Q&A Why is daylighting so important at SLL? Beecroft Building, University of Oxford Department of Physics Daylight is the ultimate light source and it is an essential part of sustainable and healthy buildings. So far, at least, it hasnt been commodified in the same way that artificial light can be. Thats why there needs to be a voice for daylight, and the impartiality of SLL makes it an ideal advocate for healthy light in all its forms. We have the ability to keep daylight high on the agenda. Ruth Kelly Waskett Lighting the way Increasing awareness of healthy lighting and attracting more women to the Society of Light and Lighting have been Ruth Kelly Waskett MCIBSE FSLLs prime objectives in her year as SLL President R uth Kelly Waskett has spent the past year as President of the Society of Light and Lighting (SLL) engaging with lighters all over the world in a bid to increase the diversity of the Societys membership. Despite women representing half of those working in lighting, they only make up 25% of the SLL membership, so Waskett has been keen to promote the inclusive nature of the Society to as wide an audience as possible. With a background in daylighting, Waskett has been drawing attention to the importance of natural daylight in healthy lighting designs. She has also been highlighting guidance from SLL that encourages the reuse of lighting equipment. What has been the main focus of your presidency? There have been two main focuses: One is communicating the importance of light in human health to the wider world, and the other is about the make-up of SLL membership. On the first point, I want SLL to take its place as an independent and reliable source of information in what can be a sea of misinformation about how to make healthy choices with light. The second point arises from the fact that SLL membership is overwhelmingly male, but lighting as an industry has an almost 50/50 gender split; so why is that? I want our membership to reflect the sector and be more diverse as a result. What were you able to achieve during the pandemic? Being online has actually turned out to be a real benefit for us because we have been able to connect with people all over the country and, indeed, the globe. Weve delivered an unparalleled programme of online content, and Im proud of the diversity of that content, too; ranging from technical to inspirational. Last autumn I took part in my first in-person event since the start of the pandemic a panel discussion about gender equality in lighting at the Darcroom pop-up at London Design Week. It was a great discussion and it was also a really nice example of the kind of audiences that we are actively trying to connect with I want people to know that SLL isnt just for people whove come to lighting through engineering, which is often the perception because of our association with CIBSE. How do you get the balance right between articial and natural light? We need to bear in mind the 24-hour life of a building or space. During daylight hours, the predominant light source should be natural. Artificial light is there to balance the brightness in deeper areas, accentuate architectural features and provide supplementary light when daylight is not sufficient. But we seem to forget this when we approach lighting design, focusing only on what happens when its dark outside. Its an exciting time, because we have a perfect storm with the new version of BS EN 12464 pushing for higher illuminance levels and, at the same time, the drive to net zero carbon and the need to reduce lighting energy. Daylight is key to this, of course! How can the lighting industry take a more circular approach? This is a huge conversation right now. Many of us are exploring new ways to think about what we specify, if were specifiers, and what we produce, if were producers of products. There are many questions, including: what are the products made from, where do their components come from and how easy or difficult is it to update/upgrade/repair them when needed? Last year we published TM66: Creating a circular economy in the lighting industry. This is a hugely important document and has given people a roadmap to begin the journey towards circularity. Then just earlier this month (March) we launched the CEAM quality scheme jointly with the Lighting Industry Association (LIA), giving manufacturers the opportunity to have their products independently accredited using the CEAM system given in TM66. This is a great step forward in helping the industry embrace circular principles. See the launch at bit.ly/CJApr22SLL www.cibsejournal.com April 2022 69 CIBSE Apr 22 pp69 Q&A.indd 69 25/03/2022 13:00