We’ve all been schooled in the benefits lighting provides to humans, and in some of the innovations being achieved in that arena right now.
In case you need a refresher on some of the challenges the lighting industry is facing, as well as some of the innovation being done in the field, check out these officeinsight features: Lumens Versus Lighting Codes: A Lighting Industry Shakeup, Elements of Lighting, Elements of Lighting – Part Two and Elements of Lighting – Part Three.
As we continue to look at workplace design through a more holistic lens, things like air quality, biophilic design and net zero energy have hogged the spotlight. But, it may be time for lighting to have its moment in the sun.
To find the latest and greatest happening in lighting in 2017, we spoke to Ketra, a not-so-young Austin startup bent on redirecting the attention on innovation to lighting.
Ketra offers an integrated LED lighting system that “both emits and receives light digitally, via Wi-Fi, changing the light to be more natural and to stimulate the brain eyes and mood.”
The company’s products are built on technology that taps into how natural lighting synchronizes our circadian rhythms, shifting in color and intensity throughout the day.
“Nature perfected lighting a long time ago,” notes the Ketra website. “Crisp and bright during the day, soft and warm in the evening. It isn’t hard to recognize, because it’s been with us forever – flawless and fluid, delivering just what our bodies need, exactly when they need it. From the energizing midday sun to the familiar, soothing glow of a candle: it looks beautiful, feels comfortable, and never requires our intervention…We’ve taken the formula provided by nature and put it into every Ketra product. Designed and executed by Ketra – from proprietary chip to intuitive commissioning tools, we are a complete solution for lighting and controls.”
Ketra, whose founders have roots in the silicon chip business, began the R&D process for its technology in 2009 and officially launched its first products five years later in 2014.
What’s remarkable about Ketra is that it designs every single piece of the light, rather than outsourcing its LED tech and chips.
“Just as Apple designs as many parts of its phones as it can, Ketra has designed the entire light, from the LED to the radio chip and then onto the lamp and the fixture that holds everything in place,” reads the Ketra website. “The company has developed a completely vertically integrated solution – from its custom driver chip and LED module to custom fixtures, controls and software. This guarantees optimal performance, quality and control in color and intensity all day and night. By being able to fully control the dynamic spectrum of natural light, an environment of bright, healthy light is created that delivers a positive impact not just on productivity but on your overall health.”
Ketra lighting uses a self-calibrating system, that enables the lighting to transition and age at the same time, recalibrating to maintain the intended color.
“LEDs age and degrade, and will change color, over the lifetime of the light,” says Greg Barrett, a lighting designer and product manager at Ketra. “One of the questions we set out to answer was, ‘How do we solve for this color shift?’ Ketra lighting has that intuitive ability to calibrate any color point and adjust the full lighting system to match.”
Since first entering the market, Ketra’s experienced rapid growth in technological innovations, product development and customer portfolio.
The caliber of Ketra clients is a good sign; corporate office clients include Google, Buzzfeed, Pandora, Squarespace, Vice and more, in addition to retail giants Tiffany & Co. and DKNY, and even The Art Institute of Chicago.
“We have 23 patents, and our technology is proprietary,” says Morgan Seymore, marketing manager at Ketra. “Nobody is developing the lighting that we are.”
A majority of Ketra’s business is found in the commercial office and retail segments, and the company is looking into ways to expand its reach into the residential market. But, it’s the commercial clients that are driving innovation at Ketra.
“In office spaces, people really value natural light, which means access to windows,” says Mr. Barrett. “But we work in a lot of long-block spaces where not everyone’s going to have that window access. With Ketra, we can mimic natural lighting to bring the benefits to everyone in a building.”
The feature set of Ketra products has evolved rapidly as a result of aggressively working with feedback from customers.
“Ketra began in retrofit lamps, but in the office space, there’s a trend toward lines and planes, and using continuous, even light to guide users,” says Mr. Barrett. You’ll definitely see more planar lighting and lower profile form factors. Our new line of linear pendants and recessed fixtures reflects that.
“We also see a lot of innovation on the control side. 90% of the time, you shouldn’t have to touch the system to get it to the ‘right’ level. We’re striving for that immersive experience.”
Ketra’s new line of workplace lighting, to be released sometime this spring, will feature an iOS and Android front end with integration into the system for custom control for each tenant. It will also enable building owners to customize spaces for each new tenant without rewiring to change lighting needs; and wireless control eliminates wiring and complex systems.
Any number of designated users can control the system through a Ketra mobile app available on smartphone and tablet, with controls like “natural,” “working,” “reading,” “media,” and “all on.” So lighting-wise, you can make any space in your office “hackathon ready” or “office party ready” or whatever else by touching a button.
The user interface is simple and sleek, more than a little reminiscent of an Apple product – as are the small boxes that connect Ketra lighting and controls to the internet.
The new lighting systems line promises to reduce costs and complexity and ease scalability, while improving employee productivity, wellbeing and comfort.
“One of the most interesting things about Ketra is that every person who works here truly believes that natural lighting is something everybody needs and should be able to able experience,” says Mr. Barrett. “Light is a quality-of-life factor. It’s not a commodity. It’s not just there. It affects everything, but people take it for granted. There’s a big push for air quality and other things, but I think it’s time for lighting to make a statement.”
The quality of light and level of control that Ketra can offer people in the workplace is impressive; the company is using a lot of new tech to solve a very real, tangible and stubborn problem in the built environment.