On October 10th, 2020 the Open University and the MKF co-organized the 1st International Conference on “Lighting, interactivity, Heritage, Technology and Sustainability” (LIGHTS).
One word that characterizes the situation in the lighting industry during the recent years is “transition”. This transition to a new era is caused by changes in the symbiotic relationship between technological development, lighting design and, of course, sustainability principles. Lighting digitization together with the widespread use of LED lamps has led to increased device connectivity and interactivity offering a wide range of possibilities. LiFi, Internet of Things, Power over Ethernet and wireless sensors have transformed the traditional luminaires into smart devices capable to connect in a network transmitting information. As light is now enriched with information, it is possible to increase energy savings through smart controls and also to include additional functions, such as dynamic operation according to the users’ expectations and needs. The aforementioned developments allow not only the manipulation of a luminaire’s emitted luminous flux but also the color temperature of the light source. This is the core concept of the Human Centric Lighting which affects health, well-being and productivity, providing proper lighting when and where is needed. Fortunately, it seems that in this new era the focus of lighting design has just moved from spatial aspects to human aspects.
Furthermore, the use of artificial lighting in the built environment during nighttime can affect not only the visual performance and the wellbeing of humans, but also the environment. As architectural lighting is focusing into highlighting building facades and exterior areas, new formed legislations are trying to minimize the negative effects of the irrational use of artificial lighting. The lack of lighting design and energy consumption restrictions for exterior areas such as building facades, sports and recreation areas, have increased the use of lighting installations. Nowadays with the advent of energy efficient luminaires (LED) and state of the art lighting controls, the need for a better living environment should be promoted along with environmentally friendly lighting design techniques.
It is therefore of urgent importance that the new and often contradictory lighting trends are thoroughly examined and this was exactly the scope of this International Conference. IC-LIGHTS will try to highlight the role of lighting in the built environment, including the corresponding positive and negative issues that have recently emerged and document the current trends of lighting design for interior and exterior places. Case studies of highly remarkable lighting practices and exceptional lighting projects are also welcome.
Overall, the emerging developments on Lighting, Interactivity, Heritage, Health, Technology and Sustainability create specific skills and competences requirements for the human capital that works or would like to work in these areas. These topics are at the core of the ECOSLIGHT- Environmentally Conscious Smart Lighting EU-funded project (612658-EPP-1-2019-1-EL-EPPKA2-SSA). Therefore, one of the objectives of the conference was to contribute to the identification of those needs.
The conference was held online and throughout its duration it was attended by 120 delegates and viewers. In addition, more than 1,000 viewers have watched it on YouTube during the first week.