Did you miss this year's BDNY? No worries, we have you covered! Here are some of the products we found interesting for various projects. Mostly glass works and metal works for high-end residentials, lobbies, and large decoratives (mostly pendants) for natural rustic material suitable for hospitality projects!
At the New York Digital Lighting Show manufactures presented their new products and we've highlighted some of them here. Impact Architectural Lighting
The Yo.Yo comes in 12" and 16" diameters and 14 powder coat paint colors. Direct/indirect lighting (optional back light with porcupine lens)
The Slikk has an interesting hour glass figure. It has a glossy white acrylic diffuser, custom LED board in 3000K, 3500K, or 4000K (80 CRI).
They offer 4 weeks quick ship for a customized finish.
Barrisol is a leader in stretched ceiling, wall, and any back lighting with a wide variety of 3D patterns, textures and recognized artist's prints to choose from.
The Acoustic light is Acoustically managed general lighting ceiling system which provide an efficient reduction noise coefficient. (diffiser and then LED diode system on top gives general illumination membranes and track system.)
Barrisol uses 2 layers of membranes and systems, printed translucent sheets for 3D printed ceiling or wall back lighting to achieve a more realistic appearance.
Barrasol system can be installed with cove and translucent ceiling.
They also offer a concrete finish design (print concrete on a translucent surface and back light it).
The biggest sheet of printing 3 sizes 17, tall 3000ft length 10foot translucent Normal barrisol is 8’
The Archetype is cone shape fixture with a 12.2" aperture, an Aluminium painted body, a polycarbonate silkscreened shade.
The Honeycomb has hexagonal modules in groups of 3, Clip-in connection, form a self-supporting, direct and indirect lighting , 0-10 Dimming system, 2700K and 3500k color temperatures, and the driver is placed in canopy.
Their fixtures are all manufactured in overseas and stocked in US. Therefore, lead time for available items in stock is 5 to 10 business days and for customized products or not in stock, it takes 4 to 5 weeks production time and 2 weeks delivery to job site.
Their reading and bedside lighting products have a minimalist look and great range of sustainability.
The top right side one comes with on/off switch and the left side one is non-switched. The fixtures have built in driver, 2W, 80lm, 3000K, 330º rotation, 90º tilt adjustable angle.
The Tosca and Digit reading lights have integral jamb switches so they will automatically turn on/off when opened and closed. The Tosca has 1W, 61lm, 80CRI, 2700K, 180º rotation and 135º tilt adjustable angle. The Digit is similar to tosco with the exception of higher output of 3W and 114lm.
The luma film LED panels can be used in conjunction with the Barrisol system. It has minimal thermal output, great for thin spaces. It can be cut smaller or connected in tiling.
It is available in White tuning, RGB W ( the W can be selected) Usually the 1.9watt/ft with 3000K 350lm/ft con go up to 40watt/ft with 5000K and 4000lm (It is field changeable.).
It can go down to 0% on a 0-10v dimming system depending on driver for performance.
The X-Tent is an outdoor rated stainless steel mesh fabric. It forms a diamond pattern as it is installed. Diamond sizes range from 20mm to 200mm and cable diameters from 1.0mm to 4.0mm and has 60 m/200ft expanded length.
The X-LED is an LED module system designed for the X-Tent and has the following features:
They design and enginer everything and it costs around $250 with everything per 100mm spacing . For half of this spacing, the price goes up by 4 times.
This company make the driver and LED chips in house. They have 10 years warranty for LED and 5 years for drivers.
The Neon Blaze LED strip has up to 250 lm/ft, IP68, 100w remote driver. It is available in variety of options such as:
The LED Strips:
Fully dimmable adjustable clip on LED strips, 24v.
It can have occupancy sensor( hard wire has junction box with sensor attached to it)
Standard dimming down to 5%, 0-10v, Lutron system.
Cost wise, it is comparable and even less expensive than Lumini.
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LumenPulse has added 4 new optics on all their linear fixtures including a 10 degree narrow flood, asymmetric wallwash, wide batwing distribution, and typical wide flood. The images show the wall washer and wall grazer.
Baselight has a square, mason-jar, jelly lamp.
Ecosense has launched a new line called Rise. It is an exterior floodlight with field changeable optics that are water resistant anc can withstand colder temperatures as low as -40 degrees Celsius. The fixture come in single, double or a quad head. The most unique quality is the ability to add multiple heads on a single arm and be able to focus them individually. Four quads can deliver about 11,000 lumens. It is available in 2500k-6000k. It dims to 5%.
We also took another look at the TROV L50 linear for cove applications. It is available with an asymmetric optic that allows for deeper light distribution for coves that closer to the ceiling. The TROV series dims to 1%.
Intense Lighting released a new product to their Gravity family: a 4" downlight that can be field adjusted to thickness of the ceiling material. It is also available as a pendant or track light.
