Salon 2010
26 February
Enjoy Green Lighting Salon 2: Office Lighting / Eco Ideas for Fun Office Lighting ”
New Maru Building Ecozzeria, Marunouchi
by: shunichi ikeda
The second “Enjoy Green Lighting” Salon tackled the topic of office lighting, as the Lighting Detectives tried to answer the tough question; What is comfortable, but enjoyable eco office lighting? Research on actual office lighting conditions and a presentation by guest speaker Kouichi Kaiho of Nikken Sekkei, on the latest technology and natural lighting started the discussion on the future existence of office lighting.
■Now is the time for the “Eco Office””
Keywords such as ecology, energy-conservation, and low carbon are all the hype across the globe, and now they are find their way into the office scene. In reaction to this paradigm shift, the Lighting Detectives sought out the latest in actual eco office lighting techniques and discovered these 5 points of interest.
5 Eco Lighting Methods
1. Highly efficient sources of light -ex. LEDs or the latest in lighting fixture technology-
2. Combination of task lighting ＋ ambient light -Reduce the lighting down to an individual level-
3. Modulated light -Adjust luminance levels and color temperature according to usage.-
4. Use of natural day light -Effective use of natural sunlight-
5. Lower luminance level settings -Revise the amount of light actually necessary-
From past attempts to incorporate day lighting to the use of LEDs and other new technology, several methods do exist and when used in conjunction with one another, can lead to environment-friendly office lighting and an eco-conscious office atmosphere.
■Is 750lux need on your desktop surface?
Let us start by searching for a more comfortable level of brightness. In order to do this, the Lighting Detectives prepared two experiments: 1.) Individual work space and 2.) Group meeting space. For the experiment, each desk was fitted with dimmable lighting and participants adjusted the brightness to suit their personal preferences. The data collected for individual work spaces ranged from 200lux to 1600lux. However, most participants agreed that about 300lux was a suitable brightness for group meeting space. In conclusion, a comfortable office lighting environment depends on individual work spaces which are further reflective of individual working contents, mood, personal preferences and so forth. Therefore brightness and color temperature should be freely adjustable at all individual working spaces and reflect a collective atmosphere in group meeting spaces. Questions from the audience arose suggesting that “comfortable brightness is not a personal preference, but a significant number reflecting the amount of light needed to keep one`s eyes from tiring,” a very valid opinion which clearly defines the complexity of this topic.
■ “In the end, light fixtures will become building materials themselves,” by Kouichi Kaiho.
Guest speaker, Kouichi Kaiho, presented a brief history of day lighting plus a series of projects that he is personal involved with and the eco-friendly ideas he incorporated. In the 1980`s day lighting was blocked out in many buildings, but because of the development of revolutionary materials, architecture in the 1990`s began to aggressively incorporate daylight into building designs. By the year 2000, day lighting began to be controlled the same as artificial lighting. The audience was especially surprised by one residential projected that incorporated a light duct into the design. The owner of the house was able to live completely without the use of artificial lighting, relying on the weather and day lighting funneled in through the lighting duct. Also, the distinctive light distribution from LEDs makes them most suitable for task lighting. In the future, we might just be able to separate and specify usage of a light source. For example, task lighting=LED and ambient lighting=Organic EL. Organic EL just might be manufactured into ceiling panels, making the ceiling fixture-free and allowing even more freedom in lighting design. Mr. Kaiho`s ideas were definitely out-of-the-box, but inspirational to the audience.
■Dialog: Kouichi Kaiho x Kaoru Mende
As the final salon of our 3 part series, we took this opportunity to look back on our pervious discussions, while also looking to the future of lighting. During the first salon in July 2008, we discovered that we couldn’t forget our roots and the comfortable lighting created in old traditional Japanese houses. Then in October, we battled with the incandescent lamp to discover, that with a little effort, incandescent lamps can be dimmed and set to meet our daily needs, enrich our lives, and be energy-efficient without having to resort to fluorescent lamps invading our homes. And at our third and final salon in January 2009, Chief Mende predicted the following 4 changes in our future lifestyles: 1.) Innovative change in the visual scene by new light sources, such as LED`s or Organic EL. 2.) Transformation of various situation and increased convenience based on the continued progress of computers. 3.) Increased admiration for natural light (sunlight, firelight) in our attitude towards life. 4.) Mode of living that will compliment minimal lighting. Can we find variety, individuality, and comfort in lighting of the future? We hope this 3 part series gave you the tools to investigate your own options for future residential lighting.
