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Welcome
After what feels like a whirlwind 12 months, it is hard to believe that we’re at the point where I am writing my final Welcome page of 2025.
As years go, 2025 has certainly been eventful, with plenty going on both at [d]arc HQ, and further afield. As a company, we have racked up our fair share of air miles, with our travels taking us as far afield as *deep breath* Dubai, Munich, New York, Paris, Milan, Ibiza, Valencia, Guangzhou, Zandvoort, Dallas, Langkawi, Copenhagen, and Alingsås (along with the odd trip down to London here and there). It is a privilege to be able to travel as much as we do in the name of work, and something that I certainly don’t take for granted (my in-laws are always asking me where the next trip will be...). And with yet more travel lined up for 2026, including the return of a certain German show (industrial action notwithstanding), I’ll no doubt be picking up plenty more stamps in the passport next year. We’ve also been very privileged to speak with some incredibly inspirational figures from across the lighting world over the past 12 months: from visionary creatives like Koert Vermeulen and Tupac Matir, to the immensely talented Eugenia Cheng and Nadine Baalbaki; not forgetting, of course, our
deeply moving piece with Nick Albert and Cy Eaton about their essential work with Light Equity over in the United States. As a journalist at heart, it’s always a pleasure to sit down with designers from around the world and hear their incredible stories, so big thanks to everyone that has taken the time to speak with me over the course of the year - I hope that, as readers, there has been something to inspire you in each article.
It would be remiss of me if, at this point, I didn’t also give a huge shoutout to everybody that came out to LiGHT 25 this November. It was a recordbreaking year for us, and we as a team were overwhelmed by the support and positive vibes that the show brought. An in-depth recap of the show can be found later in this issue.
Finally, you may have seen news that, from next year, as the lines between the two realms continue to blur, we will be incorporating decorative lighting content back into arc magazine. It will be a fun, and exciting new chapter for the publication, and one that I am very much looking forward to helming. So, as we reach the end of 2025, on behalf of the [d]arc media team, all that is left to say is happy holidays, and we’ll see you in 2026!
Enjoy the issue!
Matt Waring Editor
Front cover: Qatar Pavilion, Expo 2025, Japan
(Image: Marco Cappelletti)
Inside this issue
In Conversation
Paul Beale talks about his new luminaire reuse scheme, 18 Circular.
Snapshot
Studio Formgiver
Silhouette Awards
The awards programme recaps its activities from LiGHT 25.
David Morgan Product Review ADO Lights LED Luc
Manufacturer Case Studies Retail Lighting focus
Bucket List
Cherine Saroufim
Eye Openers
Double Fizz
Liz West
Smáratorg
Re:Vision
[d]arc sessions
Highlights from our ninth [d]arc sessions, held in Langkawi, Malaysia.
Lights in Alingsås
The 26th edition of the Swedish event was themed around Movies in Lights
SGM
Marking the brand’s 50th anniversary, arc visited SGM’s Aarhus facility to learn more about its future plans.
Casambi Awards
The winners of the fifth annual Casambi Awards have been revealed.
LiGHT 25 Review
A full recap of this year’s recordbreaking exhibition, held at London’s BDC this November.
Projects: Expo 2025
UK Pavilion Speirs Major Light Architecture
Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Pavilion Foster + Partners
USA Pavilion dpa lighting consultants
Qatar Pavilion Lighting Planners Associates
Singapore Pavilion DP Lighting
UAE Pavilion Belzner Holmes Light Design
France Pavilion Justine Emard
Monaco Pavilion Ideaworks
Korea
Sung ae Lee
Osaka
Lighting Planners Associates
Pyrymyd
EC(H)O FRIENDLY
Not only light
It’s a revolution
Pyrymyd is an acoustic ceiling, able to create various light scenarios.
Design: Serge & Robert Cornelissen
Events Diary
JANUARY
Lightovation 10-13 January Dallas, USA www.dallasmarketcenter.com
Light + Intelligent Building Middle East 12-14 January Dubai, UAE www.light-middle-east.ae.messefrankfurt.com
Maison&Objet 15-19 January Paris, France www.maison-objet.com
FEBRUARY
Surface Design Show 3-5 February London, UK www.surfacedesignshow.com
Integrated Systems Europe 3-6 February Barcelona, Spain www.iseurope.org
Euroshop 22-26 February Dusseldorf, Germany www.euroshop-tradefair.com
Workspace Design Show 25-26 February London, UK www.workspaceshow.co.uk
LUCI Cities & Lighting Summit 25-27 February Oulu, Finland www.luciassociation.org
MARCH
Light + Building 8-13 March Frankfurt, Germany www.light-building.messefrankfurt.com
APRIL
LEDucation 14-15 April New York, USA www.leducation.org
Milan Design Week 21-24 April Milan, Italy www.salonemilano.it
[d]arc awards 30 April London, UK www.darcawards.com
MAY
[d]arc sessions Europe 5-7 May Sicily, Italy www.darcsessions.com
Clerkenwell Design Week 19-21 May London, UK www.clerkenwelldesignweek.com
British artist Liz West has unveiled a new, kaleidoscopic and immersive art installation spanning the main artery of No.1 St. Michael’s in Manchester City Centre.
The permanent installation, titled Double Fizz, is made up entirely of thousands of vibrantly coloured vertical triangular stripes in polyester vinyl, that are overlaid onto a mirrored surface, creating a rich mix of reflected hues.
Intended to create a new space within the building for exploration and discovery, the artwork depicts and symbolises a physical and metaphorical meeting point of colour, people and space within the new building.
As an artist, West is known for her wide-ranging works, from the intimate to the monumental. Using a variety of materials and exploring the use of light, she blurs the boundaries between sculpture, architecture, design and painting to create works that are both playful and immersive.
The visually rich, multicoloured stripes collectively become softer and create a mesmerising mass when viewed from different angles. The colours, shapes and forms within the work appear to change as visitors move through the space.
Mirroring the vertical stripes exaggerates and doubles up the carefully selected colours, creating a fizzing cacophony of colour. The vibrant colours are further enhanced by the lighting, which creates kaleidoscopic coloured shadows on the polished concrete floor, draws out the rich tones and dramatically contrasts each tone against each other.
Here, West collaborated with formalighting, making use of the Italian brand’s modular Vivo fixtures on a low voltage track to bring the installation to life and further highlight the rich, vibrant use of colour.
West comments: “It is a wonderful opportunity to be commissioned to make such a prominent artwork in my home city. I hope that Double Fizz provokes a joyful and heightened sensory awareness in the viewer, and creates both a psychological and physical response that taps into our personal relationship and response to colour.”
www.liz-west.com
www.formalighting.com
Image: Charles Emerson
[d]arc sessions Asia
Following the success of the inaugural [d]arc sessions Asia, held in Phuket, Thailand in 2024, the [d]arc media team returned to the region this October - this time travelling to the Pelangi Beach Resort + Spa in Langkawi, Malaysia, for another eventful week of connecting.
In mid-October, as temperatures in the UK started to drop, the [d]arc media team packed up its shorts and travelled to Malaysia for the ninth edition of our now highly-popular networking and specifying event, [d]arc sessions.
The second time that we have brought this event to Asia, the latest edition of [d]arc sessions took place on the beautiful island of Langkawi, at the Pelangi Beach Resort & Spa, where 120 lighting professionals from around the world gathered to meet, make new connections, and talk about the latest developments in the lighting profession. Once again making the most of [d]arc sessions’ intimate and inviting atmosphere, the event interspersed intense, speed-dating-style 20-minute meetings between lighting suppliers and specifiers with informal, yet informative, panel discussions on some of the most pertinent issues in the lighting sphere at the moment.
Topics for these sessions included: “Designing Darkness”, with panelists Linus Lopez of Lirio Lopez Lighting Design, Nadine Baalbaki of Light The Detail, Xander Cadisch of Phos, and Boris Duhamel of Baseline; “The Role of AI in Lighting Design”, with Eugenia Cheng of Lightorigin Studio, Said Sawaf of Umaya Lighting Design, and Regina Santos of Light Fusion; and “From Efficiency to Experience: Intelligent Lighting Trends in Asia”, with Amornrit Pituck of Goodlux Design Consultancy, Ammar Mohamed of the Executive Office for Future Cities –Sultanate of Oman, and Ryan Rolph of Tryka. These lively discussions, which included input from the audience as well as those on stage, generated a great deal of discussion throughout the event, with themes ranging from designing for wellbeing, dark sky preservation, immersive, interactive lit environments, and, of course, how AI is impacting
not just the lighting design world, but all facets of everyday life, and how this might impact future generations of designers.
The keynote for this edition was delivered by Maneck Tandon of ATPL Lighting, who discussed the “Genius Loci of Lighting”. In an incredibly informative session, Tandon took the audience on an exploratory journey around the world, looking at the architecture and approaches to lighting design in countries as varied and diverse as India, the UK, Finland, and Sri Lanka, and discussing how these variances in geography, culture, and vernacular design can manifest in lighting design projects.
Conversations and connections generated through these talks, or from the active meeting schedules, extended both into mealtimes, and the evening receptions that closed each day, each taking place in one of the resort’s picturesque locations –although a poorly-timed thunderstorm dampened hopes of a beachside barbecue on one night. However, the rain held off for the final evening’s entertainment, where delegates travelled to the nearby Dash Resort for a big farewell party. Here, attendees celebrated another fun, informative, productive, and entertaining week, where old friends reunited, new relationships were made, and this wonderful lighting community of ours could continue to connect, share knowledge, and inspire each other, all within beautiful surroundings. [d]arc sessions will return in 2026 with three events; [d]arc sessions Europe will be held at Mangia’s Brucoli in Sicily, Italy on 5-8 May; [d]arc sessions Americas will take place on 2-5 June at the Kempinski Hotel in Cancun Mexico; and the next [d]arc sessions Asia will be on 22-25 September at the InterContinental Phu Quoc, in Vietnam. www.darcsessions.com
Images: Jaran Studio
Circularity has become one of the most urgent challenges in commercial lighting, as every year, thousands of luminaires are removed from Cat A fit-outs and scrapped long before the end of their technical life. To combat this, London-based lighting design studio 18 Degrees has set up a new initiative, 18 Circular, which aims to build reuse into the system from the start. Their director Paul Beale tells arc more about the initiative.
What is 18 Circular?
It is a circular lighting system that replaces oneoff Cat A lighting installations with a recoverable, track-mounted platform. It allows high-quality luminaires to be leased, recovered, refurbished and redeployed across multiple projects, dramatically reducing embodied carbon and waste while maintaining design and performance standards expected of premium office environments. We created 18 Circular after years of watching perfectly serviceable luminaires being removed and scrapped at the end of Cat A fit-outs. It was clear that this linear process: manufacture, install, discard; was unsustainable. The idea was to create a practical, scalable system that keeps products in use and measurable carbon out of landfill.
How does it work?
Luminaires are supplied to developers under a Lighting as a Service model. The fittings remain owned by 18 Circular, which manages installation, maintenance, removal and redeployment. Each unit carries a digital passport linked to a QR code that records technical data, service history and location. When a tenant takes occupation, the luminaires are removed, reconditioned and installed in the next project. This distributes embodied carbon across multiple lifecycles rather than a single one.
Where are you sourcing the lighting from?
We have partnered with Whitecroft Lighting for this initiative. They manufacture new luminaires specifically designed for reuse within the 18 Circular system, with features that simplify recovery, refurbishment and redeployment. In addition, we take excess or previous-year stock from manufacturers who are looking to clear space for new product lines. These fittings are often brand new and of excellent quality, and we work to find suitable projects where they can be put to use rather than disposed of. This combination of purpose-designed and rescued stock allows us to deliver circular lighting at both scale and quality.
What are your long-term goals for 18 Circular?
Our goal is to make circular lighting normal practice in commercial development. We want to prove that a recoverable lighting model can perform technically, commercially and environmentally at scale. In time, we aim to build a national reuse network that tracks assets digitally, demonstrating full carbon traceability and making circular procurement as easy as traditional purchasing. 18 Circular is still young, but its ambition is clear. By linking ownership, digital traceability and zero-waste logistics, it aims to show
that reuse can be built into the business model of lighting itself. The hope is that within a few years, circular lighting will not be the exception but the rule.
What sort of response have you had so far?
The response has been very positive. Landlords and consultants see the value in reducing embodied carbon without compromising quality. The model is being explored with a leading central London property portfolio and several other major developers who view it as a credible route to achieving measurable ESG outcomes. Manufacturers have also been supportive, recognising that reuse can complement rather than threaten new production. The key learning so far is that logistics, documentation and coordination are just as important as the technology itself. Once the framework is in place, the process of recovery and redeployment becomes remarkably straightforward. Independent assessment by our sustainability partners has confirmed that embodied carbon savings are around 85% compared with business as usual.
How does this differ to other reuse and refurbishment schemes?
Most existing schemes focus on take-back or one-off refurbishment. 18 Circular embeds reuse as a service based on leasing rather than resale. Ownership stays with us, so we take responsibility for product stewardship, maintenance and redeployment. That continuity allows the embodied carbon of each luminaire to be amortised across several projects, verified through digital tracking.
How can interested parties get involved?
We welcome manufacturers who want to contribute surplus stock or take part in reuse pilots. Donated or discounted luminaires can be integrated into the system and tracked via our digital platform, ensuring transparency and correct attribution of carbon savings. Interested manufacturers can contact us to discuss how their products might fit within the specification. Designers can specify the 18 Circular system directly for Cat A or refurbishment projects, either through our standard luminaire range or by integrating reusable fittings within their own schemes. We are also open to collaborations where designers want to test or adapt the model. The more projects that adopt circular procurement principles, the faster the transition away from the current linear waste cycle. www.18circ.com
IN CONVERSATION
PAUL BEALE
Snapshot Studio Formgiver
As a studio, Seoul;-based Studio Formgiver explores the art of shaping form through light, examining how illumination defines and transforms space, creating lighting designs that enrich human experience, and bring harmony and beauty to the places we live in. 1 2 3
THE TUBE at IFC Mall
Seoul,
Korea
Located in the heart of Yeouido, Seoul, THE TUBE at IFC Mall transforms a oncedark underground passageway – the corridor connecting the subway to the mall – into a vibrant gateway of light and art. Designed to welcome thousands of visitors each day, the project reimagines this transit space as a radiant experience that evokes joy and wonder through luminous prisms and dynamic glass façades.
A gentle mist of light softly draws people in, creating an atmosphere that invites them to pause and feel. At the heart of the space, the “Jewellery Wall” symbolises a personal treasure box – a shimmering surface embedded with specially designed acrylic gems. Each gem contains crystal-like graphics inspired by the identity of IFC Mall, capturing the essence of brilliance and sophistication. The lighting design consists of two distinct layers: ambient background lighting and accent lighting expressed on both the Jewellery Wall and within the Tube itself. The ambient light synchronises with the 24-hour colour spectrum of the sky, gradually shifting from the cool hues of dawn to the bright tones of daylight, and finally to the warm, glowing reds of sunset. This subtle chromatic evolution opens up the underground space, connecting it to the natural rhythm of the sky above – a true example of human-centric lighting design. Despite being below ground, the dynamic colour transitions eliminate any sense of enclosure or monotony, offering instead a refreshing and ever-changing visual experience. Every two hours, at the top of the hour, the background and accent lighting merge into a single, powerful colour moment – a visual unison symbolising harmony and unity through light.
To achieve this effect, multiple rows of high-output LEDs were installed along both the upper and lower edges of the four-metre-high glass walls, immersing the entire space in rich, saturated colour.
Space by Sunki sohn, AI Architects
Graphic Design: aandd
Photography: Joonhwan Yoon
025S, Seongsu House Seoul, Korea
The newly opened flagship store of fragrance brand Point Two Five Second (025S) in Seongsu-dong, Seoul, translates the brand’s identity into a unique architectural experience. British architect Sophie Hicks explored the tension between pleasant and harsh sensations, creating a dialogue between materials and atmospheres that results in a harmonious spatial journey. The lower levels and parking areas are defined by raw concrete, asphalt, recycled tires, exposed mechanical elements, and metal mesh, contrasting with the ethereal upper spaces. A semi-translucent façade blurs the boundaries between interior and exterior, while light, materials, and sound shape each environment. Spiral staircases, elliptical forms, reflective steel, resin floors, and acoustic cotton offer distinct sensory experiences, culminating in a top floor illuminated by ETFE skylights over curved pine counters and art installations. Lighting plays a central role throughout the store: each floor is illuminated by ‘a single’, carefully designed light source. Working closely with Sophie Hicks, Formgiver developed the lighting by modifying Erco’s exterior floodlights and conducting full-scale mockups to verify feasibility, including the relationship between reflectors and the lighting itself. To illuminate the expansive horizontal panels without direct glare from the fixture, oval lenses and wide diffusers were precisely calibrated. Every floor’s light was carefully aimed in collaboration with the architect, ensuring reflections create ambient illumination that not only softly lights the space through indirect light reflected off the panels, but also highlights the displayed products, enhancing their visibility while maintaining overall comfort. This project exemplifies Formgiver’s design philosophy and honours the architect’s original vision. By merging thoughtful lighting with a rich material palette, the store delivers an immersive, inspiring experience that resonates with visitors and strengthens the brand identity.
Architect: Sophie Hicks Architects
Executive Architects: YOAP Architects
Photography: Kiwoong Hong
L’ARBRE 27 Brand Gallery: Illuminating the Future of Living
Seoul, Korea
L’ARBRE 27 Brand Gallery invites visitors on a sensory journey, reimagining residential life with a bold, holistic vision. Every floor tells a story – of human experience, community, and our connection to the universe, translating abstract concepts of dwelling into tangible, immersive spaces. Here, light is not merely illumination; it is narrative, emotion, and atmosphere.
B1 The Origin; Where We Are Born immerses visitors in a metaphysical realm. Sculptural artworks and cosmic energy are revealed through narrow, precise beam degrees of light, while illuminated bridges guide the journey forward, heightening anticipation.
3F The Well; Where We Sense frames the dialogue between architecture and landscape. Lighting orchestrates a delicate balance between sky, structure, and ground, revealing the building as part of the natural world. 2F The Care; Where We Live Together celebrates communal life, projecting the rhythms of the complex onto expansive screens, while 1F The Home; Where We Reside offers an intimate encounter with residential spaces. Warm, comforting illumination evokes the feeling of home, accentuated by coppibartali Pendants by Viabizzuno, which enhance the spatial elegance. In the final consultation area, indirect lighting subtly reveals wall artworks, while focused 10mm Deltalight fixtures draw attention to human interaction, blending functional clarity with narrative purpose. Far beyond a sales gallery, L’ARBRE 27 is a platform for culture and contemplation, where philosophy, architecture, and light converge to reinterpret what it means to live. Every corner, every shadow, every beam invites visitors to experience, reflect, and imagine the future of dwelling.
Architect: BP Architects
Project Director: Mee Eun Jung, Grays
Creative Director: Studio KIM/ILLI
Photography: Studio SIM
by designer
who studied Lighting Design at Parsons School of Design, Studio Formgiver is built on a deep understanding of cultural diversity and rich experiences between New York and Seoul.
Studio Formgiver explores light as an essential element of architecture, revealing texture, enhancing form, and creating harmony that enriches space. The studio believes light can elevate quality of life, shaping emotion, perception, and the way we experience our surroundings. Each project seeks to demonstrate this power, transforming spaces into meaningful, life-enhancing environments.
Inspired by nature, Studio Formgiver works at the intersection of nature, architecture, and people, blending innovation and technology with the poetry of light. From refined designs to efficient solutions, the studio crafts bespoke lighting experiences attuned to each project’s character.
