commonplace studio
Commonplace Studio is an Amsterdam-based design studio consisting of designer Jon Stam and hard- and software engineer Simon de Bakker. Stam and de Bakker are creating some very interesting concepts that integrate micro digital projectors into ceiling- and wall-luminaires to … Continue reading commonplace studio
guangzhou lighting exhibition 2019
This past week I attended and presented at the Guangzhou International Lighting Exhibition 2019, staged by the excellent Messe Frankfurt Hong Kong team. My presentation was titled “From Architectural Lighting to Architectural Media“, in which I covered the transition to … Continue reading guangzhou lighting exhibition 2019
5 tips to prevent digital signage burnout
Digital signage systems are becoming pervasive in architectural environments, with widespread adoption in out-of-home marketing, wayfinding, menu systems, and retail branding. The steadily dropping cost of digital screens and cloud-based content distribution makes digital signage highly appealing to brands and … Continue reading 5 tips to prevent digital signage burnout
Business thinking for designers
Evolving from Designer to Product Manager The business world is convinced of the competitive advantage in bringing “design thinking” into various development processes. So why don’t more organizations select and help transition design professionals into key roles beyond traditional “design” … Continue reading Business thinking for designers
Should the AIA and RIBA sue tech companies for professional misrepresentation?
I proudly hold two degrees in Architecture. I spent 7 years of my life (and a huge sum of money) to earn these degrees and build a professional reputation in the construction and manufacturing industries. You know what is incredibly … Continue reading Should the AIA and RIBA sue tech companies for professional misrepresentation?
bloomberg video: how blue LEDs changed the world
Bloomberg recently released a nicely-produced video on the LED revolution, especially touching on Shuji Nakamura’s development of blue LEDs at Nichia: But I do find it bit humorous at the end of the video how they show LG’s curvy OLED … Continue reading bloomberg video: how blue LEDs changed the world
archilumo
Archilumo is a Dutch startup launching a very interesting range of planar LED architectural lighting. I’ve long wondered why fixture manufacturers don’t explore more interesting forms of flat, planar lighting – given the propensity of architects to want to treat … Continue reading archilumo
signify’s 3D-printed “MyCreation” series
Signify is slowly revealing more of its commercial-scale 3D-printing program, launching the consumer-focused offering “Philips MyCreation” in the Netherlands and Germany. MyCreation allows home consumers to mix and match from a massive variety of styles and colors to build their … Continue reading signify’s 3D-printed “MyCreation” series
lightwave laser
Lightwave Laser is a Santa Rosa, California based company that makes a variety of architectural-scale laser-cut panels. They have a nice collection of back-lit application examples. Like my work with Luminous Patterns, I believe this area embedded luminous architecture is ripe for innovative new concepts. Continue reading lightwave laser
hari & deepti
More exquisite papercut lightbox art: Hari & Deepti are husband-and-wife Mumbai-based artists exploring the beauty of layered, luminous papercut art. Some gorgeous inspiration for lighting designers, stage designers, etc. And what an incredible tool for teaching lighting students an understanding … Continue reading hari & deepti
vibes genius
Vibes Genius is a small crafts company I ran across on Pinterest that makes beautiful little layered papercut light boxes. The effect of the layered depth and translucency of the paper with the scenography of the illustrations creates some striking … Continue reading vibes genius
audi headlight concept videos
Over the years Audi has continued to impress with creative concepts using cutting-edge technology for their automotive headlights and taillights. Here are a couple recent videos: The first showcases what is possible when headlights become interactive 1 megapixel digital projectors, … Continue reading audi headlight concept videos
LG’s transparent OLED tech
Back at the Integrated Systems Europe 2019 show, LG’s professional signage group demo’d their transparent OLED screens front-and-center in their massive booth. They’ve now launched a complete website with a real product on the market. Transparent OLED is interesting because … Continue reading LG’s transparent OLED tech
milan 2019: sony’s affinity in autonomy
Sony presented a beautiful installation called “Affinity in Autonomy” that explored future relationships with robotics of various sorts. The installation was beautifully conceived, using both darkness and luminous splashes of vivid blended-pastel colors to create a wonderful experiential sequence. But … Continue reading milan 2019: sony’s affinity in autonomy
milan 2019: design holding – interactive installation
The investment conglomerate Investindustrial created a massive 4,000 sqm presence for its newly organized Design Holding portfolio of companies, including Flos, B&B Italia, and Louis Poulsen. Most impressive was a beautiful interactive entryway installation. Depicting fun caricatures of the famous … Continue reading milan 2019: design holding – interactive installation
plumen: the entrepreneurs podcast
The Entrepreneurs is an interesting and well-produced podcast from Monocle. Episode 381 from 30 January 2019 contains a great interview with the two founders of Plumen, the startup that introduced decorative CFL lamps in 2010. Plumen was always a bit of … Continue reading plumen: the entrepreneurs podcast
milan 2019: cleaf booth design
One of the best examples of lighting design at the 2019 Salone del Mobile surprisingly did not come from any of the lighting companies, but from the booth design of Italian architectural surfaces manufacturer Cleaf. Designed by Bestetti Associati, the … Continue reading milan 2019: cleaf booth design
wellness lighting
In the Feb/Mar 2019 issue of ARC Magazine, the editorial team asked me and a few other speakers from the Light School sessions at the Surface Design Show to elaborate our opinions on “wellness lighting.” Here was my response: There … Continue reading wellness lighting
lush with light
I simply LOVE these Pininfarina concept renderings of their new Battista electric super car. A touch ’80s retro, but my eyes just can’t help seeing architectural shapes. I love the subtle graphic patterning of the light, nice inspiration for architectural … Continue reading lush with light
microsoft kinect dk
Microsoft has injected new life into its Kinect system, a sophisticated camera vision platform. They’ve shrunk the hardware, improved the specs and now tie it to the Azure computing platform to augment it with a lot of computational horsepower on-demand. … Continue reading microsoft kinect dk
