Let's Explore the Partnership between USAI and Armstrong Ceilings

Integration is a trendy buzzword in the industry these days, but the partnership between USAI and Armstrong Ceilings is an example of true integration between two design elements - lighting and ceilings. USAI is America's premier downlighting company and Armstrong is the global leader in ceiling solutions. In this shed demonstration, I walk through the partnership between the two companies, what to look for when specifying and we review some samples.

I’ve you’ve been working with me for awhile, you’re probably aware of these integrations. My goal with this little video was take you through the options and demonstrate the look with some tactile samples. If you want to learn more or see samples yourself, email me and we’ll get something in your hands right away.

Book A Virtual Tour Of The Structura Factory

If you’re reading this, odds are you are working with Structura or are interested in specifying them on future projects. When you browse the Structura website, it’s not long before you find really innovative and interesting architectural forms for the exterior.

Long Story Short, you don’t need me to convince you Structura is great.

However, you might wonder how these fixtures are made? How are poles built, how is the wood treated? That’s why we’d like to invite you on a virtual tour of the Structura factory.

What I love about tours like this Structura is proud of their facility and their processes. They make a great product and they want to show you how it’s done. If either of the times above doesn’t work, just email me and we can organize a virtual tour for your team directly.

Three amazing Pieces from Beta-Calco

Let’s Take a Deep Dive Into Le Louvre with Beta-Calco

At the heart of Beta-Calco is a desire to take relatively common fixture types and elevate them into powerful architectural statements. Need a high output pendant that can fill a large cavity with light? Look at Triple. 

Looking for powerful, high wattage accent light with powerful glare reduction? Enter Matrex. 

And so it is with Le Louvre. 

The lighting market is not lacking for lines of light. Countless manufacturers have made them over the last decade. But Beta-Calco elevates this form factor turning a basic line of light into a gorgeous architectural element. 

It all starts with the louver 

The most obvious statement Beta-Calco has made is the louver itself. The diagonal latticework does double duty (I’ve learned this is a theme of Beta-Calco’s designs). First, of course, there’s the simple statement of the louver, but it also serves an important purpose - glare reduction. 

The end of the fixture reveals a concave aperture that houses a soft lens and then a louver. The shape helps lessen the viewing angle into the fixture which is then cut off by the lattice. The result is an incredibly quiet view along the line of light. 

The louvers are available in an array of finishes including frosted, black, satin chrome, satin gold and champagne. Obviously they are visually different, but they also these different louver finishes will reduce or increase light output depending on the desired effect. 

Most of the louver options.

Seamless connections

Some flaws in a lighting fixture are only noticeable by a designer. The little gap between the lens and aperture of the downlight. The subtle inconsistency in lens placement makes some LED diodes more dotted than others. Other flaws are plain as day, and you don’t need to be a designer to see them. 

There’s nothing more off-putting than light leaks at the juncture of linear runs or at the end cap of a fixture. When the seamed joints reveal a thin line of light or even just a partial opening it’s instantly noticeable and makes the entire installation feel cheap. Beta-Calco solved this problem with an ingenious little solution

Add a Pop of Color

Beta-Calco delivers specification grade performance, but their fixtures are also statements. So Le Louvre is available in 12 standard finishes including a painted light cherry and Dark Walnut finish. 

Easy to Specify

One thing Beta-Calco has tried to do is re-think how a website can be used as a lighting designer’s tool. So not only can you download all of the relevant fixture data (clean cut sheets, IES, BIM and dimensional data…etc) but you can build your part number right on the page and as you choose options, other options become limited automatically. 

For instance, if I choose a black louver, my maximum lumen outputs become unavailable. 

You can build out this part number and then copy and paste it into your schedule.

Here’s a quick review I did in shed….

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Delivered Lumens (@deliveredlumens)

Matrex Elevates the Accent Lighting 

Le Louvre takes the linear form factor and elevates it to an architectural element. Matrex does the same for the accent light, especially in high ceiling spaces. 

At its core, there are two shapes to Matrex - a cylinder and a rectilinear. By mounting and combining these Matrex can deliver in multiple applications. But let’s review the basics first.