More than artists, Formgivers act as guides, aligning clients’ visions with creative direction through dialogue and collaboration to achieve balanced, resonant results. Through every work, the studio aims to share the beauty and vitality of light, bringing its transformative presence into everyday life. www.studioformgiver.com
Founded
Jeeyoun Park,
Lights in Alingsås
Lights, camera, action. Walk through Lights in Alingsås with junior journalist, Ellie Walton, as she returns to Sweden to learn more about the Movies in Lights edition, and speaks to the workshop heads and students of 2025.
Alingsås is a little-known town in Sweden that few people outside the country – or the lighting community – would be familiar with. Yet, when September arrives, the lighting industry’s ears invariably prick up as news of the latest edition of Lights in Alingsås emerges.
Building on last year’s 25th anniversary, the theme for 2025 was announced as Movies in Lights, inspired by the moments that make us laugh, cry, and dream. The workshop heads and their teams of young designers then transformed familiar scenes into luminous installations that guide visitors along a 2.5km route and into an immersive world of light. This year’s workshop heads brought together a balance of returning talent and fresh perspectives. Notable newcomers included Phillip Rose of Speirs Major Light Architecture and lighting researcher Amardeep Dugar. Joining them were experienced contributors such as Christina Mordeglia and Sjoerd van Beers of Beersnielsen, along with long-time participant Roberto Corradini, returning for his third year. They were complemented by three former students stepping into leadership roles: Meta Romanens of Hochschule Luzern, Niken Wulandri Sutanto, and Senior Lighting Designer Isabel Villar of White Arkitekter. Together, they led 40 international students into a whirlwind experience of workshopping, prototyping, constructing, testing, and presenting their site installation.
On the night of the opening, the people of Alingsås came out in their droves, wrapped up for a chilly autumn night at the ‘movies’. As visitors set off from Åmanska Parken by the Grand Hotel, the familiar route from Lillån takes on a distinctly cinematic rhythm. Each installation functions almost like a scene change: moments of darkness used as intentional pauses, bright reveals timed with the natural bends in the river or the narrowing of a pathway. The designers’ interpretations of Movies in Lights unfold gradually, with familiar cinematic devices – framing, contrast, colour codes, and controlled movement – guiding the eye as though through a film reel.
Before visitors even reach the first official site, the festival sets its tone with a compact highlight installation that acts as a prelude or a cinematic “cold open” if you will. Positioned just beyond Åmanska Parken, a video mapping installation functions almost like an establishing shot – a brief but deliberate moment that primes visitors for the visual language of the trail. Displayed on the façade of Alingsås Museum, the mapping acts as a blend of motion, light, and geometry into a dynamic sequence that nods to iconic production
companies and cult films that the whole family recognises. Further down is the first installation highlight that uses LEDs to create a log fire, where families and friends can gather around and tell their own stories or take a moment of quality time together. This installation was supplied by lighting designer (and a festival programmer) Bertil Goransson of Luxera.
Arriving at site one, the trail shifts from prelude to full narrative as Dugar and his team transform the Alingsås Energi building temporarily into an oldfashioned cinema. Inspired by vintage theatres and the ritual of stepping into the dark to be transported elsewhere, the group built their concept around the emotional palette of film itself – magic, adrenaline, mystery, nostalgia and, above all, fun.
The building’s grid of windows becomes their “silver screen”, each pane acting as a frame in a larger cinematic sequence. Five films anchor the composition – The Lion King, Kill Bill, James Bond, The Good, the Bad and the Ugly, and the Bollywood film Dhoom 2 – each contributing its own colour world and rhythm. The façade cycles from a slow Serengeti sunrise to sharp, katana-like slashes of light, from western desert tones to Bond-style pulses, before ending in dramatic red.
Moving through to Udden, you pass the children’s installation, Children’s Lights, which depicts a puppet shadow scene from Jurassic Park. However, the dinosaurs are mechanical monsters in the shape of excavators and cranes.
After the excitement, squealing children and their guardians find themselves in a slightly more serene landscape where site two’s magical realist world comes to life.
Site two, led by Roberto Corradini, is centred on the concept of dreams, inspired by Dreams by Akira Kurosawa, a film in which surreal dreamscapes and real lives continually intersect. This interplay between imagination and landscape became the foundation for the team’s design, and the site itself – framed by a coursing river, pockets of woodland, open grass, and park furniture - offered a setting ready-made for the quiet, uncanny atmosphere in which they hoped to evoke the idea of an “enchanted stroll”.
Moving along the trail, site three’s installation is themed on the TV show Stranger Things, focusing on its 1980s science-fiction and horror aesthetic. The core design concept was to represent the show’s “Upside Down”, a dark parallel universe world, using a distinct red and blue colour palette, and programmed lighting sequences to create a moody, mysterious, and spooky atmosphere.
Images: Patrik Gunnar Helin
Site One: The Magical Multiplex
Site Two: A Mysterious Walk in an Enchanted Dream
Site Three: The Upside-Down
Site Six: Choose Your Side
Site Four: A Dialogue in Light
The site’s hilly terrain became a key source of inspiration for returning workshop heads Sjoerd Van Beers and Christina Mordeglia, echoing the season four soundtrack Running Up That Hill by Kate Bush The installation was designed as a “stage” to be viewed from a distance, leveraging the site’s natural depth rather than creating an immersive walkthrough experience.
Key elements from the show were recreated, including a chandelier and an alphabet wall used for communication via lights, monsters like the Mind Flayer and the Demogorgon built from cardboard and mesh, and props like abandoned bicycles. Despite being the beating heart of the installation, the steep hill caused significant logistical challenges, which made cabling, positioning fixtures, and using equipment like a sky lift very difficult. However, through creative problem-solving and dedication, such as using a moving head light in a custom-built protective cage and integrating existing streetlights into their design with colour filters, the team created a masterpiece lightshow, cohesively timed with the angelic howls of Bush’s vocals.
A Dialogue in Lights (site four) took its cue from Dead Poets Society, adopting the film’s reverence for poetry as a springboard for a quiet, metaphorical narrative told entirely through light. Led by lighting designer Isabel Villar, the team developed a three-act structure centred on two entities attempting to communicate across the site’s narrow stream, with the final moment of connection enacted on the bridge that visitors themselves stood upon. Their process was notably thorough, with early site visits shaping their understanding of the landscape’s natural “pages”.
Phillip Rose’s team, site five, transported the visitors into a vivid bioluminescent world inspired by the film Avatar The team set out to create an installation based on the world of Pandora, one that felt “alive” and “breathing”. This was achieved through dynamic lighting movements, shifting shadows cast from high trees, and a series of handmade features,
including delicate flying seeds and glowing fireflies. At the heart of the installation stood the “Tree of Life”, an intricately woven structure requiring nearly a kilometre of thread, an emblem of both the project’s ambition and its intensely hands-on nature. “Why Avatar? Well, they wouldn’t let me do E.T. because they wouldn’t give me a giant spaceship. Then I suggested Lord of the Rings, but they wouldn’t let me disappear off to Lothlórien in the forest or build all the houses up in the trees – apparently that was too much work”, laughs Rose. “So, I started looking at other forest-based ideas, and because some of the earlier concepts were quite heavy on white light, I became interested in doing something much more colourful. Those rich blues and magentas you see at night are so vivid, and I thought that could be really interesting to explore.”
The installation demanded formidable physical effort. It took long hours using sky lifts, crawling deep into dense bushes to secure 50 lights, and negotiating a site that was as demanding as it was beautiful.
The final stop on the tour was site six, by the river, close to our starting point. This site was led by Meta Romanens and Niken Wulandari Sutanto, who took a different approach to the site pitch.
“From the start, we knew we didn’t want to limit the students by choosing specific films for them. We wanted them to explore both the concept and any film they might eventually select. Because of that, we always felt as though we were a step behind the other groups, since we didn’t have a film to present early on. But the students handled it very well and progressed quickly. In the end, our site has a Star Wars theme, which I’m personally very pleased about,” says Romanens. Titled Your Side, the installation explored the themes of dichotomy and good vs evil. Drawing on the natural duality of their site – two distinct riverbanks linked by bridges –they used blue light to represent the “good” side and red light to signify the “evil” side.
At the centre of the installation stood a reflective structure, stretched across the river to symbolise the twin suns of Tatooine. This served as both a symbolic meeting point and a visual device, creating striking reflections on the water. Witnessing the installation in person truly emphasised the ambitious work created in just a week, framing it as a “yin and yang” experience, exploring the coexistence of opposites.
As the final glow of site six fades back into darkness and the trail loops once again towards the town centre, it becomes clear that this year’s Lights in Alingsås was not simply a celebration of cinema, but a celebration of how talented designers can bring stories to life. Together, they managed to create world-building, emotion, colour, language, symbolism, all translated through the medium of light. It was the students and the mentorship of their workshop heads who stitched these ideas together in a tireless commitment and sense of play to lighting design.
Commenting on the success of the whole light festival, event manager Camilla Boström concludes: “More than 70,000 people visited us this year, and many visitors have reached out to us and said that this was the best edition ever, with the theme Movies in Lights The theme was personal and easy to connect to. The whole town, with the window-shopping competition, was involved in the theme. We are very happy for all participants, workshop heads, sponsors, and partners who made this edition possible with persistence, strength, joy and teamwork.”
www.lightsinalingsas.se
“We think that lighting is one of the core elements to make people’s lives better, and we believe that with SGM, they have the technology, the platform, and the knowhow to do very good things in the future.”
Jiang Weikai, President & Owner, Golden Sea
In 2025, after a transformative year in which it was acquired by Golden Sea, SGM celebrated its 50th anniversary. To mark the occasion, arc travelled to the Danish town of Aarhus to meet with the SGM team, take a tour of its facilities, and find out what the company has planned for the future under its new ownership.
Acompany celebrating its 50th anniversary could, and should, be a moment of celebration; a chance to take stock of where you have come from since your humble beginnings, while looking to the future and planning where your next steps will take you. However, for Danish lighting brand SGM, it is a celebration that marked the beginning of an exciting new chapter.
In August 2024, the company was placed into administration, putting the livelihood of everyone at its Aarhus head office at risk. But, from out of the darkness, SGM was reignited, becoming acquired by Golden Sea, a globally recognised leader in lighting manufacturing. In just two weeks, Golden Sea took the company on board, and retained its building, manufacturing lines, and most importantly, all of the staff, meaning that SGM could continue onwards and celebrate its landmark anniversary this year.
It’s a connection that was not formed out of nowhere, as Golden Sea – itself celebrating 30 years in business in 2025 – has a longstanding history with SGM. As far back as 2004, Mr Jiang Weikai, President and Owner of Golden Sea, visited the original SGM factory in Italy.
As a company, Golden Sea has specialised in entertainment and stage lighting since its inception in 1995, owing to Jiang’s experience in computer engineering and automated controls after university.
With a goal to combine his technology background with art and culture, his aim for Golden Sea was, as he told arc at the company’s Guangzhou headquarters earlier this year, “to make the stage better, and to make life more beautiful”.
Originally working within China, Golden Sea began to expand further afield, at first into Asia, and then reaching Europe in the early 2000s, taking part in industry events such as Plasa, Prolight + Sound, and LDI. Shortly after this, Golden Sea established a connection with SGM, assisting in manufacturing its products from 2004 until 2014.
Speaking of SGM as a company, Jiang said:
“They’re working really hard, doing really good work in combining entertainment technology with architectural products, and changing many traditional ideas of what lighting products can do.
True innovation, in our opinion.
“We have 20 years of experience with SGM, and they have a good command of the industry, so we decided to invest, and in 2024, became the 100% owner.
“We think that lighting is one of the core elements to make people’s lives better, lighting up spaces where they live, and not only where they go, and we believe that with SGM, they have the technology, the platform, and the knowhow to do very good things in the future. Now, with our supply chain at Golden Sea’s three factories, and a full capacity totalling more than 1,800 people, we have the capabilities to assist SGM globally. By continuing to use new technology, based on the original background and DNA of the company, we think that SGM, together with our mother company Golden Sea, can provide the best architectural lighting in the world.”
There is a natural, emotional connection between SGM and Golden Sea, and Jiang is enthusiastic to continue the story, now that SGM is part of Golden Sea’s broader portfolio of brands, which also includes entertainment lighting manufacturer Ayrton, one of the global leaders in professional entertainment lighting.
Keen to learn more about this relationship and SGM’s new vision for the future under Golden Sea, arc travelled to the Danish town of Aarhus to take a tour of the brand’s facilities, and meet with its senior management team.
During our visit, Christopher Agius Ferrante, CEO of SGM and Vice President of Golden Sea, dove deeper into the conversations that surrounded the acquisition.
“Mr Jiang likes football, so he came over for the European Championships in 2024. Whenever he travels, he likes to visit factories and companies, both to get to know people, and also with an eye for acquisition. We got in touch with SGM to see if they would be interested in saying hello, and Ulrik Jakobsen, Director of Operations, got back to us and invited us here.
“I love what I’m discovering in the company. There are some amazing technologies that I don’t think are being used enough yet, because they can create some amazing products in terms of the finesse of control, the light quality, and colour calibration. There is some very clever technology in this company that has not properly seen the light of day, so I see huge potential.”
Jesse Lilley, Managing Director, SGM
Alongside Shop12 of Steelman Partners, SGM completed a lighting installation on the Circa Resort - one of Las Vegas’ tallest buildings. Taking the image of “Vegas Lights” to the next level, the installation sees SGM’s pixel product grab the attention of passersby through dynamic, pixel-controlled media façade lighting.
(Image: Todd VonBastiaans, Circa)
“We were very impressed by what we saw; the building felt nice, well laid out, the manufacturing line was very impressive. From there, I went on vacation, and came back to an email from SGM’s lawyer with an option to acquire the company and all its assets. We were essentially given two weeks to make an offer, which we did.”
And so, from an innocuous visit in July 2024, less than two months later, SGM was part of the Golden Sea family.
It is not the first time that there has been a shift in leadership for a company that has changed significantly since its humble beginnings in 1975. Originally based in Italy and founded by Gabriele Giorgi and Mauricio Guidi, the company’s name – Società Gabriele Maurizio (SGM) – reflected a close partnership that fuelled the pair’s vision of technological advancement.
Giorgi, an electronics engineer with years of experience in manufacturing electronic circuits, recognised early on the immense potential of the emerging lighting market. In the early days, the company combined cutting-edge technology with in-house development to create fixtures such as the Galileo, Palco, and Giotto series, which stood out for their performance and durability.
From the 1980s to the 2000s, SGM initially produced lighting effects for the nightclub scene in Italy. However, as this market began to decline, the
company made a pivotal decision to shift its focus; recognising the growth potential of the professional lighting market, SGM redirected its resources towards designing intelligent lights, setting the stage for future growth in the professional sector.
In late 2010, Peter Johansen – originally founder of Martin Professional – joined SGM in Italy as head of R&D. In 2012, he purchased the company and relocated it to Denmark. Since then, the brand has expanded internationally, with products gaining recognition for their performance, reliability, and ability to withstand the harshest conditions, including in 2013, being the first company to develop and sell a fully IP-rated moving head – something that at the time was seen as true disruption to an entertainment industry trying to find its foothold after the global financial crisis.
From these beginnings in the entertainment lighting sector, SGM as a brand has developed into a strong player in architectural lighting for permanent outdoor installs, taking the model of sturdy, good quality, exterior-rated construction and transferring this to a new range of architectural fixtures.
Willem De Plus, Product Manager for SGM’s Architectural division, speaks more on this development: “After the acquisition from Peter Johansen, we came out with the world’s first IPrated moving head. We started doing IP-rated wash lights, making products that were very rugged, and here we saw great potential to work on cruise ships. This meant taking product technologies from our entertainment range, stripping them back, removing control displays, reducing the amount of connectors and cables, and meanwhile investigating corrosion resistance; we developed a very strong treatment that would last on cruise ships, that today offers a full six-year warranty.
“At first, we developed an entertainment product, and then we created what we called a Permanent Outdoor Installation (POI) version of it. Firstly, for cruise ships, but it worked very well, and through our connections in the US, particularly in Las Vegas, we had opportunities to use these products on buildings as well. It made sense because if they were built to last on cruise ships, they would also last on land as well. The Circa casino in Las Vegas is a brilliant example of exactly this, and continues to dazzle visiting spectators today.”
While original forays into architectural lighting were, as De Plus explains, modifications of products designed towards entertainment, this has since organically evolved, particularly as architectural lighting designers become more interested in dynamic lighting and media façades for their external lighting projects.
“A cool thing for us, when you move into façade lighting and exterior architectural lighting from entertainment-style products, a lot of the technology is already there, and the technology that we have developed over the past 12 years is now completely usable. Our primary colour mixing, colour calibration, and creating white light through RGBW sources dates back to our P5 entertainment fixtures; our Dry Tech technology, which we have a patent on, features active
The renovation of London’s Battersea Power Station remains one of the most significant lighting design projects in the city’s recent history. The dramatic new lighting scheme, designed by Speirs Major Light Architecture, sees SGM play an integral role in illuminating the Art Deco structure’s iconic chimneys. Illuminated in a beautifully even warm-white wash, the chimneys complement the surrounding lighting masterplan, while SGM’s i-2 RGBW fixtures allow for dynamic colour and animated lighting effects for special events.
(Image: Peter Landers, courtesy of Speirs Major Light Architecture)
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“When you move into façade lighting and exterior architectural lighting from entertainment-style products, a lot of the technology is already there, and what we have developed over the past 12 years is now completely usable, and it adds so much value.”
Willem De Plus, Product Manager, Architectural, SGM
dehumidification, actively drawing moisture out of the fixture but keeping the air in. All of this technology we have been developing over time, and it still adds so much value.”
As well as building on its existing tech, in a postacquisition world, SGM is benefitting from the extended pool of R&D engineers that comes with being a part of Golden Sea – expanding from in-house R&D engineers based in Aarhus, to a team of more than 200 at Golden Sea. Alongside this, Ferrante explains that the full engineering process, across the entire supply chain, is “completely internal”.
“We do not use external optics consultants, we do not go to others for firmware; there are thermal engineers, optic engineers, firmware, software, mechanical industrial design, we even make our own glass optics – we have the entire gamut.
“As part of Golden Sea’s overall business strategy, we want to own the core technology that lives within our lights. Optics is one of these technologies. So, we have an optics factory where we do all the polishing, grinding, coating in-house, and we take the same approach across all factors, including mechanical design and thermal design.”
With such extensive in-house capabilities in place, what this means is that, for SGM, the speed in which new product lines can be developed, sampled, and brought to market, has rapidly increased. Within the past year alone, the company has conceived, trialled, and launched three new architectural product lines in its POI series – impressive by architectural lighting standards, but Ferrante is used to the speed at which Golden Sea can work.
“With an R&D team totalling more than 200 people, we can do everything faster. At Golden Sea, we’ve got an entire, 4,000sqm R&D workshop. This is only a fraction of the 160,000sqm Golden Sea facilities. This means that when you want to mill out a new product sample, it is done in two days’ time. If you see a prototype and don’t like it, you can ask for changes, and when you go back the next day, it has gone through the engineering process, been reworked, and a new prototype is ready to view.”
Ulrik Jakobsen, Director of Operations at SGM, adds: “The role of R&D is changing. We’ve always
done everything in-house, from the first pencil sketches, right to the finished, manufactured product, and if there are any problems, everyone is two minutes away. Now, we’re 4,000 kilometres apart, and the R&D department here is now collaborating with Golden Sea. It’s a new challenge, but one that has been successful. And while SGM typically launched 2-3 products a year, Golden Sea can launch 10 product lines a year – it’s impressive what they are capable of.”
A further benefit of this combined, international R&D process, De Plus adds, is the combination of cultures from Denmark and China, and how these can combine in incredibly effective ways.
