Asia’s first and only sustainable light art festival – i Light Marina Bay – starts in Singapore this coming Friday (9 March until 1 April). A total of 46 properties, including Marina Bay Sands and 16 CDL buildings, have agreed to participate in an energy efficiency campaign. There’s also an associated symposium organised by Festival Director and lighting expert Mary-Anne Kyriakou. Sustain Ability Showcase Asia (SASA) is playing a key role in the festival and campaign.

Ken Hickson, CEO of Sustain Ability Showcase Asia (SASA) reports:

How to make a major event sustainable, particularly when it involves 30 light art installations? And how to get businesses and properties to support it by taking energy efficiency measures of their own?

The answer is setting objectives and principles and applying them every step of the way.

SASA was called in to work with Pico, the event manager, the festival director and the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) to develop a Sustainability Action Plan for the festival and to act as sustainability consultants.

Being guided by the acknowledged international standard for events, BS890 – which is also being used for the London OIympics this year – we committed to measure and manage practically every aspect of the three week-long event, including the art installations, suppliers, contractors and partner events.

Four key sustainability principles underscore the festival:

•             Accessible and Inclusive – the site and location of events are free and accessible to all, enabling visitors to walk around Marina Bay and to use public transport to get to and from the event

•             Minimise Negative Impact on the Environment – by promoting energy efficiency and reduced reliance on fossil fuels, in art installations and the running of all programmes and activities

•             Leaving a Positive Legacy – by promoting a positive, healthy and safe environment for all who participate in and attend the event

•             Encouraging Sustainable Behaviour – by emphasising environmental awareness, in the production of art installations, the use of best practices in event management and monitoring, and public education.

As sustainability consultants, we look into energy use, waste minimisation, water use, transport, access and recycling. Where we can advise on alternatives or use of renewable energy, we do. We also encourage other sustainability initiatives and the educational component of the festival.

In addition, we undertook to encourage properties around the Marina Bay precinct, the adjacent CBD and further afield to join in on the associated “Switch Off, Turn Up” campaign. We found by far the majority of property owners and managers very keen to take part and before the festival gets under way, a total of 46 properties have committed to energy saving measures. This could save more than 100,000 kWh of electricity over the three week-long festival duration.

Marina Bay Sands, also prime sponsor of the event, has committed to make significant energy savings for the three week period, cutting back on lighting, office equipment electricity use and adjusting air conditioning temperatures.

City Developments Ltd (CDL), which involved  four properties in the 2010 event, has committed 16 of its Singapore buildings to the energy efficiency campaign this time, not only boosting the overall number of buildings, but also enhancing its own reputation as the Singapore property company with the most local and global awards for sustainability and green buildings.

Power Seraya, a YTL Company, is supporting the festival and campaign as sustainability sponsor. Two Singapore businesses – Green Koncepts and Power Save Solutions – have undertaken to provide smart metering services for the festival’s lighting installations, while Phoenix Solar is fitting solar PV panels where required.

It is pleasing to see the commitment of so many businesses to truly make this “Asia’s first and only sustainable light art festival”, showing that it is possible to make a major event in Singapore very enjoyable and impactful, at the same time manage energy and other finite resources in a sustainable way.

Source: www.sustain-ability-showcase.com and www.abccarbon.com

 

i Light Symposium:

Here’s what festival director Mary-Anne Kyriakou, herself a lighting specialist, says about the i Light Symposium, which brings together international experts on lighting design, innovations  as well as sustainability, architectural lighting and urban/city scale developments:

“For today’s architectural lighting designer, energy savings on large scale architectural lighting projects doesn’t mean over-lit, monotonous and bland environments.

“Considered and measured creative design,  balanced with good aesthetics create the new trends in lighting design resulting in positive experiences for  city environments and dwellers.

“With artificial light we can create environments that promote positive human scale experiences, touching the essence of beauty and taking care for our environment.”

Join in discussions on light, culture and architecture as leading lighting practitioners share international case studies about global cities after dark.

Date:     Monday, 12 March 2012

Time:     9.00am to 5.00pm

Venue: The URA Centre, Level 5, Function Hall

Registration:      Free Admission. Registration closes on 11 March.

