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Developed by lighting designers and for lighting designers, IALD Enlighten Europe 2025 presents top-tier educational sessions led by the brightest minds in the profession. Two days in the design city of Valencia will resonate with deep discussions, engaging workshops, lively roundtables, and quality networking
Join lighting professionals, designers, and enthusiasts as they exchange knowledge, showcase innovative design methodologies and technologies, and engage in critical discussions on current issues and trends within the lighting industry
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Coming Soon...
Don't Miss the Light Justice NOW Awards Winners Announcement at LightFair
Where: The Designery
When: Wednesday 7 May, 2:30pm
James R. Benya,
By John D. Bullough, Ph.D., FIES
Randy Reid
Randy Reid
Bridget Leary
By Randy Reid
James Benya, PE, FIES, FIALD
John D. Bullough, Ph.D., FIES
Shirley Coyle, LC
Charles Jarboe
Gregg Mackell, CLD, IALD
JP Bedell
Elena Bertolucci
Pure in Design.
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By JP Bedell
By Charles Jarboe
By Gregg Mackell, CLD, IALD
By Randy Reid
Sartiano’s
Photo Credit: Ryan Fischer
Editorial Director: Randy Reid
Publisher: Cliff Smith
Contributing Writers:
James Benya PE, FIES, FIALD Benya's Art & Science Contributor Principal at Design Services, Inc. and The Benya Burnett Consultancy
Shirley Coyle Up Close Contributor President, Cree Lighting Canada Principal, RELEVANT LIGHT Consulting Inc.
Staff Writer: Parker Allen
Bridget Leary
Published by EdisonReport
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Phone: 615-371-0961 designinglighting.com
The Dilemma of the 2026 Light Justice NOW Awards
At designing lighting (dl) magazine, we are proud to introduce the 1st Annual Light Justice NOW Awards, which will be presented at LightFair 2025 in Las Vegas. The ceremony will take place on Tuesday, 6 May, at 2:00 PM in the LightFair LIVE stage area at the Las Vegas Convention Center.
Over the years, I’ve had the privilege of serving as a juror for some of the most respected lighting award programs, including the IESNYC Lumen Awards, the IES Illumination Awards, the LIT Design Awards, and the National Lighting Bureau’s Tesla Awards. While these programs consistently honor exceptional lighting projects, they often share a common mold—elegant designs located in high-end environments, equipped with the most advanced lighting technology available.
But what about everyone else?
As the homepage of LightJustice.org so boldly states, "Everyone deserves good lighting and beneficial darkness." We couldn’t agree more. That’s why the Light Justice NOW Awards were created—to recognize lighting projects that serve historically marginalized communities and elevate underrepresented voices in the built environment.
In shaping this new awards program, I received thoughtful guidance from industry leaders including Edward Bartholomew, Principal at Bartholomew Lighting, and Mark Loeffler, Principal at Mark Loeffler Design Consulting. Mark not only helped define the criteria but also served as a judge, bringing deep expertise and empathy to the process. Edward generously offered to share his previously reserved LightFair stage space—dedicated to his Light Justice initiative—as the location for our inaugural ceremony. It was an incredible show of support and collaboration.
But now, we face a dilemma: What do we do in 2026 when there is no LightFair?
designing lighting is focused on the Business of Lighting Design™ and provides business information to the lighting design community. In addition to the website, designing lighting publishes bi-monthly online magazines featuring original content, interviews within the community and highlights successful award winning lighting designs. While designing lighting is based in the U.S., it has contributors from Europe and is developing a global presence. ISSN: 2693-9223.
Statements and opinions expressed in articles and editorials in dl are the expressions of contributors and do not necessarily represent the policies or opinions of the EdisonReport. Advertisements appearing in the publication are the sole responsibility of the advertiser.
We know from the enthusiasm of this year’s entrants, jurors, and community members that the Light Justice NOW Awards should continue annually. So, the question becomes—where do we go next?
• Do we host the awards online in off-LightFair years?
• Could we fit them into the increasingly busy LEDucation schedule?
Should we incorporate them into the EdisonReport Lifetime Achievement Awards? That event already runs more than two hours.
• Might we present the awards the evening before the IALD Enlighten Americas conference?
• Should we partner with IES26: The Lighting Conference?
We’re weighing all options and open to creative ideas from the community. If you have suggestions, please reach out to me directly at editor@designinglighting.com.
Let’s continue building a platform where light becomes a tool for equity—and justice shines brighter every year. ■
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LightFair Generations
By
JAMES R. BENYA, PE, FIES, FIALD
For me, it all started In the early 1970s. Prior decades of modernism and the “building systems” approach resulted in massively overlit buildings full of heavy steel troffers, incandescent downlights, and giant industrial HID lighting systems filling a building stock of modernist boxes.
Thanks to the energy crisis of the 1970s, the entire lighting industry braced for a wave of change driven by energy efficiency. By the end of the decade, energy codes were implemented in California, and important breakthroughs in technology emerged including such important evolutionary products as electronic ballasts, T-8 fluorescent lamps, compact fluorescent lamps, motion sensors, and lighting control systems that would be the backbone of lighting design and illuminating engineering for the next 30 years.
To be honest, the lighting industry staggered at first, but once California Title 24 went into effect in 1977, there was an unmistakable flurry in the industry. A faster means to inform and teach the industry and the public how to do lighting better and more efficiently was needed.
There was something else going on, too. The beginnings of the lighting design profession emerged in New York that same decade and to a lesser extent, in London, San Francisco, and other design centers throughout the world. Among the first generation of designers was the late Jim Nuckolls, a driving force, visionary co-founder of IALD and genius who pioneered the future of our industry in many ways. He contributed significantly to lighting design education, writing in books and magazines, and above all, to the growth and promotion of the profession.
By all accounts, his was the vision behind the first modern North American lighting exhibition and conference. In 1981, he and other members of the lighting community organized and presented Lighting World in New York. It was new and exciting, and it awakened our industry with a BANG.
The positive buzz and acclaim were immediate. Three years later, the IES Golden Gate Section wisely copied the idea, and in 1984, the Pan Pacific Lighting Exposition1 opened its doors in San Francisco. It was both my first IES-related volunteer work for a lighting conference and my first high-profile speaking engagement.
For the rest of the 1980s, Pan Pacific and Lighting World battled for attendees with alternating
conferences, and the war was on. Which coast would win, or could the trade shows co-exist and not diminish in size and influence?
So you can imagine my surprise when, in the fall of 1989, I was asked by IES leadership in New York to serve as the conference chairman for a new North American lighting conference called “LightFair.” Having served in a similar role for Pan Pacific’s three conferences, I jumped at the opportunity.
With Pan Pacific, I had invented the idea of “conference tracks,” a way to offer a number of concurrent conference classes to attract several distinct attendee groups such as lighting designers, electrical engineers, and interior designers and architects. The Conference Committee for LightFair 1990 wanted something like it or even better, and I would like to think I helped set a high standard that LightFair would follow.
There were, of course, a lot of politics and business issues. LightFair was founded and co-owned by the IES, the IALD, and Atlanta-based trade show management company, AMC, Inc. In general, AMC was responsible for producing and managing the event every year, while IES and IALD were saddled with the responsibilities of marketing, promoting, and planning educational programs and special events.
An overall management board consisting of representatives of the three organizations and AMC staff met bi-annually to plan and manage upcoming shows. As a member of both IALD and IES, I took to LightFair like a fish to water, and throughout the 1990s and 2000s worked closely with LightFair management to always try to make a better conference.
In its first decade, LightFair surpassed all expectations and became a combination of an institution and a party not to be missed. At its peak, LightFair attracted over 35,000 attendees. From 1990 to 2022, I served as a conference planner, conference committee member or chair, and as a presenter. I also served on the LightFair board for 4 years, representing IALD. I was especially proud because, during that time, we rebranded and reinvented LightFair after receiving less-than wonderful attendee reviews from the prior year’s conference. Yes, those reviews get reviewed, and yes, they matter a lot.
Like any business, LightFair has two overarching goals: receive positive attendee evaluations, and make a profit for the three equal owners to split. And over the
first 30 years, we succeeded, launching growth and prominence for both IALD and IES. I will also admit that, whenever I could get away with it, I insisted on making things as fun as possible. For nearly 3 decades, LightFair kicked off with the GE Lighting Edison Awards on Monday night, followed by a comical and whimsical Product Awards program on Tuesday morning, and wrapped up with the IALD International Lighting Design Awards gala on Wednesday night. These social events had the salient effect of drawing the world’s best and most influential lighting designers as well as their design staffs, who today are among the world’s leading lighting designers.
Another thing I liked about LightFair was the healthy combination of familiarity and all-new experiences. It started out in New York, then Chicago, then New York, then San Francisco, then Las Vegas, and so on. I personally enjoyed a wonderful introduction into the New York lighting and social community.
The history of Lighting World and the cachet of New York as the center of lighting design tended to make the New York shows special, but I was happy to be part of LightFair wherever it went. Whether true or not, it seemed like every LightFair was bigger and better, year after year.
In 2018, AMC sold to IMC. Then came 2020 and the pandemic—LightFair was canceled. The 2021 show in New York drew fewer than 5,000 attendees. With the event's revenue drastically reduced, both IES and IALD were forced to make significant changes. IMC, which later rebranded as ANDMORE, eventually sold its stake to Messe Frankfurt. The 2022 edition in Las Vegas regained some of LightFair’s original energy, and I remain hopeful the momentum continues to build.
Meanwhile, something else started happening around the nation. Even before COVID, the demand for LightFair quality education and lighting community participation spread. New local and regional lighting shows emerged. Less expensive to exhibitors, the local shows work closely with sales representatives and manufacturers to put on a one- or two-day show in a smaller venue with significantly less cost.
Like LightFair, local and regional conferences offer attendees an exhibition floor with manufacturers and their display booths, and a program featuring local, regional, and, occasionally, national and international speakers. Typically organized by an IES Section, these mini–LightFairs are less overwhelming, and social contact seems more personal as often the exhibitor works for a lighting sales agency that serves your own business. Local and regional shows are the next best thing to LightFair, but don’t expect to talk with the senior leadership of IES, IALD and manufacturers like you will at LightFair.
As we prepare for LightFair 2025, I can’t help but recognize a generational change in the industry.
Product innovation has leveled off as LEDs have plateaued in efficiency and capability. The market is trending back towards luminaire innovation much like the early LightFairs. The internet has given manufacturers and agents prolific opportunities to produce online marketing materials and explanations at low cost, with further promotion from e-newsletters and email blast sources.
Yes, it is possible to attend an online conference program without the time and expense of attending a national conference. While I don’t like the impersonal nature of the medium, the economics are hard to debate.
But what can’t be replicated by online material is the personal interaction between attendees, manufacturers, salespeople, and especially colleagues. So, a big part of what made LightFair appealing to my generation over 30 years ago still works. This event is the one annual time where you can actively engage and be engaged by your colleagues in this great lighting community founded and strengthened by LightFair and the thirty-four LightFairs before.
Even if only for a day, attend if you can. In the process, I hope that now and in the future lighting communities will continue to rally together like in my generation, as the profession of lighting design itself is the greatest beneficiary of LightFair and all it helped create. ■
Among the many great social activities, there was one very special event – Tuesday night at LightFair Chicago, 2018 – when the late, great Jack Zukerman threw a private party at the House of Blues for all the attendees. More than 4,000 people came to party to be entertained by a series of live bands made up of members of the lighting industry. I will never attend or play at another party that good, ever. This band, creatively named the T-12’s, of course played “oldies.” Yours truly with Leslie North and other members of the band.
Déjà View
Applying Lessons from Headlight Glare to the Indoors
By JOHN D. BULLOUGH, PH.D., FIES
Light and Health Research Center, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
One exciting aspect of my job comes from the fact that I’m occasionally contacted by reporters looking for information about my research. Doesn’t every scientist want their work to be understood, appreciated and put into practice?
Lately, though, I’ve been experiencing some serious déjà vu because the questions I’m asked about most are always about headlight glare!1-3
Although headlight glare is outside the professional purview of designing lighting (dl) readers, many
of you might now be experiencing some déjà vu of your own, reliving unpleasant experiences caused by bright headlights at night. And you aren’t crazy if you’re asking whether headlights have gotten brighter recently, because by several measures, the answer is yes.
New vehicles have transitioned from halogen to light-emitting diode (LED) headlights4 with a correlated color temperature of 5500-6000 K, likely because they make the road look brighter.5 The shift toward bluish-white headlights might be the most
Figure 1. LED ceiling luminaires.
commonly mentioned aspect of headlight glare, because not only does the road look brighter, but so do the LED lights themselves, even when matched for photopic intensity, and they magnify feelings of visual discomfort somewhat compared to halogens.6
Although their color may be the most noticeable change with newer headlights, maximum intensities of both halogen and LED headlights have increased recently,4 possibly in response to safety ratings that reward higher intensities.7 Headlights are also shrinking, with higher maximum luminances that increase glare when headlights are close enough to be larger than 0.2° in visual angle (i.e. when vehicles are within about 50 feet). At farther distances with smaller angular sizes, the maximum luminance no longer contributes to glare – only the illuminance at
our eyes, determined by the headlight’s luminous intensity.
New styling opportunities with LEDs not only can increase the luminance of small headlights but could also make potential glare-reducing features like luminous surrounds possible,8,9 reducing the contrast between bright lights and their backgrounds.
For now, however, when we’re driving more pickup trucks and sport-utility vehicles with higher-mounted headlights,10 and when we’re collectively pretty bad at aiming our headlights properly,11 we seem to be riding a perfect storm, fueling our angst about headlight glare.
Glare is magnified by having to keep our eyes on the road and very near oncoming headlights when we’re driving, whereas indoors we can often look away from glary ceiling luminaires.
But we can nonetheless experience glare in these latter situations. Indeed, a plethora of standards are in place to help us mitigate glare not only on the road,13 but also on sports fields,14 from interior lighting,15 and from windows.16 New standards have also been developed to help control glare from LED indoor luminaires with high maximum luminances like those in Figures 1 and 2.17 Whenever a new glare standard is published, it’s déjà vu all over again — but with a new set of equations to apply.
But are new glare standards needed for every application and technological development? The principles for reducing glare are the same outdoors (e.g., driving at night) and indoors (e.g., office work), even if their relative importance changes (Table 1).18
Figure 2. An early design of an LED downlight luminaire.
