Notes from the lighting studio
Practical writing on design, specification, controls and the regional market — from the people who issue the calculations.
Five places to start
Lighting Design
How schemes are composed — layering, contrast, colour and the decisions that shape a room after dark.
Read the categoryCommercial Lighting
Glare, energy targets, controls and the standards that govern lit workspaces.
Read the categoryArchitectural Lighting
Lighting buildings themselves — grazing, integration, mock-ups and the restraint good facades need.
Read the categoryLighting Guides
Straightforward guidance on specifying, dimming, controlling and maintaining a lighting installation.
Read the categoryIndustry Insights
What is changing in the regional lighting market, and what it means for people specifying today.
Read the categoryRecent articles
Facade Lighting in Dubai: Making Buildings Stand Out at Night
Design ideas, LED options, controls and climate-proof specification for facade lighting in Dubai, plus how to choose a facade lighting consultant.
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Smart Lighting Controls for UAE Commercial Towers: A Practical Guide
Occupancy sensing, daylight harvesting, DALI-2, KNX and BMS integration: how to choose, commission and maintain lighting controls in a UAE tower.
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Choosing Hotel Lighting in Dubai: What Should You Consider?
Lobbies, guest rooms, restaurants, corridors and outdoor areas: how to choose hotel lighting in Dubai that guests notice for the right reasons.
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Complete Guide to Lighting Design for Luxury Villas in Dubai
Room-by-room planning, façade, garden and pool lighting, colour temperature, glare, smart controls and the mistakes to avoid in a Dubai villa.
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Best Lighting Companies in Dubai: How to Choose the Right Lighting Partner for Your Project
What a lighting company in Dubai should actually do for your project, the six things to check before you choose one, and the questions to ask first.
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How to light a dining room
A practical, room-specific guide: pendant heights, table levels, dimming and what to avoid.
Read articleFurther reading
Why your ceiling has too many downlights
The default villa ceiling is a grid of identical downlights. Here is what to do instead, and why it costs less.
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Designing offices for screen work
Glare, not illuminance, is what makes an office uncomfortable. UGR, screen reflections and practical targets.
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Facade lighting: the case for restraint
The best-lit buildings in any skyline are rarely the brightest. Grazing, depth and knowing when to stop.
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Layered lighting: ambient, task and accent explained
Three layers, one room. What each layer does and how to balance them without over-lighting.
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LED efficacy has plateaued. What comes next?
The easy efficiency gains are behind us. The next decade belongs to control, quality and longevity.
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Colour temperature and CRI, in practice
What 2700K, 90 CRI and R9 actually mean when you are standing in the room.
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Integrating light into the architecture
Coves, slots and handrail details work only if they are coordinated at shop-drawing stage.
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Daylight harvesting that actually pays back
Where photocell dimming earns its cost in a Gulf office, and where it quietly does not.
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Specifying exterior lighting for Gulf conditions
Heat, humidity, salt and irrigation destroy under-specified fittings. What to insist on.
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Choosing between DALI, Casambi and DMX
Three control protocols, three very different jobs. A practical guide to picking the right one.
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A practical guide to dimming
Why LED dimming disappoints, and the driver and dimmer decisions that fix it.
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What circularity means for lighting specification
Repairable luminaires, replaceable engines and the end of the sealed disposable fitting.
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Reading is no substitute for a walkthrough
Most lighting questions resolve in twenty minutes standing in the actual room. We are happy to do that.