In April, the London Centre opened its doors as the new home for New London Architecture, an organization that brings together professionals and members of the public interested in the built environment for events, education, and cultural activities in London. As business and entities worldwide strive to reduce their carbon emissions, the exhibition and venue space located in the west wing of the city’s historic landmark Guildhall installs a reused lighting system from FUTURE Designs’ Carbon Careful initiative.
For more than a decade, the U.K.–based lighting product designer and manufacturer has updated existing and outdated luminaires with LED technologies that reuse the old fixture housings. As a result, the owner gains savings in both embodied and operational energy. In May 2022, FUTURE Designs formally announced the initiative under the trademark Carbon Careful.
Though FUTURE Designs does not have to be the original manufacturer of the lighting products requiring updates, it was the original supplier of the decade-old fluorescent luminaires replaced at the London Centre. The Carbon Careful–adapted, bespoke Stern LED luminaires by FUTURE Designs provide general illuminance via a dimmable, tunable-white system that can be controlled via Bluetooth. The reuse of the Stern “carcasses,” according to FUTURE Designs’ August press release, saved approximately a half ton of steel from being mined and fabricated into usable mild steel.
At the London Centre, FUTURE Designs also installed its Naro slim-profile track lighting system and spot heads to illuminate three architectural models permanently on display, as well as other features and exhibits in the space.
“We have always endeavored to keep waste to a minimum,” said FUTURE Designs chief executive David Elements in the release, “and now as the world is faced with a growing necessity to Refurbish, Reuse, and Restore wherever feasible, we are sharing our story and expertise to encourage more organizations to follow suit.”