The Gravity products are also available as tunable white light or dynamic warm dimming. The other products that were showcased were the MXLEDMR16 and the V-rail. The MXLEDMR16 is available in typical MR16 sizes with changeable optics from flood to spot. The V-rail is a light integrated hand rail.
The Lighting Quotient The eliptipar outdoor line is IC and IP rated. They have field serviceable divers to maintain lumen output and in the future they plan on having tunable white. They also launched a desk light that delivers 35-50 fc on the task surface and 15-20 fc on the ceiling.
Oblaney-Rinker Associates
Dado Lighting has a new fixture called Floatline which allows you to create a cove at the molding and in the walls. They can do any custom lengths. The LEDs are in cartridges separate from the extruded housing so they can be accessed in the field for maintenance.
Duralamp have updated all of their LED-retrofit lamps since we last saw them and they are all dimmable now.
Forum Lighting has a new fixture called Frame. The version we saw had internally lit lenses, but you can change which surface has the lenses. They also have a linear pendant that has an uplight component as well as downlight spotlights. Forum is offering a more economical fixture that is made out of steel instead of extruded aluminum. Their integrated knife-edge cove fixture comes with a telescoping tray on the end to allow you to do custom lengths adjusted in the field.
Holm Lighting (a branch of FX Luminaries) is a new manufacturer that is offering commercial grade exterior fixtures. Some of them are line voltage. Holm also has their own proprietary control system called Luxor. It can control the dimming as well as RGB fixtures. Holm offers a control cube that can interface with fixtures from other manufacturers and Luxor to incorporate them on the controls. There is also a retro-fit MR16 lamp that can be used in other manufacturers fixtures in lieu of the cube.
Intense Lighting are adding a 4" aperture to their Gravity downlight series. They already have a 6" and an 8" version. They have also added a Shallow (less than 4" depth) housing to their line.
Lucent Lighting have a monopoint fixture called the TUBEled. It can be track mounted or to a canopy. Although they are from the UK, they have a factory here in the U.S. that builds the fixtures. They are open to customs. They have a nice copper trim finish, which is not something we've seen before. Also, in additional to the typical XICATO modules and their custom board offering, they are working with the new SORAA modules for integrating into integral LED fixtures.
Lumafilm is a decently priced option for LED panels (with IP65 rating) and only requires a minimum of 1-1/4" depth depending on the backlit material. You can cut the LED sheets in the field to provide a completely custom design. Lumafilm can program the drivers if the project has wattage limitations.
Lumino has tested all their product for TM-30 (one of the first companies to do so) with impressive results. They have added RGB to their line-up and have finally brought the track and knife-edge cove detail into the US.
National Lighting is a local (NJ) company providing both front and back of house LED and fluorescent product. They had a new wood texture fixture that looked great.
V2 Lighting specializes in round and square pendant fixtures, and they can also mount to the wall as a sconce. They offer multiple sizes as well as the option to cut out a custom logo in the side of the body. There are 32 standard colors available as well as the ability to do custom colors for an adder.
Dulanski
Alights have a new fixture called the Apex. It has a bevel regress black trim with an internal baffle. They can modify the reflector to have a white finish, but the black is recommended to quiet the aperture and reduce glare. The fixture is not out yet but will be later in the year. They are also developing a linear wall washer with a black reflector.
Anolis is a new company for us. They had a mini projector with field adjustable beam spread via DMX.
iGuzzini have added two new finishes to their Laserblade family, gold and black chrome (this is in addition to their standard white and black). They also have released a large Laserblade fixture with a 2-7/8" aperture which is a nice addition. They recommend using the trimmed version for metal or wood applications.
N°8 Lighting have released their 400 series, which is a more economical version of their regular 800 series. The fixtures can be retro-fitted from below or installed as new construction. The adjustable version has a vertical tilt of 35° and can rotate 360° degrees after installation. The fixtures are 5-1/2" in height. Right now they only have a fixed downlight and an adjustable accent. They are working on a wall wash version. The flat trim is larger than the 800 series, but can also do the mud-in installation. N°8 has a 5-10 day shipment program. They have been working on the mono-point as well, now offering a 2" diameter mount for wood/stone. A flush version should be available next year, along with a smooth body.
Tempo Lighting has a new cove that comes in 3" increments and has a serpentine form allowing for curved applications. They are also using the same LED in all their fixtures to guarantee color matching throughout a project.
TMB provides DMX controlled marquee lights and offers a variety of string lights. The string lights are LED at 2500K, which is a great option for hospitality work.
Vision Quest Custom Lighting is a full custom shop located in Long Island. They have a standard line of fixtures to choose from but can also do any custom fixtures. We can request specific LED brands when designing the fixtures.
SDA
Design Plan are now offering thin profile linear case lighting fixtures at 3000K or alternating 2700K & 45000K (for jewelry highlighting). They also had a unique down light that offered air purifying qualities.
