“There are two ways of spreading light: to be the candle or the mirror that reflects it.”
This quotation by American author Edith Wharton (1862-1937) could easily have been inspired by the mission of Maltese lighting experts Light Design Solutions of Birkirkara (who obviously didn’t operate in those early turn-of-the-century times and whose concept of light now has taken on different connotations and lumens!)
LDS believe that people should always feel good and enjoy the ambiance they are in. Since the company’s motto is to help its clients achieve just this, they see that light is central because it enriches the character and qualities of the designated area and the people who live or work there: a house, a working environment, an outdoor space or an entertainment area.
Is LDS, then, both the candle and its mirror? Design & Build explores.
Light Design Solutions’ mission lies in its strength to find the most innovative, precise and cost-effective solutions for lighting planning and design which it is commissioned to execute. LDS was started by Peter Cutajar some 11 years ago. It was from the very beginning that Peter was determined to evolve ideas on how to use and interpret lighting. Peter adds that “LDS’ priority is to witness the client fully satisfied with the results of our work.”
“When he had started off, he had set himself a target – to reach out and explain to the architects and designers what they can really do with light. As a light consultant and director he had quickly realised that people generally always thought that light was predominantly its fitting, while in
reality what truly matters is how to best leverage its effect. “Obviously, the tools to implement these effects (the tools being the fittings themselves, LEDs, etc) are important too,” he continued.
A key issue, he adds, is to address the interaction between human needs with desires, architecture with aesthetics, expectations with budgetary constraints. Peter Cutajar says: “We strive to create a harmonious balance between such features by being both practical and innovative”. To this effect LDS furthermore taps into Peter’s vast experience and intimate knowledge of lighting and their insistence in only proposing high quality yet well-priced products. The organisation is furthermore committed to continuous quality improvement by adhering to industry guidelines and regulations. This, in turn, translates into making the space as perfect, fully functional and sustainable as allowed by the relative environmental constraints.
AT LIBERTY TO GENUINELY ADVISE
“We are not tied to a specific company and its products because our job is to create the kind of lighting you need with the products you require for it,” says Peter. He adds that not one company has a full set of products to cover all situations, inside and outside, “so as consultants we are able to pick and choose the right products for clients’ specific needs. It is not easy at first glance to understand the depth of complexity involved in producing the right kind of lighting, and no one company can cater for everything,” he said.
CUSTOMISED SOLUTIONS
As lighting consultants, LDS always strives to create new concepts and lighting solutions to meet the projects particular needs and requirements. Additionally, if the fitting required doesn’t exist then LDS will actually design and create the required fitting themselves.
THE POWER OF LIGHTING
Concept lighting is something relatively new because up to the recent past people would invest a lot in the interior architectural elements of a home or building (internally and/or externally) and then not have enough of a budget to create a proper lighting experience of their surroundings.
Clients are now becoming more conscious of the utter importance of properly planned lighting; of being able to amplify so powerfully the beauty created by the architect and /or designer thus far. Peter puts it this way: “Lighting can put in that extra bit of spectacle where otherwise things would look mundane.”
He continues to say that their aim is to put life back into the architecture that has been created with so much attention to detail. “As an example, we often use shadows; to create that 3D effect which lends form and depth to architecture – as opposed to simply using flat lighting, and, obviously, having simple, flat surroundings.
“It is also important that a change in texture or brightness in the visual array is associated with something important going on in the scene. In other words, something that draws one’s attention within the scene should turn out to be an important object or boundary”
Kaplan and Kaplan, 1988
REACTING TO COLOUR
People react differently to colour and the same goes with colour lighting. Peter gave the example that in an office that uses white light of 4,000 Kelvin then it has been noted that workers will on average give 20% more work output! Kelvin is a unit of measurement used to describe the hue of a Specific light source. This is not necessarily related to the heat output of the light source but rather the colour of the light output.
White light contains all the colours of the spectrum and the whiter the light produced, the more it will reflect off a wider range of objects independent of their colour. Colours have different effects on us. For instance blue light gives us a sense of peacefulness and calmness. It is a very soothing colour as it helps to calm the mind, manage stress and reduce anxiety. Green is the colour that symbolizes nature, making it one of the most beautiful and comforting colours. It is harmonious, restful and helps us stay calm and refreshed. Both blue and green lights are recommended as ambient lighting in places where we want to relax and calm down.
On the other hand red is an arousing colour. It makes the heart beat faster and it is ideally used in places where there is a lot of activity going on and want people to react faster. When light biologically impacts us, it can improve or disrupt our sleep, cognition and overall well-being. It can improve mood and stabilize our circadian rhythms, helping us get a better and deeper night’s sleep. Psychologically, light can decrease depression scores and even increase cognitive performance such as reaction time and activation.
Peter explained that, in fact, certain lighting in offices can give the brain the impression it is working in the outside sunlight and that stimulates the workers to respond more positively in their work and output ratio. In reality everyone reaches his or her peak when they face the sun, so their responses start increasing as the sun rises and reaches its peak when the sun too peaks…. and then we start waning as the sun starts going down.
