Tuesday, July 10, 2007
Gensler Announces Breakthrough “Green” Lighting Technique
Live Design: "Gensler, an active proponent and designer of sustainable building and design solutions, formed a strategic partnership with Fiberstars as design consultant to advance the technology as a practical application for commercial use. EFO is designed as a direct replacement for recessed ceiling downlights, track and display case lighting. It is particularly applicable in retail settings, commercial buildings, museums, pools/spas, as well as for government and military uses."
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2 comments:
After reading this, it seems like the real breakthrough was the "angle-to-area converter" which they are careful not to identify too well, which is letting them align the light to travel efficiently through the fiber optic cable. Also interestingly, their actual light source is a ultraviolet lamp, which is converted to visible light through phosphors. I wonder what this means for the spectrum of the final light.
Interesting that the blurb in Live Design didn't give any factual information. To be fair, I think that Gensler is great. They really have been on the forefront of new design solutions. However, I would argue that the greatest breakthrough in architectural lighting since CFL and MR16s in the LED. Seems like they've forgotten the most competitive solution currently on the market. Questions to ask about the product would be: What is EFO's lumen/ watt ratio? How does that ratio compare to that of CFL, MR16, and LED? How exactly will this "directly replace" downlights and track lights? Seems like it would come with an entirely new housing unit. Ethan also has a good point. Since this process is similar to creating neon light, would it produce light with a similar spectrum? What is the Color Rendering capability here?
Just pointing out things I would look for in a new product. After you wade through the mumbo jumbo advertising jargon.
-Caitlin
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