Photos: Gemma Parker (show) and Louise Stickland (building)

Nearly 100 Robe LED lighting fixtures – T1 Profiles, Spiider LED wash beams plus Divine 160 RGBW LED floods – are at the heart of the house lighting package at Magazine London – the capital’s newest and most exciting event space, located in North Greenwich.

Background 

It has been just 300 days since ground was broken in North Greenwich for Venue Lab’s newest venture; Magazine London has now officially opened its doors.

This purpose-built destination is the largest of its kind in London, offering a striking blank canvas across 3,205 sq metres of industrial-style space for up to 3,000 people standing.

The site also features a 7,000-capacity outdoor showground with unbroken views across the river towards Canary Wharf. This brand-new, multi-use venue provides an unrivalled landscape for brand events, awards dinners, conferences, exhibitions, fashion, the arts and ticketed culture.

Space 1 has an impressive eight-metre-high, floor-to-ceiling glass window and access to a private balcony that allows guests to view the verticality of the Canary Wharf cityscape. This area can be used for a reception, as well as being an attractive space in its own right.

The largest of Magazine’s internal space is Space 2.

The interior fit-out comprises over 2,100 OSB boards to bring a warmer wall finish to the warehouse-style design of the building. In total, the project used 13.96 miles of timber, as well as 149,713 screws and 757.5 litres of paint to stain the venue in a specific shade of black; RAL9005.

This black palette is also mirrored in the venue’s polished concrete floor, steel skeleton, production trusses and even the outdoor limestone patio to achieve a unified finish. Space 2 can accommodate 3,000 standing, 2,000 seated for a conference or 1,400 for a large-scale dinner.

Technicals

Technical Consultant, Simon Jones of SJ-TPM, was brought onboard by Venue Lab to coordinate all things technical that relate to event production including the lighting.

Involved in the process from conception to completion, his brief was to design the overall technical infrastructure including house lighting and sound systems, and oversee the purchase, procurement and installation of all production equipment.

Magazine wanted to be able to offer an in-house production package that included lighting, sound, rigging, power and data distribution. It needed to be flexible and rider-friendly with the option to be used in its entirety or adapted by artists / clients wanting to bring in their own production elements.

Simon wanted to ensure that the production install aligned with the building’s innovative ethos – Magazine London was constructed with advanced materials and revolutionary techniques and has embraced the area’s industrial heritage and prevailing future.

So, when it came to the technical kit, Simon wanted the best, most versatile and practical energy-saving options available.

Simon had numerous positive experiences with Robe, one of which included specifying large quantities of BMFL moving lights for the Westfield London retail complex. Simon commented, “I’ve been hands-on with Robe products for several years, they are rock solid and the service (from local distributor Robe UK) is great, so they were obviously going to be the go-to choice for the Magazine London project”.

Simon sought additional creative expertise from lighting specialists Ben Cash and Dave Amos, at Flare Lighting, who brought great experience in designing for a diverse portfolio of events and ‘out-of-the-box’ live shows with artists like the Pet Shop Boys and Mark Ronson.

They were asked to advise on the install to help ensure that Magazine would have the best options for a multiplicity of scenarios. Simon, Ben and Dave also consulted a variety of other active event and show lighting designers who work day-to-day across different disciplines, asking what they thought would be the best and most appropriate fixtures, then assessed the myriad of suggestions and ideas!

Install 

The structural arches of Magazine offer between seven and nine metres of headroom with a good weight loading of five tonnes per arch. This allowed for a Prolyte truss and rigging system to be installed in the roof.

Once a basic lighting requirements brief had been constructed, Simon started discussions with several leading manufacturers to get an overview of the available technologies. From this research, he produced a sensible house lighting budget which was approved by the Venue Lab team.

LED light sources were a given, and with the other considerations proposed by Ben and Dave, this resulted in the purchase of the 14 x Spiiders, 16 x T1 Profiles and 65 x Divine 160 RGBW flood / washes from Robe to be installed in the venue.

The Spiiders and T1s are positioned on the stage rig, and the Divines are installed in the roof trusses where they are ideal for washing the entire venue in high-quality colour.

“The T1s offer great brightness, high-quality output, multiple features and are extremely power-efficient. While the Spiiders are an ‘industry standard’ LED wash, they have a very intense brightness, a great variety of colours, as well as being small and light, taking up very little space,” stated Simon.

