As night falls, the need for artificial light becomes ever more pressing. You press the light switch and, suddenly, no lamp comes on, but the windowpanes of the house light up, giving the space an unexpected new dimension.
Light up the… glass!
Glowing glass? It may sound like something out of a science fiction film, but it is now entirely real. After years of research, the pioneering idea of transparent illumination emerged, in which organic light-emitting diodes are embedded in the glass, which is then used in room dividers or even in windows!
Invisible OLEDs inside the glass
Naturally, this news could not leave the major companies in the field unmoved. One of the leading lighting companies, Osram, has entered the race to create the most impressive product, and has begun research into creating transparent surfaces that light up without losing their transparency.
Not long ago, Osram announced the development of an OLED with an efficacy of more than 20 lumens per watt, which stays relatively transparent whether it is switched on or off. The transparency of the embedded OLEDs, already at 55% today, is expected to reach 75% after further research. This means that while during the day the OLEDs will be almost invisible inside the glass, at night they will create a unique atmosphere in the space, providing a discreet and highly original form of lighting.
The surface-area problem
One of the main problems researchers already face, however, is the size of the surface they will need to light. So far, experiments have been carried out on relatively small surfaces, while researchers look for ways to enlarge them, since major interior design companies have already shown keen interest in “glowing glass”. The company Novaled has produced glass samples measuring 2X2 that light up normally at the press of a button. What is impressive about this creation is that even when lit, the glass loses almost none of its transparency, which means that you can see through it even while it is lit, just as with any ordinary pane of glass.
Lighting technology is evolving, and with it design is discovering new ways of expression and creation. And as the research shows, transparent lighting is only the beginning…
Text & Editing: Lili Karakosta
Photos: http://www.novaled.com/
