32 : in.vogue All Under Control Lighting has become so much more than the choice of bulbs, shades and switches! Many homes are now designed with lighting systems incorporated to control everything from a timed switch-on to ambience creation, as Juliet Davies finds out.
image Charlotte Gale Spa and pool lighting by Brilliant Lighting Iain Shaw of Brilliant Lighting told us that lighting control systems have always been at the more practical end of residential technology. A lighting control system will significantly improve energy efficiency and security and, if well designed, be intuitively easy to use, he explained. Where they especially shine today is that they are the best way to control and dim LED lighting. LEDs and conventional dimming don t sit comfortably together. Problems include erratic dimming performance, flickering and popping. Conversely a properly designed and specified control system can dim LEDs smoothly down to low levels. The best systems offer a range of dimming protocols, including mains trailing-edge, 0-10v, DMX and DALI, the last three offering the best dimming performance, said Iain. DALI is used more in commercial environments but we are increasingly using DALI in residential: with the right light fittings it delivers smooth, trouble-free dimming down to 1%, while requiring a simpler wiring infrastructure with lower equipment and installation costs. The increased need for lighting control has received some welcome support from HMRC. Last year, intelligent lighting systems were reclassified as being ordinarily incorporated in dwellings, making them zero rated for VAT in new builds. So as they have become more necessary, they are also becoming more affordable! Tom Wright of Kensington Audio Visual agrees that the largest trend in lighting at the moment is LED control. Although the LED technology itself isn t in.vogue : 33 new, it is more affordable, more easily accessed and better understood, he said. Most importantly, LED lighting can now replicate (and surpass) the conditions created by traditional bulbs for a fraction of the energy consumption. This includes dimming and switching capabilities as well as producing any colour combination you require. The trend is also driven by the innovation in control systems. This comes in the form of automation features and intelligence to benefit your lifestyle. For example, added Tom, you gain the flexibility over custom lighting scenes for different times of day or various events requiring a change in atmosphere. The systems can further adapt to your trends and repeat your patterns of use in the home. Another great advantage of intelligent lighting systems is added security. Remote access via your network allows you to turn the lights on when you re away, or simply set them to light up on your regular schedule. The lights can also turn on should an alarm be triggered as if someone were home. All these features; the reliability, lifespan, energy efficiency and spectacle - and with the simplicity of a touchpad - give LED control systems a bright future. From our standpoint interior designers are a driving force behind the current trend for embracing smart technologies in the home, claimed Gavin Williams of Hamilton Litestat. The customer benefits of installing a smart lighting control system are compelling and no one knows this more than our interior design clients. Controlling ambiance and mood light levels at the touch of a
34 : in.vogue button to enhance carefully planned living space, satisfying the insatiable appetite to remotely control all aspects of our homes/lives via an app, and of course the possible significant energy savings makes lighting control a natural choice. Hamilton s Mercury Lighting Control system is ideal for interior projects that require changing ambient lighting. Designers are attracted to our system because simplicity is at the forefront of its concept making it straightforward to install and easy to use, explained Gavin. Basic day-to-day lighting scenarios, from simple dimming to scene-setting programmes, can be set, stored and recalled all at the touch of a button or the swipe of a finger. A remote control facility via ipad/iphone using a downloadable app can also be integrated into the system, giving the homeowner full control of the lighting throughout the property even when it s unoccupied. Control plates are available from the Hamilton designer collections, for that coordinated look, and Hamilton s bespoke design and production service, Savile Row, ensures that tailor-made comes as standard. Petra van Meeuwen of Crestron has seen in the past year a huge rise in requests for control that homeowners can customise themselves and for the set-up of home technology to become more end-user accessible. For this reason we developed Crestron Pyng, the innovative home automation system that puts the control and set-up into the hands of the homeowner, said Petra. With Pyng the set-up of a new system is much more efficient and streamlined, in Kensington AV s LED lighting install for the John Cullen Showroom
36 : in.vogue Touchscreen control from Hamilton Litestat seconds Crestron Pyng accessories can be paired with the app to create a functioning home automation network, that can grow as a family does, allowing for the simple addition of new devices when required. This includes Crestron wireless lighting controls; once Pyng is integrated homeowners can make changes to their own lighting scenes and event settings, with the peace of mind that an interior design or integrator can restore it to an automatic cloud back-up. Alongside control we have seen a rise in requests for green technology and LED, added Petra. LED is and continues to be a popular choice when choosing lighting for the home. LEDs like our CLED range are easy to control, as they can be dimmed when natural light is available, or switched off in unoccupied spaces. Clients are becoming more mindful of the investment in energy efficient controlled solutions and the technology that is now there to realise both energy and financial savings across the life of a property. Tony Allison, Research and Development Manager with Collingwood Lighting pointed out that smart technology is embedded