Ecosense has acquired Journée Lighting which offers recessed lighting fixtures as well as track mounted cylinders. The finish options are black or white and have varying beam spreads from 15° to 45°. The fixtures offer an aggressive pricing.
JLC-TECH now offers linear signage lighting, along with their typical t-bar technology. It is certified such that a GC can install it, with no electrician needed.
INTER-LUX Whitegoods is now offering magnet mounting for their S20 profile.
Linear Lighting are now offering recessed downlights with LEDs. All housings have an IC rating as standard and the integral driver can dim with either 0-10V or triac. There is also an integral battery backup available. They make all of the components in house. There is a fixed downlight, an adjustable accent and a wall washer. The price point is aggressive for the quality of the fixtures.
USAI are releasing their new version of the SliverLED which has a dedicated LED instead of the retrofit version previously available. Standard dimming is 0-10V to 10-15% depending on the dimmer. They are also going to release a new LED retrofit fixture that is able to be installed in existing 6" can recessed lights. It will be available with warm glow dimming technology.
Independent
Eklipse Lighting has a new mini linear track fixture called Lifeline. You can use linear LED strips or spots on the track. The version we saw for the linear light has visible nodes, but they are redesigning the lens to remove that. We also saw their Mili light which is a linear shelf light with an asymmetric distribution. Eklipse offers good options for linear LED as well as case lighting.
Flos have acquired Lukas Lighting. This addition allows for more customization in their fixture lines.
Prudential Lighting are being represented by themselves here in the city. Their fixture, Stream, is an integrated architectural fixture that uses uplighting into the built channel. The fixture can be pendant or recessed slots. They offer an option called Prubin which ensures a tighter bin selection than the normal fixtures offer. The fixtures are built from GFRG and look beautiful and sleek.
RAB Lighting have updated their recessed light fixture family with a 2" aperture, 700lm, IC and wet location rated down light. They will be releasing a 1" and a 3" aperture soon. The DL, AA, and WW are all in one housing and can be changed in the field to each position. The new recessed fixtures are aggressively priced.
Metro Lighting Sales
Klus Lighting are an aluminum extrusion company. They can provide their own tapelight or can be used with any other manufacturer's tape.
Lighting Science Group is now offering 98 CRI and 90+ R9 value for some of their LED lamps. The PAR30 lamp is available with 10°, 25°, and 45° beam spreads.
Tokistar have released their new micro series case lighting. The fixtures are all dimmable either together or individually on each fixture. There are three beam spreads, 16°, 24°, and 30°, which are all field changeable.
International Lights
Acclaim Lighting is now offering an exterior rated linear cove light that has warm dim technology as standard. The fixture dim from 3K to 18K. The fixtures are aggressively priced.
Bega have a new collection called Home and Garden, which is geared more for residential projects. They also developed a new app that allows you to use an iPad to show the fixtures in real life installation situations.
Kreon has a linear wall washer with a chrome reflector and is available in 2-1/2" increments.
Lucifer Lighting are now offering a semi-recessed mounting option for their cylinders that lets the driver component be regressed into the ceiling and the adjustable light portion be below the ceiling. This is offered for flush into plaster, with wood following shortly. There is a new cylinder track fixture that they are hoping to have available by October of this year.
MP Lighting has a new surface mounted interior fixture. It can also be mounted as a wall sconce with direct/indirect distributions. They are also incorporating integral photo cells into some of their fixtures including the surface downlight, step lights and the linear light strip. The integration is clean and neat. There is a new monopoint fixture that can be specified with a snoot. The stem can be modified up to 20" when mounted off the wall and longer if mounted from the ceiling.
HTA
Auroralight showed us two new fixtures, the Cyclops and the Sonoma. The Cyclops is a small flood light with a machined ball socket and can be mounted into millwork, on a pole or with mounting stakes. The Sonoma is a step light that can be altered to change the distribution path.
SLS
Focal Point is now providing a new trimless down light starting at 500 lumens with incremental increasing options. The fixture is very competitively priced.
KKDC is a linear light strip company based out of the UK. The LEDs are all assembled by them so the color is consistent across the products. The 007 fixture is a node free extrusion. They can also customize extrusions.
Light Abilities
Aion is now offering a 1200 lumen per foot fixture. In the 400 series with their small extrusions, it is node free.
Electric Lighting Agencies (ELA)
Bartco have a 5/8" deep fixture that installs right into the cutout drywall. The driver housing is on a track so it can slide across to accommodate the joists. They also have a steel housing fixture that is more economical than their typical fixtures.
Lindsley Lighting specializes in cylinder fixtures; pendant, wall, and surface. They can customize the cylinders and make them up to 6' long.
Lites on West
From May 5 -7, LightFair International invaded the city! As expected, the show was filled with new LED fixtures and sources. But we found that, by far, the most interesting developments were in control. Companies like Lumenetix and Ketra are developing wifi and bluetooth controls to change CCT, CRI, add color, and dim. And we saw many manufacturers partnering with these sources to take full advantage of the new technologies. We are starting to see the realities and benefits of LED, as an inherently electronic source, that we always thought were possible. Special thanks to ALW, BIRCHWOOD, CONTECH, CORONET, FEELUX, SACO, and USAi LIGHTING for providing the evening entertainment!
