Looking ahead to the future of lighting design.
I had a wonderful time presenting “A Presence in the Light” at the Future Forum conference at Light + Building in fabulous Frankfurt. My essential thesis is that architectural lighting needs to part ways with its legacy foundational technologies before … Continue reading light + building 2026: VLDC future forum
When I walk Light + Building in Frankfurt this week, I’ll be looking broadly for one thing: Is there any ambition on display from the architectural lighting industry as a whole? I spent the first 25+ years of my career … Continue reading what is the ambition of the lighting industry?
Up until the AI revolution, my vision of the future has always exceeded my ability to extract that vision from my brain. I’m trained as an architect and I can draw, build models, illustrate renderings, etc. But two decades ago, … Continue reading ai in ’99?
What will intelligence look like in our built environment?Imagine if a classic James Turrell installation were actually intelligent, if its “brain” were an AI perceiving its surroundings, interpreting countless data streams, and dynamically shaping the occupant’s experience. What would that … Continue reading conscious luminous effects
Frank Gehry, your impact on this world was immense. Thank you for all the inspiration you gave to a entire generation of architects and your impact on liberating the built environment from bland boxes. 25 years ago, I was exploring … Continue reading the love child of james turrell and frank gehry
In retail today, your guests’ demand dazzling new experiences everytime they visit.The real challenge isn’t the hardware—it’s creating content that can refresh continually and automatically, making every moment dynamic.In immersive digital retail, traditional brand assets can be layered over a … Continue reading immersive digital experiences in luxury retail
Seduction is the first step to immersion Before anyone can have a memorable experience in a space, before they can be captivated, transformed, or emotionally moved, they must first want to engage. They must be drawn in. And that requires … Continue reading the art of seduction and the act of immersion
“Ms. Smith, welcome to the Four Seasons Spa. The walls will be your wellness guide today.” What if a room could respond to how you feel? Could this room guide your personal wellness? What if this room had a deep … Continue reading immersive digital wellness
The technologies exist today to transform architectural surfaces into portals to the digital world, complete with digital architectural “avatars”. These hyper-intelligent avatars will most likely not be anthropomorphic. They will more resemble a “presence in the light”, an ephemeral being … Continue reading a presence in the light
Truly progressive art has always been on the cutting edge in critiquing cultural and technological trends. Yet many people conveniently forget that the “technological” side of that statement has been such a key catalyst in artistic exploration. Exploring new mediums … Continue reading art, artists and architectural digital surfaces
I’m optimistic that interior designers will embrace large-format, direct-view LED display walls as a fundamental new tool in their architectural placemaking. I don’t say that lightly: For countless years, interior designers have adamantly tried to hide any digital displays that … Continue reading will interior designers embrace digital walls?
Capturing a very interesting LinkedIn post I came across by Emile Rademeyer: VANDAL ▼ unveils world-first AI art for Lendlease, Darling Quarter North. Titled ‘Natural Rhythms of Australia’, AI ATELIER by VANDAL ▼ has unveiled a world-first, feature-length, generative AI digital art exhibition and … Continue reading AI atelier by vandal
As architectural walls transition to large-format digital surfaces, we will see a flourishing of new creativity from architects and interior designers. Previously oppressive spaces will become ever-evolving wonderlands of visual delight. Designers will embrace the richness of digital media as … Continue reading from claustrophobic to wonderland
I’ve said in various presentations over the years “every light becomes a pixel, and every pixel becomes a light”. And I recently gave a presentation titled “Every Surface a Screen: Now What?” where I asked what happens when every architectural … Continue reading lighting design becomes content design
How many retail stores are so blah and generic that customers can’t tell one from another? Fake wood flooring, exposed ceilings with track lighting, maybe a few sign boxes with campaign graphics that might as well be stock photography. Is … Continue reading radical retail
Can I help you develop a steamy new revenue stream? There is huge commercial potential to turn luxury & hospitality bathrooms from blah to brilliant using luminous LED panels. But obvious innovations often “fall through the cracks” between existing sales … Continue reading brilliant bathrooms
Like everyone who’s ever watched Tron, I’ve long had a vision for embedding lighting into jogging and biking clothes. But the right tech pieces to make it practical, effective and fashionable were never really available until recently. Now with 2023 … Continue reading tech fashion design challenge
I recently presented Immersive Digital Experiences: Hospitality & Healthcare at the Integrate Middle East conference. Unfortunately the sessions were not recorded, but below is a PDF copy of my slide deck for posterity. Sorry its missing all the videos! ABSTRACT: … Continue reading integrate middle east 2023
My hot take immediately after watching Apple’s Vision Pro VR/AR goggle launch:1. Luxury Isolation: A perfect entertainment product for an increasingly isolated, lonely world. Continuing on the social isolation that smartphones created, this product will be a compelling luxury entertainment … Continue reading apple vision pro launch
Architects and interior designers recognize that digital elements are rapidly fusing into the built environment – sometimes referred to as “phygital” experiences. But too often designers have been burned by fancy promises of “digital experiences” that turned out to be … Continue reading don’t fear the phygital
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