Brad Koerner of Koerner Design took on the Illuminating Engineering Society’s challenge to define the future of light in 2030, and identified six trends that would disrupt and innovate architectural lighting over the next decade.

He writes:
By the year 2030, what we call “architectural lighting” will increasingly consist of embedded luminous surfaces, rich with digital content, smartly driven by data streams and responsive to our physical actions and biological needs in a space. Designers (architects, interior designers, lighting designers, etc.) will increasingly need to become experience designers, using scripting, storyboarding and digital-twin simulations to craft live, responsive new experiential concepts for guests, shoppers, patients, employees, and so forth.

Despite growing system complexity, project coordination and on-site installation costs will be reduced via digital-twin, cloud-connected commissioning and sophisticated integration of BIM processes. And these projects will use DC-power systems to reduce the consumption and cost of all these digital systems while making our buildings net-zero energy consumers. The physical hardware of lighting systems will be designed to