My colleagues and I developed a predictive model for discomfort glare from outdoor lighting8,19 incorporating these factors. When we used it to predict glare from indoor lighting, it was just as successful,20 sometimes even more so,21 than traditional indoor glare models.15
In one of those investigations, which focused on circadian-effective lighting applications where brighter (or bluer) lighting might be considered,20 the system shown in Figure 3 was rated as quite comfortable because its narrow angular profile negated the impact of its high luminance.
with psychological factors, like the observer’s task difficulty,22,23 or the attractiveness of the scene outside a window that allows us to tolerate high brightness if we have access to the beauty of nature.24
One important caveat is that even the best model incorporating the factors in Table 1 can never yield precise predictions of discomfort glare. That’s because visual discomfort inherently interacts
References
1. Hill J. 2025. Explain it to me: Blinded by the headlights [podcast]. Vox.com (March 30).
2. Rogers N. 2024. Asleep at the wheel in the headlight brightness wars. The Ringer (December 3).
3. Delisio ER. 2024. What's the story with headlight glare? Your AAA Network (February 23).
4. Bullough JD. 2025. Why is headlight glare such a persistent problem for the driving public? A review. Transportation Research Board 104th Annual Meeting, Washington, DC.
5. Bullough JD. 2015. Spectral sensitivity modeling and nighttime scene brightness perception. Leukos 11: 11-17.
6. Bullough JD, Liu Y. 2019. Response to white light emitting diode aviation signal lights varying in correlated color temperature. Transportation Research Record 2673: 667-675.
7. Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. 2018. Headlight Test and Rating Protocol. Ruckersville, VA: Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.
8. Bullough JD, Sweater Hickcox K. 2012. Interactions among light source luminance, illuminance and size on discomfort glare. SAE International Journal of Passenger Cars - Mechanical Systems 5: 199-202.
9. Sweater Hickcox K, Narendran N, Bullough JD, Freyssinier JP. 2013. Effect of different coloured luminous surrounds on LED discomfort glare perception. Lighting Research and Technology 45: 464-475.
10. Bullough JD. 2025. A survey of vehicle forward lighting system mounting height and driver eye height. SAE World Congress Experience, Detroit, MI.
11. Skinner NP, Bullough JD, Smith AM. 2010. Survey of the present state of headlamp aim. Transportation Research Board 89th Annual Meeting, Washington, DC.
12. Bullough JD, Skinner NP, Plummer TT. 2016. Assessment of an adaptive driving beam headlighting system: Visibility and glare. Transportation Research Record 2555: 81-85.
Nonetheless, I’m optimistic that an integrated understanding of glare can help us design indoor and outdoor views and hopefully, reduce the likelihood of future unpleasant déjà vu moments! ■
13. Commission Internationale de l’Éclairage. 2021. Discomfort Glare in Road Lighting and Vehicle Lighting, CIE 243. Vienna, Austria: Commission Internationale de l’Éclairage.
14. Commission Internationale de l’Éclairage. 1994. Glare Evaluation System for Use within Outdoor Sport and Area Lighting, CIE 112. Vienna, Austria: Commission Internationale de l’Éclairage.
15. Commission Internationale de l’Éclairage. 1995. Discomfort Glare in Interior Lighting, CIE 117. Vienna, Austria: Commission Internationale de l’Éclairage.
16. Commission Internationale de l’Éclairage. 2024. Assessment of Discomfort Glare from Daylight in Buildings, CIE 252. Vienna, Austria: Commission Internationale de l’Éclairage.
17. Commission Internationale de l’Éclairage. 2019. Discomfort Caused by Glare from Luminaires with a Non-Uniform Source Luminance, CIE 232. Vienna, Austria: Commission Internationale de l’Éclairage.
18. Bullough JD. 2022. Understanding Glare in Exterior Lighting, Display and Related Applications. Bellingham, WA: SPIE Press.
19. Bullough JD, Brons JA, Qi R, Rea MS. 2008. Predicting discomfort glare from outdoor lighting installations. Lighting Research and Technology 40: 225-242.
20. Mou X, Freyssinier JP, Narendran N, Bullough JD. 2017. Preliminary evaluation of discomfort glare from OLED and edge-lit LED lighting panels. Journal of Biomedical Optics 22: 055004.
21. Figueiro MG, Bullough JD, Thayer A, Nagare RM, Rea MS. 2025. Supporting visual and non-visual lighting design without increasing discomfort glare or lighting power density. Lighting Research and Technology 57: 5-27.
22. Sivak M, Flannagan M, Ensing M, Simmons CJ. 1991. Discomfort glare is task dependent. International Journal of Vehicle Design 12: 152-159.
23. Van Derlofske J, Bullough JD, Dee P, Chen J, Akashi Y. 2004. Headlamp parameters and glare. SAE World Congress, Detroit, MI.
24. Tuaycharoen N, Tregenza PR. 2007. View and discomfort glare from windows. Lighting Research and Technology 39: 185-200.
Figure 3. Linear LED luminaire system.
Gardens in a New Light: Longwood’s Redesign Marries Beauty and Innovation
On holidays the whole place transforms— it’s magical." Gabriela Grullon
RANDY REID By
Photos courtesy of Tillotson Design Associates
Nestled near Philadelphia, just a short distance from the Delaware border, Longwood Gardens has long been admired for its spectacular horticultural displays. With elaborate seasonal showcases—like dazzling Fourth of July fountain shows, festive Mother’s Day events, and breathtaking Christmas displays—the garden is a visual spectacle all year long.
“On holidays the whole place transforms— it’s magical,” said Gabriela Grullon, Senior Associate at Tillotson Design Associates. The garden is well worth the two-hour train ride and short cab trip from the city.
In October 2024, Longwood unveiled a major lighting transformation, six years in the making, that seamlessly merges its historic elegance with modern lighting technology. The design was led by architects Weiss/Manfredi and landscape architects Reed Hilderbrand, with Tillotson Design Associates responsible for the lighting design. The project began in 2018, with a particular emphasis on the expansive West Conservatory, which Gabriela described as “the central piece for this new redesign.”
The goal of the West Conservatory
lighting design was to support Longwood’s seasonal changes, as the plantings shift dramatically four times a year. “We wanted to make sure they had the flexibility to really punch up certain colors as the seasons changed,” Gabriela said.
The TDA team, led by Suzan Tillotson, Project Manager Gabriela Grullon, and designers Trinetra Manickavasagam and Zoe Grosshandler, used track lighting from Litelab paired with Lutron
The goal of the West Conservatory lighting design was to support Longwood’s seasonal changes, as the plantings shift dramatically four times a year.
Gabriela described the West Conservatory as “the central piece” for the Gardens’ redesign.
Ketra bulbs, allowing garden staff to fine-tune color temperatures, vibrancies, and intensities throughout the year.
The lighting design scope was broad. Tillotson Design worked not only on the conservatory and site master plan, but also on a standalone administrative building atop the Grove. Within the conservatory, they lit the restaurant, lobby, and a multipurpose room. However, the West Conservatory remained the visual and design focal point.
"We had just these three main lines of track lighting at the start," Gabriela noted. These were mounted overhead to create layered illumination. Formal pathways lined with uplit trees led visitors into the central space, anchoring the guest experience.
The conservatory itself was designed as a series of garden islands, each featuring unique planting themes. The center island, initially planned to feature olive trees, evolved into a grove of palm trees that Gabriela called “really beautiful.” Another island includes a peaceful path flanked by ornamental trees. Lighting treatments emphasized these distinctions, creating moments of visual pause and harmony.
One of the most compelling lighting moments came from the dramatic uplighting of sculptural columns. Many different luminaires were considered for the project, the final solution involved custom products from Designplan Lighting
"We did numerous mockups to determine the right balance between optics, glare control, output and form factor that would allow us to seamlessly integrate the fixture in an enclosure at the base of each column,” Gabriela recalled. "It felt like every single fixture had to be tested in context. But that’s what made the final result so successful—seeing it live and making decisions on the spot."
This hands-on approach extended to every part of the garden. The team gave special attention to the interaction between light and water. The Mediterranean Garden, for instance, includes reflective canals where light was deliberately positioned to complement—not overpower— natural reflections. "We carefully deliberated on whether to illuminate the water directly or emphasize its reflective qualities,” Gabriela noted.
Auroralight uplights were integrated to highlight lush vines climbing the conservatory walls, creating visual depth and movement. In parallel, decorative pendants fabricated by ILEX were positioned to harmonize with the building's structure and character.
Track lighting from Litelab, paired with Lutron Ketra bulbs, allow garden staff to fine-tune color temperatures, vibrancies, and intensities throughout the year.
Pathway illumination was handled with equal care. Lumenpulse uplights and Auroralight pathway lights were strategically placed for safe navigation and ambiance. In the Bonsai courtyard—located between the conservatory and administration building— Lumenpulse fixtures highlight sculpted hedges, enhancing the garden’s peaceful atmosphere.
Interior areas were approached with warmth and subtlety. Lucifer downlights and Visual Comfort & Co. pendants defined the restaurant and bar areas, providing elegance and usability. “The restaurant space is designed to be intimate yet functional,” said Gabriela, noting the carefully hidden uplights to accentuate architectural forms.
Commissioning the lighting system at Longwood was no small feat for the TDA team. Gabriela recalled they traveled five consecutive weeknights to site, navigating both construction realities and time pressures. “It was a race against the clock,” she said. Because daylight made fixture aiming impractical, the team divided their work—tackling less lightsensitive zones during the day and returning at night for fine-tuning.
Even with pre-issued aiming and zoning diagrams, evolving site conditions introduced new challenges. The design was created using planting diagrams. The actual plants arrived midway through the aiming process, prompting last-minute lighting
We wanted to make sure they had the flexibility to really punch up certain colors as the seasons changed"
Gabriela Grullon
The conservatory itself was designed as a series of garden islands, each featuring unique planting themes. The center island, initially planned to feature olive trees, evolved into a grove of palm trees.
adjustments. To keep pace, Lutron had to reprogram the entire lighting system multiple times.
The adaptability of the Ketra system became especially evident during the Super Bowl, when the entire conservatory was washed in green light for the Philadelphia Eagles. “It demonstrated that our design provided not just visual appeal but practical adaptability,” Gabriela said.
The lighting system is fully controllable via a secure app and keypad, making seasonal transitions and event-based changes seamless for Longwood staff.
Despite the complexity and labor-intensive nature of the project, Gabriela expressed nothing but pride. “It’s the kind of job that provides value beyond profit,” she shared. “It inspires you and brings a profound sense of accomplishment.”
Ultimately, Longwood Gardens’ lighting transformation stands as a model of how thoughtful lighting can enhance and evolve the identity of a historic site. The Tillotson Design team’s exhaustive attention to detail, commitment to mockups, and use of advanced technology have yielded a stunning, immersive experience—one that celebrates the garden’s past while lighting the way toward its future. ■
Formal pathways lined with uplit trees led visitors into the central space, anchoring the guest experience.
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FROM HARLEM TO SOHO
The Subtle Power of Light at Sartiano’s
By
RANDY REID
Photo Credit: Ryan Fischer
An oyster lunch at New York’s Grand Central Oyster Bar with legendary designer Paul Gregory last December led to an invitation I couldn’t pass up –a visit to Focus Lighting’s Harlem studio. I was welcomed by Brett Andersen, Principal at the firm, and Jazzy Pedroza-Watson. I simply expected to learn about a few upcoming projects or lighting trends. What I didn’t expect was to leave with a deeper appreciation for a company that treats lighting not as an accessory, but as a language—and speaks it with fluency and intention.
As Brett walked me through their design process and the culture that drives it, one project he mentioned in passing stuck with me – a new SoHo restaurant called Sartiano’s.
At the time, it was just a quick aside. But that name—and the curiosity it sparked—led to a followup zoom call, where I uncovered yet another chapter of Focus Lighting’s creativity. What began as a studio visit turned into a deeper story of how this team continues to redefine how light shapes space and experience.
So rather than writing two stories, I’ve chosen to share one: the story of a company whose culture and process shine through whether they’re lighting a science museum or a subterranean wine bar.
Lighting That Starts in the Lab
Focus Lighting’s headquarters is unlike any studio I’ve visited. At the heart of their space is a massive, two-story black-box lab. It’s here that they prototype nearly every lighting detail before a single fixture is installed in the field. Mockups, hoists, mirrors, and every dimming system under the sun—Lutron,
Crestron, you name it—are at their disposal. “We don’t just design on paper,” Brett told me. “We prove it works first.”
That mindset is central to their process. During our time in the lab, we talked about everything from lighting control to VR integration to AI as a tool for early visual exploration. “It’s not designing for us,” Brett clarified about AI. “But it helps us visualize and communicate quickly. That’s a huge win.”
Mockups aren’t just internal tools—they’re essential for client trust. And it was that same rigor and client focus that later helped shape Sartiano’s.
Our conversation opened with the story of the iconic Times Square Ball—a project that changed the trajectory of Focus Lighting. Originally conceived as a six-foot sphere adorned with Waterford Crystal, early prototypes fell flat when viewed in color. “You’d see the LEDs through the crystal, and the color blending just wasn’t there,” Brett recalled. The solution? A mirrored baffle positioned between the LEDs and the crystal, helping diffuse the light and separate the triangular facets for better individual control.
Focus didn’t stop there. Working closely with
The bar glows softly, balancing intimacy and sophistication in Sartiano’s subterranean setting.
The restaurant’s name glows softly—your first glimpse into a world shaped by light.
Dramatic uplight and soft table glow flatter every guest on the more intimate side of Sartiano’s.
Waterford, the team pushed the glassmaker to cut facets on both sides of the crystal, doubling the sparkle and visual impact. “They thought we were crazy at first,” Brett laughed, “but once they saw the result, they were in.”
Programming became the next frontier. With a canvas of thousands of LEDs, Focus designed an hour-by-hour lighting narrative starting at 6:00 p.m. on New Year’s Eve. Every hour had its own theme, building to a crescendo at the midnight drop. “It was a global stage. We had to get it right,” Brett emphasized.
Enter Sartiano’s: A Brick-and-Mortar Expression, with an Emphasis on Brick
During our studio tour, Brett casually mentioned Sartiano’s, a new Italian fine-dining spot in the Mercer Hotel. I made a mental note. Later, we scheduled a zoom call to dig deeper—and I’m glad we did.
Sartiano’s, designed in collaboration with Studio Sofield, is a masterclass in atmospheric lighting. Set below street level in a 130-year-old building, the project posed immediate architectural limitations: low ceilings, landmarked brick, and minimal opportunity for overhead fixtures.
Focus Lighting’s solution? Light the surfaces, not the space.
“There’s a lot of light,” Brett said, “but very few visible fixtures.” Acolyte RibbonLyte tape light was used to graze textured brick walls, and the balance was painstaking. “Too close to the wall and it created a giant hotspot, but too far from the wall would cause the restaurant to lose valuable table space,” he explained. They mocked it all up in the Harlem lab before a single inch of tape light hit the walls.
Adding to the visual sleight of hand were dark mirrored columns that amplified light and created the illusion of more space. In a room with 9-foot ceilings, every inch mattered. Every beam of light was sculpted for maximum warmth and intimacy.
Even the vaults—original sidewalk openings that let in slivers of daylight—were left intentionally unlit by electric sources. “The ambient city light was enough,” Brett said. “Sometimes restraint is the best design move.”
