New Lightverse experiential hub showcases art of lighting

Siblings Wilson and Grayer Poon, who saw a gap in the lighting market between wholesale trade and retail lighting shops, launched Lightverse in 2023.

The experiential lighting retail store offers bespoke solutions for commercial, retail and residential spaces. Their showroom is designed to allow home owners and industry professionals to experiment with lighting before deciding to buy.

Mr Poon, 35, and Ms Poon, 31, joined their family business Aik Fah Trading after completing their studies. It was started by their late father William Poon in the 1990s and was known for selling high-quality architectural lighting.

He later launched a lighting brand called Glos with locally designed and trademarked lights and fixtures.

Lightverse not only showcases the Glos range of lighting, but also offers comprehensive in-house lighting design capabilities called Artilux. In addition, it stocks the Vio range of intelligent lighting, which provides cutting-edge solutions for modern commercial and residential spaces.

The second-generation entrepreneurs also nurture the next generation of creative minds by inviting students from Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts to Lightverse to gain first-hand insights into lighting design. The duo hope to conduct more workshops and share the importance of lighting with future designers.

Info: Go to www.lightverse.sg

Healthier indoor air with innovative air purifiers

The air indoors can sometimes be more harmful than the air outside, as airtight spaces can trap harmful airborne pathogens that are invisible to the naked eye.

Home-grown technology company FJ SafeSpace has unveiled an innovative solution that is a “breath of fresh air” for stale indoor spaces.

Launched on March 13, its new BioZone PhotoPlasma air purifier is inspired by nature in the way its cleaning process eliminates airborne threats such as bacteria, viruses and unpleasant odours.

Unlike traditional air purifiers, PhotoPlasma is said to zap contaminants using specialised ultraviolet rays. It also purifies the air in semi-ventilated spaces such as restrooms and older buildings.

FJ SafeSpace, which was founded by Mr Jay Choy in February 2023, uses Green Building Product sensors that are certified by the Singapore Green Building Council to analyse and enhance air quality.

Its PhotoPlasma technology is designed for homes, offices, gyms and hospitals.

The company’s holistic solutions, which are also energy-efficient, blend advanced sensing with PhotoPlasma patented air and surface disinfection technologies to make indoor environments healthier. It also ships its air purifiers to Malaysia and Thailand.

Info: Prices start at $488 for portable models and from $1,108 for the PuriZone home and office series. For more details, WhatsApp or call 9738-0302, e-mail hello@fjsafespace.com or go to www.fjsafespace.com

Mapletree, SUTD repurpose timber to make benches

Real estate company Mapletree Investments is showcasing two benches made from repurposed timber from its VivoCity mall in HarbourFront Walk.

The benches were created in collaboration with the Singapore University of Technology and Design (SUTD) and are installed at Mapletree Business City (MBC) in Pasir Panjang Road. 

One was installed in 2018 and the other in 2022, and both were subject to two years of testing from 2022 to 2024. They are located along high visibility walkways and are for public use.

Around 30 students from SUTD’s faculty of architecture and sustainable design have been involved in the project since the Mapletree SUTD Design Partnership was formed in 2017.

The process of repurposing the timber includes integrating high-performance carbon fibres into the benches to bolster the structural integrity of the timber elements. This increases the load-bearing capacity of the benches and also improves the resistance to bending and deflection. 

In a statement, Professor Tai Lee Siang, who heads the architecture and sustainable design pillar at SUTD, said: “The design of a bench may look humble; however, the science, passion and creativity injected are by no means trivial.”

Students involved were expected to review their findings, prepare reports and present their findings.

Info: Mapletree Business City, Level 2 (at sheltered walkway to Food Park)