01 Jul “Why you benefit by becoming a BHA School of Lighting student” by graduate student Corrie Prinsloo

A TESTIMONIAL BY CORRIE PRINSLOO (Pr Eng Elec, Adv Dip Ilum Eng) Spoormaker & Partners

“In February 2019 I enrolled for the Advanced Diploma Course at BHA School of lighting, which is a two-year course and I recently graduated. What an amazing journey and experience it was, but it was not easy. At first, I asked Philip Hammond if it would be possible to get the course done in less time, but he assured me that this will not be possible, and I soon realised that he was right. The volume of the information included in the study material is such that two years are almost not enough, especially if one has a full-time job.

The first couple of modules provides one with insight into the production, control and colour of light, then the it goes on to describe how one sees. The eye is a very interesting subject and it is, as one continues through the journey, very important to understand how the eye perceives light when doing lighting design.

The next couple of modules explain how the old technology of lamps came into being and how the light is produced by each of these lamps. Of course, LEDs are fast replacing all the old type of lamps, but again it is important to understand how the technology evolved to what it is today.

The parts I enjoyed the most were the lighting design calculations which included the manual calculations in the first year and then the software calculations using Relux in the second year. This software is a wonderful and powerful tool for lighting designers, but one needs to first understand and know, how much light is required for each application, which one gets from the standards and regulations. For the Illumination engineer these standards provide the basis for the requirements of each design.

In the second year the we studied the 4^th industrial revolution or 4IR and how the LED technology and the control of lighting is changing how we can use these technologies to create environments with lighting that is both pleasing and beneficial to the well-being of the occupants of the environment.

I am very privileged to have had opportunity to complete the course and learn from Philip Hammond. The course has opened up a whole new world for me as electrical consulting engineer and provided me with the knowledge and tools to provide the best possible lighting solution for our clients.”