The Continuum of Miniaturization

Paolo Cocconi: I believe there are many topics on the stage right now, depending on the architectural typology and function. We recognize, for example, a growing curiosity towards the lighting for indoor gardens, new and advanced technologies for what is now know as Human-Centric Lighting, from a Spanish point of view a return to retro style when it comes to decorative lighting, and last but not least, the growing attention to sustainability and ecology.

Carla Wilkins: Besides the economic situation important topics are circular economy, dark sky, and non-visual aspects of light. The DIN EN 12464-1 Nov 2021 has a strong impact on lighting schemes and how we guide our clients on educated decisions based on these requirements.

Carla Wilkins: The continuum of Miniaturization of light fixtures, and now also Miniaturization of drivers/Smart Lighting controls, inspiring design and material … and honestly meeting the lighting community in person again to enjoy a fruitful and inspiring chat.

Paolo Cocconi: We have a quite varied collection of ongoing projects now: refurbishments of retail spaces in Korea, façade lighting of a historic building in London, a commercial district in Mauritius, and two stadiums and one landscape project in China. Some of them are in construction phase, other in design process, but we are definitely having quite some fun!

Carla Wilkins: We are working on different office spaces exploring new working conditions, and some exhibitions and museums of different scales in heritage buildings. One highlight will be also The Cradle in Duesseldorf. We also are very happy that all the collections at the Humboldt Forum in Berlin will be open to the public this fall. 

Paolo Cocconi: Since I took my very first steps into the lighting world, I have been fascinated by how lighting can influence our health, behaviours, emotions and — believe it or not — how it can also alter the taste of food! At the beginning of the year, we got to know about a new technology that alters the spectral distribution of the light sources depending on the needs. That’s definitely something I would like to play with and experiment in one of my projects one day, as it seems to be a great improvement in respect to the already known tunable white technology.

Carla Wilkins: I’m curious to see the ongoing development in the lens and foil market for LED Fittings. Another topic is the circular economy and what the answers are in new materials for technical luminaires.

Paolo Cocconi: Indeed, sustainability is a big topic. As default we always tend to design our lighting layouts to meet as close as possible the required lighting levels through a careful selection of products with the best efficacy, and the correct optic and output. Although being “sustainable” is not always 100% possible as some architectural designs doesn’t allow for it (a backlit surface it will never be as sustainable as a downlight, but this doesn’t mean that we are against it!). Also, being able to dim lighting is always a big help to reduce operational power consumption and we always encourage our clients to consider dimmability.

Carla Wilkins: There are so many layers of sustainability it would be a long story. We always consider not only the beautiful scheme but also maintenance, environmental effects, etc. A good example is the Mshereib Downtown Doha project where, from the beginning in 2010, we started with the internal standard that the downlights for general lighting had a very good light quality but also a replaceable LED Module. Sustainability has to be the DNA of our Design Intelligence.

Paolo Cocconi: I don’t have a lot of experience with projects in Germany, but what I have seen working on international projects from Barcelona is that the approach to a project varies quite a lot depending on the country where the project takes place and the architects who are developing the project. Each practice leads their projects in a slightly different manner in regards to the others as well as in a different style. A project in the UK is very different from a project done in China and another one in Australia.

Carla Wilkins: By working internationally and with colleagues from all over the world, I have learned that I have my “German moments” — which means I prefer techy, sharp edges, structured. I’m still learning a lot personally and professionally from the ongoing international and intercultural collaborations.

Paolo Cocconi: It’s always nice and satisfying to know that the quality of your work is acknowledged by other professionals. But most of the time the awards end up being just another marketing tool to promote the practice and get more visibility. For sure I don’t dislike being awarded but I prefer it when the final users of the projects I work on are happy and feel comfortable in them. At the end, we don’t have to forget that we design for people, and I’m strongly committed to it.

Carla Wilkins: It’s a great, special and flattering moment when the design community acknowledges the quality of our work and the results of our collaboration with clients and project partners. We love it.

Paolo Cocconi and Carla Wilkens: Be curious, have fun and be ready for some new discoveries on our journey.

World-Architects is Content-Partner of Messe Frankfurt.