Two Zones, Two Vibes
The restaurant is divided into two experiences, a north side near the kitchen that’s vibrant and theatrical, and a quieter, more romantic southern half. Lighting played a critical role in establishing those moods.
For the north section, large gauzy pendants diffuse light and obscure the kitchen hustle, offering energy without chaos. The pendants act like filters, providing a soft glow while concealing less desirable views. “We didn’t want the open kitchen to steal focus, but we didn’t want to hide it either,” Brett explained.
On the south side, Vision3 accents and Neoz Victoria battery-operated table lamps create intimacy. “Those lamps, with uplight and downlight, put out just the right glow across white tablecloths,” Brett told me. “It flatters faces. Everyone looks good—and that’s not a small thing.”
The ceiling in Sartiano’s is low—around nine feet, maybe just a bit higher—which presents a unique lighting challenge. With such limited vertical space, traditional overhead lighting strategies were off the table. Instead, the team leaned into architectural features to bring the space to life. The marble bar, for example, is beautifully illuminated both from above and below, with light gently grazing the wrapped brick that surrounds not only the bar but nearly every wall in the room. This approach helps distribute ambient light while also ensuring the subterranean setting feels anything but cave-like. Thanks to these techniques, the space feels warm, textured, and inviting.
This philosophy ties into the overall concept developed by interior designers Studio Sofield, who envisioned the restaurant as a modern take on a Tuscan wine cellar—cozy, elegant, and glowing with character. To bring that vision to life, the lighting team focused on surfaces that could emit a subtle, welcoming glow. Shelves and liquor risers behind the bar are softly backlit, making the bottles appear to glow from within. These glowing surfaces aren’t just visually appealing—they also reflect light back into the room, enhancing the atmosphere and reinforcing the idea that every inch of the space is intentionally, artfully lit.
Path and banquette lighting were executed with precision. Underneath the seating, Acolyte tape gently lights the brick perimeter without being obtrusive. Each lighting element was tested and aimed to preserve a cave-like coziness while preventing the space from feeling closed off.
Another highlight was custom-lit niches showcasing wine and sculpture. “They’re little jewel boxes,” Brett said. “They help punctuate the space, so your eye moves through the room rather than just settling.” The wine showcase reminded me of the lighted bookcase at Zero Bond—another Focus Lighting designed venue which we wrote about in the August 2021 issue
Lighting Technology and Control
Like most modern hospitality projects, Sartiano’s is entirely LED. But convincing client Scott Sartiano to abandon halogen wasn’t easy. Brett and team tested 2200K, 2400K, and 2700K temperatures in the lab. “Scott was worried about losing warmth,” Brett said, “so we put the options in front of him.” 2400K won out—offering the right warmth without compromising dimming control.
Downlights from Zaniboni were chosen for their minimal aperture and clean beams. All fixtures are managed by a Lutron HomeWorks system— normally a residential solution, but in this case selected for its app-based simplicity. “Scott can manage Sartiano’s and Zero Bond from the same phone app,” Brett said, grinning. “It’s convenience meets control.”
Several lighting scenes are preprogrammed for different times of day and events. From brunch service to dinner rush to private late-night events, lighting can be adjusted with a single tap. Focus also added a manual override function—ensuring staff could fine-tune the mood without calling in a technician.
The Bar: Where Light Becomes Sculpture
Perhaps no area reflects the team’s artistry more than the bar. Layers of lighting come together to create a stunning visual anchor. A backlit onyx surface glows softly beneath drinks, while tape lights illuminate shelves of bottles from behind, catching their colors and contours.
At Sartiano’s, guests have the option to rent personalized wine lockers, allowing them to purchase and store bottles on-site for future visits. Great care was taken to ensure the lighting showcased both red and white wines beautifully. The lighting team spent considerable time in the studio refining the placement and effect of the lighting elements, recognizing that bottle
Gauzy pendants were used to obscure the kitchen. This photo is taken from the kitchen looking out to the seating.
The table lamps provide uplight as well as downlight on the table.
presentation would play a key role in the guest experience.
Originally, the wine supports were designed to sit close to the cabinet doors, but early tests in the studio revealed that this setup caused the bottles to appear dark, as the lighting couldn’t reach them properly. In collaboration with Studio Sofield, the supports were pushed back to expose the necks of the bottles, allowing for better illumination.
This adjustment not only improved the visibility and appeal of the wine but also provided flexibility for guests to store additional bottles toward the front. A slim line of lighting was then discreetly installed behind each glass door, ensuring the labels and glass caught just enough glow to sparkle without glare.
Mockups, Commissioning, and Craftsmanship
Everything—shelf lighting, bottle displays, even how light reflected on glassware—was mocked up multiple times. “We’d bring it all into the lab and test beam angles, finish colors, and spacing,” Brett said.
Commissioning was equally exacting. Brett and his team were on-site, aiming fixtures, making adjustments, and responding to last-minute surprises. In one case, a mirrored service station unexpectedly reflected the downlights, requiring last-minute filters. “You plan everything, but the real world always throws something new at you,” Brett said.
Despite the complexities, the result is a space that
feels cohesive, immersive, and effortless. “Lighting should never feel like a layer on top of the design,” Brett said. “It should be the air the design breathes.”
Full Circle: From Times Square to Sartiano’s
If Sartiano’s is about intimacy and texture, the Times Square Ball is its polar opposite: scale, spectacle, and global visibility.
But the creative DNA is the same. It’s the same team that convinced Waterford Crystal to cut both sides of a facet for the Times Square Ball. The same team that mocks up every beam before it reaches the client.
It’s that culture—a culture of curiosity, craft, and control—that ties everything together. Whether they’re lighting a spaceship exhibit in Los Angeles or a vaulted wine room in SoHo, Focus Lighting brings the same rigor to every detail.
Thanks to thoughtful lighting choices, extensive collaboration, and a little tech-savvy flexibility, Sartiano’s achieves something rare: a finedining atmosphere that’s equally suited to quiet conversation or celebrity-spotting. “When you walk down the stairs and look across the room and see three people you recognize from TV, that’s exactly the vibe Scott wanted,” said Brett. "It’s intimate, but it buzzes."
Mission accomplished. ■
Customized lighting enhances the appeal of the Guest Lockers. Focus Lighting experimented with different lighting scenarios in their lab.
When a Broadway legend takes the stage for a second act, it must do so with flair. The Palace Theatre’s transformation certainly rises to the occasion, both figuratively and literally.
The 109-year-old venue in Times Square recently reopened after a sweeping restoration and modernization effort that spanned nearly a decade. The project not only restored the historic character of the landmark theater but also reinvented its lighting design with thoughtful attention to period details and modern functionality—from a new chandelier to bespoke faux alabaster fixtures.
Before delving into the Tesla Award-winning lighting design, however, it’s worth spotlighting the most jaw-dropping feat: The entire theater was physically lifted 30 feet in the air.
As part of the TSX Broadway development, engineers executed one of the most intricate building relocations in New York City history. Beginning in January 2022 and concluding on 5 April of that year, the 7,000-ton structure was hoisted using 34 hydraulic lifting posts, moving at a painstakingly slow and controlled pace—just a quarter of an inch per hour. This incredible engineering accomplishment allowed for the addition of a new street-level lobby and retail space, all while preserving the theater’s architectural shell and setting the stage—literally—for its grand reintroduction.
A Lighting Renaissance
Led by lighting designers Paul Marantz, Hank Forrest, and Zachary Pearson of Fisher Marantz Stone (FMS), the lighting transformation was grounded in deep historical research. Although all the original decorative fixtures were long gone, archival photos offered clues. "We knew where the lighting locations were, and we knew what the fixtures wanted to be," said Hank.
The team worked hand-in-hand with preservation architects Platt Byard Dovell White and artisans at Lite Makers in Queens to craft new luminaires that echoed the elegance of the originals while embracing modern technology.
The centerpiece of the Palace Theater’s revitalized interior is a breathtaking new
The dimming was the biggest challenge. If that didn’t work correctly, nothing else would matter.
Hank Forrest
The Palace Theater Gets Lifted Above Times Square
Source: NBC New York YouTube Channel
Lighting designers on stage, surveying the theater in a final review of the historic eight-year renovation that restored the Palace to its original, landmarked grandeur. Photo credit: Fisher Marantz Stone
chandelier, standing nearly 24 feet tall. Designed in collaboration with the architectural team, the fixture pays homage to the theater’s original, long-lost centerpiece without attempting a direct replica.
The team reimagined it with clean, modern lines and luminous faux alabaster elements that evoke the grandeur of the past while embracing contemporary design. Illuminated by high-quality LED sources, the chandelier casts a warm, elegant glow that enhances the venue’s timeless atmosphere. Importantly, the entire fixture can be lowered for maintenance—a thoughtful nod to both tradition and function. Balancing technical demands with aesthetic ambition, this custom piece successfully bridges the theater’s historic legacy and its bold new chapter.
The team strategically shifted from the initial plan of utilizing Lutron controls and drivers, instead choosing eldoLED Solodrive 0-10V drivers combined with ETC controls.
All fixtures throughout the theater are powered by the same eldoLED drivers, ensuring consistent dimming performance. Point source fixtures, including sconces, pendants, and select elements of the chandelier, utilize Xicato LED modules for their exceptional color rendering and warm tone. The chandelier, serving as a centerpiece, combines both point and linear sources to achieve its distinctive glow.
Each fixture underwent extensive testing to guarantee flawless dimming performance. Hank emphasized, “The dimming was the biggest challenge. If that didn’t work correctly, nothing else would matter.”
Working closely with and the project theater consultants, Theater Projects, the team rigorously tested the Xicato modules at the start of the project to determine which driver would achieve smooth dimming, essential for the seamless “fade to black” that sets the pre-show atmosphere. Through mockups and detailed fixture evaluations, the team selected modules that replicate the warmth and gentle fade of traditional incandescent lighting, blending theatrical tradition with state-of-the-art technology.
Integrating Layers of Light
Paul and Hank approached the Palace with a strategy rooted in layered lighting. The grand chandelier offers ambient light, while perimeter coves provide soft fill, highlighting the intricately restored ceiling without overpowering it. Wallmounted sconces offer mid-level light and help reinforce the vertical proportions of the space. Even the seat-level step lights were carefully coordinated to avoid drawing attention while delivering necessary safety illumination.
New decorative light fixtures utilizing historic fixture locations compliment the theater’s architecture. Photo credit: Fisher Marantz Stone
One unexpected success came with the faux alabaster used for the chandeliers and sconces. When lit from behind, the material provides a rich visual texture, and the soft diffusion contributes to a welcoming glow.
Narrow beam spotlights from Edison Price Lighting supplement the ambient lighting of the chandelier, while the collective palette of light fixtures ensures that every flourish is perceptible to the audience. Circulation lighting throughout is handled by a combination of steplights located in the seating, recessed into walls and integrated into the stair nosings.
The design team coordinated extensively with the various trades to avoid conflicts, particularly in areas with limited ceiling depth or historical preservation constraints. Custom housings and mockups allowed them to trial solutions before final installation.
Mockups and Material Studies
Mockups were critical to the project’s success. Working under full scaffolding, the team evaluated multiple finishes, sources, and aiming strategies.
Hank explained, “Gold-leaf surfaces, for example, react very differently depending on color temperature. Under cool white light, they appear flat; under warm, high-CRI sources, they shimmer and deepen.” The team selected 2700K source with tight binning to preserve continuity.
One unexpected success came with the faux alabaster used for the chandeliers and sconces. When lit from behind, the material provides a rich visual texture, and the soft diffusion contributes to a welcoming glow. The design team specified matching faux alabaster for every decorative element—a commitment that paid off with visual consistency and historical gravitas.
Lighting the Future with a Nod to the Past
While much of the lighting is historical in style, the functionality is firmly rooted in the present. Remote-
Collaboration between the architect, lighting designer and manufacturer enabled the creation of the custom chandelier which respects the proportions of the original, long-lost crystal fixture. Photo credit: Fisher Marantz Stone
The new ten-foot chandelier serves as both a historic homage and contemporary focal point by maintaining the proportions and form of the historic original but with clean, modern surfaces. Photo credit: Fisher Marantz Stone
mounted 0-10v drivers and a full ETC control system allow the house staff to adapt the lighting to various performances. There are different presets for house entry, intermission, post-show, and cleaning.
The dimming curves were fine-tuned to emulate incandescent behavior, preserving the warmth and romantic quality audiences expect. This was not just a matter of programming but a technical challenge requiring precise driver selection and circuit layout.
Egress Lighting
The project faced additional complexities due to stringent building department requirements for egress lighting. Because of the age of the theater, there were stairs with non-conforming riser heights and tread widths which required distinct lighting differentiation.
To comply, the team implemented dual-color lighting—blue and amber—to visually distinguish non-compliant steps, although audience members
FIXTURE SCHEDULE HIGHLIGHTS
Chandelier
Sconces & Pendants
Downlights
aren't explicitly informed of the color coding. One minimum footcandle was required for all compliant stair conditions and two minimum at non-compliant locations.
The Broader Impact
This lighting transformation at the Palace Theater is not just about one venue; it's a bellwether for how historic theaters can evolve. By embracing modern tools while respecting original design intent, the Palace sets a new standard. It honors the past while illuminating the future–literally. And, in honor of this achievement, the Palace Theater’s lighting design was honored with a 2025 NLB Tesla Award of Excellence.
Reopened in May 2024 with a dazzling concert residency, the Palace Theater is once again a jewel of Broadway. The lighting doesn’t just support the performance—it is part of the performance, illuminating both history and possibility. ■
Custom by Lite Makers, using Xicato LED modules and Visual Lighting Technology linear striplights, with faux alabaster diffusers
Custom, matching chandelier aesthetic, with Xicato LED modules
Edison Price Lighting, evenly space around chandelier and under balconies
Cove Lighting Visual Lighting Technologies linear LED, integrated in ceiling perimeters
Step Lights
Custom blue and amber LEDs, ADA-compliant and low-glare; Cole Lighting provided the wall-mounted steplights, and Forum Lighting provided the blue and amber stair-nosing steplights
Controls ETC Paradigm system with eldoLED drivers for smooth dimming
Decorative alabaster bowl fixtures located under the mezzanine are an updated version of the original lighting scheme. Photo credit: Fisher Marantz Stone
OUTDOOR ILLUMINATION
Refined
Timeless Design Impeccable Quality
Arizona Biltmore
Light for All: Honoring the 2025 Light Justice NOW Awards Winners
Sponsored
By
The 2025 Light Justice NOW (LJN) Awards celebrated lighting design as a force for equity, dignity, and community engagement. The awards honored projects that elevate marginalized voices, enhance public safety, and foster identity through light. From international dark sky towns to inner-city fences and
Urban Braids EXCELLENCE Award of
Chris Bocchiaro and Leni Schwendinger Light Projects (LSLP), in partnership with Flatbush Development Corporation
Photo Credit: Leni Schwendinger and Light Projects
Urban Braids reimagined Brooklyn’s Newkirk Plaza, blending braided rope lights with cultural symbolism rooted in AfroCaribbean hair styling. Over 30 local residents helped create more than 40-foot strands during braiding workshops, producing a glowing public artwork that celebrates community identity.
