Craig DiLouie

Following a drop of nearly three points, the Architecture Billings Index (ABI) nudged up almost two points in February. As a leading economic indicator of construction activity, the ABI reflects the approximate 9- to 12-month lag time between architecture billings and construction spending. The American Institute of Architects (AIA) reported the February ABI rating was [...]

Earth Hour got me thinking about getting this post up. In February, parts of Los Angeles’ Echo Park neighborhood experienced a blackout. A 2HeadedHorse filmmaker climbed onto his building’s roof and produced this video for “The Long Night,” a song by Patrick Park. http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=9400324&server=vimeo.com&show_title=1&show_byline=1&show_portrait=0&color=&fullscreen=1The Long Night from 2HeadedHorse on Vimeo.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Department of Energy (DOE) have awarded OSRAM SYLVANIA a 2010 ENERGY STAR Sustained Excellence Award in recognition of the company’s continued leadership in protecting the environment through energy efficiency. It is the ninth consecutive year the company has received an ENERGY STAR award. OSRAM SYLVANIA’s accomplishments will [...]

Renaissance Lighting’s architectural-grade 4- and7-in. RGB LED downlights utilize the company’s Rhapsody Color Management System, which enables the creation of intelligent color effects from these luminaires. Nora Lighting’s new LED recessed downlights, designed for light commercial and residential applications, include three 120V models: a 4-in. 11W luminaire and 5- and 6-in. 15W luminaires. All three [...]

The seventh annual DOE Solid-State Lighting R&D Workshop, held February 2-4 in Raleigh, NC, drew 350 attendees sharing updates, including stakeholders from industry, academia, research institutions and government. Both speakers and attendees offered insights on key issues inhibiting SSL technology and how to move past current limits of SSL efficacy and performance, which will inform [...]

The Star-Ledger recently reported the story of Herman Goldman, a 96-year-old who has worked for Capitol Lighting, one of New Jersey’s oldest family-owned lighting stores, for nearly 70 years. Four out of five days a week, he can be found rebuilding luminaires as Capitol Lighting’s clearance manager. Check out the story here.

This week, I helped lighting industry and LIGHTFAIR Innovation Awards veteran Mark Roush edit the manufacturer entries. I can’t say how many there were, but trust me when I say it was a lot. By the end of the process, my head was spinning. Manufacturers should take note, however, that while we’re happy to do [...]

I am being engaged to produce a Recommended Practice for IES on the subject of commissioning lighting and controls. I have ample information and recommended procedures for commissioning popular lighting control systems such as occupancy sensors, time sweep, daylight harvesting and architectural dimming. Right now I’m looking for procedures for commissioning lighting. My understanding is [...]

Lighting for Tomorrow is launching its 2010 competition—with a focus on lighting control devices and SSL luminaires and replacement lamps. For the first time, Lighting for Tomorrow will be looking at lighting control products including stand-alone, system-based, and whole house devices. The lighting controls competition is building on the 2009 fluorescent dimming competition by seeking [...]