Enlightenment in Denmark: A Vast Outdoor Lighting Showground
Outdoor Lighting Design Receives Its Own Stage
How do you comparison shop for a product at the cutting edge of technology that does its job in the dark, can completely alter the ambiance of an environment, and is typically mounted on a six- to forty-foot pole? That is one challenge facing communities looking to install LED street lighting.
Like most products, a lighting fixture can’t be evaluated by a glance at the packaging. While technical specifications can be read off a sheet, the aesthetic effect of an installed lamp cannot. Lighting has to be viewed in action, and – given the height of a lamppost – that is a tall order. When you are looking to put a few dozen, a few hundred, or a few thousand LED light poles in place, it would be nice to know in advance how Product A will appear compared to Product B.
Denmark has come up with a brilliant answer. The new Danish Outdoor Lighting Lab (DOLL), subtitled “A Photonics GreenLab,” was created in a Copenhagen suburb a vast showground for outdoor lighting technology. Taking advantage of an underused industrial park in Albertslund, DOLL set up its Living Lighting Lab just nine miles from central Copenhagen, where outdoor lighting equipment and systems from numerous manufacturers can be viewed on 37 plots arranged along six miles of roads and bicycle paths. Not just lighting fixtures are on display, but management systems and Smart City solutions. Furthermore, the Living Lab is complemented by DOLL’s other two facilities: a Quality Lab for testing and evaluation and a Virtual Lab for visualization technology. Together, the three labs provide a full spectrum of services for DOLL’s clients.
DOLL’s director, Flemming Madsen, says municipalities are DOLL’s foremost clients; naturally, cities are major customers for outdoor LED landscape lighting. Overall, DOLL targets four groups:
- Advisors and architects receive assistance assessing characteristics of lighting components, plus 3D visualization of planned projects.
- Utilities are given pre-installation assistance in evaluating installations and post-installation support.
- Public authorities at the municipal or regional level can view and test lighting solutions in DOLL’s three laboratories.
- Manufacturers can showcase their wares, from components to complete installations. DOLL also provides testing facilities.
The Living Lighting Lab, owned by the Albertslund municipality along with DTU Photonics, Riso, and Gate 21, opened in September. The timing couldn’t be better: 2015 was designated the Year of Light by the UN General Assembly “to create awareness of light-based technology and its potential for supporting a sustainable development.” As this awareness expands, DOLL stands to be a significant boon to governments and communities preparing to upgrade their lighting systems.
Contact Your California and Nevada LED Outdoor Lighting Experts
Great Basin Lighting continues to be a leader in outdoor LED lighting projects in two states. If you’re planning an upcoming LED lighting project, please contact us at (925) 240-1566 for California or (775) 333-0900 for Nevada.