Air purifying luminaire rewarded for innovation

The Aether LED UVC Luminaire from Pierlite (the Australian lighting brand recently acquired by Signify) has been recognised by two lighting industry bodies for its innovative design and positive health impact, winning two product innovation awards.

In October 2022, the Lighting Council of Australia’s National Awards for Excellence in Lighting saw Pierlite team members Lydell Stokes, Sid Gaurav and Dan Bourke win its Smart Lighting / IoT award, in recognition of their work in designing, developing and commercialising Aether. The award is presented to individuals who have led or played a significant role in the development of an outstanding approach to smart lighting and the Internet of Things.

In November 2022, the IES Lighting Society Queensland Chapter presented its annual Lighting Innovation Award of Excellence to Gareth Lehmkuhl of Pierlite, for the Aether LED UVC Luminaire.

The two awards come as more than 100 businesses across Australia and New Zealand — including hospitals, schools, fitness facilities and many small businesses — have adopted Aether to keep indoor spaces safe from harmful pathogens, the company reported.

Gustav Arianto, CEO Pierlite, said the awards are testament to the technology’s robust design and human health impact, as well as its R&D team’s tireless commitment to innovation.

“The COVID pandemic saw a paradigm shift in how our customers understood indoor safety. For Pierlite, it created an opportunity for us to look at lighting differently and offer our clients a market-first LED troffer fitting with a medical-grade air purifier.

“Since launching Aether, customers across Australia and New Zealand have praised its air-cleansing capabilities, unobtrusive design and ease of use. It has truly revolutionised indoor safety in offices, hospitals, schools and childcare centres on both sides of the Tasman, and has become a powerful tool in our country’s arsenal against COVID-19. These two innovation awards recognise this.

“Congratulations to Lydell, Sid, Dan, Gareth and all those in our talented Aether product team, who have worked tirelessly since 2020 to design and develop this technology,” Arianto said.

Launched in early 2022, the Aether LED UVC Troffer is a novel air purifying luminaire designed to proactively inactivate and remove 99.995% of harmful pathogens from the air.

Aether is engineered in Australia and designed for easy retrofit installation in modular ceiling grids. The product contains a clinically validated ventilation system that actively circulates air and scrubs it of harmful pathogens in a concealed chamber using ultraviolet (UV-C) LED and HEPA disinfectant technology.

Top image credit: iStock.com/SimoneN