Frankfurt trade fair Light + Building unveiled its events programme that includes lectures, tours and seminars this week ahead of the show that takes place March 3 to 8, 2024.
The international trade fair for lighting and building-services technology brings together architects, interior architects, designers, planners and engineers at the Messe Frankfurt exhibition centre.
The show’s Design Plaza will focus on lighting, architecture and design and will host the ‘Design Plus Awards powered by Light + Building’. Working with the German Design Council, the show will stage expert talks focusing on design and brand development. The Design Plaza is also the starting place for themed guided tours of the fair during which internationally renowned architects and experts stop at the stands of selected exhibitors to discuss individual aspects. The guided tours are being organised by a variety of cooperation partners, including World Architects and The Hessian Chamber of Architects, which offers training points for participation in their guided tours.
The Lighting Section of the German Electro and Digital Industry Association (ZVEI) will take to the stage of the Design Plaza to bring together lighting experts for discussions and lectures revolving around sustainability, efficiency and digitalisation. Other partners providing content include the IALD – International Association of Lighting Designers.
‘Women in Lighting’ celebrates its fifth anniversary at the fair on March 8 – International Women’s Day – and will spotlight a variety of projects, milestones and objectives of women in the lighting sector.
Another highlight to be found at the Design Plaza and in the immediate vicinity is the designer team of Stilbüro bora.herke.palmisano. In lectures, the team’s trend experts will offer insights into social influences and developments that could impact on the design of luminaires in the 2024/25 season. An accompanying trend presentation will show how these factors are reflected in specific colours, materials and shapes.
The Building Plaza will focus on the energy transition, sustainable construction and connected safety and security technology.
Energy-efficient construction and modernisation is the focus of the Energy Consultants’ Conference at Light + Building and participating architects can collect training points awarded by the Hessian Chamber of Architects. Training points are also given for participation in the Energy Transition Construction Congress, which is being held for the first time at Light + Building on March 6 and 7, 2024, within the framework of the Building Plaza. Sponsored by Germany’s Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action, this event forges a link between research and practice and offers everyone involved in the energy transition insights into the latest research into sustainable energy supplies for buildings. The research projects concerned relate to five main themes: buildings, urban districts, monitoring, digitalisation and connectivity. The two-day congress programme includes lectures, panel talks and guided tours of the fair.
REHVA, the Federation of European Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning Associations, will also take part in the Building Plaza. The organisation is committed to improving health, comfort and energy efficiency in buildings and communities.
The focus of events at the Building Plaza is on the efficient use of energy, sustainability and safety in houses and buildings. One day will be dedicated to the subject of connected safety and security. Digitalization, networking and AI (Artificial Intelligence) are creating new opportunities but also new challenges. Cyber security is no less important in this case as in the case of access control or video surveillance.
For the first time, the Illuminating Engineering Society (IES) will stage a two-day congress at Light + Building. Its 5,830 members in almost 60 countries include engineers, architects, designers, contractors, retailers, utilities, manufacturers, educators, students and scientists. Its goal is to improve the illuminated environment. The IES seeks to do this by bringing lighting experts together and implementing measures that benefit the public. This includes publishing and maintaining the Lighting Library, which contains more than 100 standards and is approved by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI).
Light + Building will also host an area for young people sponsored by the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action.