A strong need for lighting education
With our network of trainers, DIALux training is possible all over the world. In our series we introduce different trainers around the globe. Today we continue with Suen Kwok from Hong Kong.
Suen Kwok, DIALux Trainer in Hongkong
How long have you been a DIALux trainer and in which regions are you active?
I have been a DIALux trainer in Hong Kong for three years. As well as working with DIALux users from my local area, I have also conducted training in Mainland China, Vietnam, Cambodia and Singapore. Recently I had a class with a mixture of local users & overseas DIALux users from the Philippines. To my surprise, I received an enquiry from as far away as Fiji! So rather than saying I am active in Hong Kong, I would say I am active in areas where I am needed.
Why do you like doing your job as a lighting designer and as a DIALux trainer?
It adds that extra taste to my routine work and gives me the chance to meet inspiring people; I am still surprised by the combination of learners attending: newbies in light planning, but also experienced architects and CEOs in the same class, mixing with lighting designers and a multi-background trainer like me. Can you imagine the synergy? Some bring up a discussion topic based on their own experience, others try to contribute their viewpoints & solutions. Sometimes a new learner many offer a brilliant trick that a sophisticated user may never have thought of, and some experienced users might also share generously knowledge that would benefit all of us including myself. We learn from each other and expand networks, this interaction adds colour to my regular work.
Most of the time I need to pass on additional knowledge of lighting to my DIALux classes, for example to suggest balanced consideration of luminance and illuminance, or to talk about how the path of the sun over the year will affect daylight calculation in DIALux. It gives me satisfaction seeing those enlightened eyes. I have the feeling that I have done something good by introducing correct lighting values and promoting knowledge. It makes me feel good to influence people in the correct way.
What trends or challenges do you observe in light planning, especially in your region?
As a trainer I have had the opportunity to talk to many practitioners, they have all shared the frustration of the blind pursuit of lux values demanded by customers, especially in retail premises.
As a designer I have tried to explain to people how over-illuminance can be harmful physically, psychologically, economically and aesthetically, it has not been easy. Illumination has become a tool for competition in commercial spaces and the focus on digits and figures has gone even wilder.
I have also realized that there is a strong need for lighting education in our region, whether for designers, owners, manufacturers, end users and lawmakers, in terms of healthy attitudes toward lighting, understanding lighting effects and optics, choice of luminaires, and a strong need to improve local lighting standards to make regulations more sensible by adopting a qualitative approach so that our city can be more people-friendly & light nuisance can be reduced.
Which project was the most interesting you planned with DIALux?
Most projects came across to my hands are retail spaces, resort hotels or restaurants. Below is a recent example of a resort guestroom in Guizhou, China. The room was deep in length & partitions were designed to segregate the entire space into zones.
I started by understanding the connections of the space, then I imagined myself as the guest & walk in it, the hierarchy of light is defined through these process, after that was to recognize important features & add focal.
The uncommon roof structure in the guestroom took me sometime to resolve, it’s shown better in other rooms I did for the same project. I also paid special attentions to the materials, as in many cases the hue of a dominating material will define the space ambience.
Uncommon roof structure in another room type:
An example how space ambience is defined by reflection of material. An older project, a café.
Would you like to contact Suen Kwok? Here you will find her at LinkedIn.
If you are interested in DIALux training in the country where you work, you will find further information here about our trainer network.
Numerous free tutorials on YouTube provide a first introduction to using our lighting design software.
