Subject: International Lighting

From: [email-masked] (NGUYEN LE B)
Date: 6 Nov 1995 10:39:28 -0500

Hello,

Can anyone help me?  I'm doing a paper in my Advanced Lighting course
with Dr. Belcher at the University of Kansas.  I'm  interested in the
differences of lighting designs in three major regions of the world,
Japan(Asia), France and Germany(Europe), and the U.S.  I assumed that
there would be some obvious reasons for the different lighting designs
such as cultural, economic, and standards, although it is difficult to
support my assumptions.  I've asked different professionals in the
lighting industry about their knowledge of this topic, but many have
given me varying opinions such as...

Professor Moeck, Illuminating Engineering professor here at KU, has told
me that Europe tends to adopt new technological advances more easily
although cost of living and energy costs are much higher.  He also said
that European codes are much stricter; therefore, lightin design
standards are higher.  Last he stated that most importantly,
manufacturers produce a wider variety of lamps and luminaires to choose
>from  in Europe; therefore, designers have more flexibility to design.  I
also noticed when I was in France that in common places such as the
residential dormitory that I stayed in and the local small restaurants,
there was a much more common usage of contempory lighting products such
as MR-16's and timers and dimmers.  This was not common only to the big
cities such as Lyon or Paris, but also in small towns.  I was curious to
why this might not be so common in America?

On the other hand Jason Gill, a recent grad of KU who is currently
working for Fisher Morantz Lighting Designers of New York, stated that
European codes are not as strict as American codes.  For instance, their
fire codes are not as strict, and don't require enclosed boxes for
wiring, thus giving designers more flexibility.  He also added that most
Asian countries, except for Japan, Korea and others, are not as
developed and don't usually pay the extra price for quality lighting.

Dr. Belcher, stated in an article on cultural influences in lighting,
that France has lower illuminance requirements.  I also noticed that
while I was in Europe.  Most French people preferred less light even for
task lighting, and actually utilized more daylighting(a personal favorite
of mine).

In my opinion, I thought that the examples of Japanese lighting designs
were very interesting for their usage of advanced control systems while
maintaining a poetic theme.  Of course other Asian countries don't show
high-tech standards because of economics, but I am interested in the
cultural influences in lighting.  Being Asian,  this is of particular
interest to me.

If you have any comments, suggestions, or ideas that may guide me in my
research, please send a reply.  Your time is greatly appreciated.

Le Nguyen
Illuminating Engineering student                        2112 W. 15th
University of Kansas                             Lawrence, KS  66049
[email-masked]                               (913)842-5662

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From: [email-masked] (Michael Totten)
Date: 7 Nov 1995 12:24:08 -0500

Contact E-Source, which has written extensively on lighting, and has
quite a bit about international comparisons.  Brad Davids is a
Vice-President who can steer you in the right directions:
[email-masked]

Michael Totten
Director, Center for Renewable Energy & Sustainable Technology (CREST)
777 N. Capitol Street N.E., Suite 805, Washington, DC 20002
Phone: (202) 289-5368  Fax: (202) 289-5354 EMAIL: [email-masked]
WEB: http://solstice.crest.org/
Gopher: gopher.crest.org    FTP: ftp.crest.org