“Typically, people here in Denmark are trained to be more creative, less ‘by the book’, where engineering is based on finding creative solutions. The people here are insanely good at this; our colour collaboration, as an example, is pure innovation.
“What the Golden Sea engineers bring is a persistence in ensuring that everything is super correct, so that when you do develop something that is creative, they can turn it into something real and manufacturable, that you can create by the thousands. And they can do it way more efficiently than we ever could. It’s a lot of fun, because we have the best of both worlds, and it opens up so many new possibilities.”
On the subject of new possibilities, since the acquisition, SGM has been busy assembling a veritable who’s-who of lighting talent to join the team as it looks to expand on its architectural lighting offering. From local talent Leif OrkelbogAndresen and Sascha Johnsen, who joined the team 12 months ago as Global Sales Director and Marketing Manager respectively, to Gé Hulsmans and Christopher Burridge, who both joined the company in 2025 as Global Specification Manager and EMEA Account Manager. Most recently, Jesse Lilley was appointed by SGM as Managing Director in October, just two weeks before arc’s visit to Aarhus.
Reflecting on these new appointments, Ferrante says: “We’re very, very lucky. We’re a Danish lighting company, and to have Leif based down the road in Copenhagen, Jesse and Sascha literally round the corner in Aarhus, if you were sitting at a drawing board trying to find people to inject new life into an organisation, to have this level of quality here, you couldn’t make it up.
“Having Golden Sea in the background may help in giving people the confidence that the business is well looked after and well-funded. Having been through a similar situation with Ayrton already, there is a blueprint for it, in that Golden Sea was always very clear about growing the team at Ayrton and not just moving operations overseas. We are doing the same here.”
De Plus, who has been with SGM for eight years, adds: “It is cool to see the people that are joining the team, not just the amount of people, but the specific hires we are making – Chris Burridge and Gé Hulsmans are just two examples – and Jesse joining, being able to tick the boxes of living in Denmark, coming from architectural lighting, when I was told they were joining, I thought ‘this is amazing’.”
Top The SGM Sales & Marketing team, pictured at the company’s Anniversary Celebration in Aarhus, Spring 2025. Christopher Agius Ferrante, SGM CEO, stands back row, centre. Bottom Standing for 100 years across the Allegheny River in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, the Three Sisters bridges were given a permanent new lighting installation in 2023 by Michael Baker International, in which SGM fixtures were used. Alongside the brand’s Video Pixel Linear providing dynamic pixel segments, its P10 and Q10 colour changing LED fixtures were selected to light the bridges’ 78ft towers.
Lilley’s experience in architectural lighting is extensive, having worked with the likes of Martin Professional, Lumenpulse, and on the design side, Speirs Major Light Architecture, over the past 20 years.
Left Holding a Guinness World Record as the brightest suspended ornament, Koert Vermeulen’s Star in Motion, was one of the standout installations at the 2021 Noor Riyadh festival in Saudi Arabia. The piece was brought to life with 16 SGM G-7 BeaSt fixtures.
(Image: Noor Riyadh)
Top Right As part of a major revitalisation of Gellerupparken, Aarhus, a new entrance to the neighbourhood, dubbed The Golden Gate was created. The gate utilises 300 VPLs from SGM. These are situated behind the gate’s hollow golden metal plates, creating a striking yet subtle lit effect.
Bottom Right Occupying a high-profile location on Paris’ Champs-Élysées, the newest flagship addition to Louis Vuitton’s building portfolio began renovation in 2023. During the Paris 2024 Olympics, Monogram hoarding was fabricated from brushed aluminium Dibond to emulate the famous Louis Vuitton travel case. A reflective surface, the Dibond required a homogeneous light to avoid any perceptible colour shadows or imperfections. Working with LEDBOX in Paris, SGM designed and fabircated custom diffusers for the i-1 Linear X, tailored to the needs and design of the hoarding and its support structure.
During arc’s visit to Aarhus, he told us of his excitement at being a part of this new journey for SGM.
“A lot of what is happening is familiar to me from my time at Martin, when it expanded from entertainment to architectural lighting. I’m very excited to be in a similar situation again where we’re building up the architectural side. I love what I’m discovering in the company.
“I’m discovering some amazing technologies that I don’t think are being used enough yet, because they can create some amazing products in terms of the finesse of control, the light quality, and colour calibration.
“There is some very clever technology in this company that has not properly seen the light of day, so I see huge potential. The people here have a lot of experience, and if we can choreograph the dance in the right way between Denmark and China towards a global market, I think we could have an amazing winning formula.”
When a company reaches a landmark anniversary, particularly one as significant as a 50th, there can be a tendency to look back on where you have come, and reflect with nostalgia on past glories. For SGM though, it became very clear during our visit to Aarhus that the focus is very much on the future. From some very exciting, potentially game-changing new product developments that, for now, remain highly confidential, to expansion plans at their head offices in Denmark, as well as around the world, all with the full collaboration and support of Golden Sea.
Reflecting on this, Ferrante says: “There is a lot of vision, and a lot of forward thinking and longtermism. Not just for tomorrow, but a lot longer down the road.”
And so, with all of this in mind, it will be exciting to see what the next 50 years will bring.
www.sgmlighting.com
Smáratorg Tower
Kópavogur, Iceland
When Reykjavík-based lighting design studio Liska was commissioned to transform the Smáratorg Tower façade, the brief was deceptively simple: turn an ordinary building into a landmark that feels part of the city, its skyline, and its culture. Yet the challenge that followed was far more nuanced: how to design a media façade that is expressive without being loud, animated without being intrusive, and iconic without slipping into spectacle.
For Örn Erlendsson, senior lighting designer at Liska, the starting point was not technology, but context: “Before anything else, we ask: where is this building truly seen? From street level, from a distance, from the skyline?” With Smáratorg, the answer was clear early on – the upper portion of the tower is what dominates the horizon. The design, therefore, focused not on the entire façade, but on the part that actually shapes the city’s silhouette.
The second foundational idea sprung from something deeply cultural: the Nordic sky.
Liska envisioned a soft, slowly undulating motion – a reference to auroral shifts rather than dramatic animations. A landmark not because it shouts, but because it breathes.
The design would ultimately rely on transparent media lighting, integrating into the existing architecture with minimal visual weight during the day, yet delivering a subtle, living presence after dark.
Unlike many new media façades, Smáratorg was an existing tower undergoing renovation, with structural, glazing, mounting and planning constraints. That reality shaped the entire process. “This project had a long planning phase, deliberately,” Örn explains. “We tested many prototypes in real conditions. Every decision had to respect the building and the environment.”
Liska opened a broad RFI process to identify partners capable not only of supplying technology, but co-developing it. It wasn’t a case of buying a product. They needed a manufacturer who would explore possibilities with them.
Vivalyte was strongly involved from the start with
problem-solving, prototyping, and testing. Several iterations were tested: from brightness levels and resolution to window loads, and the Icelandic weather conditions. Ultimately, it was a collective effort of the lighting designer, manufacturer, integrator, façade manufacturer, engineering team, architect and client.
This methodical approach paid off: the final system integrates naturally into the façade and withstands the harsh climate without visual clutter.
In Europe, media façades and architectural lighting are increasingly scrutinised for energy use, sustainability, and light pollution. Liska approached these concerns head-on. “We had open conversations with the municipality, neighbours and stakeholders. We didn’t want a beacon or an animated advertising wall. The façade is dynamic, but very soft – tasteful, minimal, appropriate.”
Lighting intensity adapts through the evening, dims with natural light, and switches off completely at night when there is no audience. Sustainability and responsibility are part of the design. The result is neither branding nor spectacle, but a carefully calibrated, living architectural element.
One of the most elegant gestures is how the lighting blends into the architecture. Only the top half of the tower has light lines, but it’s programmed with a gradient so it blends seamlessly downwards. It becomes part of the building, not a layer stuck on top.
During the day, the hardware disappears into the façade. At dusk, the tower slowly comes alive. From a moving car, one might just sense a glow; standing still, the motion reveals itself?
Soft, slow, harmonic.
Smáratorg Tower is now exactly what the client hoped for – a landmark, not because it dominates the skyline, but because it enhances it.
www.liska.is
www.vivalyte.com www.exton.is
Image: Örn Erlendsson
UK Pavilion
Expressing a sense of “playful Britishness”, the UK Pavilion at Expo 2025 features a modular design, complemented by lighting from Speirs Major Light Architecture and Beam Lighting Design
Built around the tagline “Come Build the Future”, the UK Pavilion at Expo 2025 embodied the idea of the power of small ideas transforming into world-changing solutions.
Designed by Woo Architects, the pavilion’s modular, grid-like form took inspiration from the simplicity of a child’s building blocks, while its layered façade evoked a distinctly “playful Britishness”.
At the heart of the structure, an interactive digital experience invited visitors to explore the UK’s pioneering contributions to global innovation through immersive storytelling and cutting-edge technology.
Beyond the exhibition space, guests sampled the best of British cuisine at the on-site restaurant, or decompressed at the bar space, overlooking the nearby lagoon, taking in panoramic views of the Expo 2025 site.
The modular, 8-bit inspired design was carried through every area, reinforcing the pavilion’s playful aesthetic while supporting sustainability goals through components that were designed for easy disassembly and reuse in future installations.
To express this design ethos after dark, a dynamic architectural lighting scheme was essential. As such, Woo Architects, alongside construction partners ES Global, collaborated with Speirs Major Light Architecture (SMLA) to bring the pavilion to life through light.
Using the six-by-six metre grids of the façade as a starting point, SMLA worked with Woo Architects to create a dynamic “skin” for the building that would help to draw visitors into the space.
Reflecting on the process, Clementine FletcherSmith, Partner at SMLA, tells arc of the early design conversations between the lighting designers and architects: “It was a constantly evolving, exploratory process. We built a lot of mock-ups and did numerous tests, thinking about the layering of materials, the different offsets and spacings, backlighting, interactions. Woo were very open in the creative discussions, and it was a very nice back and forth of design ideas, with lots of iterations; it was a fun, open, collaborative process.”
As part of this approach, SMLA worked with Woo on the façade design, eventually landing on a system where the outer shell of the building was formed by perforated horizontal ribbons stepped forwards and backwards, creating cubic segments. The design was influenced by the British heritage of weaving, with the perforations representing the punched cards once used in textile looms.
Strong contrast between the outer and inner skins created a dramatic transformation from the daytime to evening appearance.
During the day, the white outer skin reflected the bright sky, and after dark, light grazed up the Union Jack vinyl on the inner skin bounced colour through the white outer skin.
The offset of the façade was tested to ensure there was sufficient space for the light to bounce within the cavity, while mitigating any risks caused by typhoons and strong winds. It was also decided to leave the outer façade open at the top and bottom, so natural light could reach the inner skin by day, giving a subtle glimpse of the hidden inner surface.
“We spent a lot of time with Woo talking about the façade and the size of the perforations, FletcherSmith continues. “We did 3D modelling, physical modelling, and proper tests to look at how much light would come through. Where the blocks are staggered, the light bleeds through the gaps, which creates a three-dimensionality, and creates different experiences when you view the building from afar, and up close.”
On the approach to the pavilion itself, visitors walked through a landscaped garden, designed by landscape architects FIRA. Combining Japanese heritage with flourishes from the UK, the garden harnessed the Japanese concept of “Shakkei”, which means “borrowed scenery”, and refers to the notion of getting a big scene in a small space. This was manifested through the introduction of four classically British typologies – a woodland, a traditional garden, rolling hillsides, and a village green. A further, playful nod to British heritage was also found through an illuminated red phone box, adding a distinctive and light-hearted moment to the journey.
“Our approach varied with the different planting types,” Fletcher-Smith continues. “The rolling hillsides were all about low, downward light; for the woodland, we focused on a dappled lighting effect through the foliage; for the village green, we looked to frame the open green space; and
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the more formal, traditional garden featured spotlights to the topiary.
“When we were thinking about the garden, we were conscious that most visitors would come during the day, so our approach needed to be simple, aiming to provide a calm, natural oasis after dark. Our solution was relatively modest, but still created the right atmosphere for each of the landscape typologies.”
Inside, the connection to Japanese culture was much more evident – the ground floor was defined by a series of coffered timber ceilings with light panels softly illuminating the ceiling plane, inspired by traditional Japanese architecture. The warm light created a welcoming atmosphere, with additional lighting to punctuate the space, highlighting retail displays and providing accents to guide people towards the upper-level event spaces.
In the café, the coffer design evolved with expressed suspended globe lights at the centre of each 5x5 timber ceiling grid, evoking oversized lanterns that added a soft, ambient glow to the dining experience. Wall-mounted picture lights reference classic British interiors, and the rich textures and colours of the Liberty print textiles are highlighted throughout the hospitality areas.
Upstairs in the hospitality areas, flexibility was key, as lighting levels were required to adapt in support of a wide range of event formats, with the space being reconfigured from one large room to a series of smaller, more intimate areas.
“The feeling for the interior spaces was that it shouldn’t look like a piece of the UK placed somewhere else – it should be a union of international collaboration – showcasing local influence on the design.”
The bar was a playful evolution of the architectural design. The open elevation was wrapped by the building’s perforated façade, with cubic mirror panels covering the walls and ceilings reflecting the façade patterns, creating a richly immersive interior. In the evening, reflections of the lit façade dominated the interior experience, so light within the bar was focused onto the counter, bottle displays and tables to create moments of intimate scale.
Local Japanese lighting equipment was used extensively throughout the project wherever possible, to support local benefit from the project. While SMLA designed the architectural lighting for the pavilion, in the exhibition space, Beam Lighting Design worked with Immersive International on an immersive, AV-driven experience that looked to celebrate the UK’s culture, innovation, and spirit of collaboration, as well as the shared tradition of creativity and excellence in technical delivery that unites the UK with Japan.
The show element of the exhibition was a 30-minute experience, with the audience passing through the various spaces in small groups, viewing video content designed to tell the story of the UK’s role as a nation of ideas, and technological development.
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Beam Lighting Design’s scheme was highly synchronised with the video content, providing wayfinding and audience assistance in the form of soft waves of low-level light. This motif was used throughout the show, allowing visitors to have a clear understanding of when to move, while also providing those with mobility impairments clear visual indicators for optimal viewing points.
Speaking on the multi-functional purpose of the exhibition lighting design, Jono Kenyon, Director at Beam Lighting Design, says: “Lighting was designed to form part of the wayfinding to help crowds navigate the space. So, we developed a signature of moving dynamic LED at low level that would allow visitors to understand when films were starting, as they would drip down in intensity. We also worked with accessibility consultants on a colour scheme that would clearly denote spaces for people with mobility impairments that had good viewing points.
“Alongside this, we worked to illuminate the objects, graphics, and light boxes throughout, forming a dynamic lighting display within the exhibition’s key areas. But I would say more than half of the design from our side, in terms of the thought processes, was around the integration within the AV experience.”
Coordinating the lighting to run in sync with the wider AV “journey” through the pavilion was, as Kenyon describes, “a complex thing to pull together, but very rewarding”.
He adds that this intensive process required a lot of on-site collaboration and experimentation with Immersive International.
“A lot of timing decisions were made on the basis of the physical movement of people throughout the space, and there wasn’t a very easy way of doing that without having people in the space. We did modelling in advance, where the timings were rough, but in reality, because the site was completely accessible, with ramps to get people from the lower to upper levels, the timing of these is quite difficult to manage and set.
“By the end of the Expo, the pavilion hit more than a million visitors, which for a timed experience is an incredible achievement, because it isn’t just an open building that people can flood in and out of; it is a timed experience, and there is a level of complexity to that, which is far more rigorous.”
Taking heed from the strapline of “Come Build the Future”, Kenyon saw this as an “invitation” to the younger generations of Japan that the UK is an “opening, inviting environment for them to work and study”, with lighting forming a central part of that experience within the pavilion.
He continues: “One of the main aims for the experience was to engage with young people – they were a primary focus in terms of the interactive games that were part of the display, and the characters within the audiovisual presentation, so we wanted to make it fun, vibrant, and exciting for young people to engage with.”
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Lighting was a part of this display, with the recurring motif of illuminated cubes throughout each space, developed in close collaboration with The Light Lab, intended to act as a signature marker throughout the space, while also paying homage to the AV presentation’s main character, an anime-style figure dubbed Pix.
With such an immersive lighting scheme within the exhibition space, and the dynamic, rippling effect lighting on the pavilion’s façade, Kenyon explained that the crossover point between Beam Lighting Design’s work and that of SMLA, was “fairly simple”.
“We met with the SMLA team before we went to Japan to make sure that there was an alignment of the fundamentals of the two sections – we had a section of ceiling that formed part of the experience, and likewise SMLA had a section that looked similar, but had a different function. There was a collective agreement that we didn’t want there to be a dysfunctional look between those two elements. We wanted it to be homogeneous and to feel the same. The architectural elegance that they brought to the pavilion and its front of house areas needed to work on its own merits, but at the same time, we cohesively wanted the whole show to appear as one.”
Fletcher-Smith concurs: “At the entrance canopy, there was colour that responded to the exhibition space, but it looked architecturally like the café and restaurant, with the timber coffers. The hint of colour is what took you into the exhibition journey.
“We did a lot of design workshops with Immersive International and Beam, listening to their approaches, and thinking about how the architectural approach could respond to that.” While there are, as Kenyon says, “intrinsic challenges” with working on a project of this scale and ambition on the other side of the world, he believes that the continued collaboration, and commitment from all parties to create something that the UK could feel proud of, resulted in a successful outcome.
“The site itself was quite a difficult space, because it is a windswept peninsula out on the water, and it was constructed during winter, so it was very open to the elements, but we have ended up with something done to a hotel-grade finish, to very high standards: working kitchens, elevators, reception suites, etc. To do that, working to Japanese building codes, is a real achievement.
“As a pavilion, the UK pushed really hard on accessibility too; we had accessibility consultants from the UK and Japan who covered as many elements as possible to make the environment as accessible as possible. That included relaxed performances where the lights weren’t as dynamic or didn’t get as dark as you would expect from the regular show – the challenges of achieving all of this are very present, but as a team, I think everyone worked really hard on that.”
For Fletcher-Smith, alongside factors such as budget and timescale, the lifespan of the project, particularly when compared to other façade lighting schemes that she has worked on, was a different sort of challenge. She adds: “If you are designing a façade, you want your lighting to be just as good as it was when you installed it in 20 years’ time – there is fastidious detailing, and an absolute pressure to get it right. Whereas for the Expo, although you are designing for a sixmonth lifespan, in some ways it is probably more of a challenge to create a design for temporary architecture that is dismountable and reusable. That said, you can take more of a theatrical approach to it, because it is short term.”
To that end, despite any pressures or challenges, Fletcher-Smith looks back on the project fondly, from the collaboration with the various design partners, to the final lighting scheme. She says: “Our ability to respond fluidly to the design processes was probably one of the biggest challenges, but it was also one of the most fun aspects. To do a whole building from scratch in such a short period of time is exciting. “I look back on it as being design rich, because there was a lot of sharing of ideas and collaborating, and we ended up with something that looked interesting and exciting, particularly when done on a tight budget. It’s a really nice feel that we can stand up and feel proud of what we’ve achieved.”
For Kenyon, he says that he approached the project with a mixture of pride and pressure.
“There’s a pressure of working for a client, which is ostensibly the UK government, but coupled with that is the sense that we were representing our country on a global stage. We were representing the UK and saying ‘this is the best of British, this is who we are and what we represent’ on a global stage, and I think we did a really good job of that.
