Organized by the Designers Lighting Forum of New York, LEDucation is a marketplace for solid-state lighting innovations, providing industry professionals with an opportunity to experience new technologies and continue their education through a wide range of accredited seminars. LEDucation is a non-profit event, and its proceeds help stimulate future LED advancements by supporting a variety of grants, scholarships and lighting programs.
This year’s event will kick off with virtual sessions on March 14-15 and continue with in-person sessions and exhibit halls at the New York Hilton Midtown Hotel on March 19-20. Attendees can choose from a selection of nearly 50 diverse sessions and will have the chance to connect with exhibitors across four halls at the venue.
THE VENUE
The New York Hilton Midtown is located in the heart of Midtown Manhattan on Avenue of the Americas between West 53rd and West 54th streets. The iconic hotel is within a short walking distance of Central Park, Rockefeller Center, Radio City Music Hall, the Museum of Modern Art and Carnegie Hall; it is a few blocks away from Times Square, Broadway theaters and the renowned Fifth Avenue shopping district.
SESSION HIGHLIGHTS
The four-day conference lineup features numerous distinguished speakers and interesting topics. Below are just a few of the highlights. The entire list of sessions is available at https://leducation.org/conference-sessions/2024-presentations/.
CIRCADIAN HEALTH/WELL-BEING
Friday March 15 (Virtual session)
“Beyond the Visible” The proven effects of near-infrared light on our health and well-being presented by Dr. Anne Berends, Seaborough BV.
https://leducation.org/beyond-the-visible/
Tuesday, March 19
Panel Discussion—“Creative and Practical Design Strategies for Delivering Visual and Non-visual Benefits of Lighting”
Participants: Daniel Frering, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai; Mariana Figueiro, Mark Rea and Jennifer Brons, Light and Health Research Center, Mount Sinai School of Medicine.
https://leducation.org/creative-and-practical-design/
CODES
Tuesday, March 19
Panel Discussion—“Game On: Lighting Your Way to an Energy Code Win!”
Participants: Harold Jepsen, Legrand/Wattstopper; Michael Jouaneh, Lutron and Julie Donovan, Horton, Lees Brogden Lighting Design.
https://leducation.org/game-on/
LIGHT POLLUTION
Tuesday, March 19
“Specifying Outdoor Lighting That Enables Decarbonization and Minimizes Light Pollution Doesn’t Have to be a Headache”
Presented by Leora Radetsky, DesignLights Consortium and Tony Esposito, Lighting Research Solutions LLC.
https://leducation.org/specifying-outdoor-lighting/
DARK SKY
Tuesday, March 19
“A Refined Approach to Exterior and Landscape Lighting within DarkSky Recommendations”
Presented by Kathryn Toth, Theia Lighting Design.
https://leducation.org/darksky-recommendations/
AI
Wednesday, March 20
“Lighting Design and AI–The Future is Here”
Presented by Lisa J. Reed, Reed Burkett Lighting Design and Carla Bukalski, Focal Point.
https://leducation.org/lighting-design-and-ai/
SUSTAINABILITY
Tuesday, March 19
“Decarbonization in Lighting–The Hotspots”
Presented by Leela Shanker, GreenLight Alliance; William Paddock and James Salazar, WAP Sustainability.
https://leducation.org/decarbonization/
Tuesday, March 19
“Specifying Sustainable Luminaires”
Presented by Scott Roos, Acuity Brands.
https://leducation.org/specifying-sustainable-luminaires/
Show Your Support at the Student Lighting Competition
This marks the second year that IESNYC will hold the Student Lighting Competition at LEDucation. Now in its 24th year, the contest gathers more than 100 New York City students from university programs in lighting, architecture and industrial design who create conceptual lighting sculptures and compete for prizes. The competition serves as a gateway into the lighting industry for many of the students; last year at LEDucation, the students mingled with 600 professionals during the exhibition and explored the show floor. For this year’s event, Proximal Light will challenge the students to explore how light can bring people together. An exhibition is scheduled for 4:30-8:00 p.m. on Tuesday, March 19th in the New York Hilton Midtown Hotel’s Trianon Ballroom.
Past projects can be viewed at www.studentlightingcompetition.com
Locale
For those attending this year’s edition of LEDucation in person, New York City offers plenty of attractions to satisfy your eye for lighting design. Here are a few noteworthy sites worth visiting.
Big Apple Greeting
Out-of-towners, be sure to take note of LaGuardia’s revamped Terminal B.
Replete with more than 70 new custom lighting control panels (Leviton), emergency controls, touchscreens, networking equipment and standalone fixtures, the makeover allows the space to better serve traveler demands as well as meet up-to-date energy requirements in style. The six-year renovation project was completed without interruptions to airport services.
Bird’s-Eye View
Dramatic visuals and colorful schemes inside SUMMIT One Vanderbilt with lighting design by Arup lead visitors up to a multi-level observation deck, which reveals a sky-high view of The City That Never Sleeps. Created with purposeful diffused, reflected and accentuated lighting, these anticipatory spaces utilize integrated and DMX controlled dynamic color and white lights. The design works in conjunction with the IES Illumination Award winning project’s many unique finishes, such as mirrors, a high-reflectance white corridor and black tunnel surfaces, to maximize visuals and meet energy and budget goals.
A Flagship for the Stars
The new Aston Martin flagship store in Manhattan features a one-of-a-kind chandelier made of hand-blown, mirror-coated glass globes by VISO Lighting, along with LED point fixtures—proving that “the car is the star.” Crafted by AZA’s Alexander Zilberman and Q New York, the custom installation creates the look of reflected stars or city lights on car surfaces.
