February 24, 2024
5 Things to Know: Week Ending February 24
Why isn't "virus-killing" UV light everywhere? Plus, Keystone Technologies and Current join a growing list.
Here's a roundup of some of the week's happenings curated to help lighting people stay informed.
1. Tall Caffè Mocha, No Whip, No Glare
Starbucks, the world's leading coffee retailer, has rolled out new store guidelines as part of its "Inclusive Spaces Framework" for its U.S. locations, which now emphasize optimized acoustics and lighting. This initiative seeks to boost the inclusivity of both physical and digital spaces across its stores, aiming to create a more accessible environment for all customers.
In addition to optimized acoustics and lighting, the new guidelines include the implementation of Customer Order Status Boards and power-operated doors.
Optimized Acoustics and Lighting: "Acoustics and lighting features help create a more inclusive auditory and visual experience for customers and partners. Stores will use materials to reduce unwanted background noise and reverberation that can interfere with assistive devices like hearing aids, and lighting that minimizes glare, shadow patterns and backlighting that can impede visual communication."
These enhancements are part of Starbucks' broader effort to scale accessibility throughout its vast store portfolio, which includes over 38,000 stores globally.
2 . New Report Spotlights Small Architecture Firms
The American Institute of Architects (AIA) released its 2023 Small Firm Compensation Report, providing insights into the salary, benefits, and workplace culture of small architectural firms. The survey encompasses firms operating as sole proprietorships or those with fewer than three architectural staff. Key findings include:
Increased Compensation: Salaries have risen across the board for small firm employees since 2021, with notable increases for solo architects (12%), staff architects (8%), and emerging architectural professionals (10%). Additionally, a significant proportion of firms (77%) now offer discretionary annual bonuses, and 46% provide performance-based bonuses, reflecting a positive trend in employee remuneration.
Diversity and Culture: Over half of the surveyed firms reported efforts to hire and promote employees from diverse backgrounds, with 19% of firms with five or more employees actively hiring diverse candidates for leadership roles. Moreover, approximately 10% of small firms have adopted the AIA’s Guide for Equitable Practice, highlighting a commitment to enhancing workplace culture and equity.
Remote Work Flexibility: Despite a stable overall offering of remote work options (80%), there's been a shift in the modality, with an increased number of firms allowing employees to work remotely for at least one day a week. This change indicates a move towards greater flexibility, even as the average percentage of staff working remotely decreased from 77% in 2020 to 58% in 2022.
3. Bridgelux is on a Roll
BX LED LLC has been assertively pursuing legal action in Texas, claiming rights on LED technology through various LED technology patents assigned to Bridgelux. The company has initiated eight lawsuits over the last two years, with the initial five cases settled out of court. A settlement seems forthcoming in the lawsuit against Lowe's, with recent reports suggesting that the plaintiff and defendants have tentatively agreed to resolve all claims.
Recent cases against Keystone Technologies LLC and Current Lighting Solutions, LLC are in the early stages, with no responses filed yet. The lawsuits span several major retailers and lighting makers, including The Home Depot, Walmart, Wayfair, and RAB Lighting, indicating a broad legal strategy targeting various retailers and makers of LED products.
BX asserts numerous patents in its various lawsuits including:
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Patent No. 6,869,812 deals with a high-power AllnGaN based multichip light emitting diode.
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Patent No. 7,901,109 describes a heat sink apparatus for solid state lights.
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Patent No. 7,973,465 pertains to a light emitting diode with a thin multilayer phosphor film.
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Patent No. 8,203,260 relates to a color temperature tunable white light source.
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Patent No. 8,567,988 pertains to an efficient LED array.
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Patent No. 8,143,769 covers a light-emitting diode (LED) lighting device.
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Patent No. 9,913,333, and U.S. Patent No. 10,966,300, both titled “Light sources utilizing segmented LEDs to compensate for manufacturing variations in the light output of individual segmented LEDs,” were issued on March 6, 2018, and March 30, 2021, respectively.
The most recent case against Current, filed on Monday, asserts six patents and litigation versus Keystone, filed two months ago, asserts four patents.
NOTE: A previous version of this article did not connect BX LED to Bridgelux and inaccurately depicted BX LED as a non-practicing entity. We regret the mistake.
4. LightSPEC West reports 152% jump in attendee registrations
LightSPEC West, a lighting event in the architectural lighting and controls space, is reporting increased interest from a diverse range of attendees from across the globe. The event is scheduled for the Anaheim Convention Center on April 17-18, 2024. Event organizers report a significant increase in interest, with attendee registrations surging 152% compared to the figures from 2022 at the same eight-week point before the event.
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LightSPEC West reports over 800 professionals, including specifiers, designers, and architects, have confirmed their attendance from 20 different countries, 26 U.S. states, and one U.S. territory.
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According to show organizers, more than 650 attendees from California have registered, with a notable presence from Los Angeles and surrounding areas (over 250), Orange County (over 175), San Diego and other Southern California regions (over 100), and Northern California (over 50).
The event seems set for a reduction in exhibitor numbers, with 52 committed thus far compared to 176 in 2022. LIGHT and Forman & Associates are the listed agent partners, indicating reduced local agent support for this year's LightSPEC West. In contrast, the 2022 event involved six of the seven leading Los Angeles lighting agents.
5. Vox: "UV light kills viruses. Why isn't it everywhere?"
We often appreciate when technical lighting topics gain attention in mainstream media. A recent Vox report delves into the intriguing and somewhat underutilized potential of UV lighting as a disinfectant.
Despite its century-old recognition for breaking down harmful pathogens, UV lighting has not become a staple in our daily sanitization efforts. The report highlights the distinction between various UV light types and their applications, focusing on far-UV light.
However, the Vox piece may draw criticism for not thoroughly examining the integration of UV lighting within HVAC systems and possibly glossing over certain risks, such as the potential damage to specific plastics and the production of ozone, which can be harmful when inhaled.
The narrative explores the historical context, citing experiments dating back to the 1940s where UV irradiation showed promise in reducing measles infection rates in school settings. Yet, it also hints at the modern challenges and considerations in deploying UV light safely, especially in public spaces.
For those intrigued by the potential of UV lighting to complement our arsenal against airborne pathogens, yet mindful of the need for a balanced approach that considers safety and environmental impacts, the full 7-minute Vox video offers an exploration of these themes.
