Interior Designer Resources Directory :: Interior Design Article

WORKING WITH A LIGHTING DESIGNER

First, you might ask yourself why you even need a lighting professional. You're creative and a pretty good lighting designer yourself and frankly there are a lot of folks calling them selves lighting designers who are not that qualified. Besides, if and when you need help with your lighting, you can always call your sales representative or go down to the local lighting showroom and get free advice. This is very common approach, cost effective and works for most projects. However, what appears to be a cost savings could really be an illusion. Think of it as saving money by doing you own taxes. Sure, you can do it and most of us can do a pretty good job but what if you overlooked that one thing that made a difference between saving and costing money.

Professional independent lighting designers dedicate their career exclusively to the art and science of lighting. They work closely with you to develop your ideas and guide you through the technology maze. With a lighting professional on your team, your vision will become a reality and your job will be easier. Because they are focused only on the lighting, they can also identify potential missed opportunities. It may be the one design idea that strengthens and enhances your design beyond your expectations.

Some common problems associated with not having a skilled lighting professional on your team may include over lighting, under lighting, over budget, switching control mistakes, bad color rendering, poor contractor substitutions, poor performance and lack of knowledge on new technology. These problems can cost you money and become an unnecessary burden on you, your design and you client. Professional lighting designers make your life easier. When a skilled lighting professional uses the language of light, your project undergoes a final transformation and realizes your ultimate vision.

Hopefully, you are now convinced to have a skilled lighting professional on your team. Now how do you get one hired? In my opinion, the best way is to convince the client that they would benefit with this added dimension on the design team for the reasons I have touched on above. Think of lighting as a critical fourth dimension of architecture. You can't see any surface without light and a better quality of lighting in the right location helps render detail, color and texture. Lighting professionals use light to improve visibility, set a mood, enhance a space and meet client's needs, such as image, safety, efficiency and atmosphere. And since this is a "fee only" service, there is no conflict of interest on types and quantities of lighting specified. A professional independent lighting designer does not sell products so you can be assured that they will specify what is best for the project and budget.

Professional independent lighting designers typically align their services to parallel the rest of the design team. They break down their services into phases so they can work closely with you during concepts, design development, documentation and construction. At each phase, there services are outlined to harmonize with your needs so it is best to retain one early on. At the onset, they can help you develop your lighting budget instead of relying on the contractor. This is very helpful in getting a realistic budget to minimize the" value engineering" that typically happens later on when the bids come in.

Now, where do you find a qualified lighting professional? I recommend The International Association of Lighting Designers (IALD). The IALD strives to set the global standard for lighting design excellence. IALD professional members must meet rigid qualification requirements and are held accountable to a code of ethical standards to help protect the public. There is no substitute for an IALD member's level of expertise and professionalism. Many architects, interior designers, engineers, builders and owners embrace professional lighting designers to augment their projects. They understand their value as an integral element of client service.

Michael Souter holds a BS Degree in Industrial Design from San Jose State University.

As President of Luminae Souter Associates, LLC, Michael is responsible for overall business performance of the architectural design facet of business, formulating design teams, proposal and contract reviews, design and project review and project management. He provides design services, design direction and overall management at Luminae Souter Associates. Some award winning projects include San Francisco Towers, The Carmel Highlands Inn, Honolulu Aloha Tower Marketplace and several highend residential projects.

He is a Certified Interior Designer, State of California (CCIDC #5781), Certified Lighting Efficiency Professional, (CLEP), Certified Lighting Professional (LC) He is a Senior Member, The Association of Energy Engineers; Member, Illuminating Engineering Society of North America; Fellow and Past Director, American Society of Interior Designers; Corporate Member, International Association of Lighting Designers, and Member, The Lighting Forum. Michael's work has been widely published and won many awards; establishing his recognition as a leader and entertaining speaker in the field of fine lighting design. Awards include International Illumination Design Awards of Excellence, International Illumination Design Awards of Merit, Edison Awards of Excellence, Edison Awards of Merit, Halo/ASID Awards, Guth Memorial Awards.

Contact At: mks@luminae-souter.com http://www.luminae-souter.com/