With this set up, Magazine London can offer an excellent ‘base’ house lighting option for all events with the ability to tailor production packages if desired. Coupled with the L-Acoustics KARA sound system, event producers have some of the best, most adaptable and appropriate technologies of the moment at their disposal.

Magazine London’s modern technical production specification is part of a forward-thinking venue concept at one of the most charismatic and vibrant event spaces in the UK.

Zumtobel Lighting has created individual solutions for a number of different areas of the state-of-the-art Manor Road Building, part of The University of Oxford. The client’s brief called for modern, highly efficient lighting with high performance and excellent aesthetics that would not compromise the original Norman Foster visual lighting effect, whilst providing a more sustainable higher education facility and a perfect environment for learning. Zumtobel was chosen for the project because of their market leading efficiencies combined with the required architectural aesthetic for every area of the building to meet the stringent requirements of The University of Oxford’s facilities management team and provide a full design service.

Originally designed by world class architect Sir Norman Foster, the Manor Road site is home to timetables and building information for staff, students and visitors who are based at and attend events in the building. The Manor Road Building is home to several units of the Social Sciences Division and also houses the unified Social Science Library.

To maintain as much of the original design aesthetic as possible, the majority of luminaires have been supplied in custom 4 metre lengths and finished in black. For the offices MIREL Evolution, with its clean, minimalist design, was the ideal solution, as it is in keeping with the existing fittings and the light source is not visible when looking across the room. This luminaire is particularly suitable for offices, classrooms and any space where discomfort glare needs to be controlled. The unique LED optics combine directional light distribution while maintaining an unmatched value of UGR < 16. Light guided via Zumtobel’s advanced Quadrification Lens Optic (QLO) allows for high lighting quality, perfect glare control and batwing light distribution.

LIGHT FIELDS, with its minimalist, unobtrusive design has been installed in the lecture theatres to provide the perfect lighting quality thanks to a micro-pyramidal optic, which is precisely tuned to suit the distribution characteristics of the LED lighting points. This guarantees glare-free light (UGR < 16 and L65 < 1,500 cd/m2) with a highly diffuse light distribution. With a luminaire efficiency factor in excess of 120 lm/W at 4,000 K, this LED luminaire also makes a significant contribution towards energy efficiency. Minimalist luminaire RESCLITE provides flexible, programmable and efficient emergency lighting throughout the facility. This smart emergency luminaire utilises new lenses to provide enhanced flexibility and combines an unobtrusive look with the highest function-driven performance with less points to maintain.

To complete the suite of products supplied by Zumtobel, LITECOM lighting management system is being used to optimise the lighting solution with regard to visual comfort and energy efficiency throughout the project. From control of individual rooms to several floors or whole buildings, the functions and dimensions of the LITECOM system can be configured to suit the user. It can be controlled via conventional switches and Zumtobel control units, smartphones, tablets or other computers. LITECOM lighting management system is being used in conjunction with a 360° Skyscanner on the roof of the building to deliver optimised visual comfort and energy efficiency. The Skyscanner sends environmental information to the software enabling the setting of specifically designed brightness scenes by room or area to create defined atmospheres based on the purpose of that space.

Robert Gregg, Principal Electrical Engineer, University of Oxford commented “It was important for the University to look at the replacement of the existing lighting system which was problematic with large scale failures and had become a burden on the maintenance budget. It was essential that the lighting system was fit for purpose and the lit environment was of upmost importance to the University, The ethos behind the project was to deliver a sustainable solution through design and use of appropriate luminaires and controls whilst also complementing the original design from Sir Norman Foster.

The building has exceptional daylight qualities so it was important to use nature’s gift and reduce the need for artificial light as much as possible. After a long selection process, we chose products that were in-keeping with the original design concept and selected a control system that could maximise the potential of daylight harvesting.

With over 2000 luminaires to be installed, the installation is still ongoing and is approximately 75% completed. We look forward to seeing the project completed towards the end of 2019”.

Images courtesy of Zumtobel.

The results of a multi-national study into non-compliance of product sold through online marketplaces were revealed at a workshop hosted in Brussels on 6th November by EucoLight.