“Telling the story of UK innovation in a way that is successful and fun for younger people to enjoy definitely gives me a sense of pride, as well as the technical delivery and excellence of the project itself. For lighting to be part of that experience and storytelling process is an exciting part of what we do generally, and we are exceptionally pleased and proud at the way the project came together and was ultimately delivered.”
www.smlightarchitecture.com www.beamld.com
Client: Department for Business and Trade Lighting Design (Architecture): Clementine Fletcher-Smith, Justyna Bork, Wimonwan Wichaikhamjorn; Speirs Major Light Architecture, UK
Lighting Design (Exhibition): Jono Kenyon, Virginia Bertolotti, Martin Goodman; Beam Lighting Design, UK
Architect: WOO Architects, UK Landscape Design: Fira Landscape, UK
Photography: Hufton + Crow; Immersive International and ESG
Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Pavilion
More than a temporary landmark, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Pavilion serves as an immersive journey into the spirit of the nation, inviting visitors to explore a world where heritage and innovation intertwine. Foster + Partners discuss the quintessential role of lighting and how it shaped the project.
n the waterfront of Yumeshima, an artificial island in Osaka, a striking pavilion rises as a fragment of a Saudi City. Designed by Foster + Partners for Expo 2025 Osaka, the Saudi Arabia Pavilion reinterprets the Kingdom’s winding streets and sunlit courtyards, inviting visitors to wander through a space that blends tradition, history, and innovation. The project celebrates the textures and rhythms of daily life in Saudi Arabia while setting a benchmark in sustainable design, achieving Japan’s highest sustainability rating for green buildings (CASBEE S) and net-zero carbon in operation.
The Pavilion’s purpose is to tribute, to honour, and learn from the various facets that form the fabric of Saudi Arabia’s heritage, from engaging with its architecture to its deep-rooted artistic culture. Visitors begin their journey through the Pavilion’s forecourt, landscaped with Saudi Arabian flora, and traverse the narrow streets to the courtyard. From day until night, the courtyard is the beating heart of the scheme, providing a tranquil space for reflection during the daytime before it transforms into a venue for performances and events in the evening. From here, visitors explore the meandering ‘village’ streets through a series of immersive rooms that combine cinematic storytelling, interactive installations, and real-time art creation. By engaging all of the senses, the space allows visitors to experience the national transformation of Saudi Arabia while maintaining a strong connection to its heritage.
For Foster + Partners, light is quintessential to the shaping of the project. Laura Suico, Associate at Foster + Partners, explains that lighting is conceived as part of the architecture, creating continuity between the pavilion’s volumes and the spaces that flow between them. By day, the form stands as a cultural expression of the original concept; however, when the sun sets, a soft internal glow emanates from within, transforming the Pavilion into a living sculptural form open to reinterpretation. This gentle illumination not only highlights the architecture but also provides a welcoming invitation to its visitors.
Suico explains: “We set out to create a lighting scheme that would embrace the pavilion at night, turning it into a welcoming and warm space. Close collaboration with the client was therefore fundamental to shaping the project and allowed us to continually refine our vision, ensuring the design honoured the heritage of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia while simultaneously paying tribute to Japan as the host country.”
The Pavilion’s design is centred around the theme An Epic Journey of New Discoveries, conceived to create a truly immersive experience that evokes the feeling of travelling through the cities and towns of Saudi Arabia. Through careful use of ambient and dynamic lighting, the Pavilion could simulate the sensation of being in another country and moving from place to place. To fully immerse the visitors, it was essential to keep the lighting at an intimate level that gently envelops them while remaining discreet and unobtrusive, so visitors are never consciously aware of its source.
The lighting also supports intuitive wayfinding, guiding visitors naturally through the installation. A refined and consistent lighting language leads the way, with carefully placed accents and subtle variations in colour temperature and brightness signalling shifts in mood and function, drawing the eye throughout the journey.
To create a natural rhythm to the journey, the lighting works in harmony with the Pavilion’s digital content, complementing rather than competing with it. Created in collaboration with 59 Studio and Squint Opera, the exhibition delivers a dynamic and visually rich experience using digital art installations; meanwhile, the architectural lighting provides a calm and supportive backdrop that doesn’t overwhelm the senses. Balance is achieved through a meticulously detailed and cohesive lighting system in the Pavilion’s circulation and quieter zones, allowing the digital content to take centre stage in the immersive areas. These spaces are then shaped by the shifting interplay of light, such as intensifying vibrant moments before gently giving way to calm.
Sustainability and inclusivity lie at the heart of the pavilion’s design philosophy, with the lighting strategy playing an integral role in achieving these ambitions. Developed through a fully integrated design process, the lighting team collaborated closely with architects, engineers, and exhibition designers to ensure every element supported the Pavilion’s wider environmental goals. Alongside the use of low-carbon materials and rooftop photovoltaic panels generating renewable energy, the lighting design contributed to the project’s CASBEE green building standard achievement. Notably, the Saudi Pavilion is the first temporary structure to receive the WELL Health and Safety Rating (HSR) certification – a milestone that demonstrates a strong commitment to creating a healthy, inclusive, and people-centred environment. The lighting design directly supports this achievement by providing energy-efficient, comfortable illumination that improves safety and accessibility throughout the visitor areas. Energy-saving luminaires, intelligent controls, and lightweight structural integration further reduce environmental impact while ensuring visual comfort. An ongoing post-occupancy evaluation (POE) is assessing the lighting’s real-world performance and user experience. The insights gained will inform future sustainable design strategies, helping to advance Foster + Partners’ ongoing aspiration towards responsible, human-centred lighting solutions.
However, a project with ambitious and forwardthinking results doesn’t come without its challenges. Suico expands: “The site location brought logistical challenges in procurement and construction coordination, yet these challenges and constraints became part of the distinctive nature of the project itself.”
The demands of working within a strict timescale required the team to engage deeply with the project from the outset. Working with such a diverse team, Suico says collaborating with experts across multiple professional disciplines enriched the process,
revealing how lighting design and architecture come together to create a rich and intricate language.
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Pavilion ultimately stands as a testament to the power of collaboration, cultural dialogue, and innovation in design.
Through the seamless integration of architecture, light, and digital storytelling, Foster + Partners has created an experience that transcends the boundaries of a traditional exhibition space – a true hallmark in their portfolio to be proud of.
“The project holds a special place in our hearts. It started with a few sketches on paper during early reviews, and seeing those lines evolve into a real, tangible pavilion means a great deal to us,” comments Suico.
own journey of discovery, it not only celebrates the spirit of Saudi Arabia but also reaffirms the transformative potential of thoughtful, humancentred design on the global stage.
Client: Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Ministry of Culture
Lighting Design: Foster + Partners, UK
Architect: Foster + Partners, UK
Exhibition Design: 59 Studio, UK; Squint Opera, UK
“Throughout the journey, we remained true to the core ideas. We made several mock-ups and material experiments to realise our vision. Watching it come to life – and knowing it was achieved through close collaboration with the architectural and environmental engineering team – is something we deeply cherish.”
Every element, from the interplay of light and shadow to the sustainable materials and inclusive design principles, reflects a shared vision of progress rooted in heritage. As the Pavilion continues to welcome visitors on their
Suico adds: “Working on the Expo was a unique and rewarding experience for us. It pushed us to challenge ourselves and expand our role beyond lighting design, collaborating closely as part of a multidisciplinary team. A key part of this process was working closely with the whole team at Foster + Partners, ensuring that the design was fully integrated with the building’s systems and overall vision for Expo. This close collaboration between our team, alongside the fantastic client team and local contractors, which were essential to delivering a seamless and cohesive result.”
www.fosterandpartners.com
USA Pavilion
Bridging the gap between American and Japanese culture, the external lighting from dpa lighting consultants helps in the USA Pavilion’s aim to celebrate the country’s iconic vistas.
ntended to be a cultural outpost for the United States of America, the USA Pavilion at Expo 2025 looks to celebrate the best of contemporary American architecture, exhibition design, culture, and innovation. Designed by Trahan Architects, in association with BRC Imagination Arts, ES Global, and Alchemy, the USA Pavilion invites visitors to be immersed in a vibrant experience of the United States, with exhibitions that celebrate the country and its iconic vistas.
Located prominently within Expo 2025’s Grand Ring, the USA Pavilion sits halfway between the Forest of Tranquillity and the East Gate Entrance Plaza, serving as a visual gateway for all visitors. Open, grand, yet minimalistic, the pavilion is inspired on one hand by the natural and urban canyons of the USA, and on the other by ancient Japanese footbridges.
On approaching the pavilion, two triangular buildings create a central plaza and serve as expansive wings, with LED screens depicting iconic and dynamic images of American landmarks and landscapes.
As visitors enter, the plaza arches gently, creating a sense of balance, while cultivating a unique journey through the space. From west to east, the plaza narrows to a point, creating a sense of calmness within the architecture. At the rear of the pavilion, visitors find a moment of reprieve in the serenity garden, where the two wings meet, allowing a sliver of natural light into a small garden.
At the heart of the pavilion lies a ‘floating’ translucent cube – brightly illuminated and suspended above visitors – that acts as a threshold, inspired by Japanese torii gates, which transitions the pavilion’s active public plaza to its contemplative private courtyard.
The lighting design for the external areas of the Pavilion was delivered by dpa lighting consultants, which was initially contacted by Christine Losecaat of Alchemy, who was project managing the designbuild of the pavilion. The lighting design practice was recommended for the project by David Atkinson of DALD, owing to its presence both in the UK and Japan, meaning that it could provide local representation to support the project.
Richard Bolt, Partner at dpa lighting consultants, reflects on their beginnings on the project, and the early conversations with the wider design team:
“Trahan Architects, which undertook the pavilion design, provided detailed briefings at dpa’s project inception, explaining the narrative and including references to contemporary American architecture and spirit, culture and innovation, with inspiration and influences from historic Japanese architecture and ancient footbridges. Understanding form, geometry and materiality were fundamental in establishing the desired exterior atmosphere.
“Initial conceptual lighting visualisations had been produced by the architects, with dpa developing further ideas and lighting layers within the enhanced concept lighting design phase. It was important to establish a brightness hierarchy to align with the architecture and flow of visitors, with the lighting design supporting an energetic introduction to the external space, in close proximity to the LED Media Screens. While also transitioning to calmer surroundings within the garden of serenity at the convergence point at the west end of the plaza.”
Central to the design of the USA Pavilion is the interplay between traditional Japanese and contemporary American architecture – two styles that may on the surface appear to be at odds with each other. However, the lighting in the courtyard space helps to bridge the gap between these two contrasting styles and create a cohesive and unified space.
Bolt continues: “The integration of various lighting layers accentuates the architectural and landscape components, from the demarcation of the Alaskan Yellow Cedar central walkway and uplighting to the underside of the recyclable translucent polycarbonate central cube, to floating the linear geometry of the seating bench and planters. The slatted Douglas Fir cladding within the garden of serenity is brushed with close offset warm white uplighting, highlighting the verticality of the canyon-like space.”
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Image: dpa lighting consultants
In a similar sense, the use of low-level, linear lighting adds to the desired feeling of calmness within the serenity garden. The narrowing pathway has been expressed through a continuation of the linear, homogenous lines of light, reinforcing the architectural vista and sense of perspective to the visitor, within the canyon. Atmospheric landscape lighting, uplighting the low-level shrubs, a single tree, and sculptural piece provide an additional, residential feel towards the convergence point.
The 2,880sqm pavilion’s interior exhibition programme, created by BRC Imagination Arts, engages Expo visitors through a variety of experiential typologies, with the core ambition for the USA Pavilion to invite guests from around the world to “Imagine What We Can Create Together”. Although dpa was not engaged with the interior lighting design, through collaboration with the architects, the team introduced pools of downward warm white light at the external/internal entrance, exit, and restaurant thresholds, to ensure continuity of colour temperature and drama when transitioning between the outside and inside.
Given the USA Pavilion’s prominence in the Expo site, particularly its location within the Grand Ring, it was important for dpa to consider its wider context. Although viewed as a standalone structure within the grounds of the Expo, Bolt adds it was important that the lighting not “compete with the other pavilions”.
He continues: “Understanding the context and positioning of the pavilion within the Expo was important. This included looking at the visitor viewing angles from the prominence of the Expo’s Grand Ring, which required greater attention regarding the placement of the lighting equipment and light distribution, so as to reduce potential glare and light spill. The external lighting techniques employed were closely associated with the pavilion narrative as a standalone structure.”
As with all Expo events, the pavilion structures are designed to be dismantled with minimal waste, with some pavilions later going on to be rebuilt in their home countries. With this in mind, organisers have also launched a reuse matching project, to pair new end-users with building materials from the event. Designing the lighting for what is essentially a temporary project is something that Bolt feels differentiates the experience of working on the USA Pavilion to that of other projects that he has been involved in.
“The process of designing the lighting was different, due to the lack of permanence required for the lighting, while achieving a durable solution for the anticipated heavy visitor footfall, with the lighting solutions offering cost effectiveness.
“The large quantity of international stakeholders involved in the project meant that multiple presentations were delivered within the design phase of the project, most likely at a disproportionate volume versus the scale of the project, which was a little different to “typical” architectural projects.”
However, some of the biggest challenges in the project came at the specification stage, as Bolt recalls: “The detailed lighting specifications were developed by dpa’s Oxfordshire studio, and had to be converted into reality on the ground, through negotiations with Japanese manufacturers and suppliers. The translation of the lighting design was a challenge, but was overcome by the introduction of dpa’s Japan studio, which interfaced with the local contractors and procurement teams, to ensure that the lighting design’s creative and technical intent was met and delivered.
“Other challenges included the demanding construction programme, procurement timelines, and the lighting equipment installation, which necessitated close coordination between the project team to ensure the correct detailing and implementation was achieved.”
These challenges notwithstanding, Bolt recalls the project fondly, adding that dpa was “delighted to have worked on the USA Pavilion’s exterior architectural lighting design”.
“We were introduced to the project relatively late in the design process, so had to act swiftly to have an influence over the lighting design direction, which was duly achieved through close collaboration with the team.
“The exterior architectural lighting design complements the architecture and landscape design in a measured way, and the success is gleaned from the visitors occupying the plaza, which is evidently being used during the Expo as a gathering point and opportunity to rest and reflect.
“The lighting project has been neatly executed, and the lit result closely aligned with the lighting visualisations created during the design process, so the client’s expectations have been met and hopefully exceeded.”
www.dpalighting.com
Design-Build Contractor: ES Global; Alchemy Pavilion Design: Trahan Architects
Exhibition Media & Design: BRC Imagination Arts Engineer of Record: Meinhardt; E&M Consulting Engineers Inc
Honoring the “seafaring heritage” of both Qatar and Japan, Lighting Planners Associates has used a delicate approach to illuminate the “floating” Qatar Pavilion
Taking inspiration from the traditional Dhow boat, the Qatar Pavilion at Expo 2025 is composed of a wooden exhibition building, wrapped in a white, sail-like membrane, designed to appear as if it is “floating” on the surrounding water table.
Designed by Kengo Kuma & Associates (KKAA), the pavilion looks to express the connection between Qatar and Japan – two countries that share the same seafaring heritage – and it continues through to the exhibition area, designed by AMO/OMA, with the theme “From the Coastline, We Progress”.
The curved membrane of the pavilion is connected to a series of symbolic arches at the foot of the building, creating a seaside promenade that evokes Islamic geometry, while the wooden box built inside the membrane is finished with cedar paneling, and coated with three different colours of paint, further emphasising the connection to the century-old dhow boats.
Working alongside KKAA, the pavilion was illuminated by Lighting Planners Associates (LPA), who used light to echo the architectural concept of a floating boat through a “gentle” lighting scheme. However, as the pavilion is situated along the Expo’s Grand Ring, LPA examined how best to illuminate its white membrane in a manner that would allow it to stand out among its brightly lit surroundings.
“The architect and the Qatar team preferred to illuminate the façade from outside, rather than showing the transparency of the membrane; LPA carried out 3D simulation studies to find the best lighting position,” says LPA.
“As the sail membrane is white and smooth, and the façade has a simple, symmetrical shape, it was difficult to adjust the aiming angle and dimming level of multiple fixtures to achieve uniform brightness over the wide front surface of the façade. Since the membrane is sloped back at the top, light from ground level would not reach the top, and LPA concluded that spotlights mounted on eight-metre-high poles would provide sufficient luminance.
“Due to the shape of the site, the position of the light poles is asymmetrical to the pavilion, making it difficult to adjust the spotlight and illuminate the façade evenly. Even if the brightness difference was not noticeable to the naked eye, it would be accentuated through the camera, so each spotlight was individually dimmed to achieve uniform brightness.”
Narrow beam spotlights were used to wash the sides of the façade, to emphasise the shape of the membrane and create the appearance of sails filled with wind. Meanwhile, along the approach corridor, continuous arches are emphasised by uplights with anti-glare louvres. This is complemented further by under-bench lighting, which guides guests towards the entrance.
On entering the pavilion and its exhibition space, the visitor’s eye is immediately drawn to a gradational sand wall, representing Qatar’s desert landscape. The clear, acrylic pipes that hold the sand have both transmissive and reflective effects; this meant that, in order to avoid the reflection of indirect lighting on the pipes, light sources have been adjusted not to directly face this feature. Elsewhere, in the intro corridor, a backlit fabric wall, akin to the colour of sand, creates a soft light environment. Here, LPA ensured that the light source was verified to match the colour temperature of the luminous ceiling of the adjacent shop, visible through the clear acrylic pipe.
In a sharp contrast, the main exhibition room is enveloped by deep blue curtains, creating an “underwater atmosphere”. In the centre, a large, wedge-shaped object features the Qatar coastline in 12 niches, showcasing the country’s culture, ecology, hospitality, and heritage through a curved, backlit panorama panel.
The curtains are designed to represent the rich marine resources of Qatar, with a blue fabric base and shiny materials, such as dove and gold thread, while DALI-controlled dimming spotlights are used to minimise the base, highlighting the Qatar map pattern.
Explaining the lighting journey from the entrance to the exhibit space, LPA adds: “We designed a lighting sequence from a bright, ambient mood near the entrance, to shift to a contrasted, dark mood in the main exhibition room. In the introduction corridor, soft, diffused light through the fabric wall gently illuminates the sand wall, before the entire mood is dimmed down in the exhibition space to focus the visitor’s eyes to the coastline exhibition.”
In the exhibition space, lighting was also installed behind the curtains to match the position of the pigeonholes, while the shimmering light effect, combined with the drapes, gives the space a sense of depth.
Although there are many luminous elements in the space, the floor and the main object are both made
of aluminium, with a vibrant finish that reflects light well, so the balance between the brightness of each element was adjusted to prevent the space from becoming too bright.
Client: Qatar Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Qatar
Museum
Lighting Design: Lighting Planners Associates, Japan
Pavilion Architect: Kengo Kuma & Associates, Japan
Photography: Lighting Planners Associates; Marco Cappelletti
Indeed, given the luminosity of the materials in the space, a sensitive approach was needed to achieve the best results. The main exhibition space features a dark theatre at its centre, while the graphic on the blue curtain that runs along the entire space needed to stand out. This required very sensitive adjustments to the lighting, so we dimmed the spotlights down to just 5%. The luminous display panels and the reflective aluminium finish on the exhibits and floor helped to cast a gentle light onto the curtain.”
Finally, the VIP room on the second floor is based on the theme of cultural exchange between Qatar and Japan, with objects inspired by “paper” lightly covering the entire ceiling. Here, using a full-scale mockup, LPA decided how to hide the lighting fixtures themselves within the suspended ceiling feature, without shining directly on the ceiling.
“Several scenes were set up according to the intended use: a workshop scene with uniform brightness throughout; a reception scene with
low brightness in the centre while emphasising the artwork on the walls. The vitrine box was also specially designed and fitted with bar lights that were custom-made to match the vibrant aluminium finish,” the studio adds.
