Author: russellcoombes

The Marriot Autograph welcomes its latest addition, the Monasty Hotel, the first international five-star hotel in the centre of Thessaloniki, Greece. Located near the iconic Aristotelous Square and Saint Theodora convent, this striking architecture was the inspiration for the hotel’s identity and reflected throughout its design.

The key aim of the lighting was to discreetly illuminate the architecture and interiors, accenting the materiality of the surfaces while enhancing the atmosphere. Architectural design by D2C2 architects and DelBlu Architetti, with interior design by Not Another Number Architects, was incorporated with lighting design by Eleftheria Deko & Associates. Eleftheria Deko & Associates specified Lucent Lighting’s product range for this project, bringing to light the ecclesiastical references and inspiration.

The hotel’s design is minimalist throughout, from the architecture to the natural colour palette and textures. Yet the guestrooms stand out with striking architecture, featuring unique fixtures and decorative touches which reflect the ecclesiastical inspiration. The subtle lighting illuminates the warm colours to create a soft and welcoming ambience, promoting comfort and relaxation.

Lucent’s Edge90 Accent Trim downlight blends seamlessly into the ceiling design, casting a discreet downwards glow to set the atmosphere and capture details by accenting intricate details with light. Micro40 Disc round fixed miniature downlights are also implemented throughout public areas and guestrooms, with a black, anti-glare shield for a subtle radiance.

Lucent’s products are used to cast several lighting layers throughout each space, creating varied moods and tones. The lighting shifts to warmer tones as the day progresses, transitioning from day to night to reflect an intimate mood and atmosphere. The lighting is controlled by an architectural lighting control system, providing low power consumption and flexibility for the hotel.

The hotel is a unique venue full of character, the lighting design amplifies the stunning interiors to achieve an overall charming and welcoming atmosphere for guests to enjoy while on a luxurious visit to Greece.

Project credits:

Client – Michaniki Perivallontos
Architect – D2C2 Architects & Engineers και οι DelBlu Architetti, Greece

Lighting Design – Eleftheria Deko & Associates, Greece

Interior Design – Not A Number Architects, Greece

Photography – Gavriil Papadiotis / Archive: Eleftheria Deko

Simon Fisher, Founder & Director of F Mark Ltd, and Partner of The Regen Initiative, discusses how the lighting industry can overcome the challenges of remanufacturing to harness its vital benefits.

Sustainable lighting is a cause that Simon is passionate about, recently he spoke at the Recolight Remanufacturing Lighting Conference on the 27th of April 2023 and at Grand Designs Live on the 3rd of May 2023 about how to embrace remanufacturing.

Remanufacturing with The Regen Initiative

Remanufacturing requires a complete change in mindset, production and process from the linear take, ‘make waste’ economy, where old light fittings are discarded and replaced with new.

In most cases, the process involves keeping the original luminaire material, known as the Core, and converting the light source to LED. This helps to create a solution that saves energy, time, money, and ultimately, the environment. Remanufacture as a technique goes hand-in-hand with technology upgrades, which is crucial in the lighting industry to keep products modern and introduce new solutions into the market.

The aim of The Regen Initiative partners is to work together and collaboratively to provide more efficient lighting that stands the test of time without compromise, challenging the status quo and striving to provide solutions without sacrificing quality or compromising on safety or ethical standards.

Responsibilities of remanufacturing

Retaining fluorescent is no longer an option due to its imminent obsolescence*. The only options remaining seem to be a) replace old fluorescent with new LED lighting or b) remanufacture old fluorescent and upgrade to LED.

As a result, clients are opening up to the concept of reuse of existing light fittings in projects to achieve both cost savings and sustainability goals by reducing energy usage and carbon output. This is in response to a renewed drive to achieve Net Zero and a recognition that globally we need to reduce our energy and carbon consumption to meet this goal. LED luminaires significantly reduce energy when compared with traditional luminaires, but in many cases luminaires are discarded when they still have life left in them and can benefit from being upgraded to LED solutions.

For the UK to meet energy targets we must look at taking energy out of existing sources. Lighting is the ideal opportunity to look at reducing energy, with significant reductions possible by upgrading existing systems.

