Kemal Ovacık / Ovacık Engineering

When did you start your career?
After graduating the university, I started working in 1982. In 1990, I began to work independently. I've been working as Project counselor and control engineer. from, We've been taking care of every detail after the initiation by designing every aspect of the Project, preparing tender documents and making vocational controls to finalize the Project. Of course it’s not possible all the time, it depends on administrative requests. If the administration has a control organization, we finish the Project and hand over to the controllers.

What is the importance of light in your life?
It’s a far reaching concept. Illumination is an unchangeable part of our lives of course. However, there are some cases that light is undesirable, for example; there are places that involves dangerous beams. On the energy performance regulation for buildings, there’s an obligation that requires usage of natural light. For example, precautions are taken in museums against natural light in order not to affect the objects. On the energy performance regulation, architect is required to select the building’s direction to make maximum use of natural light and build the architecture accordingly so artificial lighting during daytime will not be needed especially. In some cases, you have to keep it minimum if the building covers a large area and feedback is tolerable, you set the lighting system with daylight sensors, DALI dimmeable ballasts. Hence, if a building which consists of dark areas without a window, you’ll need artificial lighting all day long. If a poor designed building is created, you can’t reach a certain design level. We use corridor concept in order to reduce the lighting cost; w edim the lights 10% or switch them off completely. We can save money only this way. If the area is used and can’t make use of daylight, you’ll have to keep the lights on 24 hours.

What should we pay attention while designing light?
You have to make the selection according to the structure of the building. Since we’re electrical engineers, we need to find the minimum cost at maximum quality. One of the most important things is getting along with the architects and decorators. Generally, foriegn brands are used so the cost increases. We should use the lamp for illumination instead of means of decoration. Of course visuality is important but doing this with local brands makes more sense.

Can you make a comparison between yesterday and today of lighting?
I’m not that old. There are good things and bad things about lighting. Yesterday, we were using flourescents with magnetic ballasts and incandescent lamps, halogene bulbs were on demand. Now they’re history. Energy efficient lighting is used nowadays, Led lighting is on the rise. Cheaper and more efficient lamps are used day by day. Big companies have been developping them continiously and this reflects on us instantly. It’s a pleasant situation.

Do you think visuality or functionality should stand out?
of course we wouldn’t like to choose an aestherically poor lighting fixture but our priority is functionality, then aesthetics.

What is your opinions about Led technology?
Led technology hasn’t fitted to outdoor lighting yet. It’s expensive and it has low efficiency.
Municipalities and lighting companies will have to wait for some time until technology is fully developed. But interior lighting has reached a reasonable level.