Digitization, miniaturization, electrification, sustainability, new materials, holistic thinking, and the union of decorative and technical illumination form the basis for the new generation luminaires that combine looks and functionality and are ripe for discovery at the new edition of Euroluce at Salone del Mobile.Milano. Find out more about trends in lighting design.
- Lighting Design – Sustainability, Digitization Processes, Holistic Reflection on People’s Wellbeing
- Sustainable Lighting Solutions
- Digitization Influences the Design of Lighting Products and Provides a More Dynamic Light
- Human-Centric Lighting Aims to Make People Feel Good
- Trending Lighting Fixture Design
Lighting Design – Sustainability, Digitization Processes, Holistic Reflection on People’s Wellbeing
Light is increasingly at the heart of our hyper-connected world, of thinking around sustainability, and digitization processes, as well as holistic reflection on people’s well-being.
We know that light influences our perceptions, performance, preferences, behaviors, and even our moods. Consequently, lighting designers, today have to contend with technological evolution but also with philosophical thinking around a light, in order to come up with new concepts that will change the way luminaires are designed in the future.
Euroluce 2023
This is what Euroluce will be showcasing at this 31st edition which, with more than 30.250 m2 of exhibition space (thus excluding the exhibition and public spaces) split between 4 pavilions (9-11 and 13-15) and 321 exhibitors (around 45% of them from other countries), confirms its status as the benchmark international exhibition for the lighting world.
Sustainable Lighting Solutions
Energy saving is one of the main issues facing the lighting industry over the last decade. This has led to numerous new actions being taken, both when it comes to design and to production.
On the design side, there’s been the development of new, low-energy, and high-efficiency LED sources. The new solutions are increasingly smart and capable of channeling light accurately and continuously, avoiding unnecessary waste. The new network control systems allow for timed start-up and dimming functions which, combined with the use of built-in sensors, individual control systems and tunable white technology (regulating the color of white light) make for dynamic lighting that responds to the needs for energy optimization, by coming on only when necessary, with just the right amount of light to combine with the natural light and to carry out the specific task for which they have been designed.
Circular Economies
On the production side, circular economies have been applied to the manufacture and distribution of appliances. The quest for innovative materials has seen products become more durable. Using recycled or recyclable, low-impact raw materials is fundamental, as is the intelligent production of luminaires suitable for multiple applications, thus reducing the number of molds required and manufacturing machinery emissions.
Furthermore, the issue of sustainability also inspires companies to come up with concrete solutions as regards recycling components of products.
Indoor and Outdoor Lights
Lastly, lighting designers are increasingly rethinking the relationship between natural and artificial life, so as to combine them to the best advantage, innovatively and sustainably. Indoors, the aim is to make the most of natural sources in order to cut waste and safeguard the environment, while outdoors, the focus is on light bodies capable of harnessing solar energy for self-powering.
Digitization Influences the Design of Lighting Products and Provides a More Dynamic Light
Great strides are being made towards a connected future in the technical lighting field, which will enable devices to communicate with artificial intelligence systems, thus allowing users to manage their light sources easily and efficiently. The integration of IoT control systems has led to the creation of luminaires that produce actively changing light, support the gathering of data, and can be controlled by smartphones and tablets to create personalized lighting.
Light Fixtures as Sources of Information and Signal Tools
The market, the companies, and the designers are trying to develop light bodies that in addition to providing light, also become sources of information and signal tools, especially in workspaces, retail, museums, and public places such as hospitals, stations, and airports. Early applications of LiFi (Light Fidelity) technology are already a reality. It uses LED-emitted light waves to transmit data wirelessly – an evolution that will potentially transform all LED sources into information transmitters.
Advanced digitization will influence the design of products, which will provide a more dynamic light, in that it will be able of reacting to external stimuli, in terms of quantity, quality, and light beam direction – a more fluid and versatile light that, like a chameleon, will take on the qualities of the surrounding space.
Human-Centric Lighting Aims to Make People Feel Good
Neuroscience has become an innovative factor in the technical lighting field, having clarified the relationship between the physiological and neurophysiological characteristics of people and the architecture of the spaces they live in. The work of lighting designers is thus increasingly influenced by scientific discoveries relating to the effects of light on humans.
Improving Performance and Well-Being
It’s no longer just a question of illuminating a space but of designing in order to improve human performance and amplify the feelings of well-being and comfort that scenic lighting is able of awakening. Human-centric lighting, therefore, aims to make people feel good through the provision of high-quality, dynamic light – the intensity of which can be varied and modulated throughout the course of the day to alternate times of concentration and rest, regulating our circadian rhythm, inhibiting or stimulating the production of melatonin, both in terms of the light spectrum and in terms of the specific needs of the user – and as close as possible to natural sunlight. It is a powerful incentive for innovation.
Intelligent Lighting Systems
Today, thanks to intelligent systems, the most advanced products are able of picking up on people’s physical reactions and intervene in situations of stress or malaise, by modifying the lighting parameters, color temperature, and light color in particular, and recreating conditions of well-being.
The final frontier of HCL is likely to be the integration of sophisticated sensors into the technical lighting device, able of deciphering ciliary and eye movements, and capturing people’s posture, sweating, and movements. Based on this information, products can be designed that will respond effectively even to the unconscious needs of users.
Trending Lighting Fixture Design
Aside from technology, poetry, emotion, and beauty will be the protagonists of this edition. Lighting design takes different suggestions and stimuli on board, devising new, multiple aesthetic, and decorative suggestions.
The seductive power of minimalism, made up of simple shapes and soft colors, seen in many products, is counterbalanced by luminous objects with powerful personalities and a return to a more figurative and markedly decorative style. Natural materials and craft-inspired techniques will alternate with super-technological composites. Petite proportions and portability will vie with the grandeur of objects guaranteed to produce scenic and dramatic effects.
Photos by Diego Ravier / Courtesy of Salone del Mobile.Milano
Salone del Mobile.Milano Press
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