Matrex

4 Beam Angles: 15, 30, 50, 70 Degree

Up to 9200 delivered lumens

90+ CRI

3000K, 3500K, 4000K

Matrex RD

4 Beam Angles: 15, 30, 50, 70 Degree

Up to 10,050 delivered lumens

90+ CRI

3000K, 3500K, 4000K

It’s all about the Configuration 

With these basic performance factors in mind, let’s talk about how Matrex can be carried to create beautiful light, especially in taller applications. 

Matrex is available as a surface/yoke mount, in a single or double headed application. The surface mounted edition an be paired with a second Matrex hanging from steel cables to create a two-headed version. 

That cable suspension can also be done with a single or dual-headed configuration. Or even doubled up to create twice the output for atrium-style applications. From these fairly basic mounting configurations, you get a wide variety of possible Matrex configurations to meet your project’s needs. This video from Beta-Calco summarizes the capabilities.

And here’s me kicking the tires on a Matrex RD in the shed….

Here’s How Warp Can Elevate Your Downlighting

The market isn’t lacking for hanging pendant solutions, but like the other forms we’ve discussed, Beta-Calco takes the simple pendant and elevates it in a few important ways. 

Three Light Sources in One

At first glance, the Warp looks like any other drum. But within that basic profile, there are three light sources - a diffused ambient light, a spotlight, and an indirect uplight. The three systems of light instantly create layers within the design making it easy to get multiple “looks” out of one pendant system. 

Warp

18” and 24” Diameters

Direct or direct indirect

Direct up to 3200 Lumens / Indirect up to 3900 Lumens

Downlight 1700 Lumens (2700K available)

3000K/ 3500K / 4000K

3 circuits of control

Intergal EM available

Warp also comes in a surface mount and a hemisphere style which forgo the uplight element. In the video below I kick the tires on Warp Hemi.

See it in person or virtually

I have samples of these three fixtures for your review either in person or via zoom. Ivan is my Beta-Calco expert and he’s available to present and educate any time.

How Louvers Work with Ecosense Trov

The video below might not be my most polished work, but it does answer some common questions I get about louver recommendations when it comes to Trov from Ecosense. In this five-minute video, I walk through the different styles of louvers Ecosense offers, along with how they affect wash and graze distributions.

Join Us Live From the Modern Forms Showroom April 8th!

This Thursday, April 8th Modern Forms is presenting live from their showroom! When you register and attend you’ll be entered to win one of their new smart fans.

Lumium just got a major update. Now it's much more in line with what you expect from Ecosense

Last week, I got to do a really fun presentation with Tara and Jayne from Ecosense all about Lumium 2.0. We ping-ponged between their space at WeWork and the Shed to demonstrate the different aspects of this revamped product line. You can watch the whole thing below.

Optics + Fast = Ecosense

When Ecosense introduced Trov a few years ago they brought two things to the table that lighting designers love - optics and availability. Trov made dozens of distinct, high-quality optics readily available. That combination of optics and rapid ship time (typical 10 business days) has made Trov a go-to for linear cove and grazer applications. They followed a similar model with the release of Rise, which despite its myriad configurations, still ships in less than two week.

When Ecosense acquired Lumium they acquired a linear manufacturer with beautiful form factors and gorgeous finishing details, but Lumium lacked two important things…optics and fast lead times. That’s why I’m so excited about the update to Lumium 2.0 which takes the 4 most popular form factors (don’t worry the other 20 are still available) and introduces the two things I’ve been talking about optics and faster lead times.

OK, so let’s talk about the optics

Lumium’s New Optics

Lots of linear manufacturers have been touting their optics lately, but many of them are sourcing the exact same optics from third-party acrylics vendors, meaning they’re all getting the same generic performance. Ecosense went a different way and developed its own optics in the distributions you see above. We demonstrated those optics during our presentation. (The video below jumps right to the optics demonstration.)

That optical performance enables the creative use of linear forms to create glare-free visually comfortable spaces. The combination of wall washing/grazing, wide batwing optics, and soft floodlighting means that out of a single, uniform fixture you can create illumination for every application in the space.

