Regarding application and cognition of light, there are completely different opinions from technological and design aspects. CN (Alexander) Sun, Principal of GUANG Lighting Design in Taiwan, talked about the application of LED in hotels and grand residences and discussed the “quality of light” in LEDforum 2013. This way of aesthetical thinking is from our right brain.

Qualia of Light

How to identify a good lighting environment? Light, as a physical element, can be defined by physical data; quality of a lighting environment, in contrast, comes from how people feel when they are showered in the light. Starting with feeling and perception and then exploring the principles of lighting design, this is so-called “Right Brain thinking.” Therefore, the theme of Sun’s presentation was in fact “qualia of light.”

As one of the pioneers who adopt LED lighting fixtures for lighting design in Taiwan, GUANG understands the history and development of LED lighting application very well. Sun recalled that LEDs were once a good choice for magnificent lighting effects because they were good in creating different colors and transformations. However, when LEDs are used in daily lighting, it became an important issue to consider whether they can create comfortable space or not. “When it comes to the reasons why LEDs are desirable for high-end markets such as hotels and grand residence, energy-saving is not anymore a sufficient attraction but just a necessary consequence,” said Sun. “The true reason is that LEDs are able to create comfortable, beautiful and pleasant spaces.” The spaciousness of an illuminated area can’t be defined by physical data, and it is compulsory to care more about users’ experience rather than simply the brightness. Henceforth, we can say that the “quality of light” is the core idea of lighting design.

Control system and Lighting Scenarios

In order to form a pleasant atmosphere in hotels or grand residences, to arrange light in a proper way is required. Lighting designers would associate new lighting technology and new lighting fixtures with the qualia of light plus new ideas to create comfortable and luxurious amenity. Sun stressed on the development of the combination of light fixtures and control system as it can change atmosphere by having different “lighting scenarios”. This kind of thinking is based on people’s sense and feeling. Control systems not only can create different color of light but also can change the way of lighting for different people, need, and scene. In this sense, LEDs are more flexible than conventional lamps and are more promisingin their future development.

Before Sun came to his conclusion, he cited Gottfried Dutine from Philips Co.:” In the LED lighting market, the key is not technology, but the application. This is a terminal at the same time consumer (B2C) and business customers (B2B) business.” Despite focusing on the triangulation of efficiency, price and maintenance, we have to think with our right brains so we can associate all the related aspects through our aesthetic observation to the space, environment and our experience.

NEXT: Think With the Right Brain – Interview with CN Sun, Alexander in LEDforum2013 (2/2)