Judges described the project as “a standout that embodies Light Justice values—both visually and socially.” One noted its “admirable commitment to community involvement and regulatory agency interaction,” while another praised the blend of “clever design with community engagement principles.”
public parks, this year’s winners demonstrate how light can promote justice and human connection.
The awards, generously sponsored by QTL, will be presented at LightFair. The judging panel praised this year's submissions for their authenticity, cultural relevance, and community-centered approach.
Urban Braids installation including braided rope light along the fence and forming portals over Plaza Entrances.
Participants at the Braiding Workshop work together to form four-way plaits using multiple colors of rope-light.
EXCELLENCE Award of San Francisco 6th Street
Neha Sivaprasad- Sol Light Studio
Mark Bonsignore- Urban + Environmental Design.
Photo Credit: Neha Sivaprasad
This façade lighting project revitalized a forgotten corridor in San Francisco’s Tenderloin, honoring the area’s Filipino heritage with murals and artfully integrated light. Jessie Street alley, once dim and unsafe, now boasts warm, culturally sensitive lighting that draws residents and visitors alike.
“This project addresses every aspect of Light Justice principles in a way that gives lighting professionals courage to tackle this sort of work,” one judge noted. The before-and-after visuals “powerfully demonstrate how light can restore dignity and vitality.”
AFTER: Jessie St Alleyway. Facade lighting, cornice lighting
BEFORE: Jessie Street Alleyway
The Ark – Grandpa Stein Building
Aurora Lighting Design, an RBLD studio
Designers: Leslie North & Gloria Paz Arroyo
Chicago, IL
A renovation of The Ark’s 14,000-squarefoot facility brought warmth and dignity to this Jewish community center that provides food, medical, and mental health services. The design, based on the Jewish concept of hiddur mitzvah beautifying good deeds—used budgetconscious fixtures to foster calm, resilience, and inclusivity.
Judges noted the project’s emotional impact. “The subdued lighting scheme matches the core mission of the facility,” and “lighting was clearly used as a key design component to improve the visual experience and dignity for clientele in difficulty.”
Photo credit: Michael Cancelleri Jr.
A staggered pattern of standard-length linears energizes the community room.
“The Market” fully kosher food pantry allows clients the dignity of a traditional shopping experience. Lighting is bright and airy while highlighting goods.
The Possible Zone CITATION Award
Lam Partners – Maggie Golden, Dan Weissman. Glenn Heinmiller
Photo Credit: Chuck Choi
Boston’s youth entrepreneurship hub embraced a bold, colorful lighting concept that includes student-designed “Pangolin” pendants and luminous tube fixtures. The playful lighting strategy elevates learning environments while remaining budget-conscious.
“This story is about cool lighting serving a facility that fills a critical social need,” said one judge. “Good attention to daylight and visual quality,” another noted, highlighting its student-centric approach and scalable impact.
Luminous tubes create a continuous language throughout the project, surface mounted in this corridor. Tapelight affixed to the underside of the stair accentuates the bright blue form creating a fun and budget friendly stair design.
Classrooms contain multiple layers of light for visual comfort, including the luminous tubes, linear wallwashers, industrial decorative pendants and downlighting in adjacent conference rooms.
St. Patrick’s Church Dark Sky Project CITATION Award
Photo Credit: Georgia MacMillan and Michael McLaughlin
A rural community in Ireland sought to reduce light pollution from a historic church. The result: a 40% reduction in town-wide glare, 1.8 tons of annual CO₂e savings, and a façade softly lit to preserve both heritage and the night sky. Residents participated in lighting tests and shield installations.
Judges praised the community involvement and restraint. “A thoughtful approach to reducing light pollution through careful design,” one wrote. “Nice project that fulfills the local desire for better lighting and dark-sky protection.”
Sparkling Indigo CITATION Award
Designers: Glenn Shrum, Laura Dillon, Sydney Schroeder
Photo Credit: Glenn Shrum
Blue Light Juntion, Baltimore
Using co-design workshops, artists transformed an arts district into a radiant neighborhood beacon. Inspired by the blue dye flowers of the on-site garden, the project featured custom LED signage in pinks, blues, and ambers, reflecting local mural culture.
“Part of a larger lighting-driven community enhancement project which residents have embraced and supported,” said one judge. Another added, “This is citizen and professional designers working side by side to benefit the community.”
Firm: Flux Studio Ltd with the Station North Community
In one of Earth’s clearest night skies, a Chilean nitrate mining town installed concealed darksky LED lighting on six historical landmarks. The design celebrates heritage while protecting the environment and enhancing tourism.
“A well-designed scheme that enhances public features and encourages local pride in a place that’s far off the beaten path,” noted a judge. The project also realized 40% light pollution reduction and meaningful cultural storytelling through minimalism.
Front of the Theatre
Front of the church
MERIT Award of
San Francisco Tenderloin Fence
Neha Sivaprasad- Sol Light Studio
Mark Bonsignore- Urban + Environmental Design.
Photo Credit: Neha Sivaprasad
A deteriorating chain-link fence outside the Phoenix Hotel was replaced with an illuminated Corten steel screen, complete with narrowbeam grazing lights and accent floods. The transformation dramatically improved the safety and aesthetics of a previously dangerous corner.
“A spot-on submission that demonstrates the principles of Light & Justice,” one judge commented.
“The artistic fence and reassuring lighting have anecdotally reduced objectionable activity,” added another.
Each of these projects demonstrates how lighting can be more than decorative—it can foster safety, uplift culture, and reflect community pride.
The 2025 Light Justice NOW Award winners show that when designers engage authentically with their communities, lighting becomes a tool for transformation.
AFTER: The lighting creates an illuminated vertical backdrop to the side walk while also lighting it.
BEFORE: View of entire street corner with the chain link fence and overgrown vegetation.
Ziehler Playground – Philadelphia REBUILD Program
The renovation of this 7.1-acre park included high-quality, energyefficient lighting that brought safety and nighttime usability to a longoverlooked neighborhood asset. LED strips, dimmable pendants, and warm tones deliver “champagne lighting on a beer budget.”
“This initiative exemplifies Light Justice principles, resulting in real benefits for a community specifically asking for better lighting,” stated one judge.
Photo Credit Robin Miller and Greg Benson Photography
Pedestrian scale walkway lighting to create a “park-like” atmosphere. Fixtures are on throughout the night, on motion sensors, dimmed to 50% until someone enters then light level rises to 85%. Exterior exit door lights are shielded, wall mounted, “sconces” used instead of typical wall-packs.
After: Recreation staff utilize the lighting fixtures in their holiday decorations.
Top 10 MUST SEE Products of LightFair
New architectural lighting products available for specification
The TULIP luminaire series offers three style variants—Coastal, Industrial, and Natural— to match diverse lifestyles. Its ergonomic design ensures easy adjustment and rotation, with three efficient optical options for style and functionality.
ETC’s compact Paradigm Architectural Control Processor (P-ACP-D) offers 2,048 control channels, 128 stations, and wired ethernet connectivity at a lower cost. It retains features like presets, scheduling, and secure access.
Deltavation’s Delta Series Lamp features a cradle-to-cradle design for sustainability, real-time data capture for energy optimization, and the world’s first grounded lamp holder for enhanced safety. It’s retrofit-friendly, compliant with ANSI/IEC standards, and supports smart connectivity.
mwConnect’s mwLink is a cloud dashboard for managing indoor and outdoor lighting in one platform. It provides real-time data on energy use, occupancy, faults, and maintenance across networks like TruBlu, Casambi, and DALI D4i. With an open API, role-based access, and customizable reports, it offers flexible, centralized control.
The LUCY monopoint packs up to 1,200 lumens into a sleek, compact form with tool-free CCT changes, beam options, and precise aiming. Its near-invisible mount and wet-location rating make it ideal for galleries, retail, and hospitality settings.
The Performance Class OPTI-SELECT Area Light offers 3 CCTs, 3 lumen outputs and 3 light distributions in the same product. With an integrated 7-pin NEMA receptacle and field installable screwin sensors, this flexible product is ideal for parking lots, walkways and general outdoor area lighting.
American Lighting’s Rhyme Series features compact, color-selectable downlights in four styles, offering up to 1,520 lumens, 90+ CRI, and beam angles from 24° – 60°. IC-rated and wet-location listed, they’re easy to install and built to last with a 50,000-hour lifespan.
Keystone’s Back-Lit Emergency Panels feature a test switch, LED indicator, and autoBC, automatically activating the battery backup upon installation. Available in two sizes with Power and Color Select for easy setup.
The FHCS-UNV3-20P-40C is an emergency LED driver for cold environments, offering 20W power at -200C or 8W at -400C. It includes a dip switch for power adjustment and a bi-color test switch for wet locations. Ideal for cold-weather wallpacks, area lights, floodlights, canopies, and vapor-tight fixtures.
The LX Pro by Bruck Lighting offers up to 3,500 lumens with various LED options (standard, warm dim, tunable white, RGBW) and beam angles (10° – 50°). It supports Casambi, DMX, ELV, and 0-10V dimming with versatile mounting options.
SUNDAY, MAY 4
9:00 AM - 4:00 PM ROOM S233
AGi32 Debut: Learning Via Application
Maureen Castillo, Principal, Senior Lighting Designer at Next Step Lighting, LLC
Donna Gafford, Founder at Defining Brilliance Consulting
9:00 AM - 4:00 PM ROOM S223
Modern Photometric & Daylighting Software Training
Kyle Condon, Lighting Software Developer at LightStanza
Daniel Glaser, Owner/Founder at LightStanza
Abby Gorman, Director of Business Operations at LightStanza
9:00 AM - 4:00 PM ROOM S227-S228
Writing Sequences of Operation and Control Intent Narratives for Lighting Control Systems
• Lyn Gomes, MEP Coordinator at DPR Construction
MONDAY, MAY 5
9:00 AM - 12:00 PM ROOM S223
A Deep Dive into Light Source Color Science
• Tony Esposito, PhD, Lighting Researcher and Educator at Lighting Research Solutions
9:00 AM - 12:00 PM ROOM S227-S228
Lights, LLLC, Action: Your Hands-On Guide to Smart Lighting Controls
Bruce Hemmelman, Sr. Energy Specialist at Evergreen Energy Partners
• John Wilson, Founding Director at Fernhill Shopworks
9:00 AM - 12:00 PM ROOM S233
Photometry in Action
• Craig Bernecker, PhD, Professor of Lighting, Design/ Director, Graduate Lighting Program at Parsons School of Design, The New School/The Lighting Education Institute
1:00 PM - 4:00 PM ROOM S223
"What did you say?": Exploring the Challenges of Communicating Color Science with Others (...but especially with Building Sciences Professionals)
Kimberly Mercier, Principal at Lighting Design Innovations
LightFair 2025 Sessions
1:00 PM - 4:00 PM ROOM S227-S228
Advanced Lighting Construction Specification Writing
Julia Allen, Lighting Designer at NAC Architecture
Jack Schneider, Managing Principal at NAC Architecture
1:00 PM - 4:00 PM ROOM S233
Improving the Rendered Environment in AGi32
• Maureen Castillo, Principal, Senior Lighting Designer at Next Step Lighting, LLC
Donna Gafford, Founder at Defining Brilliance Consulting
TUESDAY, MAY 6
8:30 AM - 9:30 AM ROOM S223
A Proposed Two-Parameter Approach to Recommended Lighting Levels
Craig Bernecker, PhD, Professor of Lighting, Design/ Director, Graduate Lighting Program at Parsons School of Design, The New School/The Lighting Education Institute
8:30 AM - 9:30 AM ROOM S227-S228
Design to Programming: Key Insights and Lessons Learned in Wireless Lighting Control System Implementation
• Brennan Schumacher, Principal, Lighting Design Practice Lead at Mazzetti
• Lauren Schwade, Associate Principal, Healthcare Lighting Lead at Mazzetti
8:30 AM - 10:00 AM ROOM S231
Lightfair Innovation Awards
Mark Roush, FIES, Education & Marketing Consultant in Lighting at Experience Light
9:45 AM - 10:45 AM ROOM S223
Meters, Measurements, and the Lighting Designer: Demystifying the Magic that Happens in the Black Box in Your Hand
Michael Grather, President & Chief Technical Officer at LightLab International Allentown, LLC
Kimberly Mercier, Principal at Lighting Design Innovations
9:45 AM - 10:45 AM ROOM S227-S228
Practical and Profitable Daylight Strategies for Lighting Designers Without Being A Programming Expert
• Daniel Glaser, Owner/Founder at LightStanza
• Colleen Peach, AIA, LC, LEED-AP, MIES, Senior Associate at LUMA
11:00 AM - 12:00 PM ROOM S227-S228
Boost Energy Savings: A Fresh Take on Daylight Zones
Shengliang Rong, MSc, M.Arch, WELL AP, Vice President at Delos Labs
Jianchuan Tan, PhD, System Engineer at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory
11:00 AM - 12:00 PM
LIGHTFAIR THEATRE
Flicker - Potentially Unhealthy for Some, but Now There are Specification Guidelines
• Naomi Miller, Senior Scientist at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory
• Michael Royer, Human Factors Scientist at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory
11:00 AM - 12:00 PM ROOM S223
Harnessing the Power of Digital Tools for Lighting Design Innovation
• Carlton Chew, Associate, Senior Lighting Designer at Stantec
Alison Fiedler, Senior Lighting Designer at Stantec
• Anna Zuercher, Lighting Designer at Stantec
11:00 AM - 12:00 PM THE DESIGNERY
Lighting Perspectives: Insights from Every Career Stage
• IALD Education Trust
12:00 PM - 1:00 PM THE DESIGNERY
How to Design a Lighting Control System
C. Webster Marsh, Principal at Penumbra Controls
• Gary Meshberg, Market Development Specialist, Building Control Systems at Legrand North America
12:00 PM - 1:00 PM
LIGHTFAIR THEATRE
Maintaining Lighting Designs Beyond the Punch List
Carla Bukalski MBA, PE, LC, LEED AP, Principal, Strategy & Operations at Aurora Lighting Design, an RBLD Studio
Rachel Fitzgerald, Principal, Discipline Lead, Lighting at Stantec
Anne Kustner Haser, President at AKLD Lighting Design
Andrea Wilkerson, Lighting Research Engineer at PNNL
1:00 PM - 2:00 PM THE DESIGNERY
AI in Action: Successful Applications in Architectural Lighting
• Shaun Fillion, Director, Lighting Design at RAB Lighting, New York School of Interior Design
LightFair 2025 Sessions
1:00 PM - 2:00 PM LIGHTFAIR THEATRE
Shaping a Better Nighttime Through Responsible Design
• Rick Utting, Sr. Outdoor Lighting Advisor at Clanton and Associates
2:00 PM - 3:00 PM ROOM S223
Light and Human Health: Recommendations for Humans
Kimberly Mercier, Principal at Lighting Design Innovations
John Montaño, Principal, Electrical Engineer at Bridgers & Paxton
3:15 PM - 4:15 PM ROOM S227-S228
Illuminating Public Spaces in a Way That Attracts Residents and Respects the Fauna and Flora
• Susanna Antico, Parnter at Loomit srls
3:15 PM - 4:15 PM LIGHTFAIR THEATRE
Keeping Up With Change
• Mark Lien, LC, HBDP, CLMC, CLEP, LEED AP, Illuminating Engineering Society (IES) Consultant | PresidentAugmented Illumination LLC
Paula Ziegenbein, Principal at Hartranft Lighting Studios
To view details of these sessions, click here
4:30 PM - 5:30 PM ROOM S223
Demonstrating Interoperability and HVAC Integration: Exploring Open Standards in Action with Wireless LLLC
• Rita Renner, Director of Marketing at mwConnect Chris Wolgamott, Sr. Product Manager, Technology & Product Management at Northwest Energy Efficiency Alliance (NEEA)
4:30 PM - 5:30 PM ROOM S227-S228
Designing for "The Edge" - Urban with Rural, Human with Animal Linus Lopez, Partner at Lirio Lopez Lighting Design Consultants
4:30 PM - 5:30 PM THE DESIGNERY
Unifying Light: Industry Perspectives on Progress
• IALD Education Trust
WEDNESDAY, MAY 7
8:30 AM - 9:30 AM ROOM S227-S228
Illuminating Evidence-Based Lighting Design for Healthcare
Tommy Nichols, Business Development Director for Healthcare at Acuity Brands
8:30 AM - 9:30 AM ROOM S223
Two Curveballs for Lighting & Energy: AI & Mercury Lamp Bans
• Peter Brown, Consultant-Disruptive Technology at Lighting Transitions
• David Shiller, Editor at LightNOW
9:00 AM - 10:00 AM ROOM S233
Foundation Concepts in 3D Printing
• Nadarajah Narendran, PhD, Professor, Director of Research at the Lighting Research Center at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
Jesse Roitenberg, Director of Education at Stratasys
9:45 AM - 10:45 AM ROOM S223
Confessions of a Lighting Retrofit Proposal Developer
Frank Agraz Jr., Director of Engineering at Facility Solutions Group
LightFair 2025 Sessions
9:45 AM - 10:45 AM ROOM S227-S228
Light + Materials: A Discussion on How Light Interacts with Architectural Finishes and How Other Interesting Materials Not Typically Used for Permanent Installation Might be Considered Robert White, Principal at Illuminart
10:15 AM - 11:15 AM ROOM S233
Designing for 3D Printing
• Indika Perera, PhD, Lecturer & Research Scientist at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
11:00 AM - 12:00 PM THE DESIGNERY
Fueling Lighting Education
Daniel Blitzer, Principal at The Practical Lighting Workshop
11:00 AM - 12:00 PM ROOM S227-S228
Illuminating Performance: The Role of Wearable Lighting for Stage and Spectacle
• Janet Hansen, Founder/CEO at Enlighted Designs, Inc.
