kobi teaches “Smart Lighting in Architecture” at Hoa Sen University and encourages students to rethink light and rethink what is “smart”
Is smart lighting applied to cities a SOLUTION for more sustainability?
As Sunday 20th November was National Teachers’ Day in Vietnam, we send our best wishes to all teachers in the country and beyond.
Since 2018, we have participated in university courses to share our knowledge of light. Last Friday, Hoa Sen University asked kobi to speak at the “Smart cities” conference to share our knowledge on “Smart Lighting in Architecture”.
Jonathan Trouillon – founder and creative director of kobi lighting studio, led a conference in which he recalled that all new technologies do not necessarily bring about an improvement in lifestyles. During the seminar, Mr. Jonathan analyzed the meaning of smart lighting to conclude that its ultimate goal is to improve our lives and meet sustainability criteria. If the new high technologies offer their share of promises, it is advisable to remain moderate and be vigilant not to succumb too fast to the luring sirens of “smart” technologies.
The concept of smart lighting is widely accepted as the one and only obvious solution to contemporary challenges, but the overuse of new technologies in the name of progress is not sustainable. If we apply too many unnecessary lights in the city, they will badly affect human health and the environment. Therefore, Jonathan suggested a divergent approach, which may go against common thinking: what if low-tech is the new smart? Based on examples of alternative uses of light, the founder of kobi showed that it is indeed possible to use other traditional approaches to illuminate space without exploiting new technologies.
After the talk, there was a question and answer session where many students expressed their interest in knowing more about the field of light, lighting design and which solutions really are “smart” when it comes to lighting. Thank you to all the students for their curiosity and interest.
Thank you Hoa Sen University again for the invitation! We were delighted to be a part of this wonderful seminar!