ALW (ARCHITECTURAL LIGHTING WORKS)
A big thank you to the DLFNY for once again putting together a great show! LEDucation 2015 was a huge success and our team really enjoyed seeing the breadth of product on display. Here's a list of the manufacturers we were able to stop and see:
ACDC There is a new North American facility to produce the products for the USA. They are als currently working on making their submersible linear fixture available for use here.
A.LIGHT They are adding a new reflector in the lensed LED products to provide a clean glow of light as some complaints had been made about the visual line in the center of the fixture.
ALW The new Noventa series is a square fixture that is designed for two lit sides perpendicular to each other. It can be hung as a pendant (diamond shape) or mounted in the corner so that the two unlit sides are hidden in the walls. The fixture can be mounted inside the corner or trimless as part of an outside corner.
BIRCHWOOD All fixtures are now constant current. They are working on new round / curved fixtures, to be announced at LightFair.
COOPER: NEORAY We reviewed the new DEFINE Series that should be offered mid-year (a fully developed family by the end of the year). It is a new semi-recessed fixture with the lens the only visible component. NEORAY is still working on the edge detail, but the fixture can be offered within a 1" module and cut to make any angle. Their standard color temperatures are 3K, 35K, and 4K. 27K can be provided as a special.
EDISON PRICE LIGHTING EPL has created a new line of fixtures called APLUS utilizing the CREE dome lens module. They offer all the CREE color temperatures, including Sunset dimming. In addition, although EPL now offers a 10° beam with a different CREE chip, they are starting to work with the new Xicato chip to achieve tighter beam spreads.
EKLIPSE LIGHTING This was a new and potentially exciting company we reviewed. They had a very large range of linear (and curve-able) product, good color and lensing (node free) options. One of their more interesting products was a linear grazer in which the optics can be shifted along the linear axis. This was done via a lever that shifted the optics altogether in a marked angle.
iGUZZINI The X1 and X2 Blade fixtures are now available as Class 2, meaning without the large housing and with a remote driver. New larger Blade fixtures are also available, with 30° and 50° beam spreads, the X1 cell is equivalent to the X3 cell smaller version. The fixture is offered in white or black finishes and trimless will be available next year. IP65 glass lenses are available for some versions.
INTENSE LIGHTING Along with their typical offering, INTENSE is providing some nice trim options for the Impressions series. There is also a retro-fit option available.
LED LINEAR The Adonis fixture was exceptionally bright for such a small package. The lens is fully opal with no imaging, and the fixture is equipped with acrylic end-caps that pick up stray light and create an almost continuous line of light when mounted end-to-end. There is a groove at the bottom of the fixture to accept wiring. LED Linear is careful to list both the original A new 2000K color temperature will be available in the future.
LIGHTING SCIENCES GROUP LSG has moved away from professional material and more into consumer lamps.
LOUPI A new company represented by Lites on West. They had a good collection of retail products and linear lighting.
N°8 LIGHTING Some exciting new developments from Number 8! A new 700mA option has been developed, providing a 1050 lumen package, along with a new 13° beam spread. A new round bevel trim is available, which means a regressed round trim is as well. In July, a new ELV driver that will dim to 0%.
PHILIPS We need to look in the consumer lamps section for more retro-fit options.
SOLAIS / POWERSECURE Solais had a nice set-up showcasing their different color temperature options, plus their VioLight technology. They also showed us their new 4° PAR38 retro-fit and 8° dedicated platform. These had some really great punch. Another nice details is that the track heads have hidden power supplies within the track itself.
STERNBERG Nice quality exterior lighting, with modern through traditional offerings. The SV1 lens has a 12% loss factor, and the SV2 has an 18% loss. They were willing to do field mock-ups.
TECH LIGHTING A few new surprises from TECH. They have teamed up with SORAA to provide a bi-pin replacement lamp for their decorative line. They also have two new offerings: the RLS3 is an indirect slot detail with integral lighting and movable 850 lumen adjustable accent lights. If this series (the 3" wide slot) does well, they will consider offering wider slots. They also have a new recessed multiple series offered, in the standard 1 - 4, and grid, but also available in "fill-in" groups where you can place fixtures as needed. The fixtures have two tabs that pinch and are then used to rotate the module - you can never see behind it to the housing. Lumen packages are 1050 and 1300.
TEMPO The C3 curvable fixture is offered in 240 or 330 lumens/ft. The modules are field changeable, and it is about the cost of a good tape light.
VISUAL LIGHTING TECHNOLOGIES (VLT) They have chosen to provide their tightly spaced LED in all extrusions. None are node free (greater dimension is required) but it does provide a good option for some details where reflection is more of an issue.