The challenges of circular economy lighting

The principle of remanufacturing is more complex than just fitting new and is therefore a more challenging process. While acknowledging that fitting new is easier for the customer, remanufacturing maximises the potential for carbon reduction, capturing all of the embodied and operational benefits available.

Each project should be looked at on an individual, case-by-case basis, as it takes more coordination, and the client and all parties need to be committed. In some instances, remanufacturing might not be physically or financially beneficial, and it is important to consider all options.

This raises the question for clients – if it’s easier to fit new, why should we work harder to remanufacture?

The benefits of embracing remanufacturing

There are a huge number of benefits for clients, including an increase in energy efficiency, resulting in a reduction in operational cost, and an improvement in sustainable credentials by lowering carbon emissions. In addition, remanufacturing offers an opportunity to further upgrade the controls strategy, where wired or wireless dimming can be integrated, along with automated controls and daylight linking deployment, which would result in further energy savings of up to 30%.

Remanufacturing products reduces the carbon burden and reduces waste by keeping existing products in use in line with circular economy principles. It also increases the life of existing products due to longer LED life, coupled with a simplified installation, delivering ultra-long-life solutions lasting for generations to come.

The Regen Initiative can simplify the whole process by managing the remanufacture of products which were originally delivered by multiple OEMs, delivering significant energy savings at scale. A recent example of savings achieved is demonstrated through the remanufacture of existing installed lighting at Arup’s Manchester office.

By swapping from compact fluorescent to LED luminaires, this remanufacture achieved a 72% reduction in energy, and a 45% reduction in carbon emissions by reusing the existing housings of the original fittings. In addition, we upgraded and simplified the control solution from DALI to wireless. This resulted in this single project alone avoided the consumption of over 5500kg of carbon dioxide, the equivalent of over 67,000 plastic bottles.

Lighting a sustainable future with The Regen Initiative

This is where the Regen Initiative shines and is a glowing example of how they are adapting ahead of the rest of the competitors.

It is clear that remanufacturing is a credible option for the lighting industry’s future, and the market is growing quickly in response to this. There is an appetite from the lighting specification community to engage in an alternative to ‘replace with new’. The new British Standard BS8887, which is now in editorial review at BSI, is the code of conduct under which people will remanufacture light fittings. This will mean there is an industry benchmark to adhere to and future consequences for companies that don’t meet requirements

Whilst remanufacturing is not a new phenomenon, The Regen Initiative hope that 2023 will be a landmark year in which this practice becomes a credible alternative to simply replacing lighting for new. By providing manufacturers, suppliers and specifiers with vital insights to help ensure their business stays at the forefront of the sustainable lighting revolution.

A new series of workshops on how calculate circular and carbon metrics for lighting products has been announced by Recolight. The educational event explores the latest guidelines, standards, and legislation, Life Cycle Assessments and associated metrics.

The focus is on practical delivery of TM66 and TM65. Delegates will learn:

• How TM66 and TM65 combine to validate the circular and embodied carbon content of products already designed.
• And how these metrics can be used in future developments to better inform circular decision making in the design phase of the project.

Hosted by lighting product designer, Simon Fisher of F Mark, the CPD-accredited events also look at the approaches and techniques to creating lights with long use, repair and upgradeability built in.

Fisher estimates that 80 per cent of a light fitting’s environmental impact is determined at the design phase. He says: ’To quote [environmentalist] Ellen MacArthur, “waste is a design flaw; In nature it doesn’t exist”’.

The workshops are intended for technical managers, design and engineering managers, quality managers, compliance engineers, sustainability managers, marketing managers, product managers, and any others that influence product design. They are a roundtable environment with a maximum of 12 delegates, giving the opportunity for full interaction, feedback, and questions for each topic. Places are available for Wednesday 21 June, in London, with more dates to be announced.

Delegate feedback from previous Recolight workshops:

“Simon delivered a superb CPD workshop explaining and unravelling the complexities of the circular economy from the perspective of designers and manufacturers. Interactive and informative; this is knowledge sharing at its finest.” Jago Wickers of LUMINO

North Melbourne Football Club (NMFC) in Victoria, Australia, is a professional Australian rules football club also known as the Kangaroos. The club’s headquarters recently underwent a significant upgrade to create new community facilities and Away Team changing rooms for the Australian and Victorian women’s football leagues (AFLW and VFLW). The improvement works also saw the addition of a two-storey extension, known as the East End, and accompanying façade to the existing facilities.

