Lighting in Design Q2 2019

Discussing office illumination with OPPLE Lighting RakeshVassanjee and Johan Geldenhuys from OPPLE Lighting spoke to Lighting in Design about the latest trends in office lighting. LiD: From your perspective, what are the current trends you are noticing? OPPLE: Currently in the market, the focus is on getting proper lighting into the office, for instance, the cor- rect temperature. Designers are looking at the number of hours one sits at the desk or by a computer, and the subsequent trend is to install the correct lighting and the correct size of fitting for that lighting.We have designed two panels that can be fitted into either a suspended ceiling or mounted onto a concrete celling in variations of 6 x 12 and 6 x 6 panels, available in colour temperatures of daylight and cool light. They are also flicker-free which is important in an office environment and reduces triggering epilepsy and migraines. LiD: Is human centric lighting being driven from clients or the suppliers? OPPLE: It is coming from both. With our extensive R&D department, OPPLE is continuously developing new ideas, hence our ranges of anti-glare, flicker-free and non-reflective lights. Cool white, 4000 K is be- coming the preferred choice for an office environment these days as people need to be comfortable due to the hours spent at work. LiD: Are the requirements in South Africa different to the overseas markets? OPPLE: In Europe the requirements are very high, and locally we need to meet the SABS standards. There are so many LEDs that have flooded the market at the moment. Overseas, people don’t mind spending the extra money on lighting, yet in our market people are more price conscious. Because there are so many players in the market, people have been burnt with other brands and been let down before, which is detrimental to the genuine suppliers . LiD: When will we get to the same stage as Europe in terms of smart lighting? OPPLE: When our economy allows clients to spend that money!We are getting some requests for it currently, but are finding that locally we don’t have the infrastructure in place to manage the modern light sources. LiD: What is the ideal future for lighting in office environments? OPPLE: Lights that are efficient and easily installed, as well as a focus on the correct colour temperatures in an office. Many engineers are starting to come to us to spec the product because they are now realising the need to do a lux reading, for example. The amount of desks and how much natural light comes into the building all play a role, and that’s where we have the advantage because we have done those case studies. LiD: Do you find that architects have a good understanding of lighting? OPPLE: Many still need to be brought up to speed – we call on many architects, designers and lighting engineers, to educate them on what is available and what they can actually use in their projects. A lot of people are still set in their ways with what they have always used – we want to educate so the right products can be specified. A lot of the architects are surprised by the technologies available – they are becoming smaller, more compact and more user friendly, which impacts on their design. Architects need to sit down with the brands and find out what is available in the market. A lot of the engineers are also set in their ways; they work purely within the budget and don’t look at the long term. A lot of custom made lighting is great, but when those lights fail, how do you repair and replace it quickly? As such, we like to futureproof our designs, so that as technologies change, you will still be able to use the same cut out, for instance, so that without having to replace the whole ceiling, you can still maintain or upgrade the fitting in the future.

www.opple.co.za/en

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LiD Q2 - 2019