EucoLight, the European Association for lighting WEEE compliance schemes, undertook a study of over 4200 products made available for sale through online marketplaces in 10 EU countries. The results showed an exceptionally high level of non-compliance with national WEEE requirements. The non-compliance was evident across a wide range of product groups. However, smaller products, such as LED lightbulbs, were particularly problematic, with non-compliance in the range of 78-100%.

Recolight CEO and former EucoLight Vice President Nigel Harvey said “The high level of evasion of WEEE obligations this study has uncovered is truly shocking. This is non-compliance on an industrial scale.”

He went on “It was therefore very pleasing to hear that a number of countries, including the UK, are considering a range of different solutions to address the issue. This patchwork approach could make compliance more awkward for the online marketplaces, but it is the only way to address the problem quickly.”

Natalia Sierra Conde, Director of Institutional Relations of Ambilamp Spain, and Chair of the EucoLight Policy Working Group said “Making multi-seller online platforms responsible for compliance is the simple solution. There are far fewer organisations reporting data, which makes audit checks and monitoring easier. And the risk of avoidance of financial obligations is much reduced.”

Commenting on the outcome of the discussions, EucoLight Secretary General Marc Guiraud said “When considering which approach to adopt, EucoLight actively encourages all Member States to require online marketplaces to fulfil the role of producer, in respect of all product brought into the national territory via their platform.”

When asked for his input to the 2020 Leicester Mercury Business Awards, Mick Ventola (Managing Director of Ventola Projects Ltd), saw a great opportunity to get the hard work and success of his international, exporting businesses the attention and promotion which he knew they deserved.

After a very constructive discussion with the event organisers, Mick not only got the International Trade category included within next year’s awards, but he also arranged to have Ventola Projects Ltd. sponsor it!

Sponsorship doesn’t just mean that Ventola Projects will be making a financial contribution. The package they have committed to starts with a launch breakfast in November, and then once officially open, Mick will be reading the entries, visiting the businesses who enter, whittling down the contenders to a panel of finalists and then choosing a winner and runner up from the final three. On top of that he will be heavily involved in the social media activity and general PR surrounding the category from launch to final awards presentation evening.

Mick will be approaching this challenge from a point of knowledge and experience. He and his team at Ventola Projects produce, ship and install lighting installations globally and have gained particular recognition in the USA and the Middle East for the supply of specialist entertainment facility light systems. As well as this, Mick himself is a Department of International Trade (DIT) Midlands Engine Export Champion – a role which regularly finds him delivering seminars and workshops on selling to an overseas market.

Mick’s vast knowledge and keen eye for international opportunity means he is perfectly placed to champion this exciting new award. His own amazing track record means that he knows exactly what he is looking for within the candidates – businesses who have increased their exports year on year and/or have shown progressive growth in the export market.

Despite the time commitment that this award will require, Mick wanted to participate as much as he could. He understands the huge importance of exports by Leicestershire businesses and he saw this as an extension of his work with the Midlands Engine. When asked directly about his decision to sponsor the category he said:

“The sponsorship of this award allows me to be heavily involved with like-minded businesspeople. I’m keen to participate in the many networking events throughout the process and get a real understanding of what is going on within other companies who are meeting the challenge of export. There is obviously also a charitable aspect to what we are doing and that allows Ventola Projects to share our success and essentially ‘give a little back’. Exporting can be hard work, so it’s great to give some recognition to those who succeed, despite the time and effort involved.”

If you would like more information relating to the awards, visit https://leicestermercurybusinessawards.co.uk/categories

If you would like to know more about Ventola Projects and their products and services, visit

http://ventola.co.uk/

Renowned practices including Steven Holl Architects, Mikhail Riches, AECOM, WilkinsonEyre and Chris Dyson Architects are among those shortlisted for 2020 Surface Design Awards, which exemplify creative use of surface materials and lighting.

There are an impressive 39 projects across 14 categories in total, from retail and public buildings to commercial projects and housing, including new categories in public realm and affordable housing for 2020. Such was the quality of entries submitted that some projects won nominations across several categories.

Demonstrating the truly international reach of the awards, now in their sixth year, projects on the shortlist spanned 13 countries from 34 different organisations with emerging practices represented, as well as established firms. UK-based studios led the way with 14 finalists and those from China, India and the US all having strong showings in multiple categories.

