Present-day humans have always maintained a sincere closeness with the urban landscape with which they inhabit. The buildings and architecture in our life serve as an ultimate source of truth to the technology that has come to illuminate our experience.
While lighting within the urban landscape is neither recent nor exclusive with the arrival of public illumination by 1417 in London, the wonders of modern technology have allowed us to transform these principles to create the world we have today.
Widespread illumination has brought with it a kind of freedom and expression that our old cycle of day and night once conveyed. This shift in paradigm has driven a plethora of industrial designers and lighting architects to try and enhance our relationship which have with light.
As the universal understanding of our cities evolve and grow with great emphasis for efficiency, contemporary lighting has slowly come to encompass the subtle practice of art and hope. Lighting designer, Leni Schwendinger, has been working in the field of lighting design for more than 20 years and has lectured and taught widely throughout the United States, Latin America, Europe and Japan. Her intricate designs are featured in cities from all around the world.
Joining Arup in 2013 as an Associate Principal, Schwendinger is a leading expert of city lighting. Her wealth of knowledge explores the ways with which urban lighting techniques have transformed our societies into a living and breathing ecosystem of life. Schwendinger will be presenting at the upcoming Australian Smart Lighting Summit 2015 on the topic of Night-time Lighting for Urban Spaces, which is being held at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre on 8 & 9 September 2015.
Schwendinger’s work at Arup includes the Global Lighting Urbanist initiative which delves into the everyday night-time design of city districts for street lighting and public housing. In a recent interview she said, “Innovation and creativity for bringing light to public spaces all over the world energizes architecture, landscape and urban infrastructure with the ultimate goal of connecting people to each other and their surroundings.”
Her unique visions into the world of urban lighting aim to create outdoor spaces that are conducive to social interaction, as well as promote the psychological well-being of people. “Strategic light at night enhances legibility – ease of access – during the darkened hours,” reflecting on the greater feelings of security that the clever use of lighting can provide.
This kind of enduring consideration emphasises the importance for lighting designers to improve the efficiency of lighting and bring good design to the world of function that our demanding economies exert. LED lighting has become increasingly popular in cities around the world, transforming our societies in ways never thought possible before.
Conquering the dark has always remained one of our greatest discoveries and our ability to illuminate the skies has allowed us to live in a timeless paradigm where adventure no long feels so barren. Lighting is no longer an intellectual curiosity for the subtle minded. Entire continents are now connected by light in ways never dreamed before.
The Australian Lighting Summit will feature a range of different lighting design experts presenting on a variety of different topics regarding urban lighting including Lend Lease - Michael Sparrow, Ironbark Sustainability - Paul Brown, Senior Electrical Engineer - Sarah Linton and Ramus Illumination - Bruce Ramus.
Endorsed by City of Melbourne, the 3rd Annual Australian Smart Lighting Summit 2015 will be held at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre on 8 & 9 September 2015.
For more information on the 3rd Annual Australian Smart Lighting Summit, please visit www.lightingconference.com.au
Expotrade, the organisers of this Summit have developed an array of top quality B2B events, delivering some of the largest conferences and summits in the infrastructure, banking and finance, information technology, sustainability, lighting and energy sectors.
For more information, visit www.expotrade.net.au