The East End was seen as an opportunity to support key functional and operational requirements, while also adding a dynamic and highly expressive lighting element to the façade. The Colour Change façade lighting was identified as an opportunity to reinforce the club’s connection and heritage with local and broader First Nations communities, the PRIDE rainbow, and NMFC’s traditional Royal Blue and White. To achieve this, a number of solutions from Pharos Architectural Controls were specified.

A Pharos Designer LPC 1 (Lighting Playback Controller 1), with a TPS (Touch Panel Station), andPoE Switch were selected to deliver the dynamic elements of the lighting concept, which was developed jointly by the project architects HB Arch, and electrical/lighting engineer, erbas™. The build was completed by Harris HMC.

The luminaires used to illuminate the façade are from Coloon LED Lighting, and were supplied by leading Australian lighting distributor Buckford Illumination Group. The perforated metal sheet façade can be backlit with a plethora of colour-scenes, transforming the structure from day to night with a dynamic array of colours and shadows.

The Pharos Designer TPS gives easy control of playback selection and lighting levels, allowing users to seamlessly transition between scenes, timelines, effects and pixel-mapped media. It works in harmony with the Pharos Designer LPC 1, which features 512 channels of DMX/eDMX. With a compact form and minimal power requirements, it gives complete flexibility to be installed anywhere.

Completing the system is the Pharos Designer PoE, an unmanaged switch with six 10/100Base-TX Ethernet ports with standard RJ45 sockets, perfect for connecting power and data between Designer Controllers and Designer Remote Devices, such as the TPS.

Tony Symms, Regional Sales Manager, Asia Pacific at Pharos Architectural Controls said: “NMFC is very much at the heart of the community, and as such, it is important for them to demonstrate that connection. Pharos was excited to be part of the project to make this possible, offering market-leading control solutions that work in harmony with the specified LED lighting from Coloon.”

Gray Barton, Director, from HB Architects added: “The upgrade works at NMFC have provided the club with greater capacity and flexibility for training and match days. The new façade and the dynamic lighting successfully display the clubs progressive and contemporary role in the community. The control solutions from Pharos have delivered everything we need to bring the colour scenes to life and support the club’s aim of celebrating different communities across the country.”

In the evenings, the façade is generally adorned with the distinctive royal blue and white that are instantly recognisable as NMFC’s club colours. A variety of alternative colour scenes can also be selected. These include yellow and red to celebrate the club and local community’s ties with First Nations, and a rainbow colour scene in recognition and support of LGBTIA+ communities.

Project Credits:

Architect – HB Architects

Consulting engineer – erbas™

Builder – Harris HMC

Supplier – Buckford illumination Group

Lighting Manufacturer and DMX Control integrator – Coolon LED Lighting

Leading lighting designer and manufacturer, Ansell Lighting, has appointed Kissart Group as its exclusive in-country distributor in Ghana.

The new partnership will offer Ansell’s innovative lighting solutions to consumers in the West African nation, where Ansell has operated for more than 12 years.

The Kissart Group, a Mechanical, Electrical, and Plumbing (MEP) company, has previously partnered with Ansell on key projects, including Tamale International Airport and the Covid-19 facility centre at Korle Bu, and was keen to expand the relationship across Ghana.

Nick Prince, International Account Manager for Ansell Lighting, believes the new partnership, which was launched at an event at the Marriott Hotel, Accra in Ghana, aligns with Ansell’s commitment to making a positive impact and providing environmentally friendly lighting services.

He said: “We recognise the enormous potential of Ghana as a growing market. We have been conducting business in Ghana since 2011 and our partnership with Kissart on several prestigious projects has established them as a trusted ally, leading us to establish this long-term partnership. Our goal is to work closely with Kissart to expand our presence in both the project and distribution markets. Ultimately, we aspire to become a household name in Ghana.”

As part of the launch, Ansell Lighting introduced the Octo-Casambi, a Bluetooth mesh system app that allows customers to have complete control over their lighting systems.

Aloysius Attiogbe, Project Account Manager for Kissart Group, said: “We are a Mechanical, Electrical, and Plumbing (MEP) company, and our partnership with Ansell stems from their provision of the highest quality products.