The judging panel praised both the high quality and variety of entries within the field of surfaces and materials, which made for a captivating and exciting day of judging. The entries in the new affordable housing and public realm categories were particularly praised for their innovation and diversity in their respective sectors.

Key highlights from the shortlist include The REACH at the John F. Kennedy Center for Performing Arts by Steven Holl Architects, which was shortlisted in the Light and Surface Exterior and Interior categories. Judge Nikki Barton, head of digital design at British Airways, in praising the project said, “the outside is simple yet beautifully thought through,” with fellow judges agreeing on the impact of the lighting featured.

The Light of City scheme in China by Kris Lin International Design was highlighted in the Commercial Building Exterior category, with judge Amin Taha describing it as a “perfectly symmetrical, well resolved piece of architecture.” Meanwhile architect Charles Holland praised the Kingdom Design Studio by Eric Corbett, which is shortlisted for best Commercial Building Interior stating that it, “celebrates the difference between the materials with a controlled sensibility.”

Giles Miller Studio’s BBC Pavilion project, shortlisted in the Temporary Structure category, consists of thousands of recyclable aluminium ‘petals’ on the front of the building, which open up as a complex mechanical concertina. It was first installed in aircraft hangars in Yorkshire before being transported to the Cannes beachfront where it was reconstructed, a logistical and design feat which found favour with the judges.

Shortlisted in both the Public Building Interior and Exterior categories, the Krushi Bhawan project, a modern government building in the ancient Indian city of Bhubaneshwar, was complimented for its sense of place, reflection of culture and use of local materials. Judge Glenn Johnson, director of design at the Advanced Design Group of Collins Aerospace added that, “Somebody’s heart and soul is in this building.”

Catching the eye of the panel, the stunning House on an Island by Atelier Oslo in Norway was highlighted in the Housing Exterior category for the complimentary design to its rocky surroundings. Paul Priestman, chairman of branding and design agency PriestmanGoode, commented on the “incredibly lightweight look of the design as well as the innovative use of the interior lighting illuminating the exterior of the structure.” In the running in the Housing Interior category, Spain’s Vallirana 47, by architecture and interior design studio Vora, was praised for the clever way in which the floor tiles delineated the space in the different rooms.

Impressing in the Sustainable Surface Exterior category with its inventive use of materials was finalist SPINN Arkiteker’s The Hammerfest Cabin in Norway, and Sustainable Surfaces Interior finalist Organic Store by Snehal Sutar in India was singled out by judge Sean Griffiths for its “audacious use of materials”. Also, in this category was the Muse Acoustic Panels designed by Michael Young for Australian firm Woven Image, the entrant from the furthest afield. This collaborative range of interior acoustic wall panels were praised for being a great product with true green credentials.

The winners, including the supreme winner, will be announced during the Surface Design Show at London’s Business Design Centre on Thursday 13 February 2020.

Surface Design Awards 2020 Finalists

Housing Exterior

Private House, London Evonort, London & Bernhard von Erlach, Architekt ETH SIA UK