Stan Deutsch Associates had their semi-annual showcase with a good showing from their lines. A lot of the fixtures we saw, especially from Design Plan, Solavanti and Inter-lux were previously only available in Europe and other parts of the world. It's exciting to finally be able to specify some products ALW had a few new things in their booth that we hadn't seen yet. One of them being tunable white LED strips which can go in any of their 2" or larger profiles. They also had a new pendant: Lightplane 3". The LPR3 is available in direct, indirect and bi-directional configurations.
Design Plan had a lot of their fixtures on display ranging from LED curved cove, pendants, bollards and recessed in-grade uplights.
Design Plan has brought out an LED high bay equivalent product into the market.
The curved cove light, 3D LED Flex, can bend in both vertical and horizontal axis.
We were introduced to a new manufacturer, Feng Shui Lighting. They provide solutions to backlighting panels with a product called Netlight. Linear strips of LEDs are attached to each other with equal spacing vertically to create a net like surface. The Netlight can either come with a frame or without for installation by others. Because of the spacing, they are able to provide a relatively shallow depth while still providing an evenly lit surface without visible nodes. We suggested the idea of a larger spacing net for installations that have more depth available but are more limited with wattage. They didn't have a solution for that, but it sounds like they would look into it for future applications.
Inter-lux Filix is now providing their Snake fixture in the US. It is an exterior recessed walk-over uplight that can be curved into different patterns. The tightest radius they can achieve is 1' circle.
Solavanti has updated their closet light so that is now available with uplight and downlight.
USAI had a nice booth this year showing a lot of their fixtures in typical installations. One highlight of their booth was a new family of low profile housing fixtures. All of the houses are 4" with ceiling thickness included. Right now only downlight versions are available, but they are working on wall wash trims that will use the same housings. They are also offering higher output versions of their LED2.0 family. Another fixture we saw was a revamped sliver fixture. The new Sliver has a low wattage transformer installed and is intended for use with a retro-fit LED lamp. This way because the transformer is already a low wattage, it eliminates the need for a wattage restriction label in order to pass code. The housing was also very small which makes an even better option for retro-fit applications.
The Dulanski Group held their 10 year celebration last week by hosting a showcase for a majority of their lines. We were able to visit and see some new products from some manufacturers we are familiar with as well as a couple new ones. Finelite: we took a look at their E1 fixture which is a slim profile pendant fixture that can come in standard configurations of a single line, a ssquare or a rectangle. They can also do custom corners of not just 90˚. All fixtures come with standard 0-10V dimming.
GVA: we got a refresher on GVA and their products. A highlight of their fixtures is the long runs they are able to do, 264m. Their technology for their diffusers is also impressive and reduces yellowing and deterioration that normally happens over time with exterior fixtures.
Iguzzini: one new addition we looked at was the inclusion of the Laserblade fixture into Systemalux track creating a unique combination system.
Oxygen Lighting: a new company to us that offers decorative options in LED. Both surface and wall sconces were available for us to look at. The larger fixtures can be customized to incorporate dimming.
Tegan Lighting: we took a look at their micro track system and their 1 watt spot. It produces a decent amount of light for such low wattage. It comes with field changeable optics of 18˚, 25˚ and 35˚. They also provide a monopoint version that can come with a flangeless installation.
Tempo Industries: the have a new fixture that is similar to their other linear high output lines. This fixture has 3 beamspread options as well as a frosted lens which makes it a good option for coves and wall grazing.
Vision Quest Lighting: was a new company for us. They do custom decorative lighting and manufacture all of their fixtures themselves. They seemed to be able to do a wide variety of products.
Thank you to Design Plan and Stan Deutsch Associates for an exciting and educational trip to Light+Building Frankfurt! Light+Building provided an excellent showcase for the different manufacturers Design Plan brings into the North American Market. Design Plan also announced an update to their Quick Ship Program, with current available quantities to be listed online and updated daily.
ARES This is an exterior lighting company with great eye for aesthetic detail in their fixture design - and wit in their name selection. Many of the decorative bollards and step lights had excellent glare control, but also produced a strong linear line of light on the ground (with a hint of yellowing at the edge). This could be useful in some situations, but needs to be considered for projects where a more diffuse line is required.
ASTRO This is a mostly decorative interior line for use in hospitality and retail. There are minimal exterior products offered, but they are well designed. They have a line of well designed small reading lights in a variety of finishes, and the Digit is fully recessed for use in Murphy beds. The Edge sconce can be modified with cut outs for room numbers, etc. Astro will provide modifications to most of their products for a minimum of 100 pieces.
BRICK IN THE WALL "Invisible integration" The beauty of these products is how the plaster frames coordinate with the gypsum plane to create a smooth transition from material to light fixture. This seamless appearance allows the fixtures to be fully paint-able and customized on-site. A full range of down lights, adjustables, wall washers, step lights and unique custom forms are offered. The new LED material is available in 2000K, 2700K and 3000K with 80 or 97 CRI. Many of the products are damp or wet location rated.
