Green light

Newer and Greener technologies are giving pause for thought to light designers. John Stones looks at the entries for a competition encouraging environmentally-friendly innovation

Designers are still, to some extent, catching up with the some of the newer, more eco-friendly and efficient lighting technologies, such as compact fluorescent lamps, metal halide and LEDs. Lights of the Future, an EU-supported award scheme, which is now in its fourth incarnation and hosted at the Light & Building fair in Frankfurt, is there to encourage a Greener approach to the design of the luminaires which consume such a large percentage of our electricity.

Rethinking the design of lights and the use of newer technologies can quarter our electricity use. The competition is a two-pronged affair, allowing students to submit designs, as well as conferring a stamp of approval on existing products, already manufactured, selected by a jury assembled by the German Design Council.

Light & Building runs from 23 to 27 April at Messe Frankfurt, Frankfurt am Main, Germany