Reflecting on the experience of illuminating the Qatar Pavilion, LPA says that, although the overall design and construction schedule for the structure was tight, the team approached it as they would any architectural lighting design scheme, from the design itself to the selection of the fixtures.
Within this vibrant Expo site, the Qatar Pavilion stands out for its gentle simplicity, with the lighting bringing a much-needed feeling of calm serenity to its visitors.
LPA concludes: “Many visitors stopped in front of the pavilion to enjoy the photogenic night view. The lighting approach and expressions are simple, yet by carefully considering the space and materials, the lighting design elegantly enhances the charm of the architecture and the space.”
www.lighting.co.jp
Singapore Pavilion
For the Singapore Pavilion, DP Architects created “The Dream Sphere”, designed to symbolise the collective dreams and aspirations of Singaporeans. The sphere was brought to life through a lighting scheme designed by DP Lighting.
The Singapore Pavilion, designed by DP Architects, was an immersive showcase of sustainability, innovation, inclusivity and Singapore’s vision of a harmonious and resilient future. The design of the Singapore Pavilion drew inspiration from the “Little Red Dot” – a term of endearment that encapsulates Singapore’s bold aspirations and impact despite its small size.
Titled “The Dream Sphere,” the Pavilion was manifested as a 17-metre-tall spherical form clad in some 17,000 recycled aluminium “Dream Discs”, symbolising the collective dreams and aspirations of Singaporeans. Within its compact 1,003sqm site on Yumeshima Island, the design balanced architectural ambition with practical constraints, including height limits, fire and seismic safety codes, visitor flow management and stringent sustainability benchmarks. Despite these challenges, the Pavilion was both visually striking and emotionally resonant.
Visitors were guided on a multi-sensory journey (with concealed discrete circulation/navigation lighting by DPL) that unfolded through immersive media, kinetic installations and art experiences narrating stories of Singapore’s people, culture and sustainable progress. A key highlight was the Dream Forest. A biophilic environment (plant-health lighting by DPL) that echoed Singapore’s rewilding and greening initiatives, it expressed a vision of urban-nature harmony. The experience culminated in a retail space and café showcasing local products and flavours (lighting design by DPL), reinforcing the Pavilion’s focus on community, creativity and sustainability.
Beyond being an architectural icon, the Pavilion stood as a vessel of shared dreams, a powerful expression of inclusion, collaboration and innovation that resonated with the Expo’s overarching theme, “Designing Future Society for Our Lives.”
It celebrated Singapore’s collective ambition to co-create a better, more liveable world.
The Pavilion’s distinct architecture was made possible through the integration of computational design and advanced digital tools, transforming geometric complexity into opportunities for structural and environmental innovation. Each of the 17,000 Dream Discs was digitally mapped and parametrically positioned to follow the curvature of the sphere with precision. These computational studies optimised disc size, orientation, and reflectivity, ensuring a dynamic visual effect under changing light conditions while maintaining structural stability.
Lighting and wind simulations were employed to refine the performance of the façade, testing deflection limits and verifying the robustness of the mounting system under earthquake and typhoon conditions – and calibrating the façade brightness in relation to the surrounding environmental lighting.
The Dream Discs were installed at an optimal 10° angle, balancing visual rhythm, glare control and uniform illumination across the surface. With more than 8,000 concealed, individually-addressable DMX controlled white-light pixels, this careful orchestration resulted in a façade that subtly and slowly shimmers like a living skin, a kinetic tapestry of light and shadow representing the unity of individual aspirations.
The Pavilion thus embodied the principles of Reduce, Reuse, Recycle and Renew, aligning environmental responsibility with design excellence.
Prefabrication and modularity were central to the Pavilion’s Design for Manufacture and Assembly (DfMA) strategy. Major components such as the steel structure, FRP panels, and Dream Discs were fabricated off-site for precision, quality control and minimal waste. This approach reduced installation time, improved build accuracy and enhanced environmental performance despite the sphere’s intricate geometry.
True to Singapore’s circular design ethos, the Pavilion was conceived with ease of assembly and disassembly, as well as reuse post-Expo in mind. Structural elements and façade components could be dismantled, repurposed or recycled after the Expo – such as the façade light pixel system, which the manufacturer shall recyle/ repurpose – extending the material life cycle and reducing construction waste. The Dream Discs were produced from 70% post-consumer recycled aluminium, lowering embodied carbon by approximately 70tCO₂, equivalent to the annual carbon absorption of around 2,500 trees.
Accessibility and inclusivity were also integral to the Pavilion’s concept and execution. The design provided barrier-free access via ramps and lifts, while braille maps and tactile signage supported visually impaired visitors. The Pavilion’s narrative extended beyond physical accessibility, with its content and experiences reflecting social inclusivity through collaborations with local artists and social agencies. Performances and installations featured creative contributions by persons with disabilities, making the Pavilion not only a celebration of design but also of human diversity and collaboration.
Through its poetic form and purposeful design, the Dream Sphere embodied the values of innovation, inclusivity, resilience and imagination. It invited visitors to pause, reflect and dream, reinforcing the belief that collective imagination can inspire realworld transformation.
In its conception, execution and message, the Singapore Pavilion exemplified the power of design as a unifying force. It demonstrated how architecture, technology and nature could converge to tell a story greater than the sum of its parts — one that celebrates Singapore’s unique spirit: small in size, yet big in dreams. www.dplighting.com.sg
UAE Pavilion
Earth to Ether is a multisensory journey through the story of the UAE, weaving together its cultural heritage, core values, and pioneering innovations. Through their design, Belzner Holmes Lighting Design transcends the functional use of light, transforming it into a powerful medium of storytelling that illuminates and celebrates Emirati identity.
Visitors entering the UAE Pavilion were immediately enveloped in a rhythm of light that mirrors the shifting desert sun, guiding them through a narrative of culture, architecture, and innovation.
The lighting design was conceived as a seamless dialogue between the pavilion’s architectural framework and the exhibition content. Here, light transcends mere functionality: it becomes a narrative medium, shaping spatial perception, directing movement, and reflecting Emirati identity. By considering the interplay of daylight and artificial illumination, material textures, and the spatial arrangement of exhibits, the design bridges storytelling and architectural expression, creating moments that are visually engaging, emotionally resonant, and culturally meaningful.
From the very first design sketches, the lighting strategy emerged from Belzner Homes Lighting Design, who worked in close collaboration between architects and exhibition designers, resulting in a seamless integration where every light source was positioned with intent, shaping visitor flow, revealing exhibits, and enhancing the pavilion’s architectural character.
Central to this approach was the notion of storytelling through light, using carefully calibrated shifts in intensity, colour, and direction to guide visitors intuitively from one space to the next. A layered lighting methodology brought together ambient illumination for overall comfort, accent lighting to draw attention to key displays and structural details, and specialised lighting to heighten moments of focus.
Mood and atmosphere were finely tuned through the interplay of warm and cool tones, crafting intimate zones and crisp circulation areas that supported both emotion and clarity. Functionally, lighting acted as an unobtrusive navigational tool,
establishing a hierarchy of visual cues that directed movement without physical barriers. Throughout, the scheme balanced daylight and artificial light, modulating both to avoid glare and maintain visual comfort, ensuring the pavilion remained harmonious and engaging at every hour.
The pavilion’s lighting scheme faced a series of significant technical challenges that required precise and timely solutions. The unusually high ceilings, ranging from 10 - 16-metres, rendered conventional track-mounted luminaires inadequate, particularly as the pre-installed track systems restricted the types of fixtures that could be used and demanded high-output alternatives. Compounding this was Japan’s 100V electrical system, which limited compatibility with many commercially available luminaires. Although bespoke fixtures could have met the voltage requirements, their production timelines were incompatible with the pavilion’s strict programme. Installation logistics posed an additional constraint: the combination of considerable ceiling heights and numerous structural columns complicated access, and the lighting had to be installed before any exhibition elements were in place, eliminating the possibility of beam adjustments during setup.
In response, the design team initially explored motorised, remotely adjustable fixtures that could be aimed and calibrated without direct access. While promising in theory, these options ultimately proved impractical, either lacking the output required to illuminate the expansive volume or being incompatible with the local electrical infrastructure.
The final solution involved the installation of 346 Coemar Parlit luminaires mounted on the existing track system. Their horizontal and vertical angles were meticulously defined through detailed installation drawings, ensuring that once the exhibition components arrived, each element would be illuminated exactly as envisioned. These fixed, DMX-controlled units provided a versatile and reliable lighting backbone, delivering ambient illumination, accentuating the pavilion’s palmtree-inspired columns, and highlighting key exhibits with precision. This strategy enabled the lighting system to be fully operational ahead of the exhibition fit-out, securing a smooth, timely installation process.
The pavilion’s lighting design employs a layered lighting approach that balances functional clarity with an immersive narrative experience. As its foundational layer, ambient lighting has been created through a total of 82 Coemar Parlit track luminaires that provide general illumination for the space and the palm-tree-inspired columns.
Of these, 42 fixtures at 5000K and 40 fixtures at 2700K are spaced approximately every eight metres along the tracks. These luminaires feature RGBW LEDs, enabling the lighting to change colour for special events while still providing neutral tones for everyday operation. Each fixture is 50W, dimmable, equipped with honeycomb accessories to control glare, and mounted with a medium 30° beam angle, allowing both functional and dynamic, event-driven lighting.
In addition, the ambient lighting layer incorporates 82 RGBW Coemar Parlit luminaires, which can shift from neutral white tones to dynamic colours during special events, performances, or multimedia presentations. This capability allows the pavilion to adapt its atmosphere without additional motorised fixtures, offering both energy efficiency and versatile programming options.
pavilion to glow at night, highlighting architectural elegance and cultural identity. An influx of warm tones illuminates columns symbolic of palm trees, creating the impression of a glowing grove visible from outside. This approach communicates tradition, sophistication, and a welcoming atmosphere without conventional façade lighting fixtures.
For accent and exhibit lighting, the choice was made to use a cooler white light of 5700K to define circulation and background areas, while warmer tones using a 3000K emphasise focal exhibits. This approach differentiates foreground, middle ground, and background while ensuring that the pavilion’s narrative unfolds naturally. Rather than relying on direct exterior illumination, the pavilion’s glass façade functions as a big showcase. Strategic interior lighting allows the
The UAE Pavilion at Expo 2025 Osaka demonstrates how narrative-driven lighting can transform architecture into an immersive, culturally resonant experience. By integrating ambient, accent, special, and façade lighting with advanced DMX control, the pavilion guides visitors intuitively, engages them emotionally, and celebrates Emirati culture. Through careful orchestration of colour, intensity, and spatial hierarchy, light functions as a storyteller, a guide, and a cultural ambassador, illustrating the profound potential of thoughtful lighting design in shaping public spaces. Ultimately, pavilion exemplifies the intersection of architecture, technology, and narrative, showcasing the power of light to define space, evoke emotion, and communicate identity in an international exhibition context.
www.light-design.com
France Pavilion
Visual artist Justine Emard tells arc of the pulsating, vibrant lighting narrative that weaves throughout the France Pavilion.
esigned by French architecture studio Coldefy, alongside Italian design and innovation practice, Carlo Ratti Associati (CRA), the France Pavilion at Expo 2025 was envisioned as a “theatre of life”, where architecture frames moments of presence, movement and interaction. Inspired by a “mise-en-scène”, or stage design and arrangement, the pavilion was designed as a fluid sequence of spaces, guiding visitors through changing perspectives that mirror the rhythms of daily life – the beginning, transition, pause, and departure.
In a time defined by digital estrangement, the pavilion hoped to reclaim physical space as a medium for dialogue; a quiet inner garden offers refuge, emphasising that encounters with nature are just as vital as those with one another.
The pavilion’s shifting façade, with 17-metre-high fabric veils resembling theatre curtains suspended down two sides, is in contact with the elements and responds to light and wind.
The pathway through the pavilion follows a carefully choreographed progression, ascending towards an exhibition displayed inside, alternating between enclosed and open-air spaces, and concluding with a return to the wider Expo site.
Complementing the architecture, the artistic vision for the pavilion was realised by French visual artist Justine Emard, alongside scenographers GSM Project.
As an artist, Emard’s work sits “at the crossing point between technology, humanity, and how we coexist in the world with different forms of intelligence”. Here, she also hoped to honour elements of Japanese culture, drawing inspiration from the legend of Akai Ito – an invisible red thread connecting destined souls.
With this in mind, she speaks to arc on the artistic vision for the France Pavilion: “The main theme for the exhibition was titled ‘A Hymn to Love’ – it was a conceptual approach, and we needed to define how we wanted visitors to understand it,” she says.
“It is quite an evocative thing, because the World Expo is always focused on technology, but from this, I wanted to ask the question ‘what if we have the best technology in the world, but we have lost the connection between each other? Between ourselves and nature, and with animals? These bonds and connections are more important than technology.
“Throughout the project, we wanted to shape it in a way that visitors would feel an emotion, to feel that the exhibition and the experience of the France Pavilion took them on a journey to think about how they connect to each other. The idea of love was not just in the clichéd, romantic sense one might expect from France, but it is much wider – we are examining love as a universal value.”
Across the pavilion’s main themes, a uniting factor was the desire for theatricality, while giving visitors a sensory experience in which to fully immerse themselves.
Architecturally, this manifests directly from the entrance stairway and balcony, which forms a stage to welcome visitors into an unfolding journey.
Forming part of the building’s façade, the sinuous staircase creates a dialogue between the inside of the Pavilion and the plaza outside, blurring the boundaries between inside and out, and providing a sense of welcome and openness to all.
Walking through the pavilion’s exhibition space, visitors follow a looping path that takes them through the heart of the exhibition, crossing through different thematic spaces, then stepping outside into a small garden, before re-entering the pavilion and concluding the journey with another outdoor moment.
Unlike traditional linear experiences, the journey, which highlights French “savoir-faire” or knowhow, reflects cycles and pulsations, echoing the broader themes of the pavilion.
“All along the project, we were always in agreement that the project feels like one experience; we wanted to create an immersive experience that put the visitor at centre stage,” adds Emard.
“Unlike a traditional museum, where you have time to read lots of text, here, we were expecting to welcome 28,000 people per day, so our approach
Wa! PROLED
German Pavilion Expo 2025, Osaka
LD: Dieter Körner/ L2 Atelier |
As a partner of the German Pavilion at Expo 2025, PROLED supported the architectural implementation of the circular economy theme world. PROLED provided the necessary technology and support to enable dynamic lighting design, which set the architecture in motion using DMX control, linear lighting and DIGITAL PIXEL technology. The visually rotating walls of the pavilion became a central highlight and made sustainability an emotional experience.
Photo: Stefan Schilling
was much more sensory – we worked with emotions, and what we wanted people to feel as they walked through the space.”
Central to this sensory, immersive experience was an audiovisual show, dubbed “Pulsations” by Emard, in which light and sound created a connection between the different spaces and installations within the pavilion.
She explains: “The idea of a pulse was to create a connection between the different spaces, as visitors passed through eight different art installations, and sometimes these were very different, they told different stories, and it was very important to have a strong element that people could remember and feel.
“We used the idea of a pulse – of course this relates to the heartbeat that you feel when you are in love, when you are excited, but it is also the pulse of music. Regarding light and sound, we synchronised all of the spaces within the pavilion to the same pulse, the same BPM, and we created a synchronised journey to guide visitors into the different spaces. We weren’t sure if it could work as every space has its own atmosphere, but we were really satisfied with how the light and sound defined and held the whole journey and concept together.”
Throughout the interior spaces, the pulsing light is set to 88BPM, designed to echo a human pulse. This shifts in the garden space, where guests are greeted by a 1,000-year-old tree. “When facing this tree, you realise that your position in nature is very small, and the idea was to make people aware of how they can collaborate with nature. The garden has a really precise lighting programme that is built into the pulse of the tree, creating a shift from the human pulse inside.”
Similarly, the façade of the pavilion features a much more delicate pulsation of light in the colours of the French flag. The lighting here is seen as more of an “echo” of the vibrant pulsations found inside, as Emard explains: “When we thought about how to design the interior of the pavilion, with Pulsations, we wanted it to have the feeling of entering into an organ. We viewed the pavilion as a body: at its core is the heart, where the light pulsation is growing, while on the outside, you can see an echo of this pulse, but it is inside where everything is happening.”
As with many of the pavilions at Expo 2025, the France pavilion looked to draw connections between French and Japanese culture. While the tribute to the legend of Akai Ito is one, implicit reference, Emard explains that the final room of the exhibition shares stories from Japan and France that have similar themes. The most notable being of the fires
of Notre Dame in Paris, and Shuri Castle in Okinawa, Japan – both of which burned down in 2019.
“Both the Notre Dame and Shuri Castle used human resources, human knowledge, and technology to rebuild and restore their heritage,” she says. “We staged this story with an LED cloud, showing how scientists from both countries worked together, highlighting the collaboration that went into rebuilding these two institutional landmarks. We have also showcased two original artworks that were recovered from each fire. It was really important for the French pavilion to create this kind of dialogue, to talk at an emotional level about the idea of resilience.”
Reaching visitors on an emotional level was a primary focus for Emard throughout the France Pavilion. However, she says that this was something that was a challenge to demonstrate to stakeholders in the early conversations.
“Alongside GSM, we were convinced that we should work on an emotional level. This is difficult when you face some institutions, some partners, when you explain that you will do something without words, but cannot explain how to do it before doing it. We had a really artistic, abstract vision to demonstrate. But, luckily for me, I could benefit from the experience of GSM, as they have worked for many museums, so have experience of convincing stakeholders of more abstract ideas, and could create the necessary documents and elements to embody the project before it was realised.
“We were super happy that the French team followed us and trusted us, and we could create something that more than four and a half million people visited, each having different feelings and experiences and levels of understanding.”
Indeed, this is one of the things that Emard feels most proud of when looking back on the project –seeing how visitors would interact and experience the space.
She says: “When I was on site and when we started to see the first visitors, it was really moving, but at the same time it was strange to finally open the space. Of course, in this kind of project, you have to compromise on some things, you have to make some last minute decisions, but in the end, what matters is how you make it happen, how you make it real.
“The process was always evolving, but I like the idea that it is alive and not static. Some people said that they visited the pavilion two or three times, and they had a different feeling or different understanding each time. That was my wish – to have a contemporary show that is living and changing with each visit.”
www.justineemard.com
Client: Cofrex
Artistic Director: Justine Emard, France
Concept and Creation: Justine Emard; GSM Project, France
Lighting Design (Concept): Justine Emard; GSM Project, France
Lighting Design (Technical Production): Vincent Montgourdin; Cofrex, France
Architect: Coldefy, France; Carlo Ratti Associati, Italy
Photography: Julien Lanoo
Monaco Pavilion
Emphasising the connection between nature, wellbeing, and “environmental stewardship”, the Monaco Pavilion features a lighting concept crafted by Ideaworks that evokes emotion and guides visitors through its various “pods”.
The Monaco Pavilion at Expo 2025 was built around the theme Take Care of Wonder, intended to explore the essential connection between nature, human wellbeing, and environmental stewardship.
Working together with The A Group, Atelier Pierre, Simmetrico, Himawari Design, and the wider Monaco Pavilion team, lighting design studio Ideaworks took the lead on creating the concept for the exhibit’s lighting design.
The lighting scheme works with the immersive architecture and elegant scenography to share mood, guide movement, and evoke emotion.
Lighting in and around the pavilion aimed to accentuate, interact with surrounding nature elements, and adapt to changes in daylight. The result is a visually transformative exterior that shifts and responds to its environment, blurring boundaries between structure and nature.
