Wed 2 Jan 2008
See the light
Whether you're considering the eco-friendly status of a development or looking for extra ways to create sensational design solutions - lighting is a great place to start. Linda Grabham highlights the latest lighting innovations.
Few would disagree that the days of fitting a bayonet bulb in a central ceiling pendent with a standard rocker switch by the door are dwindling. With the help of the latest lighting control technology, today's switched-on house builders are seeing the light when it comes to lighting new developments. "The lighting specification in a new-build property has evolved greatly over the past few years but particularly recently, as awareness of the importance, both aesthetic and emotional, of paying greater attention to lighting design grows," claims Lesley Taylor, Design Director at Taylor's Etc. With market conditions tough for first time buyers, developers have to work harder to attract them. As a result developers are keen to convey a sense of lifestyle to their prospective buyers via attractive show homes. "Lighting is central to this and developers are beginning to understand the effects that designing with light can have within a space. This includes 'changing mood' through lighting control, applying light where it is practically necessary and manipulating light to create a beautiful lit environment. Clever lighting specification leaves a lasting memory and can lift the market value of a property so that it is sold faster and at a premium market figure," adds Tanya Duncan, lighting designer at GIA Lighting.Lighting legislation
Unless you inhabit a different planet, you'll be aware that the government is ramping up its commitment to energy conservation within new-build properties and lighting is a central part of current and future legislation. In accordance with Part L of the building regulations, new-builds must have a certain ratio of energy efficient lighting within them and it is also likely that the EU will instigate a plan to ban the selling of incandescent light bulbs past 2010. "A regulation soon to be implemented is the requirement for 20 per cent of all domestic lighting to be energy saving, in a bid to reduce carbon footprints. This will have a huge impact on the lighting industry as energy efficient light sources such as incandescent lamps and even halogen lamps will slowly be phased out in favour of LED's and compact fluorescents," explains Nick Talbot, Marketing Manager, Sycamore Lighting. With this in mind, few developers can afford to ignore the environmental impact of the lighting systems they install.
In the kitchen and bathroom, developers also need to be mindful of Part P of the building regulations, which requires light fittings with safe IP (ingress protection) ratings to be installed in areas within close proximity of water. "There will be changes coming up in the New Year, under new IEE wiring regulations (17th edition), that will also result in a requirement for lighting in bathrooms and showrooms to be RCD [residual current device] controlled," adds Ray Daniel, electrical services manager at Aspect Maintenance.
Eco-friendly solutions
To help conform to the environmental lighting legislation mentioned above, there is currently a great deal of research and development going into producing environmentally efficient products that produce a light that's suitable for domestic use. Incandescent and tungsten halogen lighting technology is slowly being phased out in favour of newer more energy-efficient compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs), and this may become even more relevant with the inception of HIPs that rate each home's energy use. CFLs generate around 70 per cent less heat that traditional incandescent bulbs and last up to ten times as long. On the downside, these energy-efficient bulbs traditionally give a really white light with poor colour rendition, which basically makes your skin look like you have been dead for several weeks - a side-effect that isn't appreciated by home owners. However, things are beginning to look up on this front, with new dimmable compact fluorescents now available that reduce the 'sickly skin' effect of eco bulbs. While LEDs are considered the most energy efficient choice - lasting 133 times longer than traditional incandescent bulbs - and mass manufacture is bringing their price down, they are not very bright and so are generally only useful for mood lighting. However, lighting manufacturers are working on LEDs and there is hope that they may become a more reliable eco-friendly choice in the future. We will undoubtedly see a growth in the use of LEDs for main room lighting but this is still a few years away, according to the Energy Saving Trust.
