Lighting That Amplifies Your Design
You’ve put a lot of effort into your design. The lighting should maximize it.
How it Works
PLD takes complete ownership of the lighting scope from concept through construction administration.
Your electrical engineer focuses on power and low voltage systems.
You get lighting design expertise that elevates your projects.
The Benefits to You
Your design deserves lighting that enhances it – not forces it to compromise.
A Design-Minded Partner
One Consultant, One Scope
True lighting design is not just finding a layout that looks symmetrical on plan and meets code. It considers the architectural features, people, and tasks that will be present and uses light intentionally to create a great experience. That process is iterative and thoughtful.
A typical lighting consultant cannot stamp the lighting construction document set, so the responsibility for the lighting is still shared with the electrical engineer. This results in total design team fees that are often higher than having the entirety of the lighting set covered under one roof.
Physics-Based Lighting Renders
Design Intent Protection
We create physics-based lighting renders using your modeled geometry from Revit or Sketchup and real fixture data from the manufacturer to evaluate how a proposed lighting design will actually appear once it’s installed. This allows the design team and the owner to clearly see what’s being considered before it gets built.
Knowing which fixture to specify as a basis of design is one thing. Understanding how to protect the design intent while avoiding the cost of the lighting package being inflated is another. Our lighting-focused expertise empowers us to effectively manage the specification, submittal, and construction process.
FAQ's
How is PLD different from other lighting design consultants?
While typically very skilled at what they do, most lighting design consultants are not licensed engineers. This adds additional coordination and cost overhead to the overall project and design fee structure that is not present when the architectural lighting design and the lighting engineering can all be handled effectively by one consultant.
Is PLD willing to provide services for a partial lighting scope?
Yes. Our default approach is to take ownership of the complete lighting scope to allow for simpler coordination and project management. However, if you prefer PLD to handle only select portions of the lighting scope, we're happy to accommodate that approach as well.
What is PLD’s typical design process?
During the lighting concept development and refinement stages of a project, our work is primarily render-based. This allows us to quickly evaluate multiple options that can be visually communicated to the design and ownership team. Once the lighting concept has been approved, we will precisely detail the construction document set accordingly. Waiting until that point to finalize the construction documents significantly reduces rework and allows our fees to correctly reflect our time-efficient processes.
How early does PLD like to enter the project?
As early as practical. We are happy to provide lighting renders as early as the preliminary architectural concept stage if it would be beneficial. Because of our concept-based, render-first approach (see above), we do not need to wait until the architectural layout has been finalized, or close to finalized, to be brought in.
Why are PLD’s renders in grayscale?
Grayscale renders allow us to quickly and accurately evaluate lighting effects such as contrast ratios, hot spots, beam spread alignment with aiming targets, etc. They also allow us to control material reflectance values, which can have a large impact on the render results. With that said, if an application warrants a render that takes into account the colors of the materials, that is certainly feasible as well.
What software does PLD use for its lighting renders?
We use Autodesk 3ds Max with the Iray plug-in to perform our physics-based lighting renders. This allows us to directly import the modeled geometry without having to re-create it from scratch, use manufacturer-specific .ies file data, and create high-quality renders.
We use Enscape for lighting renders, what’s the difference?
Enscape is excellent for architectural visualization and conceptual presentations. However, its lighting tools prioritize visual flexibility over physical accuracy. Our physics-based renders are intended to predict how a proposed lighting installation will actually perform using manufacturer photometric data.
Which states is PLD licensed in?
We are currently licensed in Florida, Georgia, Iowa, Nebraska, and North Carolina. If a project requires licensure in another state, we are happy to obtain it as part of supporting that project.
Will PLD be strong aesthetically but weak technically?
No. While we are proud of our ability to function as architectural lighting designers when needed, our engineering expertise also makes us fully capable of handling the technical aspects of a lighting project including code requirements, circuiting, controls, and specifications.
Does PLD have experience in the types of projects our firm works on?
Our experience covers a wide range of project types including workplace, K-12, higher education, healthcare, industrial, government, multifamily, and municipal. If a certain project is outside our realm of competency, we will notify you before starting work. We anticipate that being a rare occurrence though.
Will PLD be able to handle the size of projects our firm works on?
Yes. PLD’s standards and processes are designed to be scalable. This allows us to effectively handle projects ranging from small renovations to large, complex facilities.
How soon would PLD be able to start working on our projects?
We understand that sometimes unforeseen circumstances happen and help may be needed quickly. As such, PLD has set up its operational workflow to typically be able to assist firms even with relatively short notice.
Will PLD be able to service the project from start to finish?
Yes. If early conceptual lighting renders would be helpful for architectural or owner coordination, PLD can provide that. We will prepare the entirety of the lighting construction document set, as well as manage lighting-related submittals and other construction administration scope. When needed on a project, we can also perform lighting controls commissioning.
How does PLD structure fees?
We typically use fixed fees because they provide predictable costs for our clients and allow us to focus on delivering results rather than tracking hours. Since every project differs in size, complexity, and scope, each fee proposal is tailored to the specific project. We're happy to provide a proposal for a specific project – or even a hypothetical project – to help establish budgeting expectations.
