Page 42 - Enlightenment Magazine - July 2013

outs
Feature LabeL Heretanding hosPitality ProJects

We think of [in Singapore] on its worldwide projects. It made
sense from a client perspective that all work be
light as an efectively handled under one umbrella.
emotional EM: How would you describe Illuminates design

response philosophy?
SB: We think of light as an emotional response to a
to a space: space: does the lighting require drama, calmness,
passion, or warmth? Whatever the case, every
does the project requires us to fully understand the feeling
required [overall] before we even think about the
lighting lighting.

Lighting is ofen considered to be this unknown
require element, where it just glides through the atmos-
drama, phere only being stopped by the object on which
the light falls. To some extent this is true, but
calmness, for a lighting designer this is what excites us and
pushes us ever forward. Just walking outside into
passion, or a bright sunlit day reveals the world diferently

warmth? than it does during a dull overcast day. You could
compare this to the interior scenes we create with
artifcial light. To us, its all one big stage requiring
the best lit environment to ultimately enhance the
performance.

EM: Part of Illuminates philosophy is to create
sustainable design and ecological lighting
schemes. Tell us more about that.
SB: We are always looking for ecological answers.
I think it is everyones responsibility in every feld
of work to ensure the actions you take make sense
not only for the purpose of the action, but also
in terms of the environment. Clearly with lighting
we have to balance this with the fnal lit outcome,
ensuring minimal impact. We have been appointed
to deliver the best illumination for the space, so
this has to be our primary concern.
On the subject of ecology, if you were to ask
Previous sPread: Headquartered in Singapore, Illuminate also has someone outside of the [overall] design profes-
Kebab Khan is a spe- ofces in Hong Kong, and Melbourne, and has sion, their answer would probably be related to
cialty kebab restaurant completed noteworthy projects across Asia, the lamp load. To us, it goes beyond this. We need to
featuring cuisine that
symbolizes the journey Middle East, Europe, and America. ensure that the lamp source makes sense, even
of Khans from Persia when it comes to its disposal.
to the Deccan Plateau. enLIGHTenment Magazine: Tell us more about I remember back when we had the tungsten
It is located in the company. and CFL comparisons that CFL ofered greater
Panchkula, India.
Simon Berry: We are a lighting design consul- energy savings. This is true, but when you take into
above: A dramatic dis- tancy working with architects, interior designers, account the mercury content of a CFL, [we feel]
play at a restaurant in a landscape architects, and end clients across Asia, it outweighs the energy efciency. Now you can
Hotel Indigo property Middle East, Europe and America on a wide range get the tungsten halogen main lamps that have a
at the Southern end of
the Bund in Shanghai. of commercial and residential projects. The com- further 15-percent energy reduction and improved
pany started as an internal lighting design team lamp life. Lately, of course, we have the LED lamp
supporting HBA Group Property Consultants source. We had one project mock up recently

40 enLIGHTenment Magazine | July 2013 www.enlightenmentmag.com