A light to show the way

Gavin Davids

Ever since Thomas Edison developed the first integrated system of electric lighting, we’ve been fascinated with the possibilities lighting systems offer us from a construction point of view.

Over time the incandescent light bulb has evolved and adapted into a variety of guises. Developing alongside it was the fluorescent lamp and together, these lighting technologies have come to define the way we approach lighting systems from a myriad of angles.

Since the 1960s, there has been a quiet revolution brewing in the lighting world and LEDs have started to have their moment in the spotlight (do forgive the pun). While the rest of the world was waking up to its possibilities, the Middle East preferred to invest its faith in the tried and tested.

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That’s no longer the case. When I visited Light Middle East last month, I found that the buzzword on everyone’s lips was LED. There were dozens of rows of stalls dedicated to LED lighting, and it was quite the struggle to find anyone who wasn’t interested in talking about its possibilities.

Who can blame them? When you look into the technology, the range and the variation available is staggering. With the world turning towards a green future, picking up a light source that’s got a life-span of hundreds of thousands of hours, is easily adaptable to building management systems and is capable of running at very lot voltages, makes complete sense.

It’s not only industry professionals who are getting excited about the possibilities. Even Abu Dhabi’s government has got into the act, following the launch of the Al Salam Street tunnel and road project, both of which are equipped with LED street lights and traffic controls.

A massive project undertaken by Ruud Lighting Arabia, the installations are already showing some serious benefits, with Vic Andrews, managing director, telling me that the project is generating energy savings of about 4GW annually. That’s a massive figure, any way you look at it.

Not only that, but when you factor in the fact that you customise LED lighting to suit your every need, from underwater fittings to synchronised sequences along the sides of buildings, you’ve got one heck of technology to take advantage of.

Another issue that’s worth touching upon is that of Corporate Social Responsibility. While not typically associated with the MEP industry, it’s heart warming to see so many companies embrace their responsibilities to their workers and the communities they operate it.

Coming from a town that has benefitted greatly from the investment that a major corporation has brought in, and from the work it did in the local community, it’s with a sense of pride that I look upon the efforts local MEP companies are putting in.

CSR really can make a difference, and as awareness grows, I do hope that the MEP industry picks up the baton.

I think Eamon Sweetman, Mercury Qatar’s project manager, put it perfectly when he said, “Don’t forget, these people have left their families to come here and earn a living. We have a duty to them to take care of them. After all, without our people, we’re nothing.” How true, and I hope that this attitude is one that catches on quickly.

Gavin Davids is deputy editor of MEP.