The circular layout was created to resemble the Japanese flag when viewed from above, with a central metallic focal point lit in red, and surrounded by white lighting.
Inside, the lighting supports the scenography by Simmetrico, guiding visitors through interactive exhibits and tactile displays with focused, adaptive illumination. In the main, cathedral-like central space, animated lighting sequences simulate an underwater environment, evoking the principality’s deep connection to the ocean and its commitment to ecological awareness.
Ideaworks was tasked with creating the initial lighting design concept, and to give the creative direction. Once it moved on-site, the contractors took over, and the finer details were adapted to the local conditions and standards in Japan.
“We were invited to this project by Group A Architects Monaco, with whom we already had a
good working relationship,” Daniel Marques, Senior Lighting Designer at Ideaworks tells arc magazine.
“When the architect team came to us, they had already started building the concept around the theme of “Take Care of Wonder”. The idea reflects Monaco as a “pearl” in Europe, as well as Monaco’s commitment to protecting the land and sea. They wanted to bring this theme to Japan and merge it with Japanese cultural elements.”
Ideaworks focused predominantly on the main, first pavilion, creating a welcoming first impression for visitors. Subsequent smaller pavilions – or pods – were handled by Simmetrico and involved their signature artistic scenography. Outdoor lighting delicately illuminates Mediterranean and Japanese garden elements, most notably the rose-inspired installations, allowing these spaces to remain immersive and contemplative after dark.
“You had different pavilions and pods where people were discovering the wonder of our world through the wildlife and the flora, until you reach the last one, where there was a scenography depicting the overall link between them, which then, via the interaction of colour-changing (RGB) light, revealed different patterns.”
Ideaworks focused predominantly on the architectural lighting of the main, first pavilion, creating a welcoming first impression for visitors; as well as the landscape, delicately illuminating the Mediterranean and Japanese garden, and involving cultural flora elements, such as olive trees, roses, bamboos, and others.
Marques continues: “We wanted for the pavilion’s central space to echo and elevate the presence of water by sculpting curved lighting across the ceiling, allowing soft waves of light to ripple overhead, like the shifting patterns seen when gazing up from beneath the sea’s surface.
“For the landscape, the lighting was conceived as a poetic bridge between Monaco and Japan, guiding visitors on a gentle journey through winding paths of olive trees and carefully chosen Japanese plants. This dialogue between flora, fauna, and culture, was enriched with delicate decorative touches, bees scattered through the gardens, and lanterns lining the pathways, softly illuminating the way and weaving together the spirit of both worlds.
“If you were to look down from above, everything has been created in a circular form that resembles the Japanese flag with a round metallic element that is illuminated red, while everything else around is lit white.”
Elsewhere, on the upper-level of the main pavilion, the wine bar and terrace were bathed in warm, elegant lighting to allow visitors to experience the Monegasque culture, by tasting the finest grands crus wines and cognacs. Thoughtfully placed luminaires highlight textures, displays, and seating areas, creating a welcoming and refined atmosphere.
“One visionary concept the team explored – though ultimately set aside due to project constraints –was the use of phosphorescent plants to create an ethereal, Avatar-like atmosphere. The idea was to evoke humanity’s evolving relationship with nature, symbolising our power to shape, connect
with, and communicate through the environment, while inviting visitors to reflect on their own future and lasting impact, while travelling between the pavilions,” Marques adds.
Speaking of further challenges the design team faced, the differentiating cultural elements were a main hurdle, particularly the communication. The onsite installation team had locally sourced the original specifications by Ideaworks, which meant Ideaworks had to take care to review the fixtures.
In alignment with the pavilion’s environmental values, the final lighting system utilises energyefficient, low-consumption technologies, reinforcing the message of sustainability without compromise on visual impact.
Overall, Marques and his team were delighted by how the project ultimately unfolded, welcoming the evolution from their original vision as a creative journey shaped by local material availability and the graceful constraints of placement that guided the final design.
The lighting effect for the pavilion successfully enhances the architectural details and concept themes surrounding nature and ultimately creates a welcoming and engaging environment for visitors to experience.
www.lighting.ideaworks.co.uk
Client: Gouvernement Princier
Principauté de Monaco & Visit
Monaco
Lighting Design: Daniel Marques; Ideaworks, UK
Architects: Jerome Hein
(The A Group / Atelier Pierre / Himawari Design)
Scenography: Simmetrico, Italy
Photography: Courtesy of The A Group
Korea Pavilion
Blurring the boundaries between the natural and the digital, lighting designer Sung ae Lee harnessed fixtures from KKDC to illuminate the Korea Pavilion at Expo 2025.
Located in the Connecting Lives zone of Expo 2025, the Korea Pavilion was part of a series of structures brought together under the theme “Designing Future Society for Our Lives”.
The pavilion’s design draws from Korea’s cultural identity, symbolised by the colour white – representing purity and the aesthetics of emptiness – and the elegant curves of traditional Korean Hanbok and Jeogori.
At its core is a hybrid media experience that juxtaposes Hansan ramie, a natural material, with the virtual medium of media façades. This combination blurs the boundary between the natural and the digital, expressing humanity’s journey to engineer nature and design the future.
A key feature is the Hansan Ramie Hall, a central space where sunlight and lighting highlight the qualities of the traditional textile. Hansan Ramie has been woven in Korea since the Three Kingdoms period. Its translucent quality allows light and air to pass through and it creates varying expressions. As it subtly changes appearance based on wind and humidity, it becomes a living medium that interacts with nature.
The structure incorporates 288 ramie modules inspired by Ujingak (the hipped and gabled roof) of Gwanghwamun. Using mirrored walls, the design completes a symmetrical form that reflects Korea’s 5,000-year heritage and its aspirations for a sustainable future. The media façade shows an advanced technological dimension, communicating humanity’s potential for sustainable development.
The pavilion was created through collaboration with leading Korean companies. KKDC designed high-efficiency LED systems to enhance the texture of ramie and emphasise the pavilion’s soft, Korean curves. DAC, parent company of outdoor brand Helinox, contributed lightweight yet durable pole structures using technology also found in products supplied to brands like The North Face and MSR. Designed with sustainability in mind, the pavilion’s materials will be reused after the Expo. Fabrics will be upcycled into fashion and design products through partnerships with domestic firms. The aluminium structures and lighting systems are intended for reuse in future cultural and architectural projects.
The Korea Pavilion is not just an exhibition – it is a vision of sustainability where tradition meets innovation, and where nature, material, and design shape the future beyond the Expo.
www.kkdc.lighting
Images: Unreal Studio
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Lighting Design: Lighting Planners Associates, Japan
Architect: Tohata Architects & Engineers, Japan
Lighting Specified: Atex, Color
Kinetics, Endo, FujimediaCA, Koizumi, Panasonic, Stanley
Photography: Lighting Planners Associates
Osaka Healthcare Pavilion: Nest for Reborn
Designed to transition throughout the day and night, the Osaka Healthcare Pavilion Nest for Reborn features a complementary lighting scheme, crafted by Lighting Planners Associates
Located in the East Gate Zone, adjacent to the NTT Pavilion, is the Osaka Healthcare Pavilion Nest for Reborn. The exhibit, by Expo 2025 Osaka Pavilion Association and Tohata Architects & Engineers, is characterised by its transparent architecture, which presents different expressions across the day and night.
A circulating water system flows over the unique, nest-like roof into a water basin, where it is filtered and recirculated in a sustainable system.
Inside, warm-toned hinoki wood is used throughout, and lighting design, by Lighting Planners Associates (LPA), enhances each detail and finish.
Much like the transparent architecture, the internal atrium also offers varying impressions throughout the day and night, with colour temperatures automatically changing as day transitions to night.
After sunset, the space transforms into a warm hued environment, highlighting the pavilion’s structure and turning it into a light object.
Lighting fixtures used throughout the pavilion were supplied by Panasonic, Color Kinetics, Koizumi, Endo, Stanley, Atex, and FujimediCA.
Speaking to arc about the lighting concept for the exhibit, Lighting Planners Associates explain that the team was approached directly by the architects and worked towards a brief that allowed the architecture to “express “Unity in Diversity” with a gentle, continuous experience of light that connects the interior and exterior.
“As one of the symbols of the design concept for Expo 2025, we pursued a scheme that balances diversity and unity in its lighting expression. Also, the Osaka Healthcare Pavilion Nest for Reborn’s theme, “Reborn” contains the dual meanings that “people can be reborn” and “taking a new step forward.””
When it came to realising their ideas and concepts, the team created two distinct points of light. On the façade, a gradient of light at the roof’s crown highlights the distinctive form and translucency of the membrane structure. Inside, continuous linear lighting along the ceilings, floors, ramps, and spiral staircase guides visitors and evokes a sense of flow.
“In the early conceptual phase, we explored
a drone-mounted illumination approach as a new challenge for the architectural lighting, but technical constraints – particularly battery capacity – meant it wasn’t feasible to implement at the time.
“The water cascading from the roof is part of a rainwater circulation system. At night, we gave it presence by symbolically illuminating the waterfall to make the cycle legible.”
Internally, to maintain a gentle, continuous flow of light, illumination was diffused across the hinoki wood. “This enhanced its grain and warmth while controlling contrast for a soft, calm impression. We also adopted a dimmable lighting system with adjustable colour temperature in harmony with natural daylight, allowing the lighting environment to transition seamlessly throughout the day, from morning to night.”
When it came to challenges on the project, Shunichi Ikeda, Senior Director at LPA, says: “The roof lighting was created by illuminating the translucent membrane from the inner side.
Achieving a smooth gradient across a nonrepeating truss geometry – as no two segments were alike – was complex. We validated the effect from both exterior and interior viewpoints through extensive 3D simulations.”
Sharing the team’s final impressions of the lighting, what it brought to the overall visitor experience, and how it sat within the wider architectural design and the initial concepts, Ikeda concludes:
“The scheme delivers what we set out to achieve: making “Unity in Diversity” legible through a gentle, continuous light narrative. From a distance, the gradient at the roof’s crown clarifies the membrane’s form and translucency, giving the pavilion a calm identity.
“The lighting sits lightly on the architecture –reading the roof from the inside out rather than imposing external accent lights – so the expression remains coherent between exterior and interior, precisely as in our initial concept. It aligns with the Expo’s idea of “Unity in Diversity” by tying varied elements together with one lighting theme.”
www.tohata.co.jp www.lighting.co.jp
Casambi Awards
Celebrating the “transformative influence” of Casambi across the international lighting industry, the winners of the 2025 Casambi Awards have been revealed.
The Casambi Awards, now in its fifth year, showcases the transformative influence of Casambi across the international lighting industry. This event celebrates the seamless integration of Casambi technology into both products and projects, pushing the boundaries of what is possible in smart lighting control.
For the 2025 Casambi Awards, an internationally recognised panel of judges brought together a wealth of global expertise. Yusuke Hattori, Lighting Designer and Founder of ambiguous, Singapore; Paula Longato, Regional Head of Lighting at Buro Happold, Germany; Javier Carracedo, Head of Indoor Product Management at Tridonic; Simon Grennborg, Lighting Designer at Fagerhult, Sweden; and Randy Reid, Editor, EdisonReport, Designing Lighting (dI) Magazine & LM&M, USA; formed a diverse jury that ultimately selected two exceptional winners.
Product of the Year: Choir
The 2025 Casambi Product of the Year was awarded to Choir, a portable luminaire by ADesignStudio, developed under the creative direction of Alex Fitzpatrick. Wireless, battery-powered, and beautifully refined, Choir represents a new chapter in intelligent, flexible lighting for residential, hospitality, and commercial environments.
Entirely Casambi-enabled, Choir delivers smooth dimming, tunable white from 1800–3500K, and dual battery performance for extended use. Dual charging options –USB-C for single units and a custom multiunit charging tray – ensure operational ease, making the luminaire as practical as it is elegant.
Sustainability is embedded in the design through its modular, serviceable construction. Interchangeable diffusers and replaceable components enable easy repair, reuse, and long-term longevity. As Fitzpatrick explains: “Wireless technology is about freedom –freedom from fixed infrastructure, freedom to adapt, and freedom to imagine new possibilities.”
Choir has already proven its value in a rooftop restaurant project, where lighting designers sought to create a layered, intimate
atmosphere across indoor and outdoor zones. Integrated seamlessly with the venue’s DALI system, each luminaire contributed to a cohesive ambient scheme. Even the product’s M6 threaded detail – originally intended as a theft deterrent – demonstrated functional ingenuity by stabilising fixtures against rooftop winds.
One judge praised its balanced intelligence and design clarity: “I selected Choir for its refined approach to portable lighting. It brings wireless intelligence to battery-powered luminaires with precision and simplicity, while its modular architecture reduces waste and extends lifespan.”
Another highlighted its practical contribution to hospitality environments: “The clean design and rooftop application clearly demonstrate why Casambi is relevant. It contributes to ambient lighting in a wireless, controlled manner, while simplifying recharging and saving staff time.”
A further judge noted the discreet user experience: “It’s awkward when a waiter manually adjusts your table light. With Casambi, that moment disappears. I’ve seen similar products before, but never one that integrates wireless control so seamlessly.”
From its tunable white performance and dual charging system to its repairable architecture and Casambi-enabled intelligence, Choir redefines what portable lighting can be –sustainable, intelligent, and emotionally resonant. As one judge concluded: “A luminaire that sings its own freedom – battery, wireless, and beautifully built.”
Project of the Year: Home House
The 2025 Casambi Project of the Year award was presented to the Home House Private Member’s Club in London. Led by Jamie Weakner of Minlec, in collaboration with lighting designer Victoria Jerram, chandelier specialist Madson Black, interior designer Russell Sage, and the Home House engineering team, the project is an exemplary demonstration of how wireless lighting control can transform a historic landmark – without disturbing its fabric.
Located at 20 Portman Square, the Grade I listed Georgian townhouse dates back to 1773 and remains one of London’s most
distinguished private members’ clubs. Its recent refurbishment sought to enhance atmosphere and comfort while preserving its heritage. Lighting played a central role in guiding each space seamlessly from bright daytime settings to intimate evening scenes. With original wiring untouched for more than four decades and ornate finishes protected throughout, conventional rewiring was impossible. Instead, Minlec integrated 38 Casambi nodes to connect chandeliers, wall lights, bespoke joinery lighting, and antique table lamps – entirely wirelessly. The result is a fully adaptable lighting environment that feels effortless and authentic to its historic surroundings.
One judge praised the project’s sensitivity and sustainability: “By retaining existing wiring and minimising invasive work, the team achieved true sustainability – preserving the past while introducing intelligent lighting for the future.”
Victoria Jerram’s lighting concept was rooted in drama, elegance, and respect for heritage. Working with Madson Black and Minlec, her vision allows staff and members to subtly adapt the mood of each space. Refurbished chandeliers now dim gracefully, bespoke joinery glows with warmth, and antique lamps respond to touch and automation – all controlled effortlessly through the Casambi App.
Beyond aesthetics, the system’s seasonal time-based scenes, remote support, and emergency lighting integration demonstrate the depth of Casambi’s wireless capability. As one judge observed: “Where history meets technology and no one sees the seam, an 18th-century palace now breathes intelligent light without touching a single wall.”
Another highlighted the technical achievement through historic construction: “Casambi is a natural choice for buildings of this age, but I was impressed by how well it performs through thick walls. The chandeliers look incredible – proof that wireless control and heritage elegance can coexist beautifully.” Now extended through additional areas of the club, Home House stands as a powerful example of how modern intelligence and historic architecture can illuminate each other with subtlety and grace.
www.casambi.com
Event Photography: Natalie Martinez Photography & Olivia Ross
Returning to London’s Business Design Centre this November, LiGHT 25 welcomed record numbers, as design professionals from across the world gathered to see the latest innovations in lighting.
This November, the highly anticipated LiGHT Expo London returned for its fourth consecutive year. Now a regular fixture in the lighting calendar, LiGHT 25 broke records as more than 6,700 visitors travelled to London’s Business Design Centre on 19-20 November, transforming the venue into a creative and collaborative hub.
Braving the cold November weather – that even included snow on the show’s opening morning –LiGHT 25 brought together an international array of architects, interior designers, lighting designers, engineers, and specifiers to see the latest offerings from more than 200 of the finest architectural, decorative, and technical lighting brands from across the world.
New for 2025
A key part of LiGHT’s success is the show’s ability to constantly evolve and expand, attracting new audiences in the sector, and providing a unique offering for those in attendance. Making its debut at LiGHT 25, this year saw the launch of the brandnew Technical Zone. Situated on the Gallery Level of the BDC, this new area provided a dedicated space for brands at the forefront of urban lighting, commercial lighting, control systems, components and OEM, lamps and gear, and emergency lighting to showcase their latest developments. Featuring brands as varied as eldoLED, Herculux, Casambi, ProtoPixel, Kvant, Eclatec, Nichia, LEDiL and Urbis Schreder, this new addition to the show signalled a subtle, yet significant shift in focus –a focus on the intricate framework of systems, components, and technologies that create impactful installations or projects. As controls, emergency systems, and advanced components take on an increasingly pivotal role in sustainable
and human centric design, the Technical Zone gave attendees an invaluable opportunity to connect with leading manufacturers, explore cutting-edge products, and gain insights into the technologies shaping tomorrow’s projects.
Also new for 2025, visitors were able to immerse themselves in an innovative light art installation by Speirs Major Light Architecture, in partnership with formalighting. Re:Vision explored the theme of colour perception both across species, and individuals, using custom spectral profiles and reimagined Ishihara colour blindness test patterns to reveal the diversity of visual experience across the natural world (read more about this installation later in this show review).
Finally, in the Decorative Zone this year, another new addition to this year’s event was the introduction of a special VIP Design Tour. Here, 23 leading interior design studios participated in an exclusive, whistle-stop guided tour of the show, over the course of which they were treated to introductions to 10 leading lighting brands suited to the interiors market, before heading to the Associations Lounge for further networking opportunities. The tour received high praise from both participating designers and brands for providing a concise, yet informative, platform to explore the show and make connections.
Talks, Talks, Talks
Always a popular fixture in the [d]arc media portfolio of events, LiGHT 25 saw the return of the [d]arc thoughts talks programme, delivering a packed line-up of informative and insightful presentations and panel discussions.
Presented in partnership with Lutron and curated by the [d]arc media editorial team, this year’s
talks programme was fully CPD-accredited, and brought together a diverse collection of international speakers to address themes as varied as sustainability and circularity, to wellness and inclusivity in design, product design, and the business aspects of the industry.
Highlights among the talks programme included Out of Our Lane: What Lighting Designers Must Learn from Medicine, from lighting designer Willie Duggan; From Spark to Spectrum: How AI Augments Lighting Designers, from Daniel Green (Into Lighting) and Kuldeep Vali (Rise with AI); Light – The Fourth Material: Digital Craftsmanship at Bentley, from Naomi Saka of luxury automobile brand Bentley; and Your Data Isn’t ‘Good’: It’s Just Data, from Kael Gillam (Hoare Lea) and Max Robson (Recolight).
Alongside these presentations, the programme included a range of deep-dive panel discussions, where participants covered some of the lighting world’s biggest topics in more detail. Among these panels was Understanding Darkness, where arc editor Matt Waring spoke to Zoe Faulkner (Troup, Bywaters + Anders), Dan Oakley (DarkSky International); and Carolina Florian (Qiddiyah/ President Elect of the SLL) on the ongoing challenges relating to dark skies and light pollution. Elsewhere, Dr. Shelley James led an informative session on Multisensory Design in Practice, speaking to representatives from the Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB) and Buro Happold about the design of the RNIB’s recently refurbished Grimaldi Building headquarters.
