Bright and smart

Commercial Design looks into why lighting automation is fast gaining a foothold and how it’s changing conventional systems

- RASHMI NAICKER

In today’s age of automation, smart lighting solutions are now motion sensor integrated, ensuring that switches and push buttons will soon become redundant, paving ways for more efficient and energy saving solutions. The Indian economy has grown rapidly over the past decade. By 2030, its primary energy supply, at a conservative estimate, will need to grow about four times and electricity supply by five-seven times today’s consumption. Therefore, use of energy-efficient products such as LED and automation is gaining popularity in India. Shalini Joshi, assistant product manager, Lighting, Hafele, shares “Lighting has always been fundamental to architectural spaces — it is capable of playing with volumes, distorting the perception of space, and even dramatising the shapes and textures of materials, enhancing their aesthetic features dramatically.” She points out the three broad dimensions of room illumination: ambient lighting, simple illumination of a particular space; task lighting, a dedicated light used for specific tasks; and accent lighting, used to accentuate a particular space or create an effect.

Ramesh Jain, chairman, GM Modular, states, “In the professional sector, automation is already irreplaceable for its exemplary efficiency. They curb the impact on climate damage and lower switching costs of LED technology, which will gradually supersede all other light sources such as fluorescent and discharge lamps.”

Office spaces and lighting