Abstract:

The recent significant transformation in the lighting industry has been driven by the massive introduction of solid-state lighting (SSL) systems. SSL technology opens the potential for designers to develop new lighting concepts by handling design parameters with more freedom and flexibility in terms of new expressive/formal languages, new aesthetics and functionalities, new configurations, technical reliability, lighting functionalities optimization. These are allowed and supported also by the Digital Fabrication and the crafting of customized and optimized LED-based lighting fixture. These new manufacturing techniques could be considered extremely useful to physically manipulate an intangible and immaterial element such as artificial lighting by composing it into forms to prefigure the perception of the luminous effect on the user and the environment. The digital fabrication phenomena can support the design of customized and optimized LED-based lighting fixture in the optical, electrical, mechanical and thermal interfaces: both additive and subtractive manufacturing processes aid the crafting of lighting fixtures and offer the opportunity to the customization of SSL fixtures. This is also influencing the lighting design practice. Conversely, several challenges in terms of process, tools and materials still have to be overcome. Given this complexity, the education related to the current technological level of the design of lighting products, has to follow innovative learning and educational formats aimed to satisfy the expected level of competence to access the lighting design field.

This paper presents the results achieved during a series of co-creation workshops in form of a challenge held at the Politecnico di Milano – Department of Design. Including research, experimentation, concept development, prototyping, iteration and testing, they were aimed at allowing beneficial and reciprocal exchanges between the participants, benefiting from a real laboratory of creativity to bring out idea, proof of concepts, prototypes, along with patents. The paper includes the validation of learning modules through the analysis both of the educational approaches and also the achieved results. Since the training modules were specifically created to match the needs of the sector of lighting design, LED technologies and digital manufacturing, the paper aims to understand the influence (opportunities and limitations) of Digital Fabrication techniques in designing LED-based lighting fixtures to achieve the desired luminous effects. It would focus on:
• the perceived quality of the prototyped lighting fixtures;
• the divergence between the realized prototype and the designed system;
• the influence on aesthetics and lighting functionalities.

The prototyped learning modules were conceived and designed to empower the culture of the project through a learning lighting by a making approach. These modules can be considered practical teaching guidance related to this emerging area of education: they provided the knowledge to handle the design complexity through tools, strategies and methods to tackle both the concept design and the prototyping phase of working LED-based lighting fixtures. Besides, they deliver innovative pedagogical techniques relevant for the product design and engineering curriculum, that can be used across a variety of learning environments.

Keywords:

LEDs lighting fixture, lighting design, Digital Fabrication, crafting, lighting prototyping, learning modules.