11:00 AM - 12:00 PM LIGHTFAIR THEATRE
Lighting the Way: Designing Dynamic Learning Environments
• Julie Allen, Lighting Designer at NAC Architecture
• Alana Pulay, Assistant Professor of Interior Design at Washington State University
11:30 AM - 12:00 PM OUTDOOR EXCHANGE THEATRE
Antidote for Planned Obsolescence
• David Thurow, KNX
• Jose Morcillo, KNX Tutor and Founder of Domonetio, WOLF, Synex Academy, and KNXSupply.com
11:30 AM - 12:30 PM ROOM S233
Lighting Design & 3D Printing
• Jean Paul Freyssinier, Senior Research Scientist at Lighting Research Center at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
• Chris Sorensen, Senior Director of Engineering at Acuity Brands
12:00 PM - 1:00 PM LIGHTFAIR THEATRE
Light Me the Way Home: Residential Lighting Design
• Deborah Gottesman, Principal at Gottesman Associates
12:00 PM - 1:00 PM THE DESIGNERY
Tough as a Battleship - 21st Century Lighting for a WWII Museum
• Javid Butler, Consultant at Goddard Design LLC
• AJ Hetzke IES, CLEP, Founder/General Manager at IlluminFx Lighting Systems
1:00 PM - 2:00 PM LIGHTFAIR THEATRE
Selling Light as a Service
• Justin Castellano, Director of Customer Research at Just In Time (JiT)
2:00 PM - 3:00 PM LIGHTFAIR THEATRE
Energy Code Season of Change, Are You Ready?
Lee Brandt, Principal at HLB Lighting
• Harold Jepsen, VP Standards & Industry Affairs at Legrand
Charles Knuffke, Systems VP & Evangelist at Wattstopper/Legrand
2:00 PM - 3:00 PM ROOM S223
Light and Brain Responses - From Neuroscience to Neurolighting, How to Control our Brain Responses with the Appropriate Use of Light
Nubi Leon Martinez, Architect & Lighting Designer at Arquifabrica
2:00 PM - 3:00 PM ROOM S227-S228
Optimizing Bluetooth Mesh Lighting Implementations: A Comprehensive Design Approach
David Weigand, Director of Product Development at LiteTrace Inc.
3:15 PM - 4:15 PM ROOM S227-S228
3 Smithsonian Exhibits
Scott Rosenfeld, Lighting Designer at Smithsonian Institution
3:15 PM - 4:15 PM ROOM S223
Integration of Virtual Reality, Eye-Tracking, and Light for Relaxation and Postural Improvement
Dr. Francisca Rodriguez, Lecturer at Queensland University of Technology
3:15 PM - 4:15 PM LIGHTFAIR THEATRE
Raising the Curtain on Light Pollution
• Brian Liebel, Chief Programs Officer at DarkSky International
4:30 PM - 5:30 PM ROOM S223
Color Pop & Melanopsin: The Spatial Brightness in Architectural Lighting
• Alp Durmus, PhD, Assistant Professor at Penn State University
LightFair 2025 Sessions
4:30 PM - 5:30 PM ROOM S227-S228
Digital Processes for Lighting Design in the BIM World
• Friedrich Bremecker, President at DIAL America Inc.
THURSDAY, MAY 8
8:30 AM - 9:30 AM ROOM S227-S228
Designing Light for Video Conference
• Richard Falconer, Senior Lighting Designer at NV5 Stephanie Vera, NV5
8:30 AM - 9:30 AM ROOM S223
Update: LED Lamps and Luminaires at End-of-Life
• Jeffrey Schwartz, Owner at JDS1 Consulting
David Shiller, Editor at LightNOW
9:45 AM - 10:45 AM ROOM S223
Building a Sustainability Strategy
Seani Anderson, Project Designer at AE Design, Inc.
• Brian Johnson, Project Manager at AE Design, Inc.
9:45 AM - 10:45 AM ROOM S227-S228
The Beauty of DALI Part-341 and Why It Matters Szymon Slupik, CTO at Silvair
11:00 AM - 12:00 PM LIGHTFAIR THEATRE
Getting to the Endzone: What Can the AEC Industry Learn from Football?
• Rebecca Mintz, Masters Candidate at George Mason University
11:00 AM - 12:00 PM ROOM S223
The Pathway to Lighting Product TransparencyPanel Discussion
Chris Fournier, Technical Policy Manager at Signify
• Harold Jepsen, VP Standards & Industry Affairs at Legrand
• Debbie Melton, Lighting Designer at Clanton & Associates
• Scott Roos, VP Business Optimization & Sustainability, Specialty Lighting Group at Acuity Brands
11:00 AM - 12:00 PM THE DESIGNERY
The Power of Lighting in the Collective Memory of a City. Historical Narrative of a City, Through Lighting, from the Antique Classic Sources to the Newest LEDs
• Nubi Leon Martinez, Architect & Lighting Designer at Arquifabrica
451 Euchips 1809 Evoralight 1738 Fanlight/NaturaLED 851 Firstech Lighting Corporation 1246 FOCUS Industries, Inc. 1836 Frater Lighting
136 FSC Lighting 636 Fulham
1546 GECEM AYDINLATMA SAN TIC AS
Dongguan ICT Technology Co., Ltd
Doraluce Lighting 1611 DSM&T Co., Inc.
E-LITE Semiconductor Inc
Edison Opto Corporation
Edison Price Lighting
EdisonReport/designing lighting (dl)
EELP, Inc.
ELCO Lighting
Elite Lighting
Emergensee Lighting 1540 EmersonGrow Technology Inc. 858 Energio Systems (a Global Lighting & Controls Comp) 741 Energy Light 761 ENERGYLINE 1762 EnOcean 1502 ENTTEC 1553 Envoy Lighting 1201 ESPEN Technology 1353 ETC 1721 ETHERIUM Lighting LLC
1237 Get A Grip on Lighting Podcast 1243 Gielight Co. Ltd 759 Gigahertz-Optik Inc. 1511 GKOLED
129 Globe Metal Solutions 936 GM Lighting 1427 Goodlite
LIGHTING THE OF NOTRE DAME Soul A Masterclass in Modern Lighting Control PART III
This article marks the final installment in our three-part series, Lighting the Soul of Notre Dame
The first piece, published in designing lighting global (dlg), explored the historic lighting design by Patrick Rimoux In the second article, featured in the previous issue of designing lighting (dl), we focused on the restoration of the cathedral’s iconic chandeliers. This final chapter turns the spotlight on the sophisticated control systems that bring the entire lighting vision to life.
The lighting system at Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris has undergone a transformation that’s as technical as it is artistic, blending reverence for the site’s extensive heritage with world-class lighting control and precision. Following the devastating 2019 fire, lighting designer Patrick Rimoux and a multidisciplinary team seized the rare opportunity
to reimagine the cathedral’s lighting from the ground up.
At the heart of the new system are approximately 2,000 individually addressable light points—all powered by 650 eldoLED drivers and controlled via DMX through a Pharos control system. The DMX signal is distributed over ethernet through a network of Pathway Connectivity (an Acuity-owned company) devices.
“The challenge was to be as discreet as possible,” explained Elie Bouskela, system integrator and Director of Soliled. “Nobody wants to see the fixtures or the wiring, especially in a historic monument like this.” To preserve the architecture, drivers were remotely located in technical rooms on the first floor, with over 25 miles of cable discreetly routed through the cathedral’s structure.
The fixtures themselves—mainly supplied by Zumtobel, SILL and Derksen—feature eldoLED drivers for their precise dimming capabilities. “We needed dimming that was incredibly smooth,” said Elie. “Patrick Rimoux knew exactly what he wanted and insisted on eldoLED because of previous successful collaborations.” This meant even convincing manufacturers to deviate from their standard drivers. “Some manufacturers were initially hesitant, but we made it clear: no substitutions,” Elie added.
Color temperature played a central role in the design. Each light point is tunable white, ranging
from 2200K to 5000K. “There’s no RGB here,” Rimoux stated. “We’re purists. We wanted to create dynamics using white light alone.”
During standard operation, the lighting transitions every seven minutes through a subtle cycle between warmer and cooler tones—typically ranging from around 2500K to 3000K. “The idea was to ensure that each visitor, spending about 30 minutes in the space, experiences multiple lighting atmospheres,” said Patrick van der Meulen, Director of Business Development for eldoLED.
The cathedral operates under a complex schedule of religious services and tourist visits, and the lighting is tailored to support both. “We’ve programmed more than 60 scenes,” Elie noted. “During services, the light warms to create a sacred ambiance. Before a service begins, lighting dims to alert visitors, then rises again as the ceremony starts.” For events like Easter or funerals, lighting can shift dramatically—utilizing color temperatures that aren’t used in the cathedral’s typical scenes.
Commissioning the system was a mammoth effort. Elie has been involved for over three years, from early integration design through on-site commissioning. To protect the monument, all drivers were preinstalled on 60 fireproof plates—each pre-wired and tested before being mounted in designated control rooms. “Every installation hole had to be justified and approved,” Elie explained. “It was like a giant puzzle with historic constraints.”
Integrator Elie Bouskela from Soliled tunes the lights during commissioning. Photo Credit: Soliled
Chandeliers tuned to full light level. Photo Credit: eldoLED
The lighting infrastructure relies heavily on Pathway Connectivity hardware, which translates DMX data over a robust network using fiber optic and copper lines. These nodes (or gateways) and switches provide redundancy and real-time diagnostics. “If a cable is cut, the system reroutes the signal. The software can instantly identify the problem’s location,” said van der Meulen. Cybersecurity was also a priority. “This is the same tech used in large broadcast productions in the U.S. It’s safe, stable, and trusted.”
This level of integration also proved invaluable during televised events. “We gave full access to the TV crews during the opening event,” said Elie. “They could control all 2,000 light points in sync with their show lighting.” Thanks to Pathway’s Pathscape software, the transition between architectural and show control was seamless. During the setup of the complete system the software also proved to be extremely helpful by indicating installation failures so they could be fixed in time.
A unique feature of Rimoux’s design is the extensive use of gobos—custom metal cutouts placed in front of light sources to shape beams. Hundreds of gobos were created based on actual sculptures and
eldoLED drivers are remote mounted for ease of maintenance.
Photo Credit: Soliled
Patrick Rimoux and his team provide a live demonstration of the interior lighting to journalists. Rimoux is furthest to the right. Photo Credit: eldoLED
CONNECT, INNOVATE & ILLUMINATE: Canada's Premier Expo on Lighting Solutions
12 - 13
NOVEMBER, 2025
International Centre Toronto, Canada
surrounding area. The effect is magical.”
In one instance, Rimoux even used a gobo to add a flute player to a 15th-century painting—a subtle, playful nod that surprised those familiar with the artwork. It’s a shadow, not a permanent change –just something for visitors to discover.
The result is a system that’s not only elegant and reverent but also immersive and dynamic. As Elie described, “The lighting becomes part of the visitor experience. It’s no longer just illumination—it’s storytelling through light.”
From ultra-smooth dimming and tunable white color temperatures to sophisticated DMX control and networked diagnostics, the Notre-Dame lighting system stands as a benchmark for integrating technology into sacred and historical spaces. “We’re proud of what we’ve achieved,” said Elie. “It’s not just about light. It’s about honoring the past while embracing the future.”