into almost every gadget and product within the home, and many can be controlled by a smart phone or tablet, and some even function without the intervention of a human! Already there are home automation systems available for all levels of cost and complexity, so whether you just want a couple of outdoor lights to automatically illuminate at dusk, or you want to control your whole house from an ipad, there is a system suitable for you, he said. As LED lighting experts, Collingwood Lighting works with many of the major control system manufacturers to ensure the right lights are paired with the right systems. If someone is spending a lot of money on an automation system, they want it to feature the best lights that are guaranteed to last. So much is possible now. Some systems can be connected to the internet and controlled from outside the house, while others can be connected to entertainment systems; for example in home cinema rooms where lighting can even be synchronised to create the right atmosphere for a particular film. While we leave home automation
38 : in.vogue to the experts in control systems, Collingwood does have a range of simple control systems for colour changing LEDs, which can be controlled from a remote or a smart device. We recently did this on a large scale in the function room of the Halston Aparthotel in Carlisle where a softly-lit dinner can become a full-scale colourchanging function room within seconds. But home control systems are not just about the wow factor. They also have major energy-saving benefits, for example through presence detection systems which turn lights on and off automatically when a person enters a room, to daylight dimming, which automatically dims the lights when the sun is shining in through the windows in an office. The possibilities are now endless, stated Tony. Integration firm Andrew Lucas London won the Best Lighting Scheme over 25,000 and Best Innovative Solution categories and was highly commended in Best Integrated Home over 250,000 in the industry trade association CEDIA (Custom Electronic Design and Installation Association) 2014 awards, for the creative remodelling of a stunning, luxury apartment. Lighting was an area of particular innovation, as the client desired a sophisticated and intelligent lighting system which would highlight key architectural features, create different atmospheres and scenes, be easily adjustable according to activity - and be incredibly easy to use. Due to the complex nature of the lighting system, Andrew Lucas selected Lutron HomeWorks QS as the lighting control system. Lutron-compatible TruFig faceplates were employed throughout to make the keypads flush with the whitewashed walls for a clean, elegant finish. Despite having just one bedroom, the apartment makes use of no less than 82 lighting circuits as well as 136 DMX channels. To meet the requirement for a clean minimalist finish, the lighting enclosures are discreetly recessed behind mirrors and doors. Unlimited design creation from Collingwood Lighting
in.vogue : 39 Two designer jewel boxes form a focal point of the property. Each features RGB panels, allowing them to assume an almost limitless range of colours from soft pastel lighting to vibrant colour washes or even vibrant disco colours, so transforming the room at the touch of a button. The grandeur of the library wall is highlighted by the incorporation of pin spotlights within the cubby holes, replicating twinkling stars and beautifully illuminating the artwork positioned within. A plinth containing LED strips, forward of the shelves, causes the whole wall to softly glow. The Barrisol ceiling, with its sharp illuminated edges, is accentuated by LED feature lighting, which can either flood the area with light or gently illuminate like starlight. The result perfectly matches the client s concept for the structure of sails on a ship. Task lighting is achieved via specifically angled and positioned down-lights installed behind the stretch ceiling for which neat circular cut-outs have been provided. They are positioned in key locations, such as above work and reading areas and Crestron s showroom at Chelsea Design Centre
40 : in.vogue The award-winning apartment by Andrew Lucas London inside cupboards, to provide optimal illumination. The lighting system works in harmony with the occupant s daily routines. In the dressing room, for example, all of the wardrobe doors have one-way mirrors with LED backlighting which allows them to become transparent or reflective depending on whether a garment is being selected or tried on. In the kitchen, bathroom and dressing room cupboards, the lighting programme monitors the status of the magnetic door contacts and smoothly ramps the LEDs on and off as required. An added wow factor comes from custom designed buttons on the Lutron keypads. Away dims the lights sequentially and slowly guides the occupant to the front door, while Home actions the reverse sequence. Similarly, Goodnight gradually turns the lights off and powers down any AV elements that are switched on. Furthermore, a movie button causes the lights to dim slowly to a comfortable film viewing level whilst powering up the 84 TV and Blu-ray player. Andrew Lucas has deployed a Savant control system to provide stable, integrated operation of all systems, and is accessed via ipads. Savant s TrueImage control interface allows the operator to touch a real-time image of the fixture they want to manage, and gain visual feedback, making it exceptionally easy to use. However, because of the open plan layout of the residence, and the number of options available, considerable thought went into customising the layout of TrueImage to ensure the correct command is executed. The control interface has also been translated into the client s native tongue. Motorised iroom in-wall ipad docks have been fitted which turn Apple devices into stylish touch panels for controlling the Savant system. When removed, the tablets can still be used in the normal way. Whilst not all lighting control systems will be as complex as Andrew Lucas project, it s clear to see that they will playing an increasingly important part in many interior design schemes in the future.