Another stand-out panel saw Judith Patiño of Vibia lead a session titled Shaping Atmospheres, where Sanjit Bahra (DesignPlusLight), Nathan Hutchins (Muza Lab), Sebastián Mealla (ProtoPixel), and Barbara Ventosa (Vibia) explored the interplay of design, technology, and storytelling, and how lighting can define mood and perception, particularly in hospitality environments. The [d]arc thoughts talks programme closed with a therapeutic session from James Siddle at Ideaworks titled Brilliant on Paper, Broken on Site, where his panel of representatives from across the design and construction process – Joshua Bourton (Westgreen Construction), Luke Cook (Darke &
Taylor), Sandra Babini (Lumino), and Caroline Jonsson (Ideaworks) – discussed the need for a high-performing team through construction and beyond, to bring a successful project to life. All sessions from the [d]arc thoughts talks space were recorded, and are now live on the [d]arc media Vimeo page.
Alongside the [d]arc thoughts talks programme, the Associations Lounge, supported by Studio Due, once again acted as a shared base for leading industry bodies, including the DALI Alliance, the LIA, ILP, SLL, and IALD to discuss issues such as product compliance, industry standards, life cycle assessments and control protocols. The lounge also hosted the latest How to Be Brilliant session from the ILP – this time delivered by Foster + Partners, alongside a special evening event from the Silhouette Awards, which marked its upcoming fifth anniversary with a celebration of community and mentorship.
Reflecting on LiGHT 25, Paul James, [d]arc media Managing Director says: “We are once again blown away with the positive response and overwhelming attendance to the show. We are proud that the exhibition keeps getting bigger and better this year, cementing LiGHT as a must-visit event for anyone involved in lighting, architecture, interior design, engineering, and beyond. The show has a perfect mix to discover new ideas, strengthen professional relationships, and stay at the forefront of the lighting industry.”
Helen Ankers, [d]arc thoughts Programme Director adds: “We are so pleased with the feedback to this year’s show. The entire team had an amazing time exploring the new Technical Zone, attending the range of inspiring talks from renowned speakers across the industry, and being in awe of the light art installation from Speirs Major Light Architecture. Thank you to all the media partners, event supporters and exhibitors for your valuable contributions this year. We hope that LiGHT will continue to be a success for years to come and we are looking forward to sharing special plans for our milestone fifth year in 2026.”
LiGHT will return to London’s Business Design Centre next year, taking place on 18-19 November 2026. www.lightexpo.london
Re:Vision
London, UK
Re:Vision, created exclusively for LiGHT 25 by Speirs Major Light Architecture (SMLA), in collaboration with formalighting, was conceived as a work of light art that would prompt the viewer to think about how different species experience the world around them. Narrowing in on colour perception as its basis, Re:Vision offered a glimpse into just how varied this lived experience can be, not just from one species to another, but also from person to person. Inviting viewers to step outside of the ‘blindness’ of their own perceptual boundaries, SMLA hoped that viewers might begin to rethink how they design, considering the needs of both humans and all other living inhabitants of our richly biodiverse world.
During the initial concept stages of Re:Vision, SMLA researched the spectral perception profile of a selected number of animals, and translated these into a series of immersive environments using only the colours each of those creatures is capable of perceiving. Integrated within these environments, the designers included Ishihara colour blindness charts. Traditionally used to diagnose colour blindness in humans, the Ishihara plates featured an array of coloured dots arranged to form numbers or shapes that became legible or disappeared, depending on the colour spectrum at play; offering tangible insight into how the physiology of each species creates its own distinct visual reality. While Re:Vision sought to bring attention to the differences in perception between species, attempting to understand and imagine something this complex is very difficult, as Benz Roos, Associate Partner at SMLA, explains: “Species vary in their field of view, depth perception, and sensitivity to light, and ability to see different parts of the spectrum. Some see ultraviolet, others perceive selected colours discretely, rather than as blends, as we do, and many inhabit visual worlds entirely inaccessible to us.
“So, the installation cannot and does not attempt to fully recreate the experiences of other species; instead we chose to focus on one of the most accessible, and aesthetically impactful, aspects of the visual experience of the world: colour perception.”
To bring this immersive installation to life, SMLA collaborated with formalighting, with the Italian brand providing its Moto Zero and Zero Framing projectors to illuminate key parts of the experience. Speaking on the collaboration, Roos adds: “We always begin a project with what we want to achieve, and what we want the light to do,
and formalighting has been excellent in supporting us to deliver our vision. They have some great innovations that allowed us to experiment with delivering light in new ways.”
“We used the Moto Zero projectors located behind the circular video screen to create the immersive colour experience, programmed to match the animal’s visual spectrum. The projectors were a great size – small enough to blend into the dark background, ensuring all the focus was on the experience of the light itself.
The framing projectors were located outside to crisply illuminate the signage, information boards and the electromagnetic spectrum of visible light.
“For Re:Vision, formalighting was also able to alter their products so that they could communicate with DMX control as opposed to their standard control protocol. This was crucial to allow us to be able to change the lighting in sync with the video content.”
The installation was a big draw at LiGHT 25, with many visitors keen to experience the shifting perceptions of different species.
Looking back on Re:Vision following the exhibition, Roos comments: “We always feel lucky when the opportunity to create
an installation like Re:Vision comes up. As a lighting design studio, we are very interested in the vision and perception of spaces.
“Humans are the only species that ‘need’ artificial light; and we created that need ourselves in our desire to extend our day and regulate our calendars. Other animals adapt to natural cycles, produce light themselves, or live with it. Yet, our use of artificial light affects them. Ultimately our focus as lighting designers will always be human-centred, but this project is an invitation to think beyond ourselves.
“What Re:Vision taught us is that you can never imagine what it is to see the world through different eyes, whether human or any other animal. As philosopher Thomas Nagel wrote in What Is It Like to Be A Bat?, we can never truly experience the world as another creature does. At best, we can simulate fragments of it. Our installation embraced this limitation, offering a simple, beautiful and accessible way to prompt discussion and expand how we think about design that considers the needs of all the living beings of our planet.”
www.smlightarchitecture.com www.formalighting.com
Show Highlights
Vectra LicLab
The CLS Topaz ColourFlow is a rich colour track spotlight delivering up to 700lm output at just 15W, with beam angles of 20°, 25°, 35° or 55°. It’s available in RGBW (3000K or 4000K white) or RGBA for deep, saturated hues, plus a homogeneous colour mix via its patent-pending Colour Mixing Dome. With Wireless DMX, RDM or Casambi control, and multiple accessories, designers can craft shadow-free, atmospheric lighting. www.cls-led.com
Expert
Pharos
Expert delivers straightforward commissioning and powerful cost-effective architectural lighting control with built-in expertise for DMX and DALI fixtures. The latest release adds groups, plus greater scene, and timeline options for granular control. Create subtle, refined playback, including broader speed ranges and longer loop times. Manage everything with Expert Control, using expert touch wall stations and the free mobile app for effortless, dynamic lighting. Ideal for any modern architectural lighting project. www.pharoscontrol.com
Vectra wallwasher is a high-performance linear lighting system designed for projects requiring precision, flexibility, and architectural elegance. Its slim profile, excellent colour consistency, and advanced optical options make it ideal for continuous lines of light or refined accent illumination. Suitable for hospitality, residential, retail, and office environments, Vectra delivers uniform illumination, reliable thermal management, and seamless integration into any architectural concept. www.licllab.it
Raygun Platek
Despite its compact size, Raygun packs a powerful punch. This highly versatile collection of small floodlights is available in three sizes with a robust range of beam widths and power values. Crafted in stainless steel or painted aluminium, Raygun offers a variety of finishes to suit a wide range of outdoor projects, also thanks to the inclusion of several accessories that allow precise adjustment of the light beam. www.platek.eu
With so many fantastic exhibitors at this year’s event, we take a look at some of the highlights from the LiGHT 25 show floor.
Dual Formula Luci
Dual is the latest product launched by Formula Luci (FLI) at LiGHT 25, combining a highly efficient LED linear profile with a micro track equipped with accent-lighting spots. A single system that delivers the performance of diffused light (up to 163lm/W) together with the full flexibility of spots available in 1.3W, 1.6W, and 3.4W versions. Fully configurable to suit any layout, Dual is the ultimate solution for seamlessly integrating lighting into joinery and custom-made furnishings. www.formulaluci.com
Wrapped
Fagerhult
Made from up to 65% recycled cardboard, Wrapped is the world’s first cardboard luminaire. Its precision-cut, foldable form delivers a refined, minimalist aesthetic that treads lightly on the environment. Premium flip-chip LEDs ensure outstanding efficiency and minimal colourover-angle, while Beta Opti and Delta louvres provide exceptional visual comfort. With up to 165lm/W and a 100,000-hour CLO, Wrapped unites circular design with enduring quality for contemporary architectural environments. www.fagerhult.com
Topaz CLS
POI SGM
The POI family with the wash, beam, and graze fixtures is designed to transform architecture into living visual experiences. With SGM TruColor, RGBW LEDs, custom optics and a wide range of mounting accessories, you get vibrant and consistent results in both white and coloured light across all products. Made from recycled aluminium and backed by a six-year warranty, the POI family unites durability, colour consistency, and decades of SGM innovation. www.sgmlighting.com
Navita K-Lite
K-Lite Navita LED floodlights (mini, midi, maxi, mega) deliver high-efficiency directional illumination ideal for architectural and area lighting. Engineered with a robust pressure die-cast aluminium body, tempered glass, and stainless steel hardware, they offer long service life and consistent performance. Multiple beam angles ensure precise, uniform light distribution with minimal power consumption. Prewired for 240V operation and available in 3000K with optional CRI upgrades, Navita provides reliable, sustainable lighting for façades, pathways, parks, sculptures and security applications. www.klite.in
Hybrid Reggiani
Hybrid is Reggiani’s innovative downlight range, bringing the simplicity of a replaceable light source together with outstanding LED performance. Powered by patented ILM technology, it allows quick module changes and colour-temperature updates for long-lasting, sustainable flexibility. Fully adjustable with IP54 protection, it supports accent, general and wallwash lighting in a single refined solution. Available in Ø65mm and Ø80mm, Hybrid offers up to 2000lm, 170lm/W efficiency and CRI >90. www.reggiani.net 4
Sareena Archlum
Light, when applied with intention, can transform the perception of space. Sareena was developed to meet this potential head-on, engineered around an octuple wall washer configuration that ensures generous, even illumination across vertical planes. Uniformity is at the heart of Sareena’s optical design. This quality is especially valuable in retail applications where uninterrupted visual rhythm is essential. Available in different configurations for track, surface and recessed installations. www.archlum.com
Mission S Neko
A refined, in-track profile crafted in a smooth, architectural finish, designed to deliver efficient and controlled illumination. With flexible driver options and full three-circuit compatibility, it delivers a clean, confident beam suited to retail displays, gallery pieces, and hospitality settings where precise accent lighting shapes the atmosphere. www.nekolighting.com
Wellington Ligman
Wellington is a high-performance post-top luminaire utilising MicroVOS technology for versatile optical distributions. It supports advanced control strategies via tunable white, independent side dimming, and integrated motion sensors. With clear or frosted glass options, DarkSky compliance, turtle friendly, and nature friendly features, it meets strict environmental standards. Ideal for parks, pathways, and car parks, Wellington delivers precise, customisable illumination for complex outdoor applications. www.ligman.com
Zero Mono Point formalighting
The Zero Mono Point integrates seamlessly into ceilings or walls, with a minimalist 13mm aperture ideal for ultra-shallow voids. Its 90° tilt and 360° rotation allow precise light direction, while the magnetic, toolless connection makes repositioning effortless. Perfect for creating captivating and striking focal points, it is compatible with Zero 8, Zero 12, Zero 15 Zoom, and Zero 25. www.formalighting.com
Euclid 40 WE ERLE System IP20
Radiant Architectural Lighting
The Radiant Euclid 40 WE ERLE System is a linear, DMX-controlled, dynamic LED effectlighting system, for use in interior architectural cove lighting applications. Customisable, decorative, dynamic lit-effects are achieved using a combination of LEDs of various CCTs and colours, DMX-controlled dimming sequences (no motors), and textured glass optics. Light engines and glass optics can be easily replaced on site to extend the life of the system up to 30 years. www.radiantlights.co.uk
Pixeline Rigid delivers crisp, perfectly uniform lines of light in a robust plug-and-play format. Designed for architects and lighting designers seeking precision, these rigid linear fixtures offer seamless alignment, outdoor-grade durability, and effortless installation. RGBW and DMX options enable dynamic accents or subtle gradients, turning structure into expression. Ideal for façades, retail, and event environments where light needs to be clean, controlled, and unmistakably sharp. www.vivalyte.com 4
Krill L&L Luce&Light
Krill indoor projectors with Light Shaper and Light Shaper Zoom technology offer precise, sculpted illumination with sharp, clean edges. Available in three compact sizes and a 48Vdc track version, they allow designers to frame artworks or display pieces with exceptional accuracy. Their adjustable, multi-optical system shapes light into varied geometries, while tool-free switching to a circular beam ensures flexibility for museums, galleries, hospitality and retail environments. www.lucelight.it
KIISS-L KKDC
The KIISS-L modular lighting system with removable and recyclable LED boards can create continuous linear runs up to 10m off a single feed. The LED boards E020 and EP30 include a 10-year warranty and are screw-fixed within the powered profile to allow simple upgradability of the light source long into the future. Old modules are then returned to KKDC to be repurposed in accordance with the KKDC RE.VO refurbishment scheme. www.kkdc.lighting
ANA U
Pixalux sets new standards in architectural lighting design. The thin, frameless panel creates a homogeneous, shadow-free surface and is dimmable, controllable, and available in all light colours. With its clear aesthetics, it is ideal for modern architecture and product presentation. Manufactured in Austria, Pixalux combines functionality and minimalist elegance, delivering a versatile lighting solution for sophisticated professional applications. www.ana-u.com
Pixalux
Pixeline Rigid Vivalyte
Community Service
During LiGHT 25, the Silhouette Awards held two celebratory events that highlighted the strength of the programme’s community of mentors, mentees, and wider supporters.
Just a few weeks ago, LiGHT 25 once again transformed London’s Business Design Centre into the UK’s most vibrant location for lighting creativity, innovation, and industry dialogue. Among its standout moments was the continued presence of the Silhouette Awards, whose two activities this year – an in-person celebration and the debut of the Silhouette Awards Light Trail – brought renewed focus to the value of mentorship and the connections that shape the global lighting community.
On the opening day of the show, the Associations Lounge hosted an in-person event for the Silhouette Awards, and became the gathering point for designers, mentors, mentees, supporters, and friends of the Silhouette Awards. The session opened with co-founders Eve Gaut and Katia Kolovea, who reflected on the journey of the programme and the significance of reaching its milestone fifth year.
Afterwards, a live, fast-paced conversation between mentor and mentee pairing Magdalena Gomez and Santiago Navarro provided a fantastic glimpse into the real-world impact of structured professional support. The ‘quick fire’ interview
style conversation was a great way to get to know the pairing, with fun and engaging audience reactions to their snappy responses.
The event continued with a panel discussion, moderated by arc magazine Editor, Matt Waring, featuring mentors Krishna Mistry, Dan Lister, and Melissa Byers, each of whom brought a unique view and input to the discussion. Their reflections ranged from the responsibilities that come with guiding emerging designers, to the reciprocal learning that mentors gain, to the wider cultural importance of nurturing inclusive leadership within the industry. For many attending, the session felt like a reaffirmation of the central idea behind the Silhouette Awards: that progress is collective, and that no career is built alone.
The second day of LiGHT 25 saw the debut of the Silhouette Awards Light Trail, a new initiative designed to add a sense of exploration and connection to the exhibition experience. Led by Gaut and Kolovea, the guided tour provided participants with curated introductions to selected exhibitor stands, representing some of the programme’s supporters and sponsors – Lucent Lighting, formalighting, ADO Lights,
SILHOUETTE AWARDS
OneEightyOne, Vivalyte, and Huda Lighting. Rather than simply walking the floor, guests were invited into a deeper experience, learning about the technologies, stories, and people behind each brand, while taking part in an interactive route complete with a light-hearted game and gifts from Huda Lighting, Silhouette Awards Power Sponsors, at the final stop for all participants.
Year 5 of the Silhouette Awards programme is now officially underway, marked by what co-founders describe as an impressively varied and highly regarded mentor line-up. The open call for mentor applications attracted a global base of lighting designers, with this year’s paired mentees set to be revealed soon. The anniversary year is set to include special celebrations, additional community events, and reflective moments acknowledging just how far the programme has come since its launch.
For Gaut, the milestone year carries special significance: “What continues to inspire me is the commitment of our mentors, the courage of our mentees, and the support of our sponsors and partners. Five years in, the Silhouette Awards have become a true reflection of the lighting community at its best – collaborative, uplifting, and willing
to invest in the next generation. As we mark this milestone year, we’re excited to create moments that honour how far we’ve come and spark even more opportunities for connection and growth.”
Kolovea added: “Reaching our fifth year feels like a beautiful reflection of what can happen when a community comes together with intention. The Silhouette Awards began as a passion project, with the belief that people grow stronger when they support one another. Seeing the impact it has had on so many careers and friendships is wonderful. Year Five is not just a celebration of the programme; it’s a celebration of every person who has been part of this journey.”
Together, these voices and initiatives made the Silhouette Awards’ presence at LiGHT 25 not just a great in-person reunion, but an energising platform of mentorship in action. With Year Five unfolding and a series of celebratory activities planned throughout the coming months, the Silhouette Awards continue to shine brightly, championing mentorship, nurturing emerging talent, and helping to propel the industry forward by ensuring knowledge and expertise are passed on. www.silhouetteawards.com
Images: Olivia Ross
Magnetic Force
DAVID MORGAN
Following a collaboration with Luc Bernard of Licht Kunst Licht, German manufacturer ADO Lights developed the LED Luc – a spotlight whose clever use of magnets allows for enhanced flexibility. David Morgan takes a closer look at this innovative product.
David
Morgan runs David Morgan Associates, a London-based international design consultancy specialising in luminaire design and development and is also MD of Radiant Architectural Lighting.
Email: david@dmadesign.co.uk
Web: www.dmadesign.co.uk
Permanent magnets have the almost magical quality of providing force over distance without needing any power source. The magnetic force falls away quickly with an inverse cube or fourth power law, which makes it an ideal way to hold together those components that also need, from time to time, to be easily separated or moved. Examples are track adapters and adjustable spotlights. Using one magnetic detail in a luminaire design might be considered a standard approach but it is unusual to discover magnets being used to achieve two different functions in the same product. The LED Luc miniature spotlight range from ADO Lights does exactly that, so I thought we should investigate the product range in more detail. The third-generation family company who developed the LED Luc system was founded in Germany and originally manufactured roller grilles for heating and cooling convectors under the ADO Roste brand. The next generation was keen for the company to work with architects and moved into the high-end architectural metalwork market, and also diversified into custom architectural lighting with a new company called TTC Timmler Technology. The company is now run by Patrick Timmler, the grandson of the founder, and now uses the ADO by TTC Timmler Technology brand to
market their lighting products around the world.
The original business model was based on creating custom lighting systems for specific projects based on the requirements of architects and lighting designers. These designs were then developed and refined and marketed as standard ranges. We use a similar approach at Radiant Architectural Lighting and know that it can be successful as all of our most successful product ranges started life as custom solutions.
The LED Luc spotlight was originally developed for use in a project with lighting design by Luc Bernard from Licht Kunst Licht, who worked frequently with ADO lights at that time. He was working on the lighting design for the St. Petri Church in Dortmund, where a miniature adjustable spotlight was required to light the restored 1531 Antwerp high altar; and so the LED Luc projector was developed as a custom solution for the project.
