Events

Study Finds Integrated NLCs And HVACs Make For Big Savings
A new DesignLights Consortium study, Economic Potential of Networked Lighting Controls in Commercial Buildings: Tapping the Added Value of HVAC Connections supports the savings potential of NLCs and encourages pairing them with HVAC systems in large buildings. The study commissioned by the DLC and conducted by NV5, a provider of technology, conformity assessment and consulting…

DOE Recognizes 14 Partners in 2023 ILC
Part of the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Better Buildings Initiative, the 2023 Integrated Lighting Campaign (ILC) recognized 14 total organizations at the IES’s Annual Conference in August. Eleven organizations were recognized for exemplary commitment to energy efficiency and environmental responsibility in their buildings, and three organizations were recognized for exhibiting exemplary support and advocacy…

Online Sustainability Program for Professionals
The Stuart Weitzman School of Design at the University of Pennsylvania has launched the online Executive Program in Design for Sustainability; the seven-month program offers emerging and established design professionals the opportunity to learn more about how to integrate climate action into their work. Students can participate as part of a traditional cohort with live…

Around The Track
The “Formula 1® Exhibition” tells the past, present and future stories of international single-seat, open-wheel, open-cockpit racecar driving. After five years in the making, the multimedia installation opened at IFEMA MADRID in Spain to include audio-visuals, artifacts, interviews and more designed to give fans the unique experience of riding side-car with their favorite sport. The…
Editor’s Note: They Rule the Night
There’s the “mayor”—the duly elected official responsible for municipal services. And then there’s the mayor. He’s the person everyone recognizes at the block party…and the one who probably organized it. She’s the one glad-handing parents at the school play and getting patted on the back in turn. Consider the “Unofficial Mayor of Green Bay” who…

Serenity in the City
Tranquil. Urban. London. Three words seemingly in conflict. In truth, they blend seamlessly at Exchange Square, a new city park set above the tracks of the Liverpool Street Station. In crafting the after-dark experience, lighting design studio Speirs Major relied on a blend of light and darkness that reveals the multi-level topography and curved landscape…

A Park for All Ages: Gene Leahy Mall
"Everybody should be able to go outside and spend time together,” says Joshua Spitzig, lighting designer with Atelier Ten. “On any given night at Gene Leahy Mall you see people of all ages—families, groups of friends, crowds of kids, couples on dates—just enjoying the world.” The 14.8-acre Gene Leahy Mall (GLM) in Nebraska was reimagined…

Arrogance, Ambivalence, or Ignorance? The Trials and Tribulations of a Product Tester
Have you ever been in a crowded room and felt alone? Have you ever tried to speak, only to have the naysayers minimize the value of what you’re saying? If you’ve had the experience or had your engineering critique questioned, you just may know what it’s like to be a compliance or test engineer. The…

A Conversation on the Value of Embedded Controls
Commercial lighting specifiers have a tough job. The task of delivering light that satisfies users has become ever more demanding, particularly as energy codes increasingly require controls to maximize energy savings. In substantial ways, this hard work is to the benefit of buildings and their owners and users. By ensuring light is used only where,…

Insights: Big Splash Along the Hudson
Quiet Time • Controls Awards • New Prez A sculpture dedicated to quiet reflection makes a powerful statement on the Hudson River waterfront in Jersey City, NJ. Standing approximately 80-ft tall, 41-ft long and 28-ft wide, “Water’s Soul” is visible at night from both the New York and New Jersey sides of the river. Developers…

Progressions
To the Brink: Is the march to AI leading us down a dangerous path? AI is fascinating. Never has a technology emerged this frantically with significant new information and opinions being revealed daily. Recently I attended MIT’s signature AI conference, EmTech Digital. This triggered many thoughts about this technology and further deepened my interest. I…
2023 Illumination Award Recipients
HALLGRÍMSKIRKJA INTERIOR LIGHTING Reykjavik, Iceland Designers: Örn Erlendsson, Guðjón L. Sigurðsson, Katerina Blahutova — Liska ehf. Owner: Hallgrímskirkja Photos: Örn Erlendsson The colorful exterior of well-known landmark Hallgrímskirkja Church was not the only part of the building to get a recent revival. The inside of the cultural hub was updated in just one month’s time…

A Science-Based Approach To Controls
The combination of LED sources, circadian tuning and smart lighting systems have opened new avenues for lighting professionals. But without the data at your fingertips, the choices can be overwhelming. Lighting color temperature and brightness are two crucial factors that influence our circadian rhythms and, in turn, influence productivity, mood and health. We can take…

Early Grades: A DEIR Report Card Three Years After the Formation of a New Committee
Since the inception of the IES Diversity, Equity, Inclusion + Respect (DEIR) Committee, it has morphed from a committee whose very formation was questioned to a recognized entity within and outside of the Society. The members of the committee have worked hard to ensure that its charter has been met and that we thoroughly research…
Editor’s Note: Kids, Don’t Try This At Home
Each year—in addition to its celebration of world class architecture, technical achievement and aesthetic brilliance—the IES Illumination Awards program makes the case for professional lighting design… emphasis on professional. To put it another way, the IA demonstrates skilled craftspeople showing what their years of training can produce. This idea of professionalism came to mind as…