House on an Island Atelier Oslo Norway

Cork Screw House Rundzwei Architekten BDA Germany

Alferes Malheiro Building Ana da Franca Portugal

Housing Interior Creek House AR Design Studio UK

20 Kings Road, London Patrick Michell UK

Tile House, London Proctor & Shaw UK

Vallirana 47 vora Spain

Cork Screw House Rundzwei Architekten BDA Germany

Affordable Housing

Lot O4 A – ZAC Clichy Batignolles Cecile Brisac & Joao Baptista France

Goldsmith Street Mikhail Riches with Cathy Hawley UK

Light & Surface Exterior

Quadrant Arcade AECOM UK

University of Sheffield Concourse Arup UK

Hi-Tech & Digital Centre, South Devon College Michael Grubb Studio UK

Rope Terrace Cafe Snehal Suthar India

Tree Villa Matter Architects New Zealand

The REACH at the John F. Kennedy Center for Performing Arts Steven Holl USA

Light & Surface Interior

Treasured Mansion Kris Lin International Design China

Yashoda Cancer Hospital Ankita Sweety & Pratyoosh Chandan India

Flow – Turkish Airlines Lounges, Istanbul Softroom Turkey

The REACH at the John F. Kennedy Center for Performing Arts Steven Holl USA

Public Realm

Spain Central Bank Logistics Yard vora & Virai Arquitectos Spain

CF Toronto Eaton Centre Bridge WilkinsonEyre and Zeidler Architecture USA

Temporary Structures

BBC Pavilion Giles Miller Studio France

Navigator Kris Lin International Design China

London Hairport Studio Evans Lane UK

Mini Monkey Playground Trellik Design Studio France

Can Rosés temporary school Vora Spain

Commercial Building Exterior

Nobu Hotel Shoreditch Ben Adams Architects UK

Light of City Kris Lin International Design China

Commercial Exterior Ceramic Surface Maria Ana Vasco Costa for Augusto Vasco Costa Arquitectos Portugal

Commercial Building Interior

The Workshop, Styal Annabelle Tugby Architects UK

Lotus Giles Miller Studio China

Kingdom Design Studio Eric Corbett USA

Public Building Exterior

Crystal Palace Park Café Chris Dyson Architects UK

Krushi Bhawan Studio Lotus India

Public Building Interior

Krushi Bhawan Studio Lotus India

Retail Building

United Cycling Lab & Store Johannes Torpe Denmark

Fluid Space Kris Lin International Design China

Sustainable Surface Exterior

Hammerfest Cabin SPINN Arkitekter Norway

Crystal Palace Park Café Chris Dyson Architects UK

Sustainable Surfaces Interior

The Workshop, Styal Annabelle Tugby Architects UK

Organic Store Snehal Suthar India

Muse Acoustic Panels Woven Image in collaboration with Michael Young Australia

A.C. Entertainment Technologies Ltd (AC-ET) is delighted to announce an exciting partnership with Leeds City College, which commenced with the distributor supplying a full range of industry-leading production technologies for the institution’s new £60m state-of-the-art Quarry Hill Campus.

Leeds City College is one of the country’s largest further education providers, with over 20,000 students attending its courses. The new campus, which includes the college’s School of Creative Arts, puts students right at the heart of Leeds’ cultural quarter – surrounded by leading institutions such as Leeds Playhouse, Leeds College of Music and Northern Ballet, and the BBC.

To create learning environments where students can achieve their full potential, there is a significant programme of investment in the college’s campuses. This includes offering industry-standard facilities which allow students to fully develop the skills and experience needed to work in their chosen sector.

With the School of Creative Arts’ Media & Performance Production department offering backstage arts courses in technical theatre, TV and film production, it was therefore vital to equip the purpose-built facilities with technologies from some of the most innovative and popular brands.

Having a history supporting the college in various ways for a number of years, AC-ET’s Leeds-based Northern sales office was approached to tender for the supply of technical facilities equipment for Quarry Hill’s 200-seat theatre, dance studios, TV newsroom gallery, film studio, and media suites.

AC-ET’s External Sales Executive, Benjamin Taylor worked with Jonathan Walters, the company’s UK Sales & Purchasing Director, Neil Vann, AC-ET’s Brand Development Manager and colleagues in the Rigging, Audio and Video sales divisions to compile an extensive equipment list which would meet the college’s detailed technical specification and budgetary requirements.

AC-ET won the tender for the supply, which included over 80 Chroma-Q® and PROLIGHTS LED lighting fixtures; SIXTY82 truss; Columbus McKinnon chain hoists; Panasonic projectors; Draper screens; HDAnywhere transmission; an Allen & Heath audio control and mixing rack; Martin Audio speakers and Shure digital wireless systems. To connect together the equipment infrastructure, AC-ET supplied Luminex networking products and 2.5km of cable made up of almost 430 units, assembled by the Tourflex® Cabling service.

Owing to AC-ET’s strong links to numerous brands at the cutting edge of creative productions, and position as a major international supplier to the performance and broadcast sectors, it will continue to support and assist with the development of the college’s backstage arts courses in the coming years.

Richard Lee, Head of Media & Performance Production at Leeds City College, said: “It’s been fantastic to work with industry specialists with a strong community ethos over the past few years and we’re looking forward to a promising future with A.C. Entertainment Technologies, nurturing the next generation of backstage artists.

“As a college, we pride ourselves on forging relationships with regional businesses to boost the local economy, and this partnership further consolidates our links with the creative arts industry.

“This equipment is vital to providing a real environment for our students to get the best possible head-start in their career and will provide them with the necessary skills to become industry-ready.

