CE Pro May 2024 - 44

LIGHTING CONTROLS & FIXTURES: DESIGNER PERSPECTIVE
experiences. To arrive at
that, there are several
key questions we ask our
clients, such as:
How are spaces going
to be used?
What are the types of
places that resonate
with materials, light,
touch, smell, taste?
What does their
environment look like
when they wake up in
the morning?
Do they wake up
before dawn or at 11
o'clock?
Do they want to come
in and turn on all the
lights, or do they only
want a whisper of
light? Are there special
considerations not
easily identified?
How do other materials
- paint and
other finishes - complement
the owner's
expectations?
Do they immediately
head to the gym or
ease into their day?
By understanding clients'
daily lifestyles and routines,
a lighting designer can cater
around it. Their answers
form the foundation of the
lighting design, from fixture
to control.
We translate this information
into hierarchies of
light. We first establish what
we want to see. How we
achieve that comes later.
After we establish and
craft the visual experience,
we begin to work back into
the actual fixtures, but the
next step isn't only fixture
selection; it's identifying
44 | CE Pro May 2024
the control system and
protocols. We start thinking
about controls very
early on. That's because
lighting control - the
user interface - makes
the experience tangible for
clients.
A carefully planned keypad
also helps to smooth
out any issues in the
commissioning stage. We
develop protocols, systems,
and procedures to provide
a holistic approach to the
entire project. By identifying
the type of user interface,
the client's expectations,
and the capabilities
available, we communicate
salient information to other
designers, the electrical
contractor, and the technology
integrator.
Down the line this identifies
how much wall space
is needed - and where -
for lighting control panels,
remote drivers, etc. It's too
late in the process to learn,
for example, that there are
three elevations of shades
and blackouts with doors,
and the client really wants
to control every shade
independently but there's
only a single keypad.
Worse is when keypad
space is cut out of a marble
slab, only to determine later
only one keypad is needed.
By working through the
interface and even doing
the engravings early, there's
a clear understanding of
what we need that user
interface to do and what
programming directives to
give the integrator.
We will enter the keypad
engravings directly into
the control manufacturer's
software, but often, our AV
partners have already created
a file that we borrow.
This allows us to mockup
examples and layouts and
locate them in each space
to visually understand location
and wayfinding.
strip light comes from one
manufacturer, its driver
comes from another manufacturer
or is OEM to that
manufacturer with its own
programming requirements
and capabilities, then the
interface for the control
protocol, and lastly, the
lighting control manufac " Often,
device inter-compatibility is
mistaken to mean interoperability.
... Throw in wire distance and gauge,
various driver dimming curves,
location of equipment, and electronic
interference along the way, and even
in the best of projects you still have
opportunities for failure. "
-Matthew Tirschwell
Device Compatibility
Can Be an Obstacle
One challenge that both
lighting designers and
integrators collectively
face is device compatibility.
Often, inter-compatibility is
mistaken to mean interoperability.
To
better understand
this, let's look at what is
involved when we specify
a typical strip light. That
turer and programming.
That's three to four
different components that
all have to work together.
Throw in wire distance
and gauge, various driver
dimming curves, location of
equipment, and electronic
interference along the
way, and even in the best
of projects you still have
opportunities for failure.
On paper, each should
cepro.com
MATTHEW TIRSCHWELL
http://www.cepro.com
CE Pro May 2024

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