Interview with Chia-Ning Kang und Yuan Lin

Chia-Ning Kang studied Advertising and Public Relations and has worked at Lei Yueh Enterprise for two years. Yuan Lin studied Electronic Engineering in Australia and is CEO at Lei Yueh Enterprise. Together they designed the LED glass brick that due to the latest LED technology offers entirely new possibilities in decorative lighting. In an interview with red dot, Chia-Ning Kang and Yuan Lin discussed the possibilities LED technology holds and the challenges they had to overcome.

What new possibilities does LED technology have to offer for the design of decorative lighting?
The size of LEDs and their ability to emit light in multiple colours is truly a blessing for the lighting industry because it facilitates endless possibilities of lighting designs. The compact size of LED opens up a whole new world in terms of lighting application since many applications are restricted due to the size of traditional lighting fixtures. In addition, with the arrival of RGB LED technology, the lighting industry is presented with the ability to have multiple colours changing, something that allows for a more intense integration between the lighting application and its environment. However, LED technology still has some difficulties to overcome, such as the temperature of high-power LEDs and the heat sink issue, as well as the colour rendering index (Ra), etc. Regardless of the past burden of traditional concept and technology, designers have to follow an approach of “thinking outside the box” to accept these challenges.

What are the special features of the LED glass brick?
With the exception of RGB LED technology, the most important feature of the LED glass brick is the special reflective glass that we used. With RGB LED as the light source, the glass reciprocally reflects the light source, creating an illusion of endless tension. Furthermore, our LED glass brick is designed to conform to the traditional glass brick installation & wiring method. The LED glass brick has been designed to produce a variety of lighting effects, providing application environment with a variety of atmospheres.

What technical challenges did you have to overcome in the development of this LED lighting fixture?
The first and biggest challenge we encountered was to create an RGB LED module that would be slim. In order to conform to traditional glass brick installation & wiring methods, we encountered very limited spaces for the module and wiring design. Even though the LED itself is slim and compact, RGB LEDs also require other components such as multiple wires to operate. The second challenge was to meet the requirements for the strength and intensity of the LED glass brick so that it could withstand construction installation. The third and final challenge was to source perfectly clear glass for our LED glass brick. Because a lot of surface-processed glass does not generate the special effect that we had in mind, we had to test hundreds of different types of glass before we could confirm the final product model.

What is your design philosophy when creating products?
There are many traditions and customs, and they have been the standard for the past few hundred years. Over time, people have learned to adapt them. As a contemporary designer, I believe that we have to respect these traditions and customs, yet at the same time create products that bring new values. Take the book as an example: books have not changed much over the past few hundred years. Even the interface of the latest electronic book is designed to meet the reading customs of human beings. The same holds true for the LED glass brick: its infrastructure design and installation method are in accordance with human customs. However, unlike traditional glass bricks, it can provide different lighting effects and atmospheres. The design philosophy of the LED glass brick is “Respect traditional customs and explore new possibilities.”