As Notre-Dame reopened its doors to the world, the lighting system stands as a symbol of resilience, innovation, and respect for heritage. It bridges centuries of sacred tradition with cutting-edge
FIXTURE COMPANIES
The collaboration between lighting designers, system integrators, and manufacturers has not only restored light to the cathedral—it has elevated it to an art form. In lighting the soul of Notre-Dame, this team has illuminated more than architecture; they’ve rekindled hope, reverence, and wonder for generations to come. ■ • eldoLED (Acuity-owned)
CONTROL & DRIVER COMPANIES
Pathway Connectivity (Acuity-owned)
Pharos
MIND the SCOPE GAP
By
JP BEDELL, SDA Lighting & Controls
Images courtesy of the author
Over the last five years, we've seen a proliferation of ceiling systems and new ceiling materials emerging on the market. While acoustical tile systems have been around for decades, we're seeing a much wider variety of materials and finishes on the market.
I’m willing to bet anyone reading this article has already designed projects with wood slat, metal panel and acoustically dense materials. These more advanced systems are finally starting to attract not only interest but specification by architects and interior designers. Architects are choosing these systems for many reasons, including approved acoustics (necessary for WELL building certification), more aesthetically pleasing materials and finishes, and more interesting architectural shapes.
These designer systems, from manufacturers like Armstrong, Rulan, USG, CertainTEED, Rockfon,
Thicker + Softer Materials (High NRC)
FIBERGLASS PANELS
• Thicker: Typically 1" to 2" thick
• Softer: Very soft and lightweight core
• Noise Reduction Coefficient (NRC): 0.90 – 1.00+
• Uses: Smooth tiles, clouds, and baffles
Example:
• USG Halcyon ClimaPlus (1" thick, very soft feel)
• CertainTeed Symphony® f
Hunter Douglas, Arktura, and many more, promise easy-on-the-contractor installation with beautiful results. Of the major ceiling system vendors, only Armstrong has launched partnership programs with lighting manufacturers. More on that later.
All of this has led to a problem for lighting specifiers – properly integrating lighting into this plethora of ceiling materials. If an advanced ceiling system has been specified, odds are the design team is looking for a seamless integration of lighting into the system. There are many types of lighting you can integrate into advanced ceilings, but for the purposes of this piece, I want to stick to two broad types – recessed downlighting and recessed linear lighting.
Before we get into systemic integration of lighting, we should talk a little bit about the variety of materials.
STONE WOOL / ROCK WOOL PET FELT SYSTEMS
• Thicker: Often 1" or more
• Soft but denser than fiberglass
• Noise Reduction Coefficient (NRC): 0.85 – 1.05
• Uses: Drop-in tiles, baffles, and wall panels
Example:
• Rockfon Sonar or Rockfon Koral
• Good fire resistance and moisture stability
Thinner + Harder Materials (Lower NRC)
MINERAL FIBER (STANDARD)
• Thinner: 5/8" to 3/4" typical
• Harder surface
• NRC: 0.55 – 0.70 unless treated
Example:
• Armstrong Fine Fissured, USG Radar
• Often the default in offices and schools
METAL PANELS
• Thicker: Around 9--18 mm standard, but some go thicker
• Soft to touch – like compressed fabric
• NRC: Varies – often 0.75 – 0.95 with air gap or backing
• Uses: Clouds, baffles, decorative panels
Example:
• Turf Design baffles
• FilzFelt wall and ceiling systems
• Thin, but can be backed with acoustic fleece or fiberglass
• Hard, but perforation + backing = decent NRC (~0.70)
Example:
• Hunter Douglas Techstyle
• Armstrong MetalWorks
CEILING THICKNESS CHART
Ceiling thickness is the first thing lighting designers will notice, because recessed downlights/adjustables will have limitations on how thick a ceiling the light can mount into without compromising the ability to service the fixture or aim it properly.
But, I would encourage you to look at the softness of the material as well. The chart above is obviously an over-simplification, but I recently had a project encounter issues not because the material was too thick, but because it was too spongy, and the insertion of the fixture trim caused the ceiling tiles to pucker. Beyond issues of rigidity, there’s suspension itself. It’s important to understand how your fixture is supported and where the conflicts are for the ceiling system.
These sound like basic specification questions. But in an environment where all design teams are forced to work too quickly and most collaboration happens behind screens, instead of in person with material samples in hand, it’s no wonder these kinds of coordination details get missed.
SPECIFICATION COLLABORATION
To get a better idea of the challenges working with new and different ceiling materials and systems, I spoke to designers.
"We never see the ceiling submission," said Bill Kuchler, lighting designer with Syska Hennessy in New York.
This speaks to the larger issue of how designs come together today. More and more coordination is happening in video calls. Less and less takes place in person.
Clients rarely want to pay for architects and consultants to come together in one place, material samples in hand, so they can discuss how the job will be built. But a big, expensive, inefficient meeting like that might illuminate how lighting fixtures should install into different materials. It’s a classic case of measure twice, cut once.
In today's extremely budget- and litigation-cautious design and construction environment, designers and consultants are very careful about taking full
responsibility over approvals. The lighting consultant can fairly say they don’t specify the ceiling, and the architect can say they don’t specify the lighting. This leaves coordination to the contractor, who often doesn’t have the time or inclination to review every piece of material on the project.
HOW LIGHTING MANUFACTURERS CAN HELP
More and better supplemental documentation. "Manufacturers' installation instructions are heavily biased toward electrical installation," Bill explained. When it comes to physical installation and mechanical connections, manufacturers err on the side of basic documentation. To a degree, this makes sense. How many different ceilings can you put on one set of installation instructions?
But as ceiling types proliferate, manufacturers could help themselves by creating supplemental documentation as new installation scenarios arise. This is extra work, of course, but it's also what can separate a spec-grade manufacturer from a commodity manufacturer.
Millwork+. Often manufacturers have the option for a millwork collar installation. I would encourage them to think about what I am calling millwork+ (feel free to steal): essentially a collar and trim that expects a tight hole cut in the ceiling material, but allows for a micro flange to cover imperfections.
Collaborate and Communicate. Connect with ceiling manufacturers and offer partnerships and collaborations for cleaner and simpler installations. Imagine systems that could integrate power drops and locations for remote drivers?
On a more mundane level, help the design process by asking about ceiling types at the time of orders.
Demand Slow Communication. Beyond the ceiling coordination issue, as building systems become more complicated and integrated, it’s incumbent on design teams to demand the time and space necessary to test and mockup unique installation scenarios. Better to have the in-person meeting, have your rep get the samples out, and discover problems over a conference table than get the notice that 200 downlights weren’t installed properly.
SOLID LIGHT Made
CHARLES JARBOE By
A Journey Through Glass
Figure 1: “Red Pyramid”; non-leaded glass; 33” x 47” x 11”; 1993; by Stanislav Libenský and Jaroslava Brychtová. Image courtesy of the Corning Museum of Glass contemporary glass collection.
In early March 2025, a group of researchers published a paper in the journal Nature describing how they converted light into a quantum supersolid, something never before achieved.1 By shooting laser light at a piece of gallium arsenide, the researchers demonstrated that, under the right conditions, photons could be transformed into a new, exotic state of matter, simultaneously solid and liquid with zero viscosity.
This remarkable breakthrough stands to help us better understand the nature of supersolids and other quantum states of matter and pave the way for further research in the field.
The matter we experience in everyday life typically exists in one of three distinct phases: solid, liquid, or gas. Quantum states of matter, including supersolids, exist outside the boundaries of this system of definitions. For supersolids to be created, near-absolute-zero temperatures are required. However, there is a material that we interact with daily that also fails to neatly conform to the rigid binary classification of solid versus liquid. That material is glass.
Glass is an amorphous (non-crystalline) solid that, as a function of temperature, undergoes a gradual transition from solid to liquid without ever fully inhabiting one state or the other. When cooled to room temperature and at typical observation timescales, glass certainly seems to be a solid. It has
mechanical rigidity and elasticity and is scratchable and breakable.
But, when observed at much longer timescales, even at room temperature, glass continues to exhibit viscous flow similar to a liquid.2 And if you’ve ever watched Blown Away on Netflix, or had the pleasure of taking a glassblowing class, you’ve observed a material constantly changing state, shape, temperature, and viscosity, much to the advantage of skilled makers who manage to harness the fascinating physical properties of glass.
Besides being thermodynamically unstable and constantly slipping from one state to another, glass also possesses unique optical properties. Its transparency, high index of refraction, and ability to be cut, ground, and polished into optical devices has made glass indispensable for scientists, engineers, artists, and just about anyone interested in reconfiguring light.
In the book Stuff Matters, Mark Miodownik aptly describes glass as the “laboratory accomplice in unraveling the mysteries of the world.”3 Beyond enabling us to make microscopes and telescopes, glass has also served as a tool for exploring the nature of light itself. No other material harbors, reconfigures, and reconstitutes light in such a way as glass. And so, in a sense, nature has been making light into a solid since well before humans existed through geologic processes (obsidian), as well as
Figure 2: “Black Mirror No. 3”; black glass, silver nitrate, lacquer; 7.5” diameter x 2”; 2024.
lightning and meteorite strikes (fulgurites and Libyan Desert Glass, respectively).
The first man-made glass objects date to at least 2500 BC in Mesopotamia.4 In my case, the discovery of glass happened much more recently. It was during a visit to the Corning Museum of Glass in January of 2022 that my “Aha!” moment occurred. My wife and I were strolling through the contemporary art wing of the museum when we came upon a pair of large, kiln-cast works by the famous Czech husband-andwife duo Stanislav Libenský and Jaroslava Brychtová.
One in particular, Red Pyramid (Figure 1), had me truly awestruck. The ways in which it glowed, and the color of the glass transitioning from blood-red at the thickest point to sizzling yellow at the thinnest point, gave the sculpture an energetic presence unlike any art object I had previously experienced. I simultaneously felt a mix of conflicting emotions: wonder and joy from experiencing something so extraordinary, combined with despair and regret from realizing that I was only then becoming aware of the magic of light and glass.
I felt that I had just found the material singularly capable of encapsulating my fascination with the phenomenal qualities of light, color, form, and texture. Where had glass been all my life?
To make up for lost time, I enrolled in the Master of Fine Art program in Glass at the Tyler School of Art and Architecture at Temple University. It felt like the only way to immerse myself in working with glass in an environment in which I could leverage my previous experience with light and develop my research and practice as an artist.
To date, I had spent about ten years working with light in various contexts, from theatrical lighting design in New York City to architectural design and laboratory experimentation at the Lighting Research Center at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute where I completed my Master of Science in 2015. I knew that working with glass would challenge me to work with light in entirely new and exciting ways.
And so it has. These past two years at Tyler have launched my investigations into how glass reveals the ephemeral characteristics of light, unlocking
Figure 3: “Delivered Presence”; glass thread, void, LED light, acrylic paint, wood; approximately 7’ x 5’ x 10’; 2024. Still frame image of an installation in an out-of-use mailroom in the Tyler School of Art lobby. The glass thread suspended in the light chamber appeared merely as a thin streak of light revealing the individual colors of light mixing together within the empty space.
a new horizon within which I can capture light’s essence. I developed a series of mirrored, black glass forms that layer reflection upon reflection (Figure 2). I suspended a thread of glass in a ganzfeld of slowly modulating light to facilitate chance encounters with uncertainty and fragility (Figure 3). And, for my thesis exhibition, I fabricated luminous discs coated in glass reflector beads to create an immersive, luminous environment inspired by the neurophysiology of vision, color perception, and the movement of celestial bodies (Figure 4).
This new work utilizes glass and light as a means of
Notes
situating viewers in a complex relationship between themselves, their perception, and the objects of their experience, unveiling the peculiarities of a material that touches so many aspects of our lives.
So, while converting light into a quantum supersolid in the laboratory is no doubt a stunning breakthrough, it bears remembering that we come into daily contact with an exotic material—glass— that not only makes light solid but also brings us into contact with the wonders of world when we look through it in the right way. ■
1 Trypogeorgos, D., Gianfrate, A., Landini, M. et al. Emerging supersolidity in photonic-crystal polariton condensates. Nature 639, 337–341 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-025-08616-9
2 Zanotto, Edgar D., Mauro, John C. The glassy state of matter: Its definition and ultimate fate, Journal of Non-Crystalline Solids 471, 490-495 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jnoncrysol.2017.05.019.
3 Miodownik, Mark. Stuff Matters: Exploring the Marvelous Materials That Shape Our Manmade World. Boston, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, (2014).
4 Henderson J. Early Glass in the Middle East and Europe: Innovation, Archaeology and the Contexts for Production and Use. In: Ancient Glass: An Interdisciplinary Exploration. Cambridge University Press, 127-157 (2013).
Figure 4: “In Totality”, retroreflective glass microspheres, acrylic paint, foam, steel, LED light, computer controller; each disc: 46” x 46” x 14”; 2025. Still image from my MFA thesis exhibition which included four discs, one centered on each wall, emitting light from behind and coated in glass reflector beads. The light from each disc would reflect in the surface of the others, and, as the light in the space slowly changed color, intensity, and distribution, the discs would constantly shift in appearance. The lights changed on a 30-minute cycle. Photo credit: Neighboring States
Leede Dining Art Before
Leede Dining Art After
FINISHING ARTof The
By GREGG MACKELL, CLD, IALD HLB Lighting Design
What is lighting design? Is there a certain model that leads to the best outcome, or does the world need different levels of lighting design? Not every homeowner can afford full design services, so there will always be room for different business models, but I would argue that firms with business models where projects are not just started, but finished, are the companies that deliver the best results.
Manufacturers and companies with low-cost lighting design models are jumping into the world of lighting design. Lighting consultants who have never climbed a ladder will draw lighting plans and then move on to the next lighting layout without seeing the project through final adjustments. When design services are limited to plans and specs, the outcome is not guaranteed. There are those who offer initial designs on the cheap⎯or even free⎯with a certain dollar value of purchased lighting equipment. Homeowners will most likely get what they pay for. Drafting a lighting plan is a start. Creating a fixture schedule and a specification cut sheet package is the next step. However, for great lighting design, that shouldn’t be where it ends.
These initial steps are essential components of a lighting design, but if a client is receiving the paper design without the follow through, the finished product will inevitably end up somewhere between underwhelming and awful. The best lighting designs are initiated alongside the design phases, then carried through the implementation and finished off properly when the client has moved in and most other trades have left the project.
Staying involved through the Construction Administration phase is critical to keeping the intent of all design elements. Shop drawing review, mockups and finish carpenter coordination can ensure the details perform as designed.
Construction walk-throughs keep designers in control of elements such as art light placement, when conflicts may arise with in-ceiling
the author
infrastructure. When a recessed light location lands on a structural joist, a decision must be made to move it to the bay closer to the wall or the one further from the wall. If it’s moved too far away, this could be the difference between lighting your client’s Picasso or lighting their baseboard. If the light is moved too close, this could be the difference between casting crenellated picture-frame shadows halfway into a Monet or making it look like it would if it was professionally lit in an art museum.
