LEDs Pave the Way

Aug 1, 2008 12:00 PM, By Stefanie Kure, Senior Associate Editor

It's not often that a chance encounter between two strangers from opposite sides of the world results in the development of a novel new product, but that's exactly what happened when Jon Jorgensen and Markus Bechstein met two years ago.

“I was introduced to Markus in May 2006 in Santa Barbara, Calif.,” recalls Jorgensen, a resident of the Golden State. “Markus is from Germany, and he told me about an LED-based pavestone that he wanted to bring over to the United States. I'm a general contractor by trade, and when I saw the product, I thought it was just terrific.”

The brainchild of Bechstein and Jorgensen is a low-voltage LED pavestone lighting system called Beckstone. Marketed by Carpenteria, Calif.-based JoBe Lighting, the product is manufactured in Germany from synthetic resin and is designed to blend into a variety of hardscapes, such as stone and brick, during the day. At night, it is lit from within by an LED. According to the company, custom stones, logos, and monograms in any shape and color can be accommodated.

“Our paver sizes are based on those commonly used in the United States,” says Bechstein. “We also use high-quality LEDs from Japan. The LED manufacturer reports they will last 80,000 hours under ideal conditions. But even after 80,000 hours, they will still have 50% light output.”

In development for 18 months, Beckstone was introduced this past May at LightFair International 2008. The product consists of two parts: a translucent-top glass body and a load-carrying body. The solid load-carrying body extends 5/64 inches around the entire glass body, enabling it to be laid without a bed of mortar. The company says this increases the balance of the joint impression, decreases the laying cost, and improves chip resistance. The product also features a non-slip surface and offers vehicle run-over capability. Furthermore, installation can be done prior to laying traditional pavestones.

Suitable for new or retrofit applications, each Beckstone is waterproof (according to class IP 68 protection) and runs on 12VDC LED power supplies. According to the company, the LED is sealed with the synthetic resin above and covered against impact by a polymer-concrete block below, preventing water from causing erosion to the LED module.

“Beckstone's low CO₂-emission LED uses only four-tenths of a watt, which is 80% to 90% less than a lot of what you see on the market today,” adds Jorgensen. “They can also run off a 12VDC battery with a solar panel. So, you can use them as standalone systems, if you'd like.”