DDi - April/May 2010 - (Page 30)

30 | Lighting Super Section Lighting the way Top retail lighting designers reveal the challenges, technologies and trends that are shedding light on today’s retail environments By Vilma Barr, New York Editor DI presents its 2010 report of insights from leading lighting specialists on topics covering retail lighting design, technology, trends and business. This year’s participants, who draw on their experiences for U.S. and overseas retail clients, are: David Apfel, David Apfel Lighting Design, New York; David Brumbelow, Grenald Waldron Associates, Narberth, Pa.; D Charles (Chip) Israel, Lighting Design Alliance, Long Beach, Calif.; George Sexton, George Sexton Associates, Washington, D.C.; and Suzan Tillotson, Tillotson Design Associates, New York. What has the pattern of your retail workload been since mid-2008? Do you see any changes occurring now? George Sexton: My office has always been concerned about energy usage since the practice was founded in 1980. Clients today have become very energy-conscious. They want to understand the lighting techniques being employed that will reduce energy consumption in their shops. How would you define sustainability in lighting? Chip Israel: The bottom in business activity was felt about two years ago. In the past two months, there has been a small upturn in activity. We are now doing several projects in China and India. We’ve also observed that owners are hesitating about paying another design fee for lighting. Some see it as an optional, rather than necessary, component of the design. David Brumbelow: It’s starting to turn around, baby steps now. Our current retail workload is primarily remodeling and some redesign of stores moving from one mall space to another. Suzan Tillotson: There has been a slight reduction in retail RFPs. But overall it has not been a real hardship, since retail is one of several project types we are involved in. What were some of the challenges of the retail projects you have worked on recently? Israel: Sustainability is good design. The most efficient lamp is the one you turn off. We are putting a lot of emphasis into integrated lighting controls. These can be programmed to turn off lights in areas, like retail storerooms, that may not be used for hours at a time. Utilization of daylighting through techniques like solar tubes is worth considering. For a twolevel shopping center, sales improved 34 percent after the introduction of daylighting delivered by solar tubes to the upper level. For an auto dealership, we are investigating ways to get daylight into sales and service areas, which is possible with clerestories. Apfel: The cost of construction, transportation, disposal and some identified chemicals are all causes for concern. But when it comes to sustainability, energy savings trumps them all. That’s applied sustainability—if you can save enough energy, you can come out ahead. What notable advancements in lighting technology have you seen in the past year? Brumbelow: Budget is always a challenge Photo: Benoit Pailley to provide the best design at the lowest cost— recession or no recession. David Apfel: The single biggest challenge has been meeting the energy-usage requirements of the local code. Apfel: Compact fluorescent is my first choice for ambient lighting, low-wattage metal halide is my first choice for accent lighting and LED is my first | April/May 2010

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of DDi - April/May 2010

DDi - April/May 2010
Contents
From the Editor
Newsworthy
Consumer Insights
Greentailing
Editor’s Choice
Design Snapshot
Channel Focus: Department Stores
Sporting Authority
Lighting Super Section
Lighting the Way
Viva Mexicano
Right Light
Product Spotlight
GlobalShop Show Coverage
Calendar
Advertisers
Classifieds
Think Tank

DDi - April/May 2010