Leaving these decisions up to the contractors, who may not be in-the-know about the fixture’s adjustability or available accessories and most likely don’t have a clue about the client’s art, leaves the design open to interpretation by people whose first priority is not great lighting design.
It is not difficult to drop thirty-grand on a Les Paul at Rudy’s Music in NYC, but that doesn’t guarantee great music. The instrument needs a proper tuning.
The E string needs its peg tightened until it’s overly tight, then loosened until it’s slightly too loose, then tightened again – tweaked in smaller and smaller increments until the note sounds just right. Now it’s time to move to the A string and perform the same process. Then the D, G, B, and E strings, one at a time until each string is pitch perfect. Only then can you perform your best imitation of Jimmy Page and truly experience the instrument you paid for.
Lighting designs work the same way. Adjustable lights need craftsman-like adjustment, or the homeowner will be left to the care of the installer, who won’t necessarily understand the intent of the design. It’s not uncommon for us to enter a project we’ve designed to immediately get blasted in the eyes by recessed lights in sloped ceilings, find kitchen counters unlit, glimpse splotchy white walls with unintended scallops and art begging for some desired photons.
We perform a methodical walk-through to create
Photos courtesy of
a game plan for aiming the lights, then divide and conquer with aiming crews starting in different parts of the house. Even the best planned interiors are subject to the shopping habits of the owners, so lighting designs need to be nimble. Lights intended to be general illumination may turn into art accents as an unexpected sculpture manifests itself in the corner of a room. Optics, louvers and lenses are swapped, added or subtracted to change the nature of a beam or to control glare. Focus is created by tightening up spots and aiming at intended objects, while wider optics and lenses broaden out cones of light to blend one beam with another at the confines of a large canvas.
It is not difficult to drop thirty-grand on a Les Paul at Rudy’s Music in NYC, but that doesn’t guarantee great music. The instrument needs a proper tuning.
The E string needs its peg tightened until it’s overly tight, then loosened until it’s slightly too loose, then tightened again – tweaked in smaller and smaller increments until the note sounds just right. Now it’s time to move to the A string and perform the same process. Then the D, G, B and E strings, one at a time until each string is pitch perfect. Only then can you perform your best imitation of Jimmy Page and truly experience the instrument you paid for.
Lighting designs works the same way. Adjustable lights need craftsman-like adjustment, or the homeowner will be left to the care of the installer, who won’t necessarily understand the intent of the design. It’s not uncommon for us to enter a project we’ve designed to immediately get blasted in the eyes by recessed lights in sloped ceilings, find kitchen counters unlit, glimpse splotchy
white walls with unintended scallops and art begging for some desired photons.
We perform a methodical walk-through to create a gameplan for aiming the lights, then divide and conquer with aiming crews starting in different parts of the house. Even the best planned interiors are subject to the shopping habits of the owners, so lighting designs need to be nimble. Lights intended to be general illumination may turn into art accents as an unexpected sculpture manifests itself in the corner of a room. Optics, louvers and lenses are swapped, added or subtracted to change the nature of a beam or to control glare. Focus is created by tightening up spots and aiming at intended objects, while wider optics and lenses broaden out cones of light to blend one beam with another at the confines of a large canvas.
Light by light, the tuning is completed. The accent overshoots too high, then it’s too left and must be tweaked back towards the target. Repeat this process until it feels like that one light is the best it can be. Then it’s time to move on to the next. Depending on the scale and the design, this can take minutes, hours, days, or even weeks. Once all the lights in a space are dialed in, only then do you know how it feels.
Now it’s time to bring the spaces into balance by adjusting the scenes in the control system settings. This is another incredibly important step in creating visual comfort within each area. Chandeliers dim to the point where they no longer produce glare, and art accents adjust to levels where clients can enjoy their collection. Global entertaining scenes are set for the ease of use when the client has a large fundraiser or an intimate dinner party. Each room should have a “90% of the time” scene set and ensure the toggle or off button includes everything desired when you transition from one room to the next.
These are the basic steps to take design from start to finish and to create a comfortable, user-friendly home full of planned contrast, focus and balance. There will always be a place in the world for people who just draw plans, but the best lighting designs will be performed by those who finish. ■
TAPPING INTO MATTER
In March, I sat down over Zoom with Malte Göller, co-founder of Swiss startup Atios AG, to learn about his company’s mission to simplify smart building automation through Matter, the emerging open standard backed by Apple, Google, Amazon, and others. At the time, I was still trying to wrap my head around the concept. Wasn’t Matter just a residential protocol? What did it have to do with DALI, KNX, and the more complex systems used in commercial and multifamily housing?
Two weeks later, I met with Malte again, this time in person at Euroluce during Salone del Mobile.Milan. That follow-up clarified what Atios is really offering: a bridge between reliable, wired infrastructure and the intuitive control that end users now expect from their devices. By leveraging Matter, Atios gives tenants the sleek control experience they know from consumer tech, while offering electricians and developers the stability and scalability they need for large-scale builds.
The Challenge: Complexity in Smart Homes
During our first meeting, I explained my own frustration with smart home tech such as Nest, Philips Hue, Cree bulbs, and Ring, each with its own app, occasionally
RANDY REID By
Photo credit: Semyon Garenskikh
How a Start-up Brings Simplicity and Scale to Smart Lighting Integration
connected via Alexa or Google Home, but far from seamless. Malte’s response? “You’re retrofitting. That’s always messy.”
He explained that the real opportunity lies in new construction. Property developers building dozens or hundreds of units need something that works out of the box – no Wi-Fi dependency, no battery-powered switches, and no app clutter. With Atios’s SmartCore device installed in the electrical panel, everything from lights to blinds to HVAC systems can be wired, configured, and connected to Matter before a tenant ever moves in.
The Solution: SmartCore with Matter Integration
At the heart of the Atios system is the SmartCore, a DIN rail-mounted device placed directly in the electrical panel. It features:
• 12 inputs and 12 outputs, allowing control of on/off lights, blinds, motorized curtains, or outlets.
• DALI bus connectivity, supporting up to 64 dimmable lights and 64 sensors.
• One Matter pairing code, allowing end users to control everything through a single app—Apple Home, Google Home, or Alexa—without needing a custom interface from Atios.
This approach means that even conventional, non-smart devices become “smart” simply by routing them through SmartCore. The QR code on the device grants users instant control over everything upon move-in. No scanning 10 different devices. No fiddling with a dozen apps.
Clarifying the Market: Not Just DIY
Initially, I misunderstood Atios as a competitor to off-the-shelf smart devices like Philips Hue or Nest. But that’s not quite right. As Malte clarified in Milan, Atios isn’t replacing those—it’s circumventing them. Instead of layering wireless devices on top of existing systems, they’re starting with the wired infrastructure that developers and electricians already use. This makes SmartCore ideal for new apartment developments, luxury residences, and even boutique hotels.
Matter compatibility is what makes the system appealing to tenants, but Atios’s strength lies in speaking both “languages,” wiring standards like DALI for installers and simple apps for occupants.
A Simpler Path for Designers and Developers
Lighting designers reading this may not be deep into electrical schematics, but most are deeply familiar with DALI. Atios offers a rare blend, the reliability of DALI with the end-user control of today’s smart tech. That’s valuable, especially in luxury residential projects where clients want elegant lighting and effortless control but don’t want to download yet another app.
The setup process is simple. An electrician wires up conventional push buttons or sensors into SmartCore. Using a built-in web interface, they assign each input and output (e.g., “kitchen lights” or “bedroom blinds”) and finalize the system configuration. From there, the user only needs to scan one QR code to import every device into their preferred smart home platform.
As Malte explained at Euroluce, “With a single device, you can integrate all lighting, shading, heating,—even door access—into one system, controllable from a phone or voice assistant. And the best part? You don’t have to be a tech expert to use it.”
Looking Ahead
In Europe, Atios is gaining traction through major distributors like Sonepar and Rexel (Elektro-Material AG). The U.S. market is next.
Atios is also engaged in conversations with large lighting brands and integrators who see value in simplifying the user interface layer of complex installations.
When I asked about the possibility of copycat products, Malte shrugged. “We’ve already done the work. It takes years to pivot engineering teams and develop for the software for Matter. We’re ahead.”
Final Thoughts
After speaking with Malte twice, first remotely and then face-to-face, I’ve come to appreciate the elegance of Atios’s approach. They’re not reinventing the wheel— they’re refining the connection between the back-end wiring and the front-end experience.
For designers, that means one less app to manage and one more way to deliver intuitive, responsive lighting environments. For developers, it means happier tenants. For integrators, it means fewer callbacks.
Atios isn’t trying to dazzle with flashy hardware. Instead, they’re focused on something rarer – smart simplicity that works. ■
A CONNECTED FUTURE
My Visit to Leviton’s Nashville Experience Center
RANDY REID By
When I arrived at Leviton’s Nashville Experience Center, aptly named Leviton LIVE, I expected a product showcase. What I encountered instead was a facility focused on innovation, user experience, and humancentered design.
Spread across 7,000 square feet in a renovated 19th-century brick warehouse, this facility is less about marketing and more about immersion, where lighting, power, and data converge to demonstrate what the built environment can and should be.
From the moment I stepped inside, I could feel the intentionality of the space. Acoustic lighting panels from Birchwood hang above, diffusing light while softening sound. Original brick walls, carefully preserved by a landlord who understood their historical value, anchor the interiors with warmth and authenticity. There’s not a drop of sheetrock in sight – just honest materials
and thoughtful lighting that instantly makes visitors feel both comfortable and inspired.
A Culture of Innovation and Experience
Steve Anson, Senior Director of Marketing at Leviton, served as my host and guide, and he wasted no time introducing the company’s philosophy. “Innovation only happens with people,” he said. “It’s not about just having great products. It’s about empowering users, connecting teams, and staying curious.” That mindset is embedded in everything Leviton does.
Leviton’s portfolio spans three major verticals: residential, commercial, and industrial. But within those categories are deep specializations. For example, the company’s UX line, part of its Viscor Lighting family, has emerged as a leader in hospital-grade lighting, a niche that
requires exacting standards in performance, hygiene, and redundancy.
Steve explained that they don’t just sell lighting; they help solve use-case problems in real-world spaces, from surgical suites to university campuses.
Lighting with Purpose and Precision
While walking through the Nashville center, Steve pointed out the deliberate design strategies that informed every lighting decision. For example, a pair of suspended luminaires—the “165s”—serve as circadian-friendly fixtures, precisely angled to deliver light directly to the eye for maximum impact. Circadian entrainment principles were subtly embedded throughout the space to enhance health and wellness without screaming "biophilia."
Other lighting zones were equally curated. The commercial boardroom features a different color temperature and beam angle than the executive lounge or kitchen area. Some fixtures graze brick; others remain hidden in millwork. Wall-washing techniques reveal the subtle textures of aged surfaces, while undercabinet lighting brings dimension to otherwise overlooked nooks. It’s theatrical lighting meets workplace functionality.
Perhaps most impressive is the attention paid to how natural and artificial lighting interact. Automated shades, controlled by Leviton’s Sapphire system, balance daylight with electric light seamlessly. A connected audio system allows the space to shift effortlessly from business mode to happy hour mode, proving that lighting is just one part of the broader sensory experience
Empowering Users Through Technology
Of course, no modern space would be complete without intelligent controls. At Leviton LIVE, nearly every device, from a light switch to a USB receptacle, is smart. Steve demonstrated a receptacle that distinguishes between an iPhone and an Android, adjusting voltage accordingly. “There’s a Texas Instruments chip inside,” he explained. “It knows exactly what you’re plugging in and charges it the way it needs to be charged.”
Smart panels, such as the Leviton Load Center, take electrical monitoring to a whole new level. From a smartphone app, users can remotely shut off circuits, check loads, and even respond to electrical faults—all while away from home or office. “Think of it as the Nest for your panel box,” Steve said. “Except this one controls everything.”
Even the content on the digital signage throughout the facility is dynamic. Through a cloud-based system, Leviton can change branding, client-specific messaging, or educational prompts with a few keystrokes. “We can
go from ‘tour mode’ to ‘cocktail mode’ in seconds,” Steve said. “It’s all about creating environments that adapt to the people in them.”
Fourth Utility: Connectivity
While lighting and electrical power are foundational, it’s Leviton’s network connectivity business that may hold the most untapped potential. In their data center mockup, I saw the nerve center of modern infrastructure—rows of patch panels, structured cabling, and fiber optics that support everything from AV and security systems to highperformance computing environments.
With the acquisition of Berk-Tek, Leviton became an endto-end provider of structured cabling. Their Long Reach solution, a hybrid fiber-copper offering, powers entire campuses with minimal latency. “We manufacture our own fiber and copper,” Steve shared. “From North Carolina to Scotland, we control the whole process.”
The “Fourth Utility” concept – the idea that internet connectivity now ranks alongside water, gas, and electricity – is central to Leviton’s strategy. It’s a recognition that buildings are only as smart as the infrastructure that supports them. And in this post-COVID world, where hybrid work is here to stay, infrastructure must be as adaptable as the people who use it.
Where Design Meets Delight
One of the most surprising aspects of my visit was how fun it all felt. From the vinyl record wall commemorating Leviton’s product patents to the acoustic guitar in the lounge ready for local Nashville talent, this place isn’t just an experience center. It’s a hospitality suite disguised as a tech showroom.
“We want people to feel like they’re in a high-end Nashville hotel,” Steve said. And they’ve succeeded. Visitors don’t just get a tour. They get a story, a vibe, and a vision of what’s possible when technology and design align. It’s no surprise that guests often return not out of necessity, but because they simply want to be here again.
Final Impressions
In an era where technology can often feel impersonal or overwhelming, Leviton LIVE flips the script. Their Nashville experience center proves that spaces can be smart without being sterile, connected without being cold. They’ve created an environment that inspires learning, collaboration, and innovation—all while reminding us that at its best, lighting isn’t just something you see. It’s something you feel.
From preserved brick to smart USB receptacles, Leviton’s message is clear: The future is on. And thanks to spaces like this, that future is also beautifully lit. ■
The LHRC Announces Online Courses for 2025!
The Light and Health Research Center’s (LHRC) is offering two online professional certificate courses in 2025. These interactive educational offerings will be led by LHRC faculty and staff who are the foremost experts in their fields. Courses begin in September, and registration for the classes is now open.
Dan Frering, the LHRC’s education program director said, “We have designed these two online courses to provide information that will help professionals in lighting and related occupations to gain cuttingedge knowledge and advance in their careers.”
The 2025 educational programs include:
Online Professional Certificate Course in Lighting Design
September 11 to November 13, 2025
This 10-week online professional certificate course in lighting design provides the knowledge and skills needed to help those in professions related to lighting to begin or improve their practice in architectural lighting design for a wide variety of interior and exterior spaces.