Thank you GRUPO MCI for an exciting and educational trip to their factory in Barcelona! We were able to spend time at both the Grupo MCI Light+Building booth and receive a factory tour and more intensive learning experience.
The booth highlighted many of their standard White and RGB products, including full ranges of linear and point source fixtures. The Smart Flex product (available square or rounded) is a unique field-cuttable IP66 linear cove light. Available in white, static color, or color-changing, the static colored fixtures actually use white LEDs with a colored acrylic lens - which produces a higher lumen package than typically seen. The Groundliner LED is now also offered in a Slim version and RGB, RGBW, Dynamic White and Static White. These products are well designed walk-over fixtures with a node-free lens.
Grupo MCI's strength lies in custom designs. They have an incredible R&D team that produces comprehensive documental, installation details, and completes site visits to ensure the project is installed and commissioned correctly.
The Smart Column, designed for Dubai Airport, offers both up and direct lighting for the space. The integral CPU senses and drives the current throughout the life of the unit. This not only maintains the light levels as the LED life diminishes, but also senses any differences between LEDs and drives them differently to maintain the same light output throughout.
The AcryLED light panel has standard offers, but again, the strength lies in the customization. Panels are available in most custom shapes, including bent designs. The acrylic is scored with knives to produce an even glow across the surface. Any customized designs are studied and the scores are adjusted to maintain this quality.
Grupo MCI's quality is also noticeable in their handling of the LEDs. Most PCB boards are made at the factory. When the LED is encased in silicone, the factory determines the color shift this might cause and will order the temperature to correct this. You receive high quality material and at the color temperature you specified.
LUCE&LIGHT L&L has an impressive array of small beautiful products, from in-grade marker lights or walkover frosted glass up lights to recessed step lights and decorative sconces. The Linear Bollard has a classic shape (with the head piece also offered as a decorative sconce) and gave an efficient diffused spread of light, and also includes an integral driver. I would love to see this produced as a wall step light as well, for a complete family of options. Unfortunately not available in the US, the Esem series of recessed down lights looked great, with a trimless aperture and single node LED. As did the River linear LED wall grazer with white or color-changing, also available in submersible.
LUMINO This is an excellent line of linear products with many different extrusion, lumen output, and color temperature options. LUMINO provides very tight binning (just under 2 bins) and a visual check for color performance (not just relying on computer readings). This is key to providing excellent color matching throughout considering shifts in red and green are quite visible. The V20SL product is a completely node-free lens (even in a reflective surface) and is offered in both IP20 and IP66. I would like to see them offer a 45° angled fixture in the future.
MEYER This is an exterior lighting company on par with other manufacturers we might choose for high end projects. The SuperLight Nano claims to be the "smallest fixture in the world with an integral driver." It begins with x1 LED module at 3watts with a 7° beam spread and can also be provided with a linear lens, 25° beam spread and groups of x4 or x9 LED modules. The Ecoscape is their first foyer into street lighting and will be available next year. The Comfort Module was a glare free option, and although less efficient, was much preferred over the standard visible LED node displays. MEYER also provides a ranges of building mounted architectural lights such as up-down sconces, wall washers and area lighting.
MOLTO LUCE I was impressed by the variety of well designed fixtures presented by MOLTO LUCE. Made out of fiber cement, the Soft line might be one of my favorites (available in two pendants and a sconce with custom designs available) and the new Clip LED exterior light (path and sconce) is the perfect element for modern designs. The Gator area light had a surprise center panel that can either be painted to match the ceiling or mirrored. The fixture appears to float on the surface and requires only a standard j-box for mounting, as all drivers are hidden behind the panel. MOLTO LUCE also offers a line of thin profile retail case lighting, multitudes of track options, and various linear pendant and surface mount designs. Overall, they presented a well thought out line of modern fixtures.
MORGAN ARCHITECTURAL LIGHTING I was happy to see DESIGN PLAN bring Morgan Arch Lighting back into the US. Their line of flexible LED products is unmatched in quality and light output. Among their available fixtures are three sizes of flexible white cove lighting with a variety of beam spreads, a new curve-able RGBW quad node system, flexible retail track with adjustable LED heads, and a retail case rod with moveable barn doors. It is also exciting that some of their products are outdoor rated, making Morgan Arch Lighting a great resource for many difficult projects.
WIBRE Although with only the linear walk-over fixture available in the US, WIBRE offers a nice selection of submersible and pool fixtures for international projects. The smaller submersible heads produced a nice output and the in-grade fixtures were nicely detailed with a bevel flange.
There were also a few US based manufacturers that took advantage of the Light+Building exhibition.
