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  Lego’s new Smart Play platform introduces a sensor‑equipped “Smart Brick” that adds lights, sound, and interactivity to traditional sets, exciting some adult fans while worrying others about higher prices and creeping “tech-ification” of play.Lego introduced the Smart Brick at CES, earlier this month. The Smart Brick is the size of a classic 2×4 Lego [...]

  Lightapalooza 2026 is coming up next month in the Austin metro area, and there’s an interesting session that will focus on residential specification standards and cross-discipline collaboration. Integrators & Specifiers: Bridging the Residential Lighting Gap (AIA/IDCEC CEU Available) This session examines how the residential market is evolving as spec-grade manufacturers, integrators, and lighting designers begin [...]

  Flament LED lamps have been around a long time, as have smart, color-changing lamps. What’s new is the combination……smart, color-changing filament lamps! Here are two good examples: SATCO|NUVO’s STARFISH® SMART Color Changing Lamps SATCO|NUVO’s STARFISH® SMART technology color changing lamps feature an eye-catching RGBTW decorative ribbon filament that is showcased through the clear glass [...]

Zhaga has recently announced the release of two standards: Book 21 (New):   Zhaga’s new Book 21 defines a standardized interface for linear socketable LED modules used in SELV (Safety Extra Low Voltage) luminaires, aiming to future‑proof product design and support circular economy goals. The specification covers electro‑mechanical, mechanical, electrical, thermal and photometrical interfaces so [...]

  One of the more serious problems in the residential and light commercial lighting industries is frequent incompatibility between LED lighting and dimmers. One company has a new solution specifically for low-voltage, 24VDC lighting (typically linear). NSL introduced Dim Drive, an all‑in‑one low‑voltage LED lighting solution that integrates a 24VDC constant‑voltage LED driver and a full‑range [...]

  Bluetooth Networked Lighting Control (NLC) has become the leading wireless standard for commercial and industrial lighting control, and the new Bluetooth HVAC Integration NLC Profile extends this platform to HVAC, enabling more responsive, energy-efficient building systems. Leveraging existing dense grids of Bluetooth occupancy sensors for both lighting and HVAC can unlock significant incremental savings [...]

By Brent Protzman, Ph.D., Director of Product Management at Lutron Electronics Design professionals in the commercial building landscape are fundamentally shifting their approach to occupant comfort and energy efficiency. While architects and designers have long recognized the importance of daylight control, their toolkit could only do so much. Now, the intelligent, automated shading systems that [...]

  By Valeria Palacios Klein CLD, Senior Lighting Designer at Coastal Source When people hear the phrase colored lighting in outdoor spaces, it’s likely they immediately think of bold, oversaturated hues that feel more theatrical, even gauche, than refined. But color-tunable lighting (often referred to in the industry as RGBW) has evolved dramatically. Today’s advanced [...]

By Dan Hollenkamp, COO at Toggled Dan Hollenkamp, COO of Toggled, shared the following seven trends that he believes will redefine buildings and energy management in 2026: 1) Smart Buildings Become True Energy Orchestrators: By 2026, smart buildings will function more like managed micro-grids as operators face rising energy demand, electrification pressures, and aging infrastructure. Even [...]