More information and to register:  www.ilightmarinabay.sg/ilight_symposium.html

For enquiries, email:   enquiries@ilightmarinabay.sg

*This symposium is accredited 4 points under the BOA/SIA Continuing Professional Development (CPD) Programme.

Programme

9.00am

Registration

9.30am Opening Remarks

Andrew David Fassam, Director (Urban Planning), URA

Opening Address

Mary-Anne Kyriakou, Festival Director, i Light Marina Bay 2012

10.00am

Light and Culture: Creating meaning with light through public space interventions

Leading international lighting practitioners and light festival curators will discuss how light art is creating new innovation and shaping culture for cities and their inhabitants.

12.30pm

Break (Lunch not included)

2.00pm Light and Architecture: Creating atmosphere through design and architecture

Discover the latest urban scale architectural lighting trends and developments in architecturallighting through case studies from cities in Asia.

5.00pm

Programme Partner: Phillips

Speakers

Morning Session

•             Lighting for People

Uno Lai, Lighting Designer, Uno Lai Design (Taiwan)

Lai shares Asian perspectives on light and culture and how the art of lighting shapes what people believe and the way people see the world.

About the Speaker

Uno Lai is an established lighting designer from Taiwan and owns an award-winning lighting design company which operates in Shanghai and Taipei. He is a professional member of the Illuminating Engineering Society (IESNA) and the International Association of Lighting Designers (IALD), and frequently delivers public speeches and lectures.

•             Belgrade of Light

Aleksandra Stratimirovic, Curator, Artist and Light artist (Sweden/Serbia)

Learn about the “Belgrade of Light” festival: its beginnings, its inspirations, and how it aims to cultivate Belgrade and Serbia’s contemporary and creative environment.

About the Speaker

Aleksandra Stratimirovic graduated from the Faculty of Applied Arts and Design in Belgrade and completed her studies in specialised lighting design at the University of Fine Arts and Crafts in Stockholm (Konstfack) and the Royal Institute of Technology (KTH) in Stockholm. She is the co-founder of the Lighting Guerilla Festival in Ljubljana, Slovenia and the founder and artistic director of the Belgrade of Light festival in Serbia.

•             Light & Urban Intervention – reclaiming the streets!

Martin Lupton of Light Collective, Lighting Designer (United Kingdom)

Lupton speaks on creating awareness of social issues and the urban environment through Urban Intervention – art that responds to the community, locational identity and the built environment.

About the Speaker

With a PhD in Lighting Design Methods for Commercial Interiors at Liverpool School of Architecture and the former President of the Professional Lighting Design Association, Martin Lupton has earned an international reputation as a passionate ambassador for professional sustainable lighting design.

•             “Performative Architecture” and the return to a “Staged City”

Professor Lawrence Wallen, Head of School of Design, University of Technology Sydney; and Head Design Professor, University of the Arts Zurich (Australia/Switzerland)

Gain insight on how light can be used as medium to shift the aesthetic, form and use of our Urban Spaces.

About the Speaker

Lawrence Wallen studied at the University for Applied Arts Vienna and RMIT Melbourne and is currently Head of Design at University of Technology Sydney and Professor at Zurich University of the Arts (ZHdK). He was the Australian Commissioner for the Prague Quadrennial for Performance Design and Space 2011 during which he curated and co-authored the National Australian exhibit ‘Spatial Narratives’.

Professor Wallen’s participation is made possible by the University of Technology, Sydney.

•             The story behind Lumina Light Festival

Carole Purnelle, Curator, Artist (Portugal/Belgium)

Shedding light on culture and heritage, hear how the iconic UNESCO World Heritage Site in Sintra, Portugal, was illuminated for the Lumina Light Festival.

About the Speaker

Carole Purnelle is a founding artist and director of art and multimedia studio OCUBO, and has presented her works in countries such as Japan, Australia, Singapore, Israel, Germany, the Netherlands, Slovenia, the Czech Republic and Poland.