BAULMANN LEUCHTEN This company is soon to be offered by Solivanti in the US. They offer a very nice range of clean and minimal decorative fixtures in beautiful metal finishes. I particularly liked their reading light shape options - which had great beam spread and color temperature (in LED). They also offer a great integral mirror light option, which should be available in custom sizes.
ERCO ERCO certainly knows how to put on a show, with an impressive booth showcasing "What Inspires You?" and the melding of creativity and technology (including a live twitter feed). There were a wide selection of fixtures to look at, including the Pollux, a new track LED aiming projector; the Pantrac, a classic line LED wall washer; and their full range of Tessis in-grade up lights. As always, their products provide excellent optics and color rendering.
FILIX (INTER-LUX) Many of the products at FILIX's booth are not available in the US (yet?!). One of the more exciting was the Snake, exterior rated flexible in-ground up light with a soft opal lens. FILIX also presented an impressive array of submersible pool fixtures.
LITELAB We know LITELAB well in the US, so it was a pleasure running into them in Frankfurt. They were showcasing a new 5° LED track light with an integral driver (which means a smaller track fitter) and a new LED Framing Projector. They are also expanding the ALS Slot system, with a side mounted track head and a new standard mount LED head as well. LITELAB also now offers wood adapters for the ALS Slot, which really expands their use!
SCHMITZ (INTER-LUX) Schmitz had a nice presentation of linear LED (pendants and recessed) and integrated LED cove systems. The booth showcased their gypsum integration, but it is also good to remember that they offer ACT products as well - which are great for amping up an office interior. Schmitz produces a number of shapes and designs, in quite a large scale, and also have a range of cove spots to integrate. They also offer a range of surface mounted products to complement their recessed designs.
TECHNILUM It was fascinating to stop by this booth to learn about urban design possibilities. This company produces powerful weld-free aluminum designs, that can integrate with any light fixture. They also can include speakers, wifi, phones, signage - you name it. They range from small decorative posts to large urban function lighting.
UNIVERSAL FIBER OPTIC (UFO) Although mostly fiberoptic, I was most excited by the magnetic adjustable LED mono-points showcased in the booth. These fixtures are available in three sizes and use heavy-duty earth magnets to form a ball-and-socket design, allowing ultimate flexibility with a sturdy base. It was also great to see the new LED illuminators, which were impressive in their output and color.
3G Lighting has a semi-recessed linear fixture that is coming out soon. It is 2 1/2" wide and should be available in June. They glue their endcaps in place so while it is a separate piece, at least there aren't any gaps at the end.
Aion LED seems to have sorted out their dimming issues that we saw last time. They now offer DC MLV diming to almost 0% and ELV to 5% is still available. We didn't see any flashing at the end like last time. They also have color tuning available with DMX controls to 0.1%. We also took a look at their RGBA LED strip. The amber part of the LEDs gets to 22K and makes nice warm colors.
Bartco Lighting has a new semi-recessed Linear fixture called the Bulletproof, with a fully extruded acrylic lens in one piece. Most semi-recessed fixtures we have seen from other companies have separate endcaps so this is a nice clean option without any gaps.
Coronet is a good mid-level linear LED company for commercial fixtures that we got introduced to.
ETC has a new Source Four Mini fixture that is pretty powerful for such a small housing.
Forum Lighting have a nice edge-lit pendant that incorporates the connection into the suspension cables.
Intense Lighting has a new finish called Surface. It is a simulated natural finish technique.
Kurt Versen has a multiple fixture that we took a look at. It was nice, but it has a very large housing as a lot of their fixtures do. They did come out with a fixed downlight with a shallow housing that is only 6" with the gypsum thickness included.
Leucos has a finish technique that applies a mirrored finish to both the inside and the outside of the glass surface of the pendant. This technique makes the fixture appear to be a polished chrome like surface when it is off and when it is on, the surface is translucent.
Lucent Lighting are in the process of making their fixtures available in the US. It's still a work-in-progress, but they have made the majority of their products available.
MP Lighting have some new puck lights we took a look at. They have a glass surface that is similar to an iphone. It comes in either 12° or 30° beamspreads. They also have a new undercabinet fixture which also comes with a closet rating. We can see the nodes when looking directly at the fixture but the lens they have helps reduce the imaging on surfaces.
N° Eight Lighting have updated their LED modules providing more powerful fixtures with an even higher efficacy than before.
Nulux is venturing into the LED world. We got to see two versions of their Swidlux, one with dedicated Xicato LED modules and the other used retro-fit Soraa MR16 LED lamps. Nulux is still developing the fixtures and working the kinks out but it was good to see the progress they have made.
Q-Tran has a new tape light with a high CRI. We aren't sure how we feel about them venturing into the fixture manufacturing world.
SPI Lighting have developed a new 1 1/2" sconce that is ADA compliant. It can be customized to be any aluminum or acrylic shape. They manufacture everything themselves in the factory so they are heavy on customization.
Tivoli have updated their linear LED strips. They have made adjustments to their tunable white LED fixture. Previously they had two different LED node color temperatures to achieve this, but now they are able to use one type to accomplish it.
