Blue, sunny skies everywhere
The quality of artificial illumination has become a major concern for living and working spaces that have no windows to bring the added comfort of visual contact with the external environment. The situation is expected to worsen in the future as a result of the massive replacement of incandescent lights by energy-saving fluorescent lamps and light-emitting diodes. CoeLux is an optical system based on nanotechnology that artificially reproduces natural light and the visual appearance of the sun and sky. It was developed within the EU-funded COELUX project. This new lighting technology recreates the same atmospheric effects that produce the all-colour variety in sunlight and the blue tinge of diffused sky light. The DEEPLITE (DeepLite — Light from the sky in underground space) project was initiated to demonstrate the capabilities of CoeLux in different indoor environments. The CoeLux technology could have a particularly strong impact in historic buildings, subways and international airports. With financial support from the EU, the project partners presented its applications to the general public. Visitors to the 14th International Architecture Exhibition of La Biennale di Venezia had the opportunity to see a CoeLux ceiling with openings leading up to a ‘blue sky’. Designed for the Z! Zingonia Mon Amour exhibit, this system shone light with blue-toned shadows on the setting. In addition, the first permanent demonstration room of CoeLux technology was opened in London at the Ideaworks Experience Centre. All seven additional demonstration projects planned have now been completed. The project partners have given many presentations, explaining how the new lighting technology works and its many applications and benefits. Requests for further information regarding the different CoeLux solutions have, subsequently, been received every day and from all over the world. The project has been covered extensively in the press and on radio and TV. Over 250 CoeLux units are expected to be sold in 2016, with enormous potential for increasing sales in the future.
Keywords
Artificial illumination, daylight, indoor living, working spaces, lighting technology, DEEPLITE
