Looking ahead to the future of lighting design.
Here’s a short video competition entry that I made a few years ago as a hobby project. A primer on data-driven ambient media communications in architectural spaces. Frankly, I forgot that I even made this video – it was the … Continue reading revelations and resonance
Douglas Steele sent me a most interesting research paper titled “Large-area display textiles integrated with functional systems.” The paper was published by a group of researchers from several universities, including Fudan University Shanghai, University of Darmstadt, UCLA, and the University … Continue reading large-area display textiles
The groups who control the USB standard just announced a major upgrade: USB-C will now support up to 240W at 48VDC. This a huge deal for the building construction industry: USB-C is now poised to potentially replace traditional AC wall … Continue reading usb-c adopts 240w/48vdc standard
Dezeen has been running a design competition with LG for novel uses of LG’s OLED display technologies. One entry in particular caught my attention: Gianfranco Vasselli’s concept for integrating an OLED display into a “shelf” arrangement over a bed. I … Continue reading OLED bedroom concept
Walt Disney Imagineering created a fascinating behind-the-scenes look at the development and construction of Hong Kong Disneyland’s castle expansion/retheme. It highlights the aggressive use of prefabricated construction – coordinated via BIM – and how that allowed them to build such … Continue reading disney’s prefab castle
Check out this incredible future-visioning video from Bee’ah, a large UAE-based environmental services company. Bee’ah is building a stunning new corporate headquarters with Zaha Hadid Architects, with ambitious goals of being a net-zero energy site, powered fully through sustainable energy … Continue reading bee’ah’s office of the future
It’s hard to comprehend how fast technology prices plummet and the implications for the built environment. Case in point: 65″ 4K LCDs panels are now cheaper than the cost of typical cubicle workstation dividers. Don’t believe me? Go to Walmart.com … Continue reading the future of office design?
Perception is a NYC-based design firm that creates the amazing sci-fi interfaces used in various movies – most notably the Marvel franchises – along with interfaces for actual real life tech companies. Core77 has a nice post covering some of … Continue reading perception
Large format LED screen technology coupled with live rendering is advancing so fast that it’s going to soon “trickle down” and make a dramatic impact on architectural design and architectural placemaking. Our architectural places will blur the distinction between “real … Continue reading the virtual production of the mandalorian, season two
Researchers Gabe Arnold and Grace Pennell from the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory recently released a white paper titled DC Lighting and Building Microgrids: Opportunities and Recommendations. They conduct an excellent review of the advantages of DC-power (which closely mirrors my … Continue reading PNNL report on DC-powered lighting and microgrids
Unreal Engine released some “bonus content” that follows up on my previous post covering the state of live-rendering technology. A fascinating discussion from movie producers, but with clear and profound considerations for the future of architectural lighting: Continue reading unreal engine: virtual production lighting
Wow, this is really profound: Geodesic Games released a plugin that allows Unreal Engine to directly control DMX lighting and accessories. You can watch a complete demo and detailed explanation below: There is unbelievable potential here for architectural lighting and … Continue reading unreal engine now controls DMX lighting
At some point around the turn of the Millennium, it felt like we were at the precipice of a different future than the one we got. Yet 20 years later, there has been no widespread adoption of interactive digital/physical spaces. … Continue reading did the iphone kill interactive environments?
Fusion CI Studios is a multimedia visual effects studio that has a stunning showreel, with a particularly beautiful collection of large, architecturally-integrated video wall designs. They famously did the iconic virtual waterfall for the Salesforce HQ lobby. Large format LED … Continue reading fusion ci studios
Check out Spatial, an MIT Media Lab spin out. Their system is still in the early stages, yet still a very compelling use scenario for augmented/mixed reality for team collaboration. I’m fascinated to see how lighting designers and architects will … Continue reading spatial
I just can’t get enough of seeing the behind the scenes of the Mandalorian, with the production’s use of large-format LED screens and live rendering technologies to create virtual backgrounds (check out my previous posts on the Mandalorian, Jon Favreau’s … Continue reading the virtual sets of the mandalorian (yet again!)
Editors Note: This was an Op-Ed piece I wrote back in 2013 in LEDsMagazine. Sadly, it is still as relevant today as it was over 7 years ago. How do we get the lighting industry to embrace truly sustainable product … Continue reading R+D competitions for sustainable lighting manufacturing
If you’re interested in net-zero energy solutions for commercial or retail facilities, you should consider DC power as the next step. Check out this nicely produced video of my conference presentation and Q&A session at the ISE Smart Building Conference, … Continue reading SBC 2020: The DC-Powered Building – conference video
Thanks to James McHale and the team at Memoori for hosting a great webinar! If you missed it live, listen to it now at your convenience at this link. Really, I should have picked a different title, because the 6 … Continue reading 6 disruptive lighting trends: recorded webinar
Random Studio in Amsterdam put a couple small experiments on Medium and Instagram that are interesting: Marrying fiber optics to LED screens and using LED screens below water. See the Instagram posts below. I feel like I’ve seen the combination … Continue reading random studio: how can screens be more tactile?