Online Certificate Course in Light and Human Health
September 24 to October 22, 2025
This 5-week online, interactive certificate course provides a solid understanding of the latest research about the interaction between light and human health, as well as information on how to use the power of light to improve health and wellbeing in schools, offices, hospitals, homes and other settings. ■
The Power of Outdoor Illumination in Public Spaces
When the dentist inevitably asks, “So what do you do for a living?” I often pause to strategize the fastest way to sum it up. As a lighting manufacturers’ rep, I live and breathe lighting – but how do you explain a career that is both technical and creative in a sentence or two for someone who likely appreciates lighting but may only think about it when they flip a switch? Can you relate?
The conversation always starts with light bulbs, but eventually we arrive at my personal passion – outdoor lighting.
Whether you’re illuminating a small community park, public plaza, or a bustling downtown corridor, you’re not just flipping a switch, you are creating an experience for those who visit the space. You’re influencing how people move, gather, and feel in a space. Supporting the lighting design community in these environments requires a delicate balance: staying creative while grounded in standards, policy, and what’s technically feasible.
The Impact of Outdoor Illumination
We all recognize how crucial good lighting is in classrooms, offices, hospitals, and homes, but outdoor environments
ELENA BERTOLUCCI By SeaTac Lighting & Controls
deserve just as much attention. As someone dedicated to outdoor illumination, I’d argue that thoughtful lighting in public outdoor spaces can be even more impactful. Parks, pathways, plazas, and piers are all places meant for everyone, regardless of age, occupation, or mobility. The right illumination makes people feel safe as they move through the space or invites them to stay.
One of the most rewarding aspects of outdoor lighting is the sheer public access to it. Unlike a private boardroom or exclusive lobby, public spaces are experienced by the entire community. That in and of itself is powerful.
Think of how you feel when you leave a restaurant after dinner, stepping into a “woonerf” (a Dutch term for a living street concept) complete with pedestrian scale lighting and sparkling catenary fixtures overhead. Or running errands in a sunny downtown with planter baskets hanging from the lighting poles blooming in full color. Or attending an evening concert at a city park, and as you look around the landscape is glowing against the night sky. Each of these instances create a feeling for those in the space – we are part of these moments and memories.
Working with Many Stakeholders
Designing public outdoor lighting means designing for a crowd – literally and figuratively. From city engineers and municipal reviewers to utilities, DOTs, and the general public, there are many hands (and opinions) in the mix. You’re expected to juggle competing priorities while maintaining your design integrity.
This is where your rep can be an extension of your team. We work behind the scenes to bridge design vision with the realities of procurement, regulations, and performance standards. We help untangle who owns the pole, what utility owns the lines, which fixture the city will approve, and how you can still push the envelope.
Once stakeholders are identified, we move on to intent. Is the goal to create safe passage through a space, a vibrant gathering space, or something in between?
Next question: Are we matching city standards or redefining them? Either path has implications for optics, materials, and finishes.
From Sketch to Streetscape
No two outdoor lighting projects are alike—and the most exciting ones give us the opportunity to go beyond the standard cobra head and DOT-style pole. I am most inspired when I can assist in using lighting to define the community.
We start with some questions. An old mining town or new emerging neighborhood? How do we want the space to be utilized during all four seasons and what can we do to facilitate that through lighting?
W Samm Bridge. A sleek, modern decorative standard for growing municipality Kenmore, WA.
Photo credit: Jacobs Bellevue and City of Kenmore
Think oversized catenary “moons” floating above a festival street, or in-ground RGBW luminaires that bring vibrant and dynamic energy to a plaza. Opt for sleek, modern luminaires with a smooth high-gloss finish that makes a statement during the day, or use a neutral bronze or green, even a faux-wood powder coat that allows the assemblies to blend in seamlessly with surrounding foliage for a softer aesthetic.
Incorporate banners of various shapes and sizes to advertise seasonal events, or planter arms that blend seamlessly with the pole offer the ability to add color in spring and summer. Maybe the project calls for wellplaced GFCI receptacles for winter holiday string lights or a 50-amp outlet to power food trucks during a summer farmers market. All of it plays a role in turning a vision into reality.
Lighting can be functional and scuptural. It can be the feature that makes a space memorable. Shape, color, and finish all matter—just as much in daylight as after dark. Designers have countless options in all categories, down to powder coat textures. A matte black finish offers a different aesthetic than a smooth, high-gloss sheen.
Material Considerations and the Balancing Act
Once the design intent and aesthetic goals are in place, the real balancing act begins – functionality, safety, maintenance, longevity, and budget. Every factor carries weight, especially when public funding is involved. Luminaires today offer expanded options for creating inviting pedestrian experiences. A wide range of color temperatures is standard now, and low-glare, edge-lit optics are becoming more available, helping to achieve both comfort and compliance with minimal reduction in efficacy.
Poles come in a wide range of materials: aluminum, steel, composite and concrete being the most common. Each material type has its strengths when it comes to durability, corrosion resistance, and visual impact. After the look is defined, we determine what pole is best suited based on long-term considerations. A good rep makes this process seamless by providing budgets, drawings, and even structural pole calculations when needed.
Unique Challenges of Outdoor Projects
Outdoor spaces come with their own set of complexities.
You may need to design around existing infrastructure, prioritize environmental factors, or meet strict dark sky requirements. These aren’t roadblocks – rather, they’re part of the puzzle.
Here in the Pacific Northwest, projects often require consideration of how the lighting will impact nearby wildlife in waterways and wetlands. In these cases, shielded luminaires and cutoff optics are crucial. The goal is often zero light spill onto the water surface. Sometimes, that means rethinking fixture types, entirely swapping polemounted luminaires for low-profile linear lighting or wall/ barrier-mounted options.
This is where a knowledgeable rep really shines, helping teams meet local regulations and environmental goals without compromising design integrity.
Navigating Public-Sector Requirements
Public projects often come with an additional layer of complexity that private ones don’t: legislation. A recent example? Build America, Buy America (BABA), the federal update to the Buy American Act. This change was the first major overhaul in decades and sent ripples through the industry as manufacturers’ reps, consultants, municipalities, and contractors worked to determine how the changes impacted the lighting industry.
There have been adjustments to BABA since its initial debut, and staying up to date with the latest helps ensure the products being specified will comply. Some manufacturers have had to adjust when it comes to sourcing products and search for ways to adhere to the domestic requirements.
If a project involves federal grant money of any amount, it’s critical to communicate that early. Knowing which agency is funding the project helps your rep select appropriate products – and ensures compliance from the start. These conversations protect project timelines and preserve design intent.
The opportunity to collaborate with the lighting design community as a manufacturers’ rep on outdoor illumination is both a responsibility and a privilege. These are the places where our neighbors, families, and communities gather. These are the places where life happens. ■
Yakima Avenue Streetscape. Improvement project for international district in Tacoma, WA. Designer and rep collaborated to put together a custom catenary system with fixtures replicating the moon, with bright red poles to complete the look.
Photo credit: Psomas Seattle (formerly KPG)
Close-up of the moon catenary luminaires.
Photo credit: Psomas Seattle (formerly KPG)
LIT Lighting Design Awards 2025
EXTENDED EARLY BIRD DEADLINE
15 June 2025
ANNOUNCEMENT DATE
November 2025
The IALD International Lighting Design Awards 2025
SUBMITTAL DATE
CLOSED
ANNOUNCEMENT DATE
7 May 2025
LightFair, Las Vegas, NV
IES Illumination Awards 2025
FINAL SUBMITTAL DATE
Closed
AWARDS PRESENTATION
22 August 2025
IES 25 Lighting Conference, Anaheim, CA
FINAL SUBMITTAL DATE
Closed
AWARDS PRESENTATION
7 May 2025
LightFair, Las Vegas, NV
Awards
IESNYC Lumen Awards 2025
FINAL SUBMITTAL DATE Closed
AWARDS PRESENTATION
18 June 2025
Lumen Gala, NYC
DLFNY Beacon Awards
FINAL SUBMITTAL DATE 15 September 2025
AWARDS PRESENTATION 29 October 2025
Sony Hall, NYC Light Justice NOW
NLB Tesla Awards ™ 2026
FINAL SUBMITTAL DATE Mid-January 2026
ANNOUNCEMENT DATE 14 April 2026
LEDucation, NYC
AVAILABLE LIGHT
Kate Furst was promoted to Managing Principal at the Los Angeles office.
Lenya Best was promoted to Senior Lighting Designer.
Jeff Brown started a new position as Independent Architectural Lighting Designer.
PEOPLE ON THE
C. Webster Marsh started a new position as Lighting Controls Designer. SLADEN FEINSTEIN INTEGRATED LIGHTING INC.
ALULA LIGHTING DESIGN
Alex Müller started a new position as an Associate, Lighting Design.
Michelle Skow started a new position as Senior Lighting Designer. DLR GROUP
Paula Martinez-Nobles was promoted to President. FISHER MARANTZ STONE
Catherine Hall was promoted to Office Director, Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
Josuel Lupercio was promoted to Senior Lighting Designer. KGM ARCHITECTURAL LIGHTING
HGA
HLB LIGHTING DESIGN
Lee Brandt was promoted to Senior Principal.
Simi Burg was promoted to Principal.
Jared Gooding started a new position as Lighting Designer.
C. Erik Yamashiro started a new position as Associate Principal Lighting Designer SPECTRUM ENGINEERS
Tyler Exell was promoted to Supervising Lighting Designer, Senior Associate. SYSKA HENNESSY GROUP
THE LIGHTING PRACTICE
David Seok was promoted to Associate.
Cibele Romani started a new position as Associate, Lighting Designer.
Tanner Chee was promoted to Senior Lighting Designer.
REVEAL DESIGN GROUP
Sam Zarn has been promoted from Design Director to Principal at reveal design group.
Jeff Brown started a new position as Lighting Design Studio Manager.
MOVE
VOLTAIR INC.
ARUP
salutes and thanks its advertisers for their support. We applaud the achievements of lighting practitioners and recognize the importance of their work in architecture and design.
STEVEN ROSEN UP CLOSE WITH
SHIRLEY COYLE, LC By
Pulled into theater in his suburban LA high school, Steven Rosen recalled the first time he stood on stage, “I thought ‘Oh no, this is not for me!’ I never had the desire to be someone else… I gravitated to the technical side. Soon I was standing behind the light board, lifting levers with my hands, my feet, and even my mouth!”
“The best part was the ballet of it all,” he continued. “You change the lights in a very manual way, but in time with the music or scene. I learned how light controls emotion. You can walk into a space and be affected by light, but what really makes people excited is dynamic light. I figured that out early, deciding I wanted to be a lighting designer.”
After college in California, Steven went to St. Louis for his BFA at Webster University. There, in 1980, Steven’s professor invited an HOK architect to speak to the class about architectural lighting. He recollected, “I was taken aback… it never occurred to me that I could do what I was doing anywhere other than in theaters.”
A semester interning with Tom Lemons in Massachusetts was followed by a return to St. Louis to finish his degree. He then migrated to New York City, “where I felt I found my people!” He earned his MFA in stage design at NYU while also independently managing production for the university’s dance department.
“One day Tom called, asking ‘Why don’t you come up here? We could use an extra set of hands.’ It seemed like there was much to learn there and much I might enjoy…I took the plunge!”
Steven went on to establish his own firm, Available Light, Inc. in Boston in 1992. One of his biggest challenges came 6 or 7 years ago – thinking about what’s next for his firm. “I wanted a way to move the company forward, set it in a
place where it would be fine without me. We started with two shareholders – my wife, Susan, and I. Now we have eight shareholders – I’m slowly becoming less of an owner! All of it has been hard, but it’s also been joyous. It helps that there’s a remarkable group of people here; it’s not hard to imagine the next layer of leadership!
Reflecting on success, Steven offered two thoughts. “First, surround yourself with the right people. I don’t agree with the group all the time, and they don’t agree with each other all the time. But there’s a healthy amount of respect and love that comes along with disagreement – and that’s what you need.”
“Second, our success is tied to the diversity of the work that we do. Until a few years ago, we had three legs to our stool: architectural lighting, museum exhibition lighting, and trade show lighting. In the economic downturn of the 1980s and again in 2008, the trade show division kept us afloat.”
That all changed when the pandemic hit. “All our trade show work stopped overnight. We had work in architectural and museum exhibits that kept us going. We’ve added theme entertainment or experiential design as our fourth leg to the stool. We were experiential lighting designers before anybody had a name for it… creating walk-through environments in museums. It’s a true fusion of my theatrical and architectural training.”
Steven’s advice for newcomers to the lighting community: “First, please come. We are out there beating the bushes. In 2024, our firm did three presentations at LDI (Live Design International) to reach young people attending the conference. There are ambassadors like Chip Israel, who travels the country stopping at every educational program, reminding people there’s a decent career in lighting and lighting design.”
“Second, be flexible – remember what you learned in school is not the real world; it’s theoretical. You need to take a few bumps along the way, learn some new skills. Remain flexible in how you use the software, how to apply the things you learned, and think about all the places where you can apply lighting and lighting design. Don’t think too much of yourself – think of others. One of my favorite phrases is: ‘Work hard and be nice to people.’”
Involvement in lighting associations was another of his recommendations. He noted, “There is more to this world than just showing up to work. There has been a stress test on our associations, including IES, IALD, AIA, and others that have built up and supported collaboration in the lighting industry. The redefinition of work-life balance hit this kind of participation – young people thinking, ‘I don’t have time to do my forty-hour week, volunteer and have a private life.’”
“While I get that, we work hard at Available Light to make time for people to be involved in these associations. It’s important, and I’ve seen direct correlation to working in associations and being better at what I do, which brings us more success. We become more expert at things.”
Steven works a lot, finding fun in what he does. But what about outside of work? “I love the whole notion of wine –not just to drink wine, which I do love, but to learn about wine, to visit vineyards.” Steven has been on many wine exploration trips. A recent wine dinner was hosted by a museum exhibit designer, who also owns a winery and vineyard. “Our host had become a scholar on ancient indigenous vines. He brought 8-10 bottles of Zinfandel, all from the same winemaker, all the same vintage, but every bottle was from a different vineyard in California. If you can enjoy, appreciate, and anticipate the subtleties and differences of wine, you can begin to understand the subtle differences in tunable white lighting – that shift from 3000K to 4000K or 4500K,” he explained, artfully returning the conversation to his heart’s work – lighting. ■
Product: TivoTape
Location: Fogo de Chão / Huntington Beach, California
Tivoli provides solutions for your projects, from customized vision to large-scope designs that produce the right amount of light where needed. Tivoli has maintained a customer-first approach, with quality products and uncompromising service year after year. Follow Us! www.tivolilighting.com
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Make the Switch to Energy-Efficient LED Solutions | LEDVANCE
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INVISILED PRO+ LED Tape Light Series WAC Lighting
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