Lighting in Design Q2 2022

Ed Space

O ver the course of the last few years, an avalanche of transformational change has swept through all industries and societies, globally and within Africa, forever changing the manner in which we communicate, collaborate, learn, play as well as engage with friends, family and colleagues. Although much of this came as a fast-tracked by-product of the coronavirus pandemic, it is fair to say that we were already heading down that road. Now, as many workplaces begin to welcome employees back to the office or campus amid the ongoing pandemic, there are numerous concerns on our minds. How many people are in the building at any given time? Does the office layout allow for social distancing? What areas need extra cleaning attention? The solution: connected lighting. As you will be aware, connected lighting has the ability to bump up its intelligence factor by networking various devices in an Internet of Things (IoT) scheme. Read our article on page 16 to see how connected lighting is being employed in the urban lighting context, and our article on page 18 to read about connected lighting in the retail setting. The buildings of today can too be user centric, allow for immediate flexi bility and have future-proof digitisation concepts and systems installed. This is best achieved by a multi-functional smart building solution, acting as the building’s central nervous system; one that collects data for user-friendly applications, reduces the building’s carbon footprint and delivers cost savings all at the same time. Lighting infrastructure is a requirement for all used spaces, and now the technology exists to use this infrastructure for more than just the illumina tion of a room. Sensors have long been integrated into lighting systems, so why not expand the functionality of said sensors? Research notes that the wellbeing and productivity of building users is mainly influenced by better lighting (+23%), improved ventilation (+11%) and individual temperature control (3%). To combine all three of these well-being metrics into one system makes perfect sense. Sensors tracking occupancy, brightness, and temperature can provide the metrics to control not only the light, but also regulate ventilation and temperature, and do so extremely efficiently. Basic principle suggests that most systems work best if they are kept simple rather than made complicated; therefore, simplicity should be a key goal in design, and unnecessary complexity should be avoided. One simple, reliable system: many positive outcomes. Connected lighting systems allow for the delivery of extraordinary value beyond illumination for companies, employees and the users of spaces. It seems almost negligent not to use connected lighting; yet in a country where tight budgets exist and money talks loudest, it is likely to be a while until we talk about connected lighting as the industry standard.

Editor: Gregg Cocking (lighting@crown.co.za) Advertising manager: Carin Hannay (carinh@crown.co.za) Layout: Katlego Montsho • Circulation: Karen Smith Cover: Aberfoyle Art Gallery by Architectural Planning Studio Published by Crown Publications (Pty) Ltd PO Box 140, Bedfordview, 2008 - Tel: +27 (0)11 622 4770 Fax: +27 (0)11 615 6108 - Website: www.crown.co.za ABC 2022 Q1: 6 313 • Printed by: Tandym Print All issues of Lighting in Design can be viewed on our website. Visit www.lightingindesignmagazine.co.za

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LiD Q2 - 2022