In conversation with lighting designers: insights into the future of lighting design

Since the beginning of the year, we have once again visited several design offices to talk directly to lighting designers and engineers. These regular exchanges give us the opportunity to delve deeper into the diverse fields of activity and individual workflows of each office.

Variety of projects and applications

We had the opportunity to discover an impressively wide range of projects and applications: from architectural lighting to emergency lighting and from outdoor lighting to the illumination of streets and tunnels. We were particularly fascinated by projects that, due to their complexity or size, not only challenge planners and their work processes, but also DIALux as planning software. And equally, designs that reveal a high level of lighting and design quality with a great deal of attention to detail.

BIM and IFC as central topics

The main topic of our discussions was the intensive analysis of BIM (Building Information Modelling) and IFC (Industry Foundation Classes). This was not only about technical details such as data exchange with Revit or how to handle luminaire data at different levels of detail, but also about a fundamental change in the way we work. With BIM, a significant amount of work for lighting designers also shifts to the early planning phases, which means, for example, that concept/schematic design becomes much more detailed and complex.

Knowledge shift through BIM

This change is also associated with a shift in the knowledge required of lighting designers. Increasingly, they have to familiarize themselves with the details and implementation aspects of other trades, such as ventilation or MEP design. ‘All the knowledge how to build is needed in the planning phase’ – this comprehensive knowledge is crucial for successful BIM-based projects.

Lighting design in agile construction processes with IPD

We also found approaches such as Integrated Project Delivery (IPD), in which agile methods are transferred to the construction process, particularly exciting. Under the motto ‘Best for project’, all parties work together in fewer phases (validation phase, development phase, construction phase), with a high degree of transparency, equality and more efficient planning that is focused on what is necessary. A characteristic feature of this is the so-called co-location: everyone works together on site in a project office, exclusively on the basis of a common BIM model, including the lighting designer.

The potential of AI in lighting design

Of course, we also discussed the relevance of artificial intelligence (AI) and its possible applications in lighting design in detail and took away numerous inspiring ideas that we would like to incorporate into our future developments.

Sustainability and ecodesign

Another important aspect of our discussions was the topic of sustainability. Taking sustainability criteria into account and integrating relevant product information into the planning, for example in the context of the EU Ecodesign Regulation 2024, is playing an increasingly important role.

Our goal: to understand the planning process

The intensive exchange with planners about BIM, IFC, sustainability and innovative concepts is incredibly valuable for us, not only to receive specific feedback on DIALux, but above all to better understand the planning process as a whole. We are particularly interested in the challenges that planners face in their daily work.

We would like to express our heartfelt thanks to all the teams for their openness, for the deep insights and the many inspiring conversations. It is always a pleasure to observe designers and engineers using our tools in practice and to understand how they overcome challenges and develop creative solutions. We are already looking forward to our next visit.