A Human Centric Lighting downlight system: the new Iku recessed downlights from ERCO

Lüdenscheid, July 2021. People and their activities are the focus of lighting design. As a consequence, Human Centric Lighting (HCL) is a fundamental approach to planning. ERCO has now created the Iku recessed downlight system for premium HCL concepts. Tunable white is just one of several features for flexibly and dynamically combining architecture, activities and atmosphere in the lighting concept.

Lighting design with HCL, for example for office buildings, involves many levels and components because HCL means more than just a few luminaires with variable light colour: the lighting should support the perception of the user during various activities and also have a positive biological effect. All of this takes place in various architectural situations: these range from reception areas, atriums and circulation zones such as staircases and corridors, to the diversely designed work and office environments of today. Lighting designers not only need luminaires with different wattages, distributions and light colours including tunable white. Just as important is flexible, wireless connectivity for dynamic control scenarios and, no less important, overall cost-effectiveness. Fewer, but nuanced, high quality and efficient luminaires already pay for themselves during installation as well as in the long term due to low operating overheads.

A universal range of recessed luminaires

The new range of recessed downlights meets all of the above requirements: Iku for all areas of architectural lighting and Iku Work specifically developed for standard-compliant workplace lighting. With its logic and clarity, the Iku system already starts impressing at the planning process: five sizes ranging from 84 to 221mm, three downlight distributions plus wallwashers and double wallwashers as well as six white light colours plus tunable white are all winning features. Iku recessed downlights are compactly designed and offer high lumen output with a luminous efficacy of over 100lm/W. Iku thus represents a universal system for uniformly designed, ceiling-integrated lighting. The range is ideal for public buildings, offices and administrative buildings as well as for conference centres, hotels and restaurants – and especially for realising successful HCL concepts.

Architecture – activity – atmosphere

In the term the 'three A's', ERCO has summarised the way in which the lighting technology of the Iku system and HCL lighting design work together: vertical illumination is crucial in order to optimally perceive the architecture, but the zoning of functional areas and the matching of luminaire sizes and luminaire wattages to the room, also play a major role. The right light supports activities such as concentrated work, but also communication between people. Iku luminaires have features such as good glare control, dimming capability and tunable white light for this purpose. These make it possible to adapt the light to different visual tasks, or to support the circadian rhythm. Individual atmosphere is created when light adapts to the course of daylight, when the mood in the room changes or when the ambience is adjusted by the user according to personal preferences. Here Iku features modern interfaces for networking, e.g. with DALI or wirelessly via Casambi Bluetooth.

The Iku range offers complete flexibility within its system to comply with the 'three A's': horizontal and vertical illumination can be combined for excellent spatial perception – high quality wallwashers are available even in the most compact size with a diameter of 84mm. The tunable white option for variable light colour is also available with downlights and wallwashers (as of size 4). With shallow recess depths of 71mm (size 2) to 142mm (size 7), Iku also saves valuable installation space in the ceiling. The three downlight distributions – wide flood (approx. 60°) for high visual comfort in higher rooms, extra wide flood (approx. 85°) for maximum luminaire spacing and oval flood (approx. 20° x 60°) for corridors and circulation routes support zonal lighting design. An additional advantage of the Iku lighting technology, in which the light is controlled exclusively via the lens: the colour of the anti-glare cone can be matched to the interior design without influencing the lighting – 'ERCO individual' is at your service.

Iku Work – specifically for office workplaces

The Iku range also includes Iku Work downlights, designed to meet the special requirements of workplace lighting (EN 12464) in offices and featuring standard-compliant UGR<19 glare control. Iku Work downlights are available in sizes 4, 5 and 7 with wide flood
(approx. 60°) and oval wide flood (approx. 60° x 80°) distributions; they also have a DALI interface with through-wiring as standard.

Iku recessed luminaires feature perfect dimming behaviour down to 0.1% and flicker-free light for disturbance-free video calls. With their consistent appearance, mounting rings for covered or flush installation and based on the familiar sizes of the ERCO downlight ranges, Iku and Iku Work merge into a unified, single system: ideal for effortlessly implementing HCL lighting even in large and complex projects.

More information on Iku
Link to the film

Technical features



###Iku


ERCO lens system: collimating lens made of optical polymer, 
Fresnel lenses (wide flood, extra wide flood, oval wide flood), wallwash or double wallwash

Direct distributions: Wide flood (approx. 60°),
Extra wide flood (approx. 85°), Oval flood (approx. 20° x 60°), Wallwash (uniform wallwashing), Double wallwash
ERCO LED module: Mid-power LEDs (downlights), 
High-power LEDs (wallwashers)
Light colours:
Downlights: 2700K CRI 92, 3000K CRI 82, 3000K CRI 92, 3500K CRI 92, 4000K CRI 82, 4000K CRI 92, 
tunable white (2700K – 6500K)
Wallwashers and double wallwashers: 
2700K CRI 92, 3000K CRI 92, 3000K CRI 97, 3500K CRI 92, 4000K CRI 82, 4000K CRI 92, tunable white (2700K – 6500K)
Housing: aluminium, anti-glare cone: black, silver
Installation: Ceiling recessing, covered and flush 
(via accessories)
Control gear: switchable, DALI dimmable or 
Casambi Bluetooth


Iku Work

ERCO lens system: collimating lens made of optical polymer, Fresnel lenses (wide flood, oval wide flood)
Direct light distributions: Wide flood (approx. 60°),
Oval wide flood (approx. 60° x 80°)
ERCO LED module: Mid-power LEDs (downlights)
Light colours: 2700K CRI 92, 3000K CRI 82, 3000K CRI 92, 3500K CRI 92, 4000K CRI 82, 4000K CRI 92
Housing: aluminium, anti-glare cone: white, silver
Installation: Ceiling recessing, covered and flush 
(via accessories)
Control gear: DALI dimmable