18 - Light Voices #5 – Tzu-Hao Kuo

00:00:03: Welcome

00:00:03: to Lichthören, a podcast about light, lighting and the people behind

00:00:08: it.

00:00:09: Here

00:00:10: we explore this fascinating field from education in daily practice... ...to how we

00:00:15: imagine &

00:00:16: shape its future.

00:00:18: Today architectural lighting designer Tsu Hao Kuo From Borealis Lighting Studios joins us from New York City To tell us what brought him into lighting And why he stays.

00:00:31: Hi everyone!

00:00:32: I'm Zhu Hao.

00:00:33: I work as a lighting designer based in New York.

00:00:36: What do you do with light?

00:00:38: So, since...I worked at the Lighting Designer in a big company so most of the time i think like..i can divide my work into two different parts.

00:00:50: My firm is an MEP company consultant.

00:00:55: what MEP means?

00:00:56: it's mechanical electrical and plumbing.

00:01:01: Our company does not do only just lighting, but also the other traits that's related to building science and architecture.

00:01:11: So we are a small designer group doing the lighting design within this big company.

00:01:18: so half of our time it is like work as an accountant.

00:01:24: Most projects with designers.

00:01:29: So architects, inter-designers sometimes landscape architect.

00:01:34: so for example if I'm an architect i already have some idea of lighting but I am sure about it.

00:01:42: so I will hire a lighting designer or slash consultant to ask them to check my lighting design from our projects so we can help you that kind of projects, we most likely just do in calculations.

00:01:56: Just make sure whatever the architect or inter-designer are doing is fine.

00:02:03: if no you might need to consider switching your lighting fixtures and making it brighter.

00:02:11: Another half my time work as a lighting designer so I have more control about design That kind of projects, we will identify what concept that they are looking for.

00:02:27: What feeling as to atmosphere or some more technical would be like?

00:02:31: What control system you're looking for?

00:02:33: We actually join their team and then work with them from the very beginning.

00:02:39: How come you turned into lighting?

00:02:42: how did it happen?

00:02:45: My undergrad is in architecture.

00:02:48: I'm originally from Taiwan.

00:02:51: after I graduate from college, um i joined the industry that we call The Spatial Design.

00:02:58: so in the beginning.

00:02:59: I was looking for like a job and like architecture firm.

00:03:04: later on jump into an interior design world.

00:03:07: when you work as an interior designer You take care of every single thing inside the project inside the room.

00:03:14: So like furniture?

00:03:15: The materials that you are using Also, the lighting you are designing.

00:03:21: So when I was designing the lighting... ...I was like maybe this fixture might work?

00:03:29: It's always guessing!

00:03:32: I have no idea how to check my work because if it is a material furniture.

00:03:37: we can put the mock up.

00:03:39: but for lighting i had zero ideas.

00:03:42: so after working as an interior designer for three years maybe I should learn something about lighting.

00:03:49: So, i started to search if there is a like a master's degree or other related course that is for lighting specifically...I found oh Parsons the new school in New York City has like specific project for architectural lighting!

00:04:04: That's why ended up moving to New York and work as a lighting designer here.

00:04:09: What surprises people most when you talk about your job?

00:04:13: Okay yeah so every time when They would be like, oh so what do you for living?

00:04:19: I work as a lighting designer.

00:04:20: So they will immediately say Oh cool!

00:04:24: You are doing all the concerts or fancy stuff collars installations and then i'll be like no-no-no...I work as an architectural lighting designer.

00:04:37: most of my projects are buildings or interiors or landscapes.

00:04:45: Oh, so there is a specific job position to work as an architectural lighting designer.

00:04:53: What does the typical workday look like for you?

00:04:55: Like you said your consultant one half of the day and then other half-of-the-day doing really lightings.

00:05:01: Most projects are not done within one year.

00:05:05: it's mostly three or five years sometimes even longer if you work at hospital project.

00:05:11: It's related with government and private owned.

00:05:15: It's related to like the government and then a lot of organizations are involved.

00:05:20: They will set up a lot meetings, some cool part would be user group meeting.

00:05:25: that means if we're designing in hospital you'll talk with the nurse or doctor there because they design lighting for them.

00:05:36: We provide concepts our designs And get feedback from them.

00:05:41: That is most important with what we might have, some preset scenes.

00:05:47: For example if you walk into a room and want the lights to be not intense like it's not too bad or intensive You wanted to slowly warm up.

00:06:00: so If they had specific requests for preference They will share them.

00:06:08: And then I also get some junior helpers little tasks, for example calculations or doing the drawings Or reviewing the fixture samples with me.

00:06:22: Is there something you're really proud

00:06:24: of?

00:06:24: Yeah There's one project that like is still one of my favorite That I ever touched and also kind of helped a bit to get this current job.