City Walk 2010
3 June, 2010
■Kawasaki Factory Night Bus Tour: The Hidden Charm of the Factory Nightscape
Survied by: Daisuke Yano, Syunichi Ikeda, & Noriko Higashi
Inside the tour bus. The guide relays facts and history to Lighting Detective members. |
The lights of a chemical plant. The blueish white light is very futuristic. |
The view from Kawasaki Mari-en. From here all of the factories and warehouse in the Port of Kawasaki are visible. |
The hottest tour in recent years is the famous Kawasaki Factory Night Bus Tour. Upon news of an upcoming tour, sales agents are bombarded with seat reservations, and within minutes the limited space is fully booked. This is the popular night tour the Lighting Detectives sought to hitch a ride on. The tour would take us to all the popular night viewing spots in the area, as tension escalates with a climatic drive down factory lane!
The bus picked up Lighting Detective members and departed from Kawasaki Station, headed for different observation spots such as Kawasaki Rinko Warehouse roof and Higashi Ougishima East Park. Through the silent darkness along the Port of Kawasaki, bright-white factory security lighting shone like beckons and we could almost feel the heat inside the bus from gigantic flare stacks. Below are three accounts from members on the tour.
■Kawasaki Factory Night Bus Tour Route
Depart Kawasaki Station
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Kawasaki Mari-en Observation Hall
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Municipal Wharf
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Rooftop of Kawasaki Rinko Warehouse
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Higashi Ougishima East Park
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Drive along Metropolitan Expressway from Kawasaki Interchange (Viewing from bus window)
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Drive down Ginza Chuou Blouvard (Viewing from bus window)
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Arrive at Tokyo Station and end of tour
Tour route in the Port of Kawasaki. From here, the bus took the Metroplitan expressway along the bay and ended the tour at Tokyo Station.
360 degree view of the Port of Kawasaki from the rooftop of Kawasaki Rinko Warehouse. |
Group snapshot at Higashi Ougishima East Park. |
Lights from Futsu, Chiba are visible across the Tokyo Bay. |
As a collective entity, the points of light seem carelessly arranged, but very beautiful when reflected on the water. |
■Sleepless in Kawasaki
By: Misuzu Nakamura
From the observation deck, the area below is blanketed with factories and their accompanying security lights, deposited in the night far from the colorful lights of Tokyo off in the distance. However, on the ground and up close, the silence is broken and each factory is very much alive and working through the night. Bright glaring lights are mounted all over the gigantic machines and the “beast” hunches in the dark with a raging flare stack on top of his head. The flickering flame colors the night sky orange and the surrounding warehouses and network of pipes glow reddish. The factory lights shimmering on the surface of the bay seems to be a living and breathing life form. The collective entity of factory lights is solely functional, but leaves a stronger impression on me than any other lighttcape created for just aesthetic purposes.
■The Heartbeat of the Nightscape
By: Noriko Higashi
47 Lighting Detective members gathered for the evening start of the Kawasaki Factory Night Tour!
First stop on the tour, we climbed the Kawasaki Mari-en Tower and from 50 meters above ground, the observation hall gave us an excellent panoramic view of the factory area. From the hall, the factory lights were laid out before our eyes with Tokyo Tower and the Odaiba ferris wheel coloring the background and airplanes constantly landing and taking off from nearby Haneda Airport. The connection and rhythm between each element in the nightscape seemed to inject life into the city.
The next attraction on the tour was the 24-hour smoking and firing flare stack. Overwhelming as it was, the flare stack was a clear sign of the energy and force of the factory operations. The image of factories as an eyesore during the day was dramatically overturned as members on the tour saw the area transformed into a fantastic futuristic lightscape.
■A Breathe of Light
By: Miki Hatakeyama
This was my first city walk with the Lighting Detectives. It was dusk, and a light evening sky surrounded us as we departed from Kawasaki Station. As we moved towards the Port of Kawasaki, the sky began to grow darker, like theatre lights being turned down before the performance starts. I was giddy with excitement as we headed to the first stop on the Kawasaki Factory Night bus tour.
The view from the rooftop of Kawasaki Rinko Warehouse was the most impressive stop on the tour. After practically running up the stairs, the panoramic view of the Port of Kawasaki laid out from a specially prepared observation deck was incredible. In between the jumble of buildings there was light and shadow, disorderly arrangement of points of light, and several different reflections on the water. It is not a scene I was used to seeing, something I never expected from old warehouses, but almost organic and alive. It was an exhilarating experience to see this unexpected life form and I think most of the other members on the tour would agree that it was an unforgettable view over the Port of Kawasaki.
