Light+Architecture

The best time-lapse video from the International Space Station

2013-08-24T17:44:00.001+02:00

Probably you have seen 'nighttime' images of the earth taken from the space. But have you seen a video? Have you seen how the Aurora Borealis looks like from the space, or how does it look like when it is lightning in a massive storm? Two truly fantastic time lapse video from the ISS:

Interactive Cloud sculpture breathes life into 6,000 dead bulbs

2013-08-24T17:24:00.001+02:00

Nuit Blanche arts festival in Calgary, art patrons gathered under the incandescent glow of an artificial cloud. Simply dubbed Cloud, the sculpture was created by Canadian artist and filmmaker Caitlind r. c. Brown. It's made up of 6,000 burnt out incandescent light bulbs collected from donations, with a few working ones scattered amongst them. Strings hang from the bulbs and, when given a tug, toggle the lights to create the eponymous and visually striking flickering cloud of light. The build process is documented on the Cloud blog and offers a glimpse at the effort involved in pulling the whole project together. Check out the video below to see bemused art patrons trying out the cloud for themselves.

And a permanent realization of this idea:

Review: New DIALux EVO 2

2013-04-29T21:33:00.000+02:00

More than a year elapsed since we wrote the first review about the DIALux EVO. DIAL launched the new, updated version of the DIALux: the EVO 2. So we gonna have a second (and quick) look of it to see what happened in Lüdenscheid.

The official change log of the new EVO version:

dwg export
false colors
advanced navigation
settings for standard - improvement of the dialog several bugfixes performance optimization

Let start with the FC rendering. The false colour rendering got a really professional look. Congratulation for the developers. However one time saving option is still missing: interpolate. It would be nice to have a linear and logarithmical interpolation option too.
The new false colour overlay is available with the F9 shortcut what is really handy.

The look of the FC is not yet consequent:

When you want to move an object in the space you can select axis (X,Y,Z) to move the object only in the selected axis. 3DS MAX users are familiar with this. This is a very helpful option.

Navigation in the space also got easier. There are modifications in the UI improving the usability of the software.

Display options are nicely organised:

High number of options does work only in special circumstances (eg: isolines, light distribution curves in 3D view, etc.) what is a bit annoying.

The DWG import is still seriously buggy. Many files displayed incorrectly and the previews are not available (this last one is an acceptable loss).

This is the original drawing in AutoCAD:

This is what you get:

Ooops! One step further and Dialux got a black hole. It sucked my lines in:

We have the option to embed the external drawing into the project file. This can be helpful when we have to share the file with other companies:

It`s been never so easy as now to move the base point of the DWG layers:

The manufacturer module has been changed slightly but we are still unable to download the plugin from the software itself. Dialux will only open the internet browser at the download location.

The material library is nicely presented:

There is no change in the furniture library. A refresh would be timely.

Many bugs been patched but still we run into error messages, crashes so often that is not just annoying but makes us think that this is still in beta stage.

Performance-wise we don`t feel any significant improvements. We did run the same test calculations as we did last year. :( The list of +Pros is longer but there are no changes on the -Con list since we reviewed the beta version.
The EVO branch is still far from overtaking the Dx4 branch.

We haven’t find a comprehensive, list of the Dialux EVO shortcut keys, so here it is.
If something missing, please comment below.

F1 help
F2 Show/hide coordinate system
F3 Show/hide reference lines
F4 Show/hide working planes
F5 Wireframe view
F6 Show/hide iso lines
F7 Show/hide DWG drawings
F8 Show/hide light distribution curves
F9 Show/hide false colour overlay
F12 Save project

Ctrl + C Copy
Ctrl + X Cut
Ctrl +V Paste
Ctrl + S Save
Ctrl + O Open
Ctrl + N New project
Ctrl + P Print
Ctrl + F2 Print preview
Ctrl + T New tab
Ctrl + Z Undo
Ctrl + Y Redo
Ctrl + 1…9 Save the view
Alt + 1…9 Recall the saved views
Del Delete

P + left mouse button Move
Z + Right mouse button Zoom
The function of the Shift key haven’t changed.

One thing I still don`t understand. Why Dialux doesn’t have shortcut key for the calculate command.

