Two years in the making, Tech Lighting thought outside the box—and looked beyond its existing product inventory—for its newest luminaire launch GATICA, which stands for General And Task Illumination, Controls, Adjustability. The modular LED lighting system was developed in concert with a research-focused industrial design studio that provided a fresh perspective into the luminaire design process. “It’s the most important product we’ve ever launched,” says Joshua Weiss, President of Tech Lighting and LBL Lighting. The flexible system combines amiable general illumination, wallwash, and spotlighting capabilities in a 1.3”-deep housing that can be suspended from or mounted flush to the ceiling. General illumination panels, spots, lighting controls, and blank panels can be configured in myriad combinations.
To achieve its slim profile without sacrificing light output, the design and engineering team used light guides to control and direct illumination downward; a strip of LEDs spanning the top of the luminaire provides indirect illumination. For the light guide, an engineered acrylic panel transmits light via micro-optics that, through two layers of diffuser film, transmit light while optimizing beam patterns and controlling glare.
The system was conceived to allow lighting designers and architects to control multiple layers of light from a single system. (A single unit can incorporate up to three different lighting scenes.) A tool-free, lockable clip on the Dual Tilt panel lets users adjust the light from general illumination to wallwash, while retaining the fixture’s center of gravity allowing it to hang evenly. Tilts are offered in 10-degree increments from 20 degrees to 80 degrees.
Designers can also specify the system with LED spotlights (shown, below), each spot having a light-emitting surface that measures less than 1.25” in diameter. An architectural spot heat sink stays in place while the spots are aimed, letting the luminaire hang evenly.
The spotlights and panels can be integrated in a single fixture length. Single 6”-wide and dual 12”-wide panel configurations are offered for both. The panels are available with outputs from 1,200 lumens to 2,400 lumens at 3500K, and the spotlights offer between 1,200 and 7,200 lumens depending on configuration at 3000K, 3500K, and 4000K. The result is a versatile product that can be used in any number of applications from retail settings to offices, schools, hospitals, and museums.