One hundred and fifty LED Luc projectors were mounted in vertical steel channels to light both sides of the altar. In the first design iteration for the project, screws rather than magnets were used to fix the spotlights in place. Once it became clear that the projectors would need to be easy to reposition to achieve the optimum lit effect, the idea of using a magnet to hold the spotlights to the
channels was introduced. The projector was named after Luc Bernard in recognition of the effective collaboration between ADO Lights and the lighting designer.
The LED Luc adjustable LED IP44-rated spotlight uses magnets twice in the design firstly to fix the luminaire base in place on a steel surface, and secondly as the force that holds the adjustable ball joint onto the base. The miniature magnets used are powerful and ensure that the projector head does not droop in use while allowing easy aiming, adjustment and repositioning. A soft flexible cable runs from the body to a remote driver with a jack plug connection.
The sample I was given to test has a high-quality machined aluminium construction with an effective pin type heat sink. A single 3W LED is bonded to the heat sink and the 20mm TIR lenses can be quite easily removed from the injection moulded holder on site with a tool. The light engine produces a nice beam quality with a range of beam angles including 10, 25 and 50°. The LED colour temperature options include 2,600, 3,000, 3,500 and 4,000K, all rated at 90 + CRI. Standard metal work colours are satin silver anodised aluminium, black anodised and powder coated satin white RAL 9010. Accessories include a screw-in honeycomb louvre and a screw-
in cut angle anti-glare snoot. It is not possible to combine both snoot and honeycomb. An IP65 glass window accessory is also available to allow the projectors to be used for exterior applications. In addition to the original 30mm diameter size, a 40mm diameter version has been developed by Patrick Timmler. With this larger design, the LED can be replaced to extend the working life of the luminaire and all the components can be disassembled, using a screwdriver, for ease of recycling at the end of life or for remanufacturing. A zoom optic is available for the 40mm version in addition to the various anti-glare and IP65 accessories.
The LED Luc range has been used on a wide variety of projects, often in combination with custom housings, where the ease of adjustability and miniature size is required. Notable projects where the LED Luc has been used so far include Castle Hohenschwangau, Museum Marseille, and the Richard-Wagner-Museum in Bayreuth. It is always good to review lighting products that incorporate simple innovations which are used to offer tangible benefits and differentiate products in a crowded market. The LED Luc range meets those criteria extremely well. www.ado-lights.com
Within Water
Liverpool, UK
Taking place from 24 October – 2 November, Liverpool’s River of Light Festival transformed the UK city’s historic waterfront into a walking trail of illuminated artworks and installations by national and international artists.
One of the standout pieces of this year’s festival came from Yellow Studio, whose installation, Within Water, was inspired by bioluminescence, exploring the relationship between water, light, and human interaction. Commissioned by Culture Liverpool, the installation was inspired by the festival’s broader theme – The Science of Light. Through a grid of programmable lights embedded beneath the water’s surface, the installation mimicked the gentle glow and
movement of bioluminescent algae, creating an illuminated current that shifts in colour and intensity.
The central sculptural element, a human hand, served as a symbolic trigger, sparking a physical disturbance that activated the bioluminescent light in response to human touch, emphasising the connection and interaction between people and their environment.
Within Water invited viewers to experience the vibrance, layers, and fluidity of light as it dances through water, blending natural phenomena with innovative technology. The installation celebrated water’s role as a driving force in Liverpool’s identity, while engaging themes of transformation and community.
The installation was developed in close collaboration with Invisible Wind Factory, a Liverpool-based creative studio, which designed and programmed the underwater lighting system, creating a 15-minute looping display that ripples across the water. The sculptural hand was fabricated by London’s Propworks, which is known for its large-scale works.
In addition to the public display, Yellow Studio also hosted an educational workshop for local students, offering insights into their creative processes and the fusion of art and science that underpin the installation. www.yellowstudio.com www.invisiblewindfactory.com
Image: James Stack
Officine Creative
Milan, Italy
Reggiani’s Cells Surface system brings an industrial aesthetic to Officine Creative’s flagship Milan store.
Located in the Brera district, the heart of Milan’s design scene, the new Officine Creative flagship store is a tribute to craftsmanship, matter, and contemporary aesthetics. Designed by interior designer Fabio Santambrogio, the space reinterprets the city’s architectural heritage with subtle nods to iconic Milanese buildings and materials.
From the squared arches of Ca’Brutta to the pink Baveno granite of the Central Station, the project is rich in visual references – all reimagined through a modern, industrial lens. It is in this material and narrative context that lighting becomes a central design tool.
To light the space, Santambrogio selected Reggiani’s Cells Surface system, featuring exposed raw steel connectors. These luminaires are not only functional, but visually integrated into the project, enhancing the workshop-inspired aesthetic and underlining the textures and rhythms of the interior. The result is a luminous architecture where light helps define volumes and perspectives, giving depth to the raw granite, fused glass, sage green tubular furniture, and other signature elements. www.reggiani.net
Vistà Optometria
Vicenza, Italy
Bringing an industrial-chic aesthetic to Vicena’s new eyewear store, Traverso Vighy Architetti utilised a range of luminaires from L&L Luce&Light.
In Vistà Optometria, a new eyewear store in Vicenza’s historic centre, light becomes an integral part of the interior design, enhancing the space’s industrial atmosphere. The project, designed by architect and lighting designer Giovanni Traverso or Traverso Vighy Architetti, places exposed L&L Luce&Light fixtures at the heart of the visual narrative.
The shop windows are illuminated by the Italian brand’s Flori 1.0 projectors, selected in 2700K with an anthracite finish coordinated with the window frames. The 9° optics and asymmetric snoots ensure precise lighting and effective glare control. Along the walls, the linear profile Neva 3.1 with an 11° optic creates a grazing light that highlights the minimal shelves dedicated to eyewear display: the light filters between one shelf and the next one, adding depth to the materials. The version with honeycomb louvre and wall brackets guarantees comfort and discreet integration within the space.
Above the counters, three pairs of suspended Trevi 2.2 profiles define the luminous rhythm of the environment: in each pair, one fixture is directed upwards at 2200K to warm the room with a soft, diffused light, while the other points downwards at 3000K, providing functional and uniform lighting on the display surfaces.
Particularly for an eyewear store, light is an essential quality in bringing a space to life, and through L&L Luce&Light’s range of fixtures, Giovanni Traverso has brought a subtle yet sophisticated ambience to Vistà Optometria. www.lucelight.it www.traverso-vighy.com
Image: Matteo De Bernardini
Designed and Manifactured in Italy
LicLLab
Arsenale Nord Exhibition – Venice, Italy
Marsa Al Arab – Dubai, UAE
Me Do Re Tower – Dubai, UAE
Luxury Residential Apartment – Dubai, UAE
Kempinski Ishtar - The Edge Social Lounge, Jordan
Cultural & Heritage Museum – Abu Dhabi, UAE
Jordan Towers - Amman, Jordan
M8
Macao, China
A cultural and commercial landmark, the M8 development draws inspiration from Macau’s rich historical culture. Designed by Lighting Planners Associates, the lighting was delivered by SM C2R
Macau’s M8 stands as a beacon of architectural innovation, its sweeping curves and monumental glass façade redefining the city’s skyline. Yet, it is the masterful orchestration of light that elevates this structure into a captivating sensory experience, transforming it from a mere building into a living narrative. Designed by Lighting Planners Associates (LPA) and executed with precision by SM C2R, M8’s lighting design is a testament to the power of illumination as both art and storyteller.
The building’s exterior comes alive at dusk, with concealed light sources tracing its vertical lines, creating the illusion of a structure that breathes.
Warm tones cascade across the composite stone, softening the sharp edges of modernity and harmonising with Macau’s historic district. The curved stone-laminated glass with a single panel measuring 20.45sqm, a Guinness World Record holder for its curvature, reflects the city’s vibrancy, capturing movement and layering the present with echoes of the past. Strategic contrasts guide the eye upward, emphasising the building’s scale and grace, while carefully placed shadows offer moments of calm, inviting visitors to pause before entering the dynamic interior.
Inside, lighting crafts intimacy without confinement. Cooler tones open terrace views towards the historic district, while subtle gradations of colour envelop the rooftop garden in serenity.
The seamless transition between indoor and outdoor spaces feels guided by light itself, encouraging guests to linger and connect with their surroundings. This thoughtful balance of brightness and depth transforms spaces into experiences, stirring emotion and framing lasting memories.
M8’s brilliance has earned global acclaim, including the Global RLI Awards 2024, Macau Architecture Awards 2024, PropertyGuru Asia Property Awards 2023, TITAN Property Awards 2024, and IPA International Property Awards 2024. These honours celebrate not only its architectural innovation but also its lighting design, which transcends utility to become choreography. At Macau M8, light does more than illuminate – it shapes perception, evokes emotion, and writes the building’s story, making it a luminous landmark in Macau’s evolving cultural landscape.
Luminaires from Neko Lighting help to “carry the emotional weight” of the experience at Maserati’s new Sofia showroom.
Entering the Maserati showroom in Sofia feels like stepping into a controlled field of attention. The architecture is quiet by design – broad planes, muted surfaces, and a spatial rhythm that gives each car a defined moment. In this environment, lighting carries the emotional weight of the experience. Pure series track lighting from Neko orchestrates that effect with a balance of precision and restraint.
Designed in collaboration with Design Inception, the lighting layout was shaped around the showroom’s most notable element: the large panel light that provides a calm, uniform ambient field. Instead of competing with these panels, the Pure track system settles into the perimeter around them – an intentional gesture. The tracks line the outer frame of the panels, almost like a contour drawing, demonstrating how the system can be configured to match architectural boundaries with exactness. It’s a tailored integration that keeps the ceiling visually disciplined while bringing focused light exactly where it is needed.
From these custom-fitted tracks, the Pure series track spots take on the more detailed work. Their beams fall with clarity – tight enough to carve attention onto a front grille or wheel arch, yet smooth enough to model the bodywork without glare. The result is a lighting composition that gives each car its own zone of presence, almost like a stand-alone installation within a continuous space.
The ambient panel lighting stabilises the general brightness, but it is Pure that sets the tone. It sharpens silhouettes, restores depth to reflective surfaces, and gently guides how visitors move through the showroom. And when the layout needs to shift, the track system adapts effortlessly, preserving the spatial order while allowing the scene to be re-scripted.
The space ultimately feels tuned rather than lit – confident, measured, and quietly dramatic. A showroom where light frames the performance, and every model receives the attention it deserves. www.nekolighting.com
Kleinfeld Bridal
New York, USA
To better showcase the high-quality wedding dresses on display, Kleinfeld Bridal upgraded its lighting system to Amerlux downlights with full gamut LED chips.
A true New York City icon, the venerable Kleinfeld Bridal has been selling some of the finest wedding dresses for more than 75 years, and has starred as the home of TLC’s reality show, Say Yes to the Dress
However, the store had a problem: when brides-tobe came in for their fittings, they complained that the dresses they ordered didn’t look right – the colours didn’t look right. With dresses costing up to $40,000 each, anything less than perfection was not an option.
To that end, Kleinfeld invested heavily in creating a space to showcase the dresses’ perfection, even going so far as to use only lead-free mirrors to avoid seeing a green hue on the dress. The answer to Kleinfeld’s dilemma was to relight the fitting rooms.
Measuring 8x12ft, the fitting rooms are large, and the ceilings were previously cluttered with nine round downlights each, including standard downlights and “eyeball” style lights.
The legacy fixtures were not designed for LEDs, but had been retrofitted with LED sources. The result was a space with a lot of shadows and poor colour rendering.
When Kleinfeld management opted to revitalise the fitting rooms, Clifford Starr, a lighting designer at GoodMart in New York City, had the ideal solution ready: Amerlux’s Hornet HP Downlights with full gamut LED chips.
Full gamut LED chips render colour at a level far beyond what standard LEDs can deliver – to the point where the light quality is like bringing the sun inside the store.
Starr’s solution included entirely reworking the lighting plan to create a cleaner looking space.
Reducing the fixture count from nine, Starr was able to deliver better quality light, more evenly than the old luminaires could. The lensed square Hornet model was chosen to coordinate with the existing square lighting in the nearby cashier area and stairwells.
“I wanted to elevate the fitting rooms to the sale calibre of the dresses,” says Starr. “They had a lot of recessed lighting and it was overkill. I cut down on the lighting to seven recessed downlights – one over the centre of the mirror, and then three on each side. That eliminated most of the shadows.”
For the final touch, Starr put dimmers on all the fitting room lights. “Each room is customisable to the different personalities of the salespeople and customers. With the dimmers, brides can see their dresses under the same lighting conditions as their wedding day,” he adds.
At Kleinfeld Bridal, everyone is thrilled with the new lighting. Jacques Vigneault, Vice President and Creative Director at Kleinfeld Bridal, says: “Because we are in bridal, our needs are very specific. Colour accuracy and sharpness are very important. Many of our wedding dresses have sparkles or gemstones, so the new lights make the dresses pop.
“The light itself is beautiful. All the staff is very happy with it. We put lighter-coloured tiles on the floor, and with the new lights, the room feels bigger. Some people think we raised the ceiling, but we didn’t. The lighting seems so natural now that we are used to it and we’re wondering ‘why didn’t we do this sooner?’”
www.amerlux.com
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Kailas
China
Ensuring a brand consistency across each of its stores in China, CDN Lighting has supplied luminaires for nearly 200 Kailas stores nationwide.
Kailas is one of the world’s best known climbing brands, established in 2003 with headquarters in Guangdong. The brand name originates from Mount Kailash in Tibet, China. The brand specialises in developing technical materials and professional, functional designs, with product lines spanning mountaineering, rock climbing, ice climbing, hiking, and trail running. It independently researches and develops climbing equipment.
In 2022, the brand’s inaugural mountaineering concept store opened in Chengdu. In 2023, Shanghai welcomed its first FUGA trail running store, The brand also serves as the official equipment supplier and principal sponsor for China’s National Rock-Climbing Team, alongside being the designated gear provider for China’s National Mountaineering Team.
CDN Lighting established a strategic partnership with partner Guangzhou Guangying Lighting Technology for the lighting design concept for Kailas stores, taking full charge of both lighting concept design and fixture supply for Kailas stores across China. This collaboration merges functional lighting with artistic storytelling, elevating the instore experience for outdoor enthusiasts.
The lighting concept is mainly focused on highlighting Kailas’ brand essence – adventure, durability, and connection to nature – which crafted a dramatic lighting scheme that goes beyond basic illumination. By playing with contrasting effects –positive and negative light, deep shadows and soft glows, strong highlights and subtle dimming – the design creates layered, artistic visuals that “tell Kailas’ brand story.”
For instance, bright, focused light draws attention to product details like waterproof fabrics, while softer, shadowed areas evoke the tranquility of outdoor landscapes, resonating with the brand’s outdoor spirit. To achieve this effect, Kailas stores used CDN’s track lighting fixtures, selected for their precision and versatility. These fixtures primarily feature 12 and 24 beam angle, while the narrow 12 angle delivers sharp, concentrated light for highlighting specific product features, while the wider 24 angle casts broader, softer illumination to shape the overall store ambiance. This combination ensures every corner of the store serves a purpose – guiding customer flow, emphasising key merchandise, and reinforcing Kailas’ premium identity.
CDN’s role extends from assisting the lighting concept design to full-scale supply, supporting nearly 200 stores nationwide. By handling both concept design and supply, CDN guarantees consistency in lighting quality and brand alignment across all stores, even as Kailas expands its footprint. www.cdnlighting.cc
Principal Lighting Designer [Oxford/London/Cambridge] Maternity Cover
We are CBG Consultants, we Invest in People.
CBG are an ambitious practice of building services consultants with more than 60 staff with offices in Oxford, London, Manchester, Birmingham and Cambridge. Our services include a wide range of building services solutions including specialist lighting design, MEP, sustainability, building physics and Passivhaus.
Our vision is to be a leading consultancy delivering excellence in design, building physics and engineering for better buildings that benefit their occupants and the environment.
We work with Architects and Developers, Private Clients, Project Managers and Cost Consultants, Major Contractors.
Our main market sectors are, Heritage and Conservation, Hospitality, Education, Commercial and Private Developments, Rail and Transport Infrastructure, Healthcare, Public and Community spaces.
The opportunity.
We have an exciting opportunity for an experienced Principal Lighting Designer to join us on 1-year fixed-term maternity cover contract. However, there is potential for a permanent role due to the growth of the specialist lighting team, and the expansion of the company.
You will have experience of leading a strong team, managing resources efficiently, meeting deadlines across multiple projects, and have a proven track record of delivering substantial technical lighting projects at a senior level.
You will be confident attending face to face, and remote meetings with clients, architects, engineers and contractors on projects across the UK and occasionally overseas.
As a designer you will have well rounded experience across all sectors although experience in heritage buildings would be a distinct advantage.
What will you do?
Our lighting projects span all market sectors, and many involve more than one discipline so collaborative working with colleagues across all teams will be an essential skill. You will be working closely with other team members seeing projects through from inception to completion and handover.
You will be capable of all the following – and more Leading team resources and commercial reviews
• Leading project surveys and establishing a clear client brief
• Producing feasibility study and concept design reports
• Producing project design documentation and technical specifications
• Carrying out on-site inspections and supporting contract administration
• Witnessing and overseeing the commissioning of completed schemes
• Managing client handover meetings
What we are looking for
Essential:
• A minimum of ten years’ experience in a professional lighting design role
• A knowledge of historic buildings work and common practices
• Positive track record of working with clients,
architects, surveyors, contractors and other stakeholders
• Delivery of mixed scale projects semiautonomously, with limited supervision
• Up to date knowledge of SLL Guidelines and common lighting standards
• A collaborative and inquisitive approach, with enthusiasm for new ideas, good initiative, and excellent communication skills Attention to detail
• Thorough technical knowledge of lighting design software, Microsoft office and AutoCad
• Driving license and vehicle is strongly beneficial due to the remote locations of many project sites
• Career growth, training & development – we enjoy promoting from within!
• Excellent perks (but not limited to):
- Paid for social events such as summer parties, Christmas parties, team lunches, and activity days
- Private healthcare
- Bonusly reward scheme, Perks at work, platforms offering gift vouchers from top leading brands of your choice
- Additional holiday purchase
- Cycle to work scheme
We are an equal opportunities employer and always looking to enhance diversity within the company.
Cherine Saroufim
Atelier Saroufim
What
To sit beneath the quiet arc of a crescent moon and feel the fullness of darkness – not as absence, but as presence. A quiet kind of beauty.
A space where imagination awakens and the eye begins to see beyond the surface.
Where
Somewhere away from the blinding rhythm of artificial light – in the hills, on a rooftop, or any place where stars return to reclaim their stories.
How
By unlearning fear. By letting your eyes adjust, and with them, your perception.
We so often fight the dark – in our cities, in our stories – that we forget its beauty.
Allow it to slow you down, to soften you. Let darkness become an invitation to listen, to dream, to reconnect with your own inner light. There is light in the shadows, too.
When
In the moments when the world goes dim –whether by choice or by circumstance.
When the power cuts, when the electricity fails, when the city sleeps, when silence settles.
These are not moments of lack, but moments of possibility.
Why
Because in our part of the world, darkness is too often a burden.
Where electricity is a privilege, not a given –darkness is often feared, politicised, or endured. But not all darkness is empty. Some of it is celestial, sacred, healing. Some of it allows us to see what light cannot reveal: our resilience, our creativity, our ability to gather around a candle, a story, a sky.
But nature’s darkness is ancient, generous, and real. In it, we find rest. In it, we remember that not all light comes from lamps – some of it comes from the moon, from fireflies, from hope.
“Light is not so much something that reveals, as it is itself the revelation.”
