Lighting in Design May-June 2015

All photographs supplied by Lightemotion.

an ‘Urban Clock’ concept that uses a programmable DMX system to adapt the colours, tones, intensity and colour temperature. The morning bright and energetic dynamic white scheme helps people start their day. For the lunch time rush warm colour tones are added to provide a luminotherapy effect, especially in the darker fall and winter months, and at night darker tones in blues and greens create a relaxing ambience for shopping. The custom-designed fixtures were also used out- side at each of the building’s entrances. By using the same design principles and technologies as inside, the entrance lighting system projects onto the side- walk creating a chromatic coloured ambience which complements the lighting display inside. The lighting design does more than offer a daily show to visitors and a visual signature to Complexe Desjardins . It is much more energy-efficient than the traditional 400 W lighting fixtures that it replaced. Using only 132 W each, the new fixtures reduce energy consumption by 67%. Because they are also equipped with photoelectric cells, they are capable of automatically adjusting the lighting intensity and power consumption to compensate for the amount of natural light entering the concourse through two large curtain wall windows at each of the two main entrances. Founded in 2002 by Francois Roupinian, Light- emotion is an independent global lighting design consultancy that combines outstanding lighting design with technical excellence.

changes over the course of the day, but it is 67% more economical than the previous system and provides triple the lighting intensity at floor level. To create a lighting ambience that was both friendly and dynamic, Lightemotion conceived a bi-directional LED lighting fixture that the Montreal company Lumenpulse developed for the project. Composed of two elements (a frame equipped with RGB LEDs and a downward-directed directional flood), the fixture directs coloured light upward as well as directing lighting downwards towards the floor. By installing one of these fixtures in each ceil- ing coffer, Lightemotion made it possible to create subtle chromatic nuances that produced the effect of a path of colours covering the vault of the retail concourse. Outside, the marquees covering each of the building’s two entrances were also provided with a lighting system that can project onto the ground a chromatic ambience creating a call to action to enter the retail concourse. The downlights provide four times more lux level than the previous fixtures while also creating a visually stimulating pattern on the floor that eliminates the typical flat floodlight wash effect. Since the Complex is an event space and a shopping centre, there was a mandate to ensure the fixtures provided a wide range of visual options. After a careful study of the traffic patterns based on time of day and activity, Lightemotion developed

LiD 05-06/15

15