Traxon Technologies has some new linear RGB fixtures we got to take a look at. The thing we were most excited to see was their new app that gives full control to the end user.
USAI Lighting has a new multiple recessed fixture that looks good. It can have the warm glow dimming added. Both trimmed and trimless versions are available.
Whitegoods are releasing a Mini Z Cove that is great for small cove details because of space restrictions. It should be available mid-summer.
We also got the chance to sit in on a lecture going over code updates and more specifically how they apply to LEDs. We were able to pull some good resources to reference. A few notable code requirements we heard: the Life Safety Code requires 10FC min in all occupied spaces, a local NYC code for pools at a high levels. New commercial codes will start to be implemented this summer, but it is recommended to use Ashrae 90.1 2010 until then if the project is not being submitted yet. A major code change that affects a lot of our projects is the new residential code of 75% high efficacy lamps with an exemption for low voltage.
Last week we stopped by the Pennsylvania Hotel to see the Enterprise Lighting Showcase for Cooper Lighting’s newest innovation; WaveStream LED. WaveStream is a technology that incorporates LED strips to edgelight panels with microscopic optics designed for optimum illumination. Cooper has implemented this technology throughout their lines and some of the manufacturers introduced those fixtures at the showcase. Most of the products will be available later in the year. The great thing about the WaveStream technology is that it allows the fixtures to have a slim profile. Corelite had both a recessed and a pendant to show us. The pendant has a 25-75 ratio for a nice batwing distribution.
Halo has a surface mounted downlight that utilizes the new technology called SLD. Because of the slim profile from the edgelighting, the fixture has a relatively small profile as well and mounts to a j-box. The SLD comes in three sizes; 4”, 5” and 6” and will be offered in only 3K. This fixture would work great for spaces that have minimal recessing depth.
iO Lighting has a tile fixture that can be surface mounted or recessed called tile Gen II. The tile comes in increments of 6” and has a profile of ¾”. iO also offers the tile with custom colors from Lee or Rosco.
Neo-Ray is offering a direct indirect pendant fixture with adjustable wings in 1 and 2 foot increments. The fixture has a nice look, and when it is powered off it has a nice architectural aesthetic that masks the fact that it is a light fixture.
Metalux is offering recessed troffers called the Encounter and is available in 2’ x 2’ and 4’ x 4’ versions with a 1’ x 4’ coming early 2014. The Encounter comes standard with 5 lumen packages with 11 more available with an extra lead time.
There has been a lot of progress made since the WaveStream was introduced to us a year ago and we look forward to seeing where it goes from here. It is always good to have options for fixtures with slim profiles that can adapt to spaces with tight restrictions while still providing a high performance.
We just got back from a great trip to Dallas and a visit to the Tech Lighting Showroom for LIGHTSPEAK 2013. What a great space and great people as well! Here is a brief re-cap of the visit and some photos to wet the appetite. To see more, visit TechLighting.com. The Tech Lighting factory is located in Skokie, IL and they stock a majority of their pieces. They try and provide a lead time of 3-Days! for most projects, especially for orders under 100 items. Also good to remember is that custom products make up about 15% of their work. It never hurts to ask.
Here is just a peak at some of the beautiful glass elements that Tech is known for. Many of these pieces are hand-blown in Italy. The first image is the new Ecran "Screen" Pendant with platinum and gold silk-screened patterns on the glass. The third image shows the beautiful Sara (round) and Jayden (square) pressed crystal pendants with hand-blown white glass inner layer.
Here's a collection of the industrial Wilmette Series, which has been incorporated into the larger Tech Lighting catalog.
The Artic Family is also really fun!
And finally, a collection of amber glass pendants, beautifully grouped.
In addition to the decorative displays throughout, we received an over-view of the architectural recessed line ELEMENT. This is a family of 3", 4" and 6" apertures with a variety of functions. Unfortunately, we often find that the housing sizes prevent us from using these products in NYC. The standard LED uses a Citizen chip, but the they are now offering products with Xicato (standard and artist series available) and Lumenetix. Lumenetix is offering an exciting product with a pre-programmed warm dim or fully programmable white. The warm dim function is great for residential and hospitality. The fully programmable white may be a good option for retail. The programming offers up to 5 saved scenes, which can be saved to high light the clothes in each season! We've also been told they will begin offering multiples next year.
And finally, Tech Lighting is expanding their UNILUME line to include not only their standard remote phosphor under-cabinet line, but other variations: direct line voltage, remote driver and a cove line. The cove line is very exciting because it offers a field-cuttable piece for completing the ends of runs. The cove fixture is a basic 120° output with no real direction. Great for simulating the look of fluorescent without socket shadows. Color temperatures range from 2400K - 4000K.
We were also shown some exciting new products for 2014, but were sworn to secrecy! Looking forward to the future and to see what Tech Lighting does next!