Initiatives being planned include training days at the Quarry Hill campus hosted by AC-ET’s in-house industry professionals. It will also be looking to provide work experience opportunities, and potentially recruit students for suitable roles in its Leeds office.

Jonathan Walters, who also heads AC-ET’s Leeds office, commented: “We are delighted to partner with Leeds City College to help them to foster tomorrow’s backstage talent. The production industry is driven by creativity and innovation. However, an essential ingredient of this is the people working backstage who possess the technical knowledge and experience needed to deliver it.

He continued: “By ensuring that students are given access to the latest industry-standard equipment, it’s a winning outcome for everyone which will help to meet the needs of employers in our industry.”

For more details on technologies available from AC-ET or to arrange your personal demonstration, please contact the company on +44 (0)1494 446000 / sales@ac-et.com, or visit www.ac-et.com.

Keep up to date with the latest AC-ET news via their social network pages:

www.facebook.com/acentertainmenttechnologies

www.instagram.com/ac_ent_technologies/

ABOVE: Allround’s Martin Breinholt on the left, with Daniel Sand on the right and Light Partner’s Johan Kvartborg in the middle.

Danish lighting and audio rental company Allround Lyd & Lys, based in Struer, invested in two Robe RoboSpot systems, comprising two BaseStations and two BMFL Follow Spots with the integral cameras when they sought a straightforward follow spotting solution for the dry hire side of their business.

The company works in the live music, festivals and concert touring sectors and also services theatre productions. Dry hires are an important segment of their business, and they saw the demand rising for a “plug-and-play” remote follow spotting system.

The purchase was made specifically with local theatres in mind. They are often tight on prep time so their production schedules would always benefit from follow spots that were quick to calibrate and set up, explained Allround Lyd & Lys’s head of lighting, Martin Breinholt.

“The RoboSpot system is very straightforward to set up, it is intuitive, and the camera integration works well … it offered all the PNP functionality we wanted.”

The new system went out on a four-month hire almost immediately after it had been delivered by Robe’s Danish distributor, Light Partner.

The two systems were then used by Allround for some of their own shows and festival projects including a show with Sting at the Holstebro Theatre for which they were the equipment supplier, with three RoboSpot systems positioned on the front bridge.

They have also been subbed out to another rental company on another long-term hire.

They looked at several options beforehand and decided that Robe’s system was the best choice. It was the easiest to use and also there are several other RoboSpot systems available in Denmark, so good if you need to scale up!

As far as we are aware, all the RoboSpot systems in Denmark were constantly busy throughout the summer with the country’s very vibrant touring and festival season … which takes advantage of the good weather, the long daylight hours and abundance of talented musicians and singers.

Daniel Sand, Project manager at Allround, explains that they can all see the benefits of remote follow spotting – especially for arena shows which no longer need cumbersome spot-chairs attached to the trusses, improving aesthetics and sightlines as well as making things vastly safer.

It also enables front trusses to be utilised for follow spot positions when previously there might not have been the space for a chair / operator scenario, so it increases the flexibility for most productions.

Allround Lyd & Lys has known Johan Kvartborg and the Light Partner team for some years and find the service “excellent”.

These RoboSpots were actually their first Robe purchase, and Martin comments that it will not be the last!

Atrium’s singular mission is to deliver the best Quality of Light to each of their clients’ projects. In order to do that, they require only those brands that sit at the leading edge of technology, design and innovation. So Atrium are absolutely thrilled to announce that Louis Poulsen, giant of Danish lighting, has appointed Atrium as its exclusive distributor for the architectural, interior and exterior specification project sectors in the UK.

This announcement follows the recent appointment of the Scottish subsidiary Kelvin Lighting as distributor of Louis Poulsen lighting for the specification sector in Scotland. The development represents a giant leap forward in the evolution of Atrium’s exclusive lighting portfolio, curated solely to offer architects, engineers, designers and contractors the best and most comprehensive range of lighting solutions that meet the needs of any project.

Born in Copenhagen in 1874, Louis Poulsen has become synonymous with advanced lighting design at its highest level, firmly embedded in the Scandinavian design philosophy of Form Following Function. Louis Poulsen’s unmistakable design style has become recognised the world over and the company’s motto Design to Shape Light is neither accidental nor superficial. The function and design of the company’s products are tailored to reflect and support the rhythm of natural light and every detail in the design has a specific purpose. Every Louis Poulsen design begins and ends with light.