“The human being functions on this cycle of the sun” added Peter. So, putting it simply, if lights increase and decrease in the office throughout the day in a similar way as does the sun then the employees’ efficiency increases and decreases in the same manner.
THE LDS OPERATION
“As a consulting company we do not do installations but supervise the installation for the client; we believe that if lighting isn’t positioned precisely and judiciously, the whole set up will be undoubtedly compromised” explained Peter.
He continued to expand on how they would tackle a typical residential set up. After the initial contact with the client and before proceeding any further “we would hold an indepth meeting with the husband and wife together to get as full a picture of the situation being sought including the lifestyle of the people involved. This is important for us to be able to design the correct lighting concept because you can get people who don’t like to see the light fitting itself so we would need to acquaint ourselves with all such details,” he said, “because we create the design according to one’s needs and lifestyle.”
if lighting isn’t positioned precisely and judiciously, the whole set up will be undoubtedly compromised
He added that as most clients do not easily visualise correctly what LDS would be planning to implement on their behalf, “we prepare a 3D presentation to show them their before-and-after situation, so to speak,” he said. And once approved, the next stage is to create the actual working plans – these are especially needed by the electrician and by the soffit ceiling installers. At the same time LDS personnel will be supervising the works throughout to ensure that everything is understood and is being laid as required.
When working on a commercial project, the process is somewhat different. Initially LDS have to do the lighting calculations of the commercial premises involved.
“For example, in an office setup you need to have a certain amount of lux levels on the desk. The same applies to shops too,” he explained. “These lighting calculations are done to achieve the level of lighting required and also not to make the client spend more money than he should,” added Peter. In this way they will know the exact amount of fittings that they would need for the proposed project, as well as the precise positionings of their lighting.
“There are occasions when clients come to us with their ideas already clearly set as to how and where they want the lighting and after we do our calculations we find they do not really need so many fittings as they thought, thereby reducing costs for them, which sometimes can be significant.“
Peter said that “Since we are technical we can advise the client of the best ways to proceed forward with getting their ideas actuated, while also showing them how they can save time and money. Furthermore, we only use high quality fittings and LEDs for our projects.”
He added that everything in an LED fitting centres around the quality of the LED itself; the reflector which is emitting the light, the driver of the LED itself as well as the dissipation of the LED. If these are not of a high standard then the LED will not last, the colour temperature will change and the efficiency of the fitting will deteriorate. He added that most people do not know how LEDs work, and since there is quite a plethora of LED products on the world market then making the right choice of fitting requires proper guidance.
when one finishes to a high standard, the property’s perceived value will go up too thereby giving a better income
Peter opined that it was unfortunate that some developers have not understood these basic quality-adding principles as they are only concerned with lighting up their properties. They are not interested in the quality they are using, as long as they can light up. They do not realize that when one finishes to a high standard, the property’s perceived value will go up too thereby giving a better income. “It is better,” said Peter, “to spend a bit more on the quality of the fitting than spend on the quantity of the fittings!”
One has to also keep in mind that since LDS are, in fact, technical light design consultants, they collaborate seamlessly with architects and interior designers to create the best solution for their own clients.
“The fact that they can be clearly seen as collaborating on getting the best solutions for clients also reflects on the professional’s reputation for providing top quality service and solutions,” he added. “There are, of course, high levels of ethics and professionalism behind all our services too” emphasised Peter.
He recalls working with architect Richard England on the Dar il-Ħanin Samaritan project in Sta Venera some years ago and more recently on the Ta’ Pinu Sanctuary parvis in Gozo which was recently adorned with mosaics by Fr Marko Rubnick sj. The company is presently finishing off its work on the lighting of a church in London’s Kensington area.
OUTDOORS
When it comes to working lights outdoors, LDS offers a lot of experience. Firstly, one has to contend with the natural local levels of humidity and sea-salt and especially so in the choice of fittings. Apart from that there is the problem with our limestone, especially when working with old buildings, so one is advised to always be very careful about the choice of materials used.
we are now seeing (technology) developments coming on the market much earlier than expected
Peter points out too that fittings too have a “Best-by” date even if designed for outdoor use. And continuous after- purchase maintenance by the owner is important to maintain them in pristine condition. He relates an occasion when fittings on a particularly unusual project had needed to be replaced after a few short years of service because of the way nature works on the ambient surrounding. And, of course, there is the size and location of the site itself to contend with.
THE MISSION – WAY FORWARD
Peter points out too that, given the way technological developments are today moving in the field of lighting, we are now seeing developments coming on the market much earlier than expected, actually in months and not years! This is especially so in the improvement of the efficiency of the LED.
The passion for lighting which Peter exudes has now extended to two other 3D collaborators at LDS, Petra Cutajar and Vanessa Caruana, who both share the enthusiasm for every interior or exterior project they work on and the new challenges these present for them; following the LDS mantra that every single project is unique. They know that their art of lighting design must therefore extrude innovation and creativity too. After all, they have been – and are being – shown the ropes by none other than Peter Cutajar.
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