Please feel free to comment (no log in needed):

Art Gallery of Ontario

2013-01-23T19:59:00.000+01:00

Sculptures: Captured Lightning

2013-01-22T19:44:00.000+01:00

Bavarian Forest National Park, Neuschönau

2013-01-02T01:04:00.000+01:00

The New FC Barcelona Museum

2013-01-01T00:57:00.000+01:00

Visitor Center Grube Messel

2012-12-30T00:52:00.000+01:00

Visitor Center Grube Messel

Vodafone building, Oporto

2012-12-29T01:18:00.000+01:00

Bianimale - The Nomadic Museum

2012-12-28T16:25:00.000+01:00

Ombra Bruno / Bemaa curated for the Bianimale Foundations the exhibition design for the Ashes and Snow project

Source: http://www.behance.net/gallery/Bianimale/1229801

Guangzhou Opera House

2012-12-27T15:26:00.005+01:00

The Guangzhou Opera House by Zaha Hadid Architects has opened in Guangdong province, China.

Shaped to resemble two pebbles on the bank of the Pearl River, the building houses a 1,800-seat theatre plus 400-seat multifunctional hall, rehearsal rooms and entrance hall.

Like pebbles in a stream smoothed by erosion, the Guangzhou Opera House sits in perfect harmony with its riverside location. The Opera House is at the heart of Guangzhou’s cultural development. Its unique twin-boulder design enhances the city by opening it to the Pearl River, unifying the adjacent cultural buildings with the towers of international finance in Guangzhou’s Zhujiang new town.

The design evolved from the concepts of a natural landscape and the fascinating interplay between architecture and nature; engaging with the principles of erosion, geology and topography. The Guangzhou Opera House design has been particularly influenced by river valleys – and the way in which they are transformed by erosion.

Fold lines in this landscape define territories and zones within the Opera House, cutting dramatic interior and exterior canyons for circulation, lobbies and cafes, and allowing natural light to penetrate deep into the building. Smooth transitions between disparate elements and different levels continue this landscape analogy. Custom moulded glass-fibre reinforced gypsum (GFRC) units have been used for the interior of the auditorium to continue the architectural language of fluidity and seamlessness.

The Guangzhou Opera House has been the catalyst for the development of cultural facilities in the city including new museums, library and archive. The Opera House design is the latest realization of Zaha Hadid Architects’ unique exploration of contextual urban relationships, combining the cultural traditions that have shaped Guangzhou’s history, with the ambition and optimism that will create its future.

Electrocuted flowers

2012-11-05T21:10:00.001+01:00

San-Franciscan artist Robert Buelteman's latest images from his residency at Stanford university's jasper ridge biological preserve are a clear example of dedicated artistry. The work is a series of electrocuted flower photographs that are each created without a camera or computer manipulation - but through a re-appropriated method of photography known as kirlian - and 80,000 volts.

The technique - a high-voltage photogram process which gained popularity in the 1930s - is considered highly dangerous and painstaking to the point where very few people will attempt it. Buelteman will begin the arduous process by meticulously whittling down foliage such as flowers, twigs and plants with a scalpel until they are almost transparent. He then lays each sample on colour transparency film and covers it with a diffusion screen which is positioned on a piece of sheet metal sandwiched between plexiglas, floating in liquid silicone.

Buelteman zaps everything with an electric pulse and the electrons jump from the sheet metal, through the silicone and the flower while leaving the jumper cables. The result is hand-painted with white light shining through an optical fiber the width of a human hair - a process so tricky each image can take up to 150 attempts. The work is a series of striking illuminated images published in a book entitled 'signs of life'.

Emptyful Sculpture, Winnipeg

2012-10-21T20:57:00.001+02:00

Artist Bill Pechet has collaborated with lighting co-designer Chris Pekar of Lightworks and Lumenpulse to create the 35-foot-tall, 31-foot-wide “Emptyful” sculpture in the Millennium Library Plaza in Winnipeg, Canada.

“Lighting for ‘Emptyful’ had to be slender, discreet and powerful,” says Pechet. “We brought Lumenpulse into the process early and designed the beam with their fixtures in mind.” A total of 28 Lumenfacade color-changing LED luminaires are secured on each side of an H-beam, half pointing up to accent the fog, and half pointing down to light a curtain of water cascading down into a 500-gallon tank below.

The stunning effect has mesmerized hundreds of people who have come to visit the piece. “It was influenced by the phenomenon of weather and human endeavor,” Pechet says. “When you first visit Winnipeg, it can appear empty and open, set amidst the vastness of prairie and sky. But within, the city is full of creative energy.”

The color-changing luminaires are set to 18 summer and 9 winter sequences, and each lasts for one to two minutes. Lumenpulse’s Lumenfacade RGB fixtures are designed for grazing or floodlighting exterior surfaces with color.