Color Technologies

Color is the next addition to the Lumium offering including Warm Dim, Tunable White, and RGBW. For your hospitality or multi-use space projects that need dynamic color, you can now introduce beautiful Lumium form factors along with amazing color.

Ramping Up To Ecosense Speed

Lumium is ramping up production this year to the point where single fixtures and continuous runs which don’t require shop drawings, can ship within 10 business days. That doesn’t mean we are there today. As they build up production capacity this is something we expect to see over the next 4-6 months, similar to the ramp-up we saw with Trov and Rise.

Ready to Learn More?

Shoot me an email and we can walk through the latest on Lumium.

Aron Lighting - Integrated Lighting Solutions for Armstrong Ceilings

Acoustical tile ceilings are a fact of many interior designs. In addition to their sound-dampening properties they hide mechanical gear and make maintenance easier for facilitates teams, but they too often end up looking like this…

But it doesn’t have to be that way. Over the last few years, Armstrong Ceilings has partnered with a select few lighting vendors to create cool-looking and easy-to-install lighting solutions. Aron Lighting is one of the factories doing their part to elevate the acoustical tile ceiling and its illumination into something amazing.

Aron Lighting Duo fixtures are elegantly nestled in a modern acoustic tile ceiling.

Multiple form factors…elegant solutions

Aron has expanded their product offering since SDA first started representing them. Aron offers a series of clean, high-performance solutions for grid ceilings.

View fullsize

EZT

View fullsize

Duo

View fullsize

Quad

View fullsize

Edge

Whether we’re talking about offices, schools, or healthcare facilities, grid ceilings are everywhere, and Aron offers up really simple, beautiful solutions for these spaces.

Installation Demo

I might as well tell you upfront this video is longer than most of my shed demonstrations. But, it’s also well worth the time. Aron Lighting designs unique and easy to install fixtures for acoustical tile ceilings and enjoys a partnership with Armstrong Ceilings. The entire video is 40 minutes long, and seriously, if you’re specifying these types of ceilings often, it’s worth watching this from beginning to end, but if you want to see specific segments.

Rob Aronchick introduces Aron Lighting including explaining how the Duo is specified and installed by a contractor. He takes us through the Duo, the Duo mini, the Quad Downlight and some not-yet-seen shapes

Rob gets on the ladder and shows us how the fixtures are installed. You’ll see how quick and easy is it to drop these fixtures into place

Robert Witter discusses the design partnership between Armstrong and Aron and how both companies make it easy to specify the combination.

Jeb Broomell takes us through some application studies with some examples of where Aron Products have been used before.

Jake Aronchick takes us through Aron lighting products as an IOT Platform. Their quad downlight can accommodate track-style accent lights, speakers, cameras and other sensors. They are also fully PoE compatible.

Ready to Learn More?

If you want to dive into specific fixtures, samples, or applications, let me know.

Get to Know Insight Lightings Line Voltage Cove and Grazing Solutions.

In this video, I take you through Insight lighting’s cove and grazing options. It’s a quick 7-minute walkthrough including the interior and exterior cove and grazers as well as a demo of the performance of the quad chip for RGBW.

You can find all the technical data on Insight’s website.

Inter-lux Rubber defines the genre for flexible lighting tools

Over the last few years, quite a few lighting manufacturers have introduced flexible lines of light. So what makes Rubber from Inter-Lux so special? There are a few things:

• Bends on both axis

• Available in IP67, IP68 and IP69

• Ultraviolet and Salt Water resistant

• Pixel Level RGBW

• Optics

• A miniature width (available in side bend only)

Rubber Mini

I love the tight bend radius

Rubber with grazing optics

What’s interesting is that the white silicone between optics actually softens the mix of light. The white paper against the wall is curved and you can see there are no hot spots between grazing diodes.

Rubber with black finish and optics

The black silicone between diodes, but contrast creates a quieter graze, but it also doesn’t mix as much.