“The smart lighting solutions allow customers to achieve intelligent lighting without the need to replace their entire systems.  And we consider this partnership a major milestone because by managing power consumption, we contribute significantly to reducing our carbon footprint. Consuming less power brings us closer to achieving sustainability and environmentally friendly lighting solutions.”

Established in 1992 and with headquarters in Warrington, Ansell now exports to 22 different countries [check this please!] and, as part of the company’s growth and expansion strategy, has recently established a presence in the Nordics, alongside established operations in Madrid, Dublin, Belfast and Donguan, China.

W-Lane, a recently renovated home in Lancashire, highlights the integral role of lighting in elevating an interior design. Deploying a hybrid wired and wireless Rako controls solution, luxury architectural and interior design company, Vivo Casa, utilised smart technology to illuminate the newly designed home, with a sophisticated, functional and elegant lighting scheme.

Lighting has the ability to connect and define a space, guide mood, and optimise life’s daily activities, it plays a central role in creating beautiful spaces with flawless functionality. As the home underwent its extensive renovation, Vivo Casa knew that it had to consider the lighting design in the very first steps to achieve the results the homeowners were looking for, including a sleek modern decor.

Given full rein to completely reconfigure the house, Vivo Casa stripped back walls and created brand new open spaces with a breathable atmosphere. These new areas required a tailored lighting design that could bring the vision to life and also work with the natural light now coming into the space.    The team knew they wanted a large statement lighting piece to complement the aesthetics within the open kitchen, dining and living space, however, limitations in ceiling height meant the fixtures could not include any hanging pendant features. Vivo Casa, developed a grand flower design, with tiered circular petals as the central fixture within the home. High-end Italian lighting manufacturer, Nemo Studio created the fixtures, which incorporated  DALi Dimmable drivers to create a dramatic yet functional effect.

“Lighting is such a central part of creating the perfect architectural and interior design. I wouldn’t have been able to achieve cohesive lighting without Rako in this project. With the main focal point being the flower fixture, we needed to have fully controllable dimmers that could ensure the light wasn’t overpowering and brought a good balance to the space. I use Rako as it is a trusted brand, with great capabilities and sleek keypads that can really tie into the design. The Rako team is also incredible at providing support with whatever I need,” comments Nas Adam, Owner of Vivo Casa.

Whilst automation was a necessity to achieve the desired lighting design, the client was initially reluctant to include this technology within their home, believing it to be too complicated to use. An important process in introducing customers to smart technology is demonstrating the capabilities practically and building trust in the simplicity for the end user. Having access to its own showroom, fully fitted with Rako, Vivo Casa was able to demonstrate to the client how flexible and simple it is to use Rako’s controls and lighting automation. Through this session, the client saw the possibilities that this technology offered them and their home, requesting for Rako to be included throughout.

W-Lane features a hybrid wired and wireless lighting control system. With the entire house being renovated, it gave Vivo Casa the opportunity to install cables exactly where they required to create the desired control system. By adding wireless controls to the system as well, the design team could incorporate added functionality and deliver a unique and fun control system. For instance, in the bedroom, the control keypad was fitted into the bedhead so the client can control and set the lighting with just a touch of a button, from the comfort of the bed for real accessibility and ease of use.

Rako’s colour temperature and controllable lighting is programmed with the ability to set different moods and layered atmospheres across the home. “One thing the Rako system helped me achieve, was to set a default colour temperature, which gives the whole house a holistic design. The spaces easily flow from one to another without harsh colour changes and highlight the features of each room the way they are intended,” adds Nas.

The interior décor has been completed with a range of Rako EOS keypads, taking advantage of the different finishes and designs Rako offers to best suit the colour scheme throughout the home. These user-friendly controls are complemented with the Rako app, which offers mood-changing and colour temperature as well as quick light control and the ability to turn the whole home on and off from anywhere in the world. With this addition, the customer is able to set the ideal atmosphere at the touch of a button, all from the comfort of their own couch.

“It is great to see Rako being used by Vivo Casa. Nas is an incredible designer, she completely understands lighting and how crucial it is to be able to control and design a lighting system for the function and design of a home. We are so pleased our controls can be utilised to fulfil the vision of this talented designer.” Comments Peter Broome, Director at Rako.