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Below are selected excerpts from the latest issue of Lighting Art & Science for International Designers.  If you would like to read these articles in full please contact melinda@rala.com.au to purchase the latest issue of Lighting Art & Science for International Designers.

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Revision of AS/NZS 1158 Part 6 Luminaires: an exercise in reliability, safety and energy efficiency
By Alec Fisher*

* Alec Fisher PhD BSc FIESANZ is Chair of Standards Australia/New Zealand Committee LG002 Lighting for Roads and Public Spaces

Introduction
This Standard first appeared in 1990 as AS 3771 Road lighting luminaires with integral control gear and was based on documents prepare by the, then, Electricity Supply Association of Australia. The objective of the Standard was to prescribe requirements, based on materials known to be effective in application, so that the luminaires could be expected to have a target service life of at least 15 years (now 20 years) under the range of adverse conditions likely to be met in practice. Similarly, lamp types and ratings known to be reliable were also prescribed. Whilst the introduction of new technology was not to be discouraged it would only be prescribed in the Standard only after evidence of satisfactory long term performance.

These principles have guided the subsequent revisions of the Standard, the first in 1998. In 2004 it become a joint Australian/ New Zealand Standard and, importantly, as an integral part of the 1158 series Lighting for roads and public spaces as Part 6 Luminaires. The new edition is in the same mould with more emphasis on reliability and safety together with the current emphasis on energy efficiency.

Reliability
The general requirements for the luminaire body and visor are unchanged – a body of aluminium and a visor of suitable material, both to resist the degrading effects of the region’s climate.

There is currently a major thrust for improved energy efficiency, particularly for Category P lighting schemes. These account for some 70% of the two million lighting points in Australia, about 50% energy consumed by road lighting and about 0.3% of Australia’s total greenhouse gas emissions from electricity (DoE 2005, 2007).

In the 2004 edition the potentially energy efficient luminaires with T5 and CF fluorescent lamps and attendant electronic control gear were not prescribed but were referred to only in a guide to emerging technology for lack of any evidence of reliability in road lighting schemes. This changed with a large trial of these luminaires and the reporting that first year failure rate was acceptable (Fisher, Brien and Wang 2008) – subsequently the data for the second year confirmed that failures were still within acceptable limits (Fisher and Jenkins 2009). Therefore on these bases the lamps and luminaires are now prescribed for general use in Category P lighting schemes. Data has now become available for a further period; all these data are summarised in Table 1.

To read this article in full please contact melinda@rala.com.au to purchase the latest issue of Lighting Art & Science for International Designers

Lighting Design Feature - Hospitality Lighting

PetroChina HQ sets the standard in lighting and control
Incorporating China’s largest DALI lighting installation, PetroChina Headquarters’ lighting control system is setting the standard for flexible controllability and ‘green’ building performance. Simon Richardson, Philips Dynalite Area Manager - North Asia, reports.

When China’s largest oil and gas producer/distributor, PetroChina, embarked on the design and construction of its new headquarters, the company set out to redefine office building performance - operationally and environmentally. Located in the Beijing business district of Dongzhimen, PetroChina HQ incorporates four adjoining multi-storey buildings, and stands as an architectural embodiment of innovation and efficiency.

With input from the Beijing Design Institute during the design and construction phases, PetroChina HQ incorporates a range of energy-saving systems and advanced building management technologies. In fact, PetroChina HQ has set a new benchmark for efficiency, and has emerged as a potential reference case for the development of a China-specific ‘environmental performance’ building standard.

A key element of PetroChina’s new state-of-the-art headquarters is a sophisticated Philips Dynalite lighting control system. This, along with the latest energy-efficient luminaire technology from Philips, provides PetroChina with a powerful combination of lighting control flexibility and functionality.

Image: The new PetroChina HQ in Beijing incorporates energy-saving systems and advanced building management technologies, founded on a lighting control system from Philips Dynalite

Lighting Council launches LED Quality Scheme

By Bryan Douglas
Chief Executive Officer
Lighting Council Australia

In February 2010 Lighting Council Australia launched its quality certification scheme for Light Emitting Diode (LED) lighting. The Solid State Lighting (SSL) Quality Scheme provides confidence to the market that the product carrying the Scheme’s label matches certain performance claims of its supplier. The Scheme is a response to major concerns about LED quality that continue to cast a shadow over the technology.

LEDs hold considerable promise to substantially increase energy efficiency across a range of lighting applications. The rapid development in the technology has resulted in an increasing number of new products on the Australian market. While there are some excellent products available, the Australian market is also being subjected to underperforming product that does not live up to its supplier’s claims. In its December 2009 edition Lighting Art and Science carried an article detailing experiences in testing LEDs at the Queensland University of Technology. In a statement typical of recent informed commentary from around the world the authors stated, “Many [LEDs] perform poorly or have failed to meet the specifications for the application that they were designed for.”

Image: Sample SSL Quality Scheme Label

Energy savings through ‘green’ electrical design

Bankstown District Sports Club is leading the way in environmentally friendly electrical and lighting design, following the completion of the 10th stage of the club’s Master Plan, The Grand Ballroom, developed by designers and builders Paynter Dixon Constructions.

Developed specifically for the club following an analysis undertaken by Sydney electrical and energy consultants, Haron Robson, the Bankstown District Sports Club has the most technologically advanced electrical system installed in any function venue in Australia.

Integration of the club’s digital lighting control system combined with high efficiency lamps, sound system, video system and effects lighting system ensure that power is only on when the system is being used. This has assisted in reducing its average power usage by around forty per cent, whilst also significantly reducing greenhouse gas emissions and electricity bills. This has been achieved without the use of LEDs.

Not only is the solution more efficient than LEDs, it is also cheaper and replacements can be more easily purchased.

Dynamic illumination of culture: Lightemotion

Quarter des spectacles
The new architectural lighting of Théâtre Maisonneuve of Place des Arts and the Musée d'art contemporain de Montréal (MAC) was unveiled late last year as part of the overall Lighting Plan of the Quartier des spectacles.

Located in downtown Montreal, the Quartier des spectacles has been the cultural heart of the city for over 100 years. Home to an impressive number of artistic events, this destination is matched only by Broadway in New York City for its concentration of cultural events, but cannot be compared to any other district because of the diverse cultural programming that is found there.

The Lighting Plan, initiated by the team of Ruedi Baur and Jean Beaudoin, is the first phase of the new visual identity of the Quartier des spectacles. The objective is to develop each cultural site within the district as though it is on stage, under the spotlight.

Image by Simon Davitt

To read the Lighting Design articles in full please contact melinda@rala.com.au to purchase the latest issue of Lighting Art & Science for International Designers