I was just going through photos of projects and found the one above of a near completed Audi Service Centre reception area.
It brought back memories of the 2 year process from enquiry to switch on.
This simple space, without signage, people, decoration or cars, is interesting because of its basic forms & finishes. The interplay of light with surfaces, the light and the dark that results adds interest, reveals shape and reflectivity...light adds textures, depth and a feel.
Strange that it was so hard to get the thirteen lights you see in this photo specified, installed and commissioned how we wanted them to acheive something so simple. That's the problem with lighting : it rarely gets installed as designed because of the many agendas within a building process. Accidental lighting design decisions are made by many who don't understand the effect of their "design" decisions in changing an element of the designed space.
Pressure to reduce fee costs means documentation may not be as detailed as it should be , or that the lighting designers are not involved on site to ensure the design is installed as intended.
Substitution of fittings for cost saving, profit or improved margin, a change in fitting location due to poor planning or construction, no aiming or commissioning because it doesn't matter to whoever is paying ( this is not necessarily the Client or user) means that opportunities for "bestness" are lost.
Good lighting doesn't have to cost more if it is planned, detailed, costed and coordinated, with options discussed and solutions agreed well before a start on site. To acheive this requires the use of creative, practical, experienced and commercially aware lighting designers.
That's why I'd like to thank Turner Architects, Audi Sydney, Payce and M Projects for trusting us to design the lighting in the new Audi Sydney / East Village Service Centre and listening to our advice along the way.
Trust helped create a great result...... a lot of communication helped as well.
Have you got a good light story to tell?.
