Interview "Office Solutions 04/05" with Jean-Marc da Costa

Is a desk luminaire the piece de resistance of any a luminaire designer?

This type of luminaire does indeed represent a great challenge to designers. After all, a well-designed desk luminaire must not only be easy to handle, easy to adjust, say, but must also provide quality light. That not only requires creative skills but also great engineering expertise. For all that, I would argue that desk luminaires increasingly play a minor role in typical office settings. In the last five years there has been a trend towards the direct/indirect standing lamp. This not only meets the lighting stipulations of the 3K concept, but also only requires one luminaire.

Does the distinction between decorative and technical illumination still apply?

Yes, I would say so! But there is a definite trend towards eroding this destinction, which personally I welcome.

What influence do the new lighting and illuminating technologies have on workplace design?

In principle, the tried and tested fluorescent lamp – which incidentally, is often falsely referred to as neon light – continues to dominate the office world. In the last twenty years, great advances have been made in fluorescent tube lighting technology, generating a large number of variants. Moreover, though the light efficiency and life of this form of lighting has steadily increased, they have actually become smaller in size. It is only logical that the new versions of the fluorescent lamp, with the connections at one end only, be referred to as compact.This trend toward miniaturizatoin has unveiled quite amazing options to designers. As a result of the extremely high density of luminance however, the issue of anti-dazzle became increasingly complicated and consequently luminaire technology more complex and sophisticated. Furthermore, the electronic operating ballast required for this type of lighting technology has likewise become much more complex. Yet, these devices ensure that these ultra modern compact luminaires are extremely efficient. Thanks to the electronic operating system, the fluorescent luminaire comes on immediately, and can be adjusted at will between one and one hundred percent, if desired in conjunction with the ambient light, i. e., artificial or daylight, and can even be regulated via computer software programmes to suit individual tastes. 

What changes has workplace illumination undergone in recent years?

Today, workplace lighting has increasingly moved towards zone-related lighting. Current lighting concepts tend not to bathe the entire room in uniform brightness but to use directional lighting, which makes for more efficient illumination. Moreover, control systems ensure that individual users can nowadays select the lighting intensity that best suits their distinct needs.

Do you consider the regulations on workplace lighting to be useful?

In my opinion to date they’ve been more of a nuisance. These regulations have now been replaced by a European norm, so I would say they now add weight to a positive trend. Previously, the rather imprecise regulations governing workplace lighting were grouped together under German industrial norm 5035. This particular norm has now been in force for some 40 years, and it was last revised in 1990. So it is not difficult to imagine that until recently there was an enormous gap between the standard of lighting technology and the outdated norms. As I see it, this led to a situation in which many planners and electrical engineers deliberately or inadvertently abused the norms. Planners were primarily concerned with providing the prescribed light qualities and meeting the norms, while achieving a sensible solution in terms of lighting was secondary. Entire open-plan offices were often bathed in artificial light of up to 1,000 lux, irrespective of the requirements in individual functional zones. The new EN 12464 replaced the old standard. Since it requires considerably more expertise, it is at least a step towards achieving better planning results.

Does the future of office lighting lie in a blend of natural and artificial light?

It does, and to my mind this trend is already visible: there is a new tendency in contemporary architecture towards ever more and ever larger windows. Your must admit that people often find daylight more pleasant than artificial light. On the other hand, there is no getting around our reliance on artificial light. You only have to think of the increasingly flexible and longer hours we work. In other words, we need both types of light. This will involve artificial light mimicking the quality of daylight and becoming increasingly like it.The intelligent use of daylight will also be a topic that is addressed. Today, for example, there are already specially developed windows that enable light to be directed from outside into a room and distributed such that it does not dazzle.