Decorating with lightLooking at decorative lighting trends within show homes, it's encouraging to discover that developers and specifiers are beginning to place greater importance on both the look of the light fitting and also the results that can be achieved. The invention of the LED is allowing much more flexibility in design and developers are taking advantage with much more decorative lighting being found throughout show homes. "Decorative products such as the illuminated splashback, colour changing LED's which create different mood settings and contemporary glass fronted fittings are becoming popular in the home. These innovations are allowing show homes to incorporate creative lighting schemes which push lighting as a key selling tool," claims Nick Talbot at Sycamore Lighting.
It is also now common to have several lighting schemes running off different circuits, the most popular being a dimming circuit. Dimming circuits are proving popular throughout the home as they can dramatically alter the mood of an environment. For example, in a kitchen maximum brightness can be used to form a task lighting function for food preparation, and a dimmer setting can create a relaxing setting for dining. In high-end developments, the installation of a colour changing circuit is also becoming increasingly popular in the kitchen bathroom and bedroom; as it can change the entire look of an environment and enhance the feel of luxury at the push of a button. "Developers are beginning to realise that it is hugely important to future-proof the home and, due to the ease with which structured cabling can be installed in a new build, integrated lighting control systems are increasingly featuring high on the electrical specification list," adds Steve Buckley, UK sales manager at lighting control expert, Helvar, which specialises in an easy to use lighting system that can link up to 63 independently controllable devices, allowing full lighting control across every room of the house.
Lighting in kitchens and bathroomsCurrently, kitchens and bathrooms receive the most expenditure on lighting as the prerequisite fitted furniture makes it easy to install layers of task and mood lighting. In many developments, open-plan living with space for dining and relaxing is transforming the kitchen into a multi-functional room that needs to suit a variety of uses. Ambient lighting is essential for evening entertainment, LED or feature lighting can maximise and accentuate your choice of furnishings or key elements of the dŽcor and, of course, a good selection of spotlights are required for task lighting. "Don't forget, cleverly positioned lighting can also be used to help compensate for any dimensional defects of the space. For example, uplighters give the impression of higher ceilings, creating the illusion of a much bigger area, which is great for period cottages with typically low ceilings," advises Terry Ball, MD of William Ball.
Mixing direct and indirect lighting is a low cost way to introduce drama and excitement to a kitchen. Indirect lighting is created by hiding the light source from view. The light produced by the hidden fixture is reflected off the wall or through frosted glass surfaces and produces a warm glow that adds instant atmosphere. Direct lighting works best when you take time to select really appealing fittings, which can be used as a design feature in themselves. For example, William Ball's aluminium and glass disk-shaped under-unit lights look great even when the lights aren't on.
In the bathroom, besides the main ceiling light today's potential purchasers are looking for, good task lighting above the vanity as a minimum requirement. "As we go higher up the pricing scale, so lighting begins to be incorporated elsewhere - such as within shelving and around the bath. This is more about ambient mood lighting, which is a growing trend in bathrooms as we move towards creating a more sensual, relaxing sanctuary," explains Julie Holliday, marketing manager, Shades.
The future's bright
Undoubtedly the future of lighting in new-build homes will revolve around energy efficiency as legislation is likely to focus on the phasing out of inefficient light sources. To this end LED's and compact fluorescent lamps will become common throughout homes, and more decorative lighting will populate new-build homes. Incorporating more lighting within fixtures and fittings - LED set into stairs, furniture and even bathroom fittings for example - will provide immediate impact in show homes for a relatively low-cost outlay. In short, developers must continue to capitalize on clever lighting design that maximizes light output and effectiveness whilst minimizing energy input. "Lighting has a significant effect on health and wellbeing; however it is still so often treated as an afterthought. We hope the future sees an emphasis being put on the importance of lighting and lighting design in terms of quality of life and creating style and atmosphere in the home," concludes Ludmila Paratian, Head of Interior Design, Tusk International.
First published in Show House Magazine January 2008.
The greatest care has been taken to ensure accuracy but some information contained within this article may have changed since it was first published.
Posted by Linda Grabham
in Inside Out on Wed 2 Jan 2008
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