How to Light for Wellness with ALW (Video)

I’m really proud of this one. Most of my daily videos this month have been quick hits on a few products. I admit, this one is a little bit longer than our normal shed videos, but I think it’s worth the time. Wellness is definitely an industry buzzword these days and many manufacturers have jumped in especially with the growing prominence of the WELL Building Standard.

All that said, no manufacturer has gone through more effort to embrace wellness through their products and information than ALW. With a dedicated landing page on their website, extensive information on their cut sheets, and amazing product design, ALW has created a suite of products that’s ready to meet WELL by means of glare control, circadian lighting, and acoustical sound dampening.

In this session, Cory Tysoe takes me through that offering with information, examples, and concepts.

Watch: Live From the Coronet Showroom with Joint

In this piece, Shakil Ahmad takes us through the Joint system with a live demonstration from the Coronet showroom in Manhattan. We go through the design concept, how to specify, and some potential applications for this lego-block system of light.

Industry News: Can you believe it’s time to register for another virtual LEDucation?

Watch a live Demo of USAI's BeveLED Mini Adjustable Cylinder

I’ve written about USAI’s cylinder offering pretty extensively on the site, but there’s nothing like seeing the product work. In this piece, I’m joined by Cynthia Turner and Timothy Hart as they each demonstrate how the BeveLED mini adjustable works.

Watch: Two new great form Factors from Modern Forms

This is a fast and fun one. Anthony Interlandi of Modern Forms takes me through two brand new form factors. They are budget-friendly, ship quickly, and look great. Meet Pi and Dink.

Our piece of industry news: Construction industry confidence is rising.

Watch Me Demo The New SD Cylinder from Intense

The SD cylinder family from Intense is meant to bring a more economical cylinder to the market without compromising the spec grade performance. In this video I take you through a quick introduction to the SD cylinder.

Industry News: Linmore LED Acquires the Assets of Flex Lighting Solutions

Watch: Get to know the new Luminaires from Structura

Most designers associate Structura with beautiful poles. In this video, Alexis takes us through two new luminaires from Structura. We’re going to meet the Lineal Bollard and the Metro.

Industry News: Universal Lighting Technologies achieves High Recognition in Industry’s First “Trusted Warranty” Evaluation Program.

Watch: Coronet's Magneto is a flexible system of linear light, spot lights and even decorative fixtures

Industry News: Inside.Lighting shares a report on the possibility of artificial light at night causing Thyroid cancer.

Shakil and Sarah walk us through Magento from Coronet, including the latest addition - Puck.

Watch: Integrating 4" slots directly into Armstrong Ceilings with the JLC-Tech Gemini

In this episode of Live From The Shed Ted McDermott walks us through the new Gemini from JLC-Tech.

Industry News: Mount Sinai launched center for Light and Health Research

Sign Up! Leviton Greenmax DRC is the most versatile room controller system on the market.

There are lots of room controller systems in the market and they all work with 0-10v dimming fixtures but it is complex or impossible to control other kinds of fixtures. From the typical ELV and triac line voltage dimming to the more advanced DMX and DALI controlled fixtures, Leviton GeenMAX DRC is there for you. The system also includes a touch screen and app-based user control for applications that will benefit from that flexibility.

Join us this Wednesday, February 10th for a 10-minute introduction to Greenmax DRC. There are three opportunities to join.

VIDEO: Intense is making quality recessed downlights more affordable.

Intense continues to iterate on their downlight offering with additions to MX Naked and the LD4.

The MX family has been around for years now, but with the addition of the MX Naked, Intense has created a lower cost of entry to the MX family by removing the large housing and associated costs. This makes the MX much more cost-competitive for commercial applications.

The LD4 offers a more basic Lambertian distribution downlight to the offering. This low-cost basic downlight is great for hotels multi-family residential buildings, healthcare facilities or any place where you need a high-quality downlight, but not necessarily all of the spec grade features like adjustability, multiple beam spreads, and warm dimming.

Get to Know ALW Linear

In my very first live from the shed video, I walk through ALW’s linear offering. For more reference, use the slideshow below.

Show Notes: Inside.lighting is reporting promising industry growth for 2022
Below is the slideshow I reference in my presentation.