(UK) – Teresa Aguilar Carrasco was named SLL Young Lighter 2023 with her project, CircaLight, a new circadian light assessment tool for Grasshopper environment.

This year’s final was hosted by SLL President-Elect, Dan Lister FSLL and took place at LiGHT 23 on 21 November. All four finalists delivered their presentations to a live audience of their peers for the first time since lockdown. Aguilar was announced as the 29th SLL Young Lighter winner at Light2Perform on 5 December 2023 at ExCel.

Aguilar is an architect, who graduated from the University of Seville in 2019, and is now a researcher at the Department of Architectural Construction of the Higher Technical School of Architecture of Seville. Aguilar is studying for a PhD in Architecture. Her doctoral research includes lighting and energy efficiency, each focussing on the impact of natural and electric lighting, on visual comfort and the health of individuals regarding circadian rhythms. She is a member of the research group for ‘Architecture, Heritage and Sustainability: Acoustics, Lighting, Optics and Energy’.

Aguilar’s work brings new approaches to the challenges of integrating different metrics into an accessible and easy to follow workflow. The judges felt that this work collected different processes and presented a new way to tackle the challenges of undertaking the daylight assessment of different metrics, delivering a consistent methodology to present and communicate the outcomes in a consistent manner. An analysis tool that has the potential to bring much wider support to the lighting industry and increased implementation of good daylight design.

Other 2023 finalists and presentations were Anna Freiesleben, Michael Grubb Studio – Light Beyond Earth: Illuminating life on exoplanets; Irene Mazzei, Edinburgh Napier University / Stoane Lighting (Knowledge Transfer Partnership) – Improving sustainability in the lighting industry; Teresa Aguilar Carrasco – CircaLight, a new circadian light assessment tool for Grasshopper environment; Tom Ruddle, EGG Lighting – Lighting Remanufacture.

The judges have said to be impressed by the quality of entries from the initial entry stage, maintaining an exceedingly high standard throughout the competition. All the finalists received a cash prize, along with a year’s free membership of the Society.

Dan Lister, SLL President Elect, said: “All presentations were fantastic, delivered in a confident and accomplished manner – the finalists should all be commended for the exceptionally high standard of work, commitment they have put into their research and preparation for the competition. Setting an incredibly high bar for the future.”

Lister adds: “Because of such a high standard of submissions all the way through from the initial submission, video submission and the final presentations; the judges were looking for very small areas of differentiation between the finalists. All four finalists showed a deep knowledge of their subject, presenting with confidence and in an accomplished way. In the end the judges looked to identify the submission that represented something new in the field, demonstrating an innovative approach with original thinking and a practical approach that could benefit the lighting industry now.” 

The competition is open to anyone with an interest in light and is designed to test not just the finalists’ ability to develop a lighting project, but also their presentation skills. It provides a unique platform for young lighters aged 30 and under, and is open for all to enter, allowing entrants to illustrate their knowledge, research, or ideas on a lighting subject, hone their presentation skills, and raise their profile within the industry.

Anyone can enter with any light or lighting related topic, including photography, product design, light and shadow, novel approach to lighting, natural and electric light, light art or a piece of original/different thinking based on formal or informal personal discovery.

Previous winners include Seda Kacel, Christopher Knowlton, Sabine De Schutter, Rachael Nicholls, Janna Aronson, Youmna Abdallah, Sofia Tolia, Matt Hanbury, Emma Beadle, Anna Wawrzyniak, Aluwaine Manyonga, Maria Englezou and Scott Kluger.

If you would like more information about the SLL Young Lighter competition 2024 email sll@cbse.org.

www.cibse.org