In 1924 Poul Henningsen created his influential Paris lamp for Louis Poulsen and it is his views on the duality of design and light that form the foundation on which the company continues to work. Many of Poul Henningsen’s early lamps have become recognised classics and are available today, the epitome of timeless elegance and Danish design excellence. Every Louis Poulsen design begins and ends with light. His PH range and the famous Artichoke have rightly achieved iconic status while architect Arne Jacobsen, who also designed for Louis Poulsen, is represented by his classic designs that have passed the arduous test of time.

Today, Louis Poulsen works in close partnership with designers, architects and other talents including Verner Panton, Øivind Slaatto, Alfred Homann, Oki Sato, Olafur Eliasson, Christian Flindt, GramFratesi and Louise Campbell, establishing the brand as a key global supplier of architectural and decorative lighting. Defying traditional product categories, Louis Poulsen products serve and span the professional and private lighting markets for both indoor and outdoor applications.

The Louis Poulsen Indoor, Outdoor, Decorative and Architectural Collections add style and status to Atrium’s portfolio, offering exciting opportunities for specifiers. The range complements and enhances Atrium’s extensive array of solutions.

‘Having already appointed Kelvin Lighting to distribute our brand in Scotland, the logical next step was to appoint parent company Atrium to manage sales into the specification sector in the rest of the UK. Atrium’s professional and experienced salesforce is already well connected with the architects, designers and specifiers we need to reach and this move can only accelerate our engagement with them. We’re delighted to appoint Atrium and excited by the energy they will bring to our sales effort’ says Louis Poulsen’s International Business Development Manager, Sune Arvad Kristensen.

Ulysse Dormoy, Atrium’s Managing Director, responded by saying ‘I have always admired Louis Poulsen and this is a fantastic opportunity for us which enriches our existing exclusive portfolio of brands. Louis Poulsen’s central philosophy of form following function, combined with a singular focus on Design to Shape Light reinforces our own philosophy that Quality of Light ultimately means Quality of Life.  We’re very proud to represent such a revered brand in our home market’.

www.atrium.ltd.uk

New Jersey-based Starlite has purchased a complement of Ayrton Khamsin-S, Ayrton’s super-compact and highly versatile profile fixture. The company has one of the largest inventories of AV, lighting and control equipment on the East Coast with which to meet the needs of clients in the broadcast, concert touring, corporate, performing arts and educational markets.

The Khamsin-S purchase represents Starlite’s first acquisition of Ayrton products. “ACT Lighting (Ayrton’s exclusive distributor for in North America) demo’d the whole Ayrton line for us, and we evaluated the Khamsins in our shop for our rental inventory and use on our own productions,” says President and CEO, Dean Danowitz.

“There was a fair amount of debate internally regarding which profile fixture we should invest in next,” notes Jason Danowitz, Vice President of Event Technology. “Ultimately, we chose the Khamsin-S because it checked so many boxes for our touring and staging clients, including an 8:1 zoom (7o to 58o), 40,000-lumen output, CMY colour mixing plus fixed colours, variable CTO, two frosts, two rotating gobo wheels, prisms, an animation wheel, rotatable framing shutters and an iris. In addition, they’re flicker-free, which is essential for our clients with broadcast applications.”

As soon as Starlite took delivery of the fixtures they were quickly dispatched on a broadcast project. “The minute they hit our docks, they were booked for a major televised awards show,” says Starlite’s Rental Manager, Matt Strickland. “The Khamsins will work for so many applications that they will never be here – which is ultimately my goal!”

Jason Danowitz points out that, “the Ayrton brand has a reputation for innovative and well-designed fixtures, and they have amassed a loyal following among designers. Also, we’ve enjoyed great support from ACT Lighting through the years, so we’re happy to embark on this venture with them.”

“We’re looking for the Khamsins to be a true multi-purpose fixture for us across our client base,” concludes Dean Danowitz.

More information on Ayrton Khamsin and the extensive portfolio of innovative Ayrton LED fixtures can be found at www.ayrton.eu

Ayrton is distributed exclusively in North America by ACT Lighting, Inc. www.actlighting.com.