Afternoon Session

•             Technological lighting perspectives from Singapore to Dubai

Stephen Gough, Principal Designer & MD, Project Lighting Design (Singapore)

Lai shares Asian perspectives on light and culture and how the art of lighting shapes what people believe and the way people see the world.

About the Speaker

With 25 years of experience in Asia’s lighting industry, Stephen Gough moved to Singapore in 1992 to set up Project Lighting Design Pte Ltd. Some of PLD’s most notable projects include the Fullerton Hotel, the Singapore Flyer, Dubai Mall and Marina Bay Sands Integrated Resort.

Gough’s participation is made possible by Project Lighting Design.

•             (Night) Life Between Buildings

Ong Swee Hong, Director, Ong and Ong (Singapore)

Re-imagine how our cities will appear at night as Ong shares her expertise in urban lighting design strategies and how we can better shape our environment through innovative illumination of public spaces.

About the Speaker

As an accomplished professional, Ong Swee Hong was involved in the conceptualization of the lighting masterplan for various international projects, like the Marina Bay Sands Singapore Integrated Resort Exterior Lighting Masterplan. Besides her lighting design practices, she have contributed in various publications and conferences locally and internationally, and has been invited to give lectures on lighting design.

Ong’s participation is made possible by Ong & Ong.

•             Lighting Design in the Dragon’s Den

Tatsuma Yamaguchi, Design Director, Lighting Images  (China/Japan/Singapore)

Look at art lighting designs through Yamaguchi, as he discusses his observations and experiences in designing light and architecture in China.

About the Speaker

Tatsuma Yamaguchi’s expertise in urban planning, architectural design and new interactive media application has seen him overseeing commercial building projects as well as hospitality and residential complexes. Among his numerous projects, Yamaguchi laid out the architectural concept for the Japan Pavillion at the 2010 World Expo, and also executed the lighting concept for the Shenyang Summer Palace (Mall), Yacht Club Sanya and Hilton Haikong.

Yamaguchi’s participation is made possible by Lighting Images.

•             A new way of thinking about Light

Ta-Wei Lin, Principal, CMA Lighting Design (Taiwan)

Low tech can be innovative! Lin demonstrates how this is possible with his experience bringing lighting to people’s daily lives in Taiwan.

About the Speaker

Ta-Wei Lin has been the director of CWI Lighting Design Inc in Taiwan since 1993 and is currently an Associate Professor at Shi-Jyan University Architecture Department. He has presented lighting seminars at ELDA + Light Focus 2005 in Milan and Light Fair 2006 in Las Vegas, and has garnered international awards including the 2003 IALD Award of Excellence and 2006 IIDA Award of Excellence for Outdoor Lighting Design.

•             Achieving high quality designs that adhere to the new wave of energy and sustainability codes

Kevin Sturrock, Principal Director & Designer, iLAB  (Singapore/Australia)

Sharing experiences from recent large-scale airport and corporate office projects, Sturrock discusses design in the new wave of energy efficiency.

About the Speaker

Prior to establishing iLAB in July 2001, Kevin Sturrock was Director & Principal Designer of Lighting Design Partnership, and had worked with Lam Partners Inc (Lighting Architects) and collaborated with respected lighting architects William Lam & Jonathan Speirs, He has also been teaching Lighting Design to interior design & architecture students at universities such as Napier University Edinburgh and University College London.

Sturrock’s participation is made possible by iLab.

•             Key ingredients in a City that is fit for the future

Rogier van der Heide, Vice President & Chief Design Officer Philips Lighting (The Netherlands)

Van der Heide shares his ideas on innovative solutions that meet the future demands of city living.

About the Speaker

A recipient of over 50 international design awards, Rogier van der Heide’s work is widely recognised as leading in the field of creative and independent design. Having delivered lectures, presentations and seminars about design, light, business, and strategic design, his inspiring talk on TED.com in particular about the beauty of darkness has attracted over 500,000 viewers.

Van der Heide’s participation is made possible by Philips.

For more information on the full three weeks programme for i Light Marina Bay, go to the website.

Source: www.marina-bay.sg/ilightmarinabay