Most light sources have a particular standardized size and shape that affects how objects and surfaces will be illuminated. Point sources are small lamps, often featuring a clear outer glass bulb revealing the arc tube or bare incandescent filament, used to produce dramatic highlights and pronounced shadows. Linear sources, such as tubular fluorescent lamps, emit [...]

Selection of the right luminaire and controls takes considerable time and effort, and is integral to the lighting design. Cost overruns, value engineering, unclear or weakly worded specifications, and conflicts between lighting and other buidling systems can result in substitutions and other design decisions being made without the lighting designer’s involvement. Lighting designers should protect [...]

Creative Stage Lighting has announced that it will host “The ABCs of Lighting a Green Show” on Friday, March 26, 3:30 PM to 4:30 PM (according to the promotional email) or 5:00 PM (according to the website) EST. The webinar, presented by Richard Cadena, will explore the latest technologies and how they compare to conventional [...]

Speirs and Major Associates, a lighting design firm I particularly admire, was given well-deserved coverage in Metropolis Magazine recently. The article profiles the firm and reviews some of its notable projects, such as the Sheikh Zayed Mosque in Abu Dhabi and the Infinity Bridge in the United Kingdom.

Another installment in Rosco’s very clever marketing campaign showing how lighting designers used their products to solve challenging problems in theatrical lighting: Lighting designer Jeffrey E. Salzberg was engaged to light a collaborative theater piece combining puppets, aerialists and circus techniques. It also demanded compelling visual imagery to create the Sahara Desert, a sunrise and [...]

Home theaters are a popular addition to many homes, according to the Consumer Electronics Association, which estimated that by the end of 2004, one-third of U.S. households owned a home theater system, up from about one-fifth at the end of 1999. The addition of a home theater creates special demands on the lighting and controls. [...]

I love getting inside the heads of some of the country’s top lighting designers; one can learn a great deal in a short amount of time and, just as important, see things from a different perspective. Contract Magazine offers just such an opportunity in this great interview of lighting designer Leni Schwendinger.

I have just received a notice that submissions are now being accepted online for the 2010 IES Illumination Awards. The catch is the deadline is Friday, February 12, 2010. Better hurry! Visit the submission site now to submit your project.

Peerless has announced the start of AIA-approved Continuing Education Courses offered online at ArchitectCES.com. “Lighting for Learning,” which I was pleased to work with Peerless to produce, is the first on many courses to come that were designed by Peerless to help architects and lighting professionals learn best practices for lighting and controls. This sustainable [...]