00:06:39: That is the project that I worked with my professor at Parsons, Derek Porter.

00:06:45: Because it used to be his research assistant when he was a student.

00:06:51: so...that means i have to help for all of these projects if you need any calculations or sometimes renderings.

00:07:01: So this project's called Fested Column.

00:07:08: that is like a thirty feet um approximate ten meters tall column.

00:07:16: it's like our installation at the entrance of a big stadium in Wichita Kansas City, uh Kansas.

00:07:23: That project is like huge tall metal made column with thousands pieces of polished metals mounting to it.

00:07:35: so those polished surfaces is gonna work as a mirror to reflect all the surrounding areas.

00:07:45: And then kind of, it's like a blender.

00:07:49: that can you imagine?

00:07:50: Like we have this crazy idea and they might cause a little bit of money.

00:07:55: so... We wanted to convince our client That This Is A Really Cool Project But They Don't Have Any Design Background So for them It' really hard To Imagine.

00:08:07: So what we usually do is, like... We build a three-D model.

00:08:13: We do the rendering so that you can visualize your eyesight and then how that direction will be redirected by the surface in which your eye hits.

00:08:27: What's its direction?

00:08:29: You are going to see from surrounding areas reflected on those polished surfaces they get it.

00:08:37: so that's how we finally convince them like oh this is going to work.

00:08:43: Is there also something in your work where you say, gosh this sucks?

00:08:48: Most of the time because I'm originally from Taiwan and i moved to New York City almost eight years ago...I might know already learned a little bit about design but for example building code.

00:09:01: all the requirements totally different from what when I was in Taiwan, right?

00:09:10: So those kind of like requirements.

00:09:13: I might touch a little bit When i Was A student at Parsons because they will most likely we'll ask you What's your um life power density?

00:09:22: that means how much total energy That You are using In Your project.

00:09:27: but Like Every Three Year The US It's Gonna like Have New Version Of the Requirements.

00:09:35: So you have to be up-to-date, but for me it's like I don't even know this.

00:09:40: things exist.

00:09:42: so Sometimes he will be like You're in a meeting and then the architect would be like hey.

00:09:47: Can you please check blah blah blah from me?

00:09:50: I'm like What's that?

00:09:54: So And then you know we are talking English.

00:09:57: so was like maybe that's even my first time to hear that term.

00:10:02: So I'll have to like make sure i write it down or remember what they're talking about.

00:10:07: But, that's also help you become a real designer because following those codes are helping create better environment not just for now but in the future.

00:10:21: so from the future to past if your were eighteen right now What would you recommend?

00:10:33: Definitely you need to go outside, not just looking at the screen.

00:10:37: I know nowadays everyone is just scrolling on their phones and watching YouTube videos to pretend they are going outside traveling around.

00:10:47: but a lot of experience that you cannot learn from the screen?

00:10:58: like restaurants in New York City are really dame.

00:11:02: I kind of started to dig into it, and then i know there's a lot reasons behind that.

00:11:07: for example if you have your dinner in the really damed environment You forget about how close you're with people who surround you.

00:11:21: You actually almost touch strangers' shoulders.

00:11:26: Extremely dim environment cannot hundred percent accurately represent from your screen.

00:11:32: another experience that I had is like in Taiwan.

00:11:35: during the night if you are inside your house You want everything?

00:11:40: Like every light to be turned on and a really bright like Environment because that makes at least from my culture.

00:11:47: That makes you feel like oh, this is safe right here In an environment that it's like under the Sun.

00:11:54: But in New York Like everyone, not but like more than Taiwan.

00:12:01: They prefer a dimmer environment during the night.

00:12:04: so I think the dimmer environments also help them to relax a little bit.

00:12:10: So that's something i learned from different cultures When I was young and when I traveled.

00:12:17: everything outside my country is good because we travel with our filters in front of our eyes.

00:12:27: But I forget like, In my hometown we also have a good environment that we already created.

00:12:34: i will use one small town in the northern Taiwan as an example.

00:12:39: it's called Jofen.

00:12:41: It is like a small town built around little mountain that is adjacent to sea.

00:12:46: they used lanterns the street, the pathways and also this kind of work as a wayfinding element because This town is built around like along The shape of mountain.

00:13:05: so a lot of time you might not be able to see Like your destination but if You follow the lantern.

00:13:14: Oh walking on the right path yeah and then that also kind of became like a landmark.

00:13:22: So how?

00:13:23: um thank you, thanks for being here.

00:13:27: I really appreciate the opportunity to share my experience.

00:13:33: Learning also happens in the community.

00:13:36: Join lighting societies, local working groups and open meet-ups.

00:13:39: Visit trade fairs & congresses globally also in your region.

00:13:43: You can meet people close to you

00:13:46: And from around the world.

00:13:48: Dates

00:13:48: and links are on the show notes.