16 September, 2010
■Tokyo River Float: Nihonbashi, Kanda, & Sumida Rivers
Survied by: Noriko Higashi, Haruka Sakoda, Genki Watanabe
Sio-Site from Sumida River.
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The 3-hour Tour.
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Lighting under the elevated highway system.
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Kanda River
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Kanda River
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Ochanomizu Station Platform
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Akihabara
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Rainbow Bridge
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Previously in March 2006 the Lighting Detectives navigated the Nihobashi and Kanda Rivers. It was such a unique experience leaving the Lighting Detectives wanting more, that we have tweaked the Tokyo river float tour to include the Sumida River and a view of the Rainbow Bridge, for a dramatic 3-hour tour. While most of the elevated highway system puts a cap on portions of the center of Tokyo, this creates dark spots with a colorful nightscape in the background, best viewed from, where else, but on the rivers.
Starting from Hamamatsucho Station, 40 Lighting Detectives boarded a houseboat rented from Nawasada Houseboat Company to navigate the Nihonbashi, Kanda, and Sumida Rivers of Tokyo in the cold and sprinkling rain. The Nihonbashi River, which is shielded mostly by the elevated highway system, started off the tour. From there, we navigated the more open canal of Kanda River, past Ryogoku Bridge, back to the Sumida River, and headed towards Asakusa. After viewing the Sky Tree, still under construction, the captain made a U-turn floating directly towards Odaiba and the Rainbow Bridge. In spite of the rain and cold weather, tour participants, all decked out in rain ponchos, boarded the boat and continuously snapped photos along the tour route, all seemly enjoying the different perspective of the Tokyo city center.
■Tokyo River Float Tour Route
Depart from Nawasada Houseboat Company
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Navigate to Nihonbashi River via Sumida River
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Float to Kanda River via the Iidabashi Area
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From Kanda River back to Sumida River
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From Asakusa downriver to Odaiba
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Turn around in Tokyo Bay back to Nawasada Houseboat Company
■Nihonbashi River
From the Sumida River, under Eitai Bridge, Nihonbashi River takes a curve to the left. The width of the river narrows enormously, as the old townscape of the Edo Period floats by. During the Edo Period this river was central to life; however that scene is all but distant. Now, most buildings have their back to the river and pedestrian traffic is oblivious to the presence of a river. Lighting along the river is also sparse with some fluorescent lighting from office buildings finding its way to the water’s edge. Light from the elevated highway system is only function, at best with no consideration for the view or apparent city planning. I thought that light from bridges or waterfront cafes shimmering on the water`s surface was a rich asset to a city`s nightscape and a source of relaxation for residents, but this is one area of Tokyo waterfront that is forgotten and forsaken.
■Kanda River
Along the Kanda River there were three spots with very memorable nightscapes: Ochanomizu, Akihabara, and the Yanagi Bridge at the mouth to Sumida River. Compared to Nihonbashi River, which is illuminated by roadway lighting from the elevated highway system, Kanda River is relatively dark. In the darkness these three locations along the river proceed with their own unique rendition of light.
Ochanomizu seems deep, like a river canyon in the city, with walls of the city rising along the river banks and light from the station platforms shimmer on the water surface. The scene is almost like a stage in a concert hall. On the other hand Akihabara is alive with kinetic light from the electric town. The dynamic facade lighting stretches to the rivers edges with a colorful display on the water surface. Finally, the Yanagi Bridge is intensely illuminated in green light. From the boat, the illumination is powerful and the shimmering reflection on the water one-of-a-kind, but the fixtures are keenly mounted as not to blind pedestrian traffic. Floating the Nihonbashi and Kanda Rivers, I noticed the most of the buildings do not face the river, but have their back to it. From a pedestrians point of view this isn`t as obvious, but floating on the river gives one a unique view of the city center.
■Rainbow Bridge
The last leg of the tour along the Sumida River towards Odaiba allows an impressive view of the Rainbow Bridge. Floating down river the wide angle view of the Rainbow Bridge includes the surrounding high-rise condominiums, office buildings, and Tokyo Tower for a sweeping view of the Tokyo nightscape. However, the rain and mist along the river kept the bridge hidden until, through the darkness it was a shining beacon of light. Compared to viewing the bridge from a distance, it was a very fantastic picture up close. I realized that to effectively illuminate symbolic architecture it is important to understand the surrounding lighting environment in terms of color, strength, and contrast.
