London based Jamie Fobert Architects asked the team at CLD Distribution to assist in providing an LED lighting solution for an exhibition of their work at the Gallerie de l’Architecture in Paris. The work coincided with the publication of “Working in Architecture”, a book about the practice’s dynamic range of projects and work philosophies.
CLD were recommended by a lighting design practice with whom Jamie Fobert Architects regularly work explains Architect Andreia Costa, who also co-ordinated the exhibition installation, featuring a 16 metre long by 50 millimetres high light-box showcasing photos related to the various projects.
CLD’s Nigel Howes comments, “It was an interesting and challenging project and we were delighted to be involved. It was important for the illumination to be elegant, shadowless and concealed from the view of anyone looking into the displays, and the light-boxes that evolved from our discussions with Andreia had a very neat, aesthetically pleasing finish”.
The whole lighting concept also had to be straightforward to assemble and power up on site, and yield the right CRI for conformable viewing of the content.
Nigel energised his considerable experience of LED and exhibition and display lighting and the specification was for a series of six separate light-boxes which could be conjoined and continuously lit … using six 2.4 metre strips of Osram LINEAElight Flex Advanced product.
The LED Flex was recessed and hidden from view at the front edges of the boxes and all the cabling and terminations were also concealed.
The LED drivers were located on the end of each of the boxes – three on the left and three on the right – with a short feeder cable between each so there was only 24 volts flowing from one box to another. This reduced the size of the power supplies needed and kept the required terminations smaller.
The resulting illumination gave a flat, even field of light throughout the boxes with a 4000K colour temperature, illuminating the works perfectly.
“It worked beautifully” says Andreia who wired up the LED Flex once the boxes were attached to the wall at the Gallerie de l’Architecture in Paris’s vibrant and alternative Marais district.
The light boxes varied in height, so the displays twisted in orientation allowing the images to still be seen from looking straight into the boxes whilst the levels changed from one end of the display to the other.
Andreia adds, “Nigel was extremely helpful and knowledgeable about the product and everything that we needed to achieve. His instructions were also very clear and precise, so once we were on site and the installation was underway, everything was straightforward and logical to implement”.
As well as highlighting Jamie Fobert’s diverse work in terms of design and structures, the exhibition reflects the care, thought and finesse - the responsibility - that accompanies this process and the accompanying ideas about inhabiting and working in spaces – commercial, residential, industrial, entertaining and inspirational.
The “Working in Architecture” title of the book was partly inspired by eccentric philosopher Ludwig Wittgenstein’s approach to ‘working in philosophy’ … in it Jamie Fobert compares the architect’s work to the logic of working on yourself and how you can see and interpret the surrounding environment and world.