach to block lighting management.”
Jamie is convinced by years of experience that too often efficiency falls victim to design. “We are passionistas when it comes to design and aesthetic,”’ he says “but surely energy efficiency, cost management and maintenance must have some bearing on the choice of light fitting? Many London apartment blocks are in danger of falling victim to style over substance. Inappropriate commissioning, fittings and design can actually transform a lighting spectacle into a tragic statement. Poorly informed maintenance teams can replace lamps with different sizes, types and wattage causing an entrance foyer to look like a jumble sale. Not only that, the cost of managing long maintenance lists can be astronomical. So, at times calling out repair teams can cost inordinate amounts per lamp. It’s crazy”
Finding solutions
So what’s the solution? Jamie is well aware of the differences that can be made with thought, knowledge and experience. He cites Bézier, a block in fashionable Old Street that was experiencing lighting issues. When Braemar Estates took over management of the block, property manager Claire Collins found there were huge maintenance bills for ongoing lighting repairs. The list of problems faced by the new property manager make sobering reading:
- Although constructed in 2010 lamps were failing regularly;
- They were running up huge maintenance bills;
- They were wasting too much time dealing with tenant complaints and chasing repairs. Just replacing high level or over stair lights were tricky and caused endless maintenance headaches; and
- The blocks’ lighting systems were costing too much money and were not fulfilling the appropriate function.
Future Lighting was approached by Braemar Estates to give a second opinion and undertake a professional lighting audit. Incorrect settings on occupancy detectors had damaged the light fittings and lamps and there were a range of other issues to tackle. These included:
- Maintenance charges were running away with the budget and engineers were being called every two weeks to deal with the same problems;
- the manufacturers had stated lamps needed to be changed before they failed or every 10 000 hours. This was highly impractical for a contemporary block like Bézier;
- Lux settings were inappropriately set;
- Poor commissioning had damaged fittings that are just three to four years old; and
- The life of fittings and lamps was compromised dramatically by poor initial commissioning.The solutionThe previous lighting contractor had responded to these issues with ad-hoc repairs. Instead, Future Lighting stressed the importance of correct commissioning of sensors to balance damage protection, lamp life and energy efficiency. “We had our in-house engineers comb the entire site’s system and reset all occupancy detectors to the optimum settings, to suit their environment, foot flow levels and guidance for the particular light fitting,” Jamie explains..“We have also sourced a replacement LED light fitting that retrofits into the cut-out of the damaged fluorescent lights and have agreed an ongoing direct replacement scheme to suit the scheme’s budget. Eventually Bézier will have a maintenance- free lighting system, designed to suit its environment and improve light levels and which is covered by our 5-year, no worry guarantee,” he says.
