John Bullock. lighting designer
My Design Philosophy
The ‘lighting palette’ of light sources and fittings has grown amazingly over the past decade. But even though the way that we light may be changing, it doesn’t make the final result any less exciting or more boring. Because lighting is about people, and that can’t be a boring thing.
Lighting is about people.
Every second of every day we process light information - through our eyes, our skin, through every cell in our body. This information tells us about our surroundings; are we safe; do we like what we see; do we understand what we see?
Do we understand what we see?
Its not about the simple act of seeing, it’s about being conscious of what we see, of where we stand. Light engineering enables you to see; lighting design makes you conscious of the space around you.
Lighting Design works with the effects of the visual impact of light in space.
Making it Green
We are seeing a weather change in the way that lighting design needs to work. The traditional (let's call it the 'old-fashioned' ) view was that energy costs bore very little relevance to the aesthetic value of a lighting scheme. It was all about what a room looked like and how 'dramatic' a scene could be created. Of course, it just led to the appearance of the ubiquitous downlight here there and everywhere, appropriate or not. The technique even came to have its own title: the 'high contrast' style of lighting. When it worked it looked great - more often than not, it left much to be desired. The electricity meter whizzed around, though to little or no apparent benefit to the client.
Having an energy / environmental crisis does bring some benefits. The 'green revolution' does mean that the world has to be seen in a very different way. There are those who believe that the time of the lighting design is over, and that nothing will ever be as good again. Hmmm. They disappointment me with their lack of imagination.
Having green issues play a positive role in the development of a lighting design means that many of the old assumptions no longer hold true. The crazy thing is that the 'old fashioned' way of lighting created a cul-de-sac of ideas - the 'if it isn't a downlight then how can it be lighting design' kind of thinking. The lighting palette is changing, growing and maturing and it's opening up new ways of seeing - and a very exciting landscape it is, too.
I'm shifting my lighting design thinking towards the ambition of 100% low energy solutions, and I see no reason why that shouldn't be achievable, given the range of low energy sources that are now, or will soon be, available. All we need is for many of the decorative manufacturers to come on board and put a bit more effort into moving away from redundant light sources - and we'll be there!
A word about Codes of Practice:
The published Lighting Codes of Practice and Lighting Guides are there as useful points of reference, but they are not books about DESIGN. They have their uses, but they don’t tell me anything about what my client is looking for. I want to know how the client sees the building. I ask them to imagine how a building – or a room – or a desk works throughout the day; a kind of ‘day in the life’ script. From there, we can appreciate how the lighting design needs to develop. Then we can take a look at Codes of Practice; see how they fit in with our plans.
Why do I do this? Because lighting isn’t for buildings, it’s for people – it’s as simple as that.
A footnote to Lighting Design
Fire-fighting design is always a house of fun. Every now and again I’m asked to review a lighting proposal or installation that has – what shall I say – not come up to expectations. It often happens with projects where the lighting design hasn’t been thought through and is left to the last minute. But design surgery is always painful. Fire-fighting design can be fun for the lighting designer, but rarely for the client.
John Bullock Lighting Design: 01305 889256
