Akshay Lakhanpal, Pioneers of Light, Space Matrix

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Pioneer of Light Akshay Lakhanpal

Lighting: interior design’s new frontier

By Denise Close, Jean-Luc Wittersheim

Lighting creates an emotional connection, believes architect Akshay Lakhanpal, India co-leader of a renowned interior design agency headquartered out of Singapore. He says that lighting has an immense impact on a workplace’s functional needs and appeal. India is changing fast, and there is huge potential for blending lighting and interior design; however, present design solutions don’t yet make the most of lighting’s potential.

As an architect, what would you say are the most important factors when designing interiors?

The most important is having an emotional connection with users.

The other factors (products, natural light, building layout, lighting, technology…) are like Lego blocks, making a wide variety of elements available to you. You must be able to connect with the users and then use that connection to understand their pain points, their functional needs and their desire for a better workplace experience. You then use the Lego blocks to address these and create unique user experiences.

What role do light and lighting play?

Light and the absence of light have a vital role in design. If correctly harnessed, lighting can instill strong emotions which instantly connect the observer to what they can see. On average, the lighting package makes up 5-7% of the project cost but it can add far more value to the design. Once this aspect is understood by a designer, lighting can contribute significantly to the appeal of a workplace.

What place does light occupy in your projects?

While lighting is an integral part of our projects, I still feel that we have yet to explore its full potential. We use lighting to create experiential design, but we still have to master the drama. For example, I have just returned from a holiday exploring ancient architectural marvels of the Roman era, when obviously there was limited artificial lighting. However, the entire design of these

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buildings was based on natural light, on sun movement through the day and the year as well as the interplay of light and shade. The outcome is a mesmerising experience which does not need any knowledge of architecture or lighting to appreciate it, as it engulfs you in its drama.

What do you think about smart lighting in interior architecture design?

Smart lighting has the potential for control and customisation and hence can impact design as never before. In addition to responding to personal preferences, lighting helps in boosting productivity, efficiency and concentration. A user now has the ability to modulate lighting and set their environment to their liking (without affecting others). Lighting technology is also being used for indoor navigation, occupancy detection and levels, and now for internet connection as well. I feel that we are at the tipping point where lighting will form the backbone of a smart office. However, for me the true vision for smart lighting would be to replace artificial lighting in its entirety and harness sunlight as a more cost-effective and efficient manner day and night.

What achievements by other professionals have inspired you the most?

In 1896 Louis Sullivan, wrote: “It is the pervading law of all things organic and inorganic, of all things physical and metaphysical, of all things human and all things superhuman, of all true manifestations of the head, of the heart, of the soul, that the life is recognizable in its expression, that form ever follows function. This is the law.”

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Akshay Lakhanpal biography Responsible for co-leading the Indian business of Space Matrix, Akshay Lakhanpal has more than years of experience in the real estate sector with specific focus on project management, design and general management. In addition to the profit and loss of the business, he is responsible for evaluating the impact of design on clients’ business and for an overview of the complete delivery of projects. He has managed more than 30 million square feet of projects in 40 cities in India.

Lakhanpal has worked with clients in the corporate, retail, development and institutional sectors.

Before joining Space Matrix, Lakhanpal was director of project management services at Cushman and Wakefield. He has a Bachelor of Architecture from VNIT (Visvesvaraya National Institute of Technology, formerly VRCE), Nagpur and has a post graduate degree in project management from the School of Planning and Architecture, New Delhi.

In line with this, the most inspiring design professionals are those who have mastered this science of ensuring that interior design responds to the occupant’s stated and implied needs as well as dealing with the overall aesthetic.

Which three architectural achievements are your greatest sources of pride?

I would like to highlight three distinct approaches and how each of them yielded a result that was extremely exciting.

- A global management consulting firm appointed us to design their new office. Once we understood their pain points / inhibitors for various teams to deliver their true potential at work, and had a comprehensive understanding of their work lives, we developed the entire design with customized enablers to deal with these inhibitors.

- A premium-to-luxury brand retailer commissioned us to create a timeless canvas for some 50 of the biggest fashion brands.

Besides understanding the functional problems and creating a design solution, it was the opportunity to create an environment that would inspire the occupiers to work as one team.

- Working on a banking firm’s multi-sensory office design approach was another unique experience. We relied on multiple senses to inform us about an experience because the extent of reliance on each sense differs from person to person.

Space Matrix profile Founded in 2001, by Shagufta Anurag, over the last 15 years Space Matrix’s design practice has evolved into a dynamic, agile, 21st century digital enterprise; a design consultancy that specializes in workplace design.

Space Matrix offers both design and building services that focus on clients’ needs and deliver profitable, sustainable and future-ready workplace solutions.

Present in both Asia and globally, Space Matrix has relevant project experience in more than 55 cities and 15 office locations in Australia, China, Hong Kong, India, the Philippines, Thailand, Singapore (HQ), and the United States.

The firm has more than 500 professionals globally and continues to push the boundaries in workplace transformation.

How have you kept your knowledge up-to-date?

We have developed a workplace innovation lab in Bangalore and are in the process of developing one in Delhi as well. We use this to test and tinker with the latest in technology or furniture or building materials. If you experience a product, material or technology, it will probably have a high recall value and we will be able to come up with the right product, technology or use case solution for a problem. This approach helps me keep abreast with market knowledge.

Have you seen an evolution in the way interior architects integrate light in their work in India?

There has been a significant evolution in the integration of lighting design elements into interior design. However, most of this is trenddriven rather than a conscious decision to blend the two. This is also limited by the choice of light fixtures, where most of the selection decisions are based more upon the look and feel of the fixture itself and less on its cone of light or lit-up/lighted appeal.

This is not necessarily a bad thing; with the pace at which the interior fit-out market is growing, there is huge potential for lighting to grow in India. I think it needs a participatory approach from manufacturers, specifiers and designers.

What is not yet possible in interior architecture that you would like to see become a reality in the future?

A seamless user experience – one where every element of the office can interact with each other and can collectively respond to the customization requirements of the individuals using the office.

A truly connected office is still a fantasy; it is spoken about in every publication or forum, but it is yet to be realized.

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“In addition to responding to personal preferences, lighting helps in boosting productivity, efficiency and concentration” Akshay Lakhanpal

RBL office, Gurugram, India

Corporate offices – Abbott across Asia – Airbnb across Asia – Anthem Insurance, India and Philippines – BCG, Gurgaon, India – Cisco, Singapore – Coca Cola, Bangalore and Singapore – CSG International, India and Australia – Ericsson, India and Dubai – Gartner across the globe – Hilton, Singapore and Gurgaon – Linkedin, Bangalore, India – Microsoft across Asia – Prudential Singapore – ServiceNow, Singapore and Hyderabad – Superdry, Gurgaon, India – Symantec across Asia – Uber Singapore – Zynga, Bangalore, India

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Significant projects

Northern Trust office, Pune, India

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Website www.spacematrix.com