Hedonism Wine, Mayfair London

2012-10-19T00:48:00.001+02:00

Today I took a short walk between two project site and on the way I noticed this beautiful lighting feature

photos by Mihaly Bartha

Inspiration - Lantern Calmness

2012-10-18T23:52:00.001+02:00

Inspirational photo by Troy Wong

CO2 emission of incandescent light bulb

2012-07-09T20:30:00.001+02:00

Have you ever wondered how an incandescent light bulb can emmit CO²? :)
This might help:

Make your light bulb eco friendly! Mini greenhouse:

Virgin Atlantic’s New Upper Class Bar And Cabin

2012-06-26T00:32:00.000+02:00

Virgin Atlantic teamed up with VW + BS studio to shape a new experience for passengers riding the airline 30 000 feet in the air. The first time the new upper class bar and cabin enchanted its guests was this spring, on a route from London to New York. This new aircraft hospitality space concept was created to encourage social interaction between passengers in an innovative atmosphere built for a plane with the strictest safety regulations. Virgin Atlantic’s New Upper Class Bar And Cabin is the sophisticated result of creative thinking based on giving the design studio free hand to redesign one of Virgin’s planes.

When Virgin Atlantic sums up this projects, they describe it as a mixture of insight into the client’s needs and wishes, creativity and expert engineering. A futuristic design like this one, influenced by the angled positioning of interior spaces, creates a unique set of social spaces, while the espresso colored leather seats offer a comfortable place to rest. The design lines and colors with RGB lighting effects creates different moods.

Installation "Quattro punti per una torre", Milan

2012-06-18T23:12:00.000+02:00

Salon Urbain - Place des Arts, Montreal

2012-06-17T11:50:00.000+02:00

Sid Lee Architecture and Ædifica!turned the parking area at Place des Arts into a Salon Urbain, a versatile new space ideal for meeting up before or after a musical performance, a gallery visit or a conference. The Salon Urbain fully captures the artistic appeal of the site, located at the St. Urbain entrance of the Place des Arts and next to the new concert hall.

Nike+ Fuelstation by Nike, London Boxpark

2012-06-13T01:18:00.000+02:00

Nike presented its vision of 'future retail' by opening the first Nike+ Fuelstation in East London's Boxpark.

Envisioned by Nike’s Netherlands-based team, the concept space strives to offer an innovative balance of digital interactivity with physical human experience.

The space is maximized with digital interventions designed to motivate and inspire the concept of getting active. Motion-sensing LED walls run floor-to-ceiling, changing colour from red to green as customers walk past. As an alternative to conventional mannequins, motion-sensitive smart mirrors reveal film footage of local runners wearing products from the store. Interactive touch screens provide information on Nike+ products and Run Clubs.

One of the highlights is a clever Kinect hack installation that allows visitors to create a life sized digitized version of themselves on screen. The result is a unique motion graphic that can be uploaded and shared via social media.

The store will become the hub of a free weekly Nike+ Run Club for locals whilst nutritionists and physiotherapists will be on hand to offer free consultations and advice.

New DIALux EVO review with screenshoots

2012-04-28T23:07:00.002+02:00

After countless postponing finally we thought that the new DIALux will be launched on Light+Building in Frankfurt but the only thing what happened they made the beta version available for the public. What is surprising. This review is based on the based on the beta IV versions, as this is not the final product I won't comment on the missing features and on the bugs but rather on the core software and user experience.

Welcome screen - DIALux EVO

The very first impression of the new version is great. The EVO version got a really stylish user interface.

After a period of use the EVO is disappointing. Although it has new UI and few new functions the EVO is not a fundamentally new version (as it was advertised) it is unfortunately based on the old version with its all limitation. What do I mean? With the building based design we might think ohh finaly the EVO is a truly 3D based lighting calculation software.
We cannot edit an object in 3D only the base 2D shape of the body and extruding it like in the old DIALux. We just simply cannot edit the vertexes. So it is no surprise why still don’t have sphere as standard object and dome as standard ceiling option. So like in the old time or we are going to 3DS MAX or other 3D modeling software to create our objects like dome ceiling and then we import these or we are struggling with the subtract/add object command.

Some features and screenshots:

We don't have much setting option at the moment but this will surely change. I personally miss the customizable shortcut keys and toolbar buttons.

Settings - DIALux EVO

Settings for standards - DIALux EVO

AutoCAD import is improved, now we can import multiple DWG files and easily manage the layers.

AutoCAD DWG import and layers - DIALux EVO

Luminaire selection - DIALux EVO

Plug-in selection - DIALux EVO

The luminaire comparison table is a great idea but at the current stage is not too informative. Although we can compare the descriptions, luminous fluxes and power consumptions but it would be very useful if we could compare the LOR's, beam angles, cone diagrams.

Luminaire comparison - DIALux EVO

The other handy tool: we can add multiple dimension line to the views and manually we can overwrite these.

Dimensions - DIALux EVO

One of the best feature: we can add any custom text to any space

Custom text - DIALux EVO

False color renderings of EVO looks a bit retro.

False color rendering - Autodesk 3DS MAX

False color rendering - DIALux 4.1

False color rendering - DIALux EVO

Iso lines looks great

Iso lines - DIALux EVO

Light scenes - DIALux EVO

Color filters - DIALux EVO

Renderings are done within Dialux itself (not in Pov-ray).

Performance:

After completing few mid size project I found the new version significantly slower, but I didn't want to base my opinion on my personal senses so I quantified it:

For the benchmark I used a 20m*20m*3m rectangle room with standard settings and 9*11 suspended 1x35W 70/30 direct/indirect luminaires.

The result:

	DIALux 4.1	DIALux EVO
Cold startup	15 sec	35 sec
Warm sturtup	1,5 sec	8 sec
Calculation	11 sec*	25 sec

* with the very accurate option 16 sec.

Cold start up: First start after every boot of the computer (this is not the very first start of the software)
Warm start: Restarting of the software

The system used for the benchmark:
Modell: Dell Precision T3500
CPU: 2x Intel Xeon W3503
RAM: 14 GB
GPU: ATI FirePro V4800
OS: Windows 7 Professional 64 bit SP1

+ Pro:

Nice stylish user interface
Multiple AutoCAD background
Easyer to draw buildings and rooms on autocad drawing (no more annoing add point command)
Possibility to place render image on the cover page and on other pages.
Adjustable UVW coordinates
You can add text labels to the rooms
PDF files created quickly

- Con:

Very low performance
Old DIALux engine
The new version is still not 3D based
Lack of costumizable keyboard shortcuts and toolbar
Lack of the handy right mouse button options, commands
Output (documentation) is not enough informative
No 64 bit version (cannot use the resources of a strong computer to the full)

Conclusion:

Although the new version have nice UI and some handy features, the EVO version is not mature enough to use for everyday work. DIAL have to make major improvement on the core program as specially performance wise. I made several calculation with EVO for our new projects but these took painfully long (eg.: 1 room with 74 spotlight, without any furniture, the calculation took 34 minutes) and this something what many of us cannot afford.
DIAL is aware that for long they won't be able to implement all the features of 4.x for long, so they will keep developing the 4.x branch for a while.

Please feel free to comment (no log in needed).

DNA Lighting - SLIDE

2012-04-13T22:11:00.001+02:00

DNA creates a weave of lights, colours and suggestions, all illuminated with the LED technology. DNA is a modular element of 2 meters length, with the possibility to interlace it to create an enlightened spiral. We can define it as a revisiting of traditional luminous decorations.

Dimensions of the modules:
207 x 88 x H 34 cm

Total length of the installation: 100 meters

designer: Karim Rashid

Music inside

2012-03-26T00:49:00.000+02:00

These are from the campaign material of Berliner Philharmoniker but I found them truly inspirational:

source: Bjoern Ewers

New screenshots: DIALux EVO

2012-03-14T22:36:00.000+01:00

PKO Bank Polski

2012-03-01T00:49:00.000+01:00

The PKO Bank Polski, is a far cry from your ordinary bank! We normally wouldn’t describe a bank as warm, sexy, and sensual, but the design of the PKO Bank makes saving and investing feel glamorous – ‘tell me more about your IRA options Mr. Bank Teller.’ That is exactly the environment that Polish architect and designer Robert Majkut wanted to create. Majkut took inspiration for the interior design from the already existing company graphics which consisted of black, white, and gold. The colors manifested within the wall materials, furniture, and lighting, to create a dramatic ambiance within the space.

One of the most interesting features of the bank comes is the dynamic wall behind the receptionists desk. Majkut explains that “a bi-dimensional pattern was completely transformed by introducing an additional dimension: it was made spatial by being projected on the tri-dimensional model of the interior.” The architect went on, “to achieve this effect special software for parametric design was used, which allowed for the creation of a complex and ordered structure formed as a transformation of the subtle grid of lines converging in one abstract point.”

The grid form of the wall came straight from the logo of the bank, then transformed into an exciting design feature within the space. Next came the lounge, a conference room, individual offices, and a small meeting area, all of which are designed to be luxurious, sophisticated, and comfortable!