Thomas Schielke is a well respected figure in the field of lighting design for his prolific carrer in the industry. In his over ten years of professional experience, he has taught at universities in Wismar, Cologne and Bochum, (Germany) and he has been invited to lecture at institutions such as MIT and Columbia. His writing has been published internationally in books, industry journals, and design magazines. He has also led workshops and participated in conferences throughout Europe. Since 2001, Thomas has held a position with ERCO, a corporation which leads the field in architectural light fixture manufacturing. In 2009, the company published the book “Light Perspectives: Between Culture and Technology”, which he wrote with Martin Krautter. The book is an extensive volume on lighting design. It was the first of its kind to be published by a manufacturer and act as a rescource that profiled both the current technical and qualitative facets important to lighting design practitioners.
Recently, I was able to have an exchange with Thomas Schielke and get some of his reflections on the book. Because of his far-reaching experience in the industry, I also thought it interesting and useful to hear some of his insights on the current directions being taken in lighting design. In speaking with Thomas we were also able to get a brief timeline into the recent past of lighting industry as it was developing.
Light Perspectives images © ERCO
To begin, what were the conditions of the lighting design industry when you first started out compared to the time you decided to work on the book, “Light Perspectives”?
TS: Comparing my start in lighting in 2001 with the publication of the book, “Light Perspectives” in 2009, one of the biggest changes was the ban of the incandescent light bulb. The industry was confronted with the ban of a light source used in the majority of luminaires and installed in a large number of buildings. On the other hand, the improvements in LED technology have opened a long-term path with a better luminous efficacy.
Another environmental issue was, “Dark Sky” and the development of fixtures that avoid light pollution. Today we find many luminaires that reveal smart solutions for these environmental issues.
At the time, the importance of lighting companies was seen by the increasing visibility of companies. The knowledge about lighting was enhanced by an increasing number of conferences, courses and master degrees so that more people received a better understanding about lighting. Lighting simulations had become standard and reached a very naturalistic level to communicate lighting concepts vividly. Another effect was the media’s own migration from printed media to the Internet, which formed a new communication challenge.
J: In 2009 when “Lighting Perspectives” was first released, the lighting industry changed. What do you as a major recent development in the field since then?
TS: Writing the book took about two years and looking back now to the last four years of lighting technology the major influence in lighting technology derives from LED. White LED light has improved immensely with regard to lumen output and colour rendition. These steps enabled longer distances between the luminaire and the illuminated object, e.g. the first LEDs were integrated in task lights with short distances, and afterwards spotlights and downlights entered the market to illuminate downwards from the ceiling. Further, the good colour rendition of today’s LEDs facilitates the use of LEDs in museums, in the retail world and office spaces. The mass production of LEDs also led to lower prices.
The second major change originates from optoelectronics. The connection of software and hardware became more sophisticated. The industry developed new optical systems for LEDs in order to create highly efficient lighting instruments. This will have a long lasting effect in contrast to many retrofit solutions where old luminaires were equipped with an LED bulb that neglected the specific features and chances of LED technology.
Since the book, “Light Perspectives” was published in 2009 and has been written with the aim of a reference book, the LED data would certainly be updated, as the performance of the LED has definitely improved in these last two years.
J: Regarding future trends, is there something you would like to see more of in terms of the way designers and architects work with lighting?
TS: Starting with light and lighting at an early design stage would help to optimise the daylight performance and the carbon footprint. Lighting guidelines written before the age of computers need to be adjusted to contemporary working habits, as offices have become filled with luminous screens. Furthermore, architectural lighting should play a bigger role in architectural education to enhance good lighting and energy efficient solutions.
J: What are the top five pivotal lighting design projects to you in your mind, that have influenced the rest of the industry?
TS:
1. Masdar City in Abu Dhabi: The city has the vision to rely entirely on solar energy. This perspective brought many institutes and design offices together to realise sustainability in an urban dimension. The concept will have to include efficient ways of lighting. This influence may not be so apparent at the moment, but it will be.
2. The Seagram Building in New York, an international style in architecture is also a unique project: Light has become an integral part of architecture – not only with the recessed downlights that illuminate the lobby walls and the tables in the Four Seasons Restaurant, but also with the luminous ceiling for creating an urban lantern based on the outer zones of the office spaces. Even today many architects strive for light solutions, which require customized fixtures that may appear to be invisible in the architecture, but generates striking lighting effects.
3. I regard Jean-Michel Jarre´s concerts in Houston (1986) or La Défense/Paris (1990) as a turning point: Not only did these concerts show at a very early stage how light and music could be linked together to create a fantastic show, they also managed to convert a central business district into a stage where light has become a narrative medium. These events would not have been possible without new ways of projection and control systems. Today, for example, we have the Hong Kong waterfront with a daily light show for tourists.
4. The Galleria Department Store in Seoul also symbolises an important aspect: UN Studio wrapped more than 4000 luminous discs around the building. Each disc is programmable to use the façade as a flexible urban screen. The world of video signals and the field of LED pixels seem to merge increasingly with large media façade installations.
5. LED Throwies: These little pixels can be thrown on surfaces and show how games and light can be linked. Light has become a medium of fun and games. Many illuminated spaces and buildings seem to shift into media to emotionalise our environment. If we could invent a cool game to reduce light, we would be less bothered about sustainability.
J: Can you name and describe for us a current project that particularly interests you?
TS: The Flyfire by the SENSEable City Lab at the MIT is a visionary project. They created flying luminous pixels. Each pixel has a micro helicopter. Thereby, the swarm of pixels can transform into a three-dimensional display. This study will lead to a new appearance of luminous pixels and initiate a debate about how information could be displayed and how flat LED screens could gain three-dimensionality.
For more information on Thomas’s project see his website here
Posted by: Jerlyn – NIS Berlin
Tags: Galleria Department Store, Jean-Michel Jarre, LED Throwies, Light Perspectives, Masdar City in Abu Dhabi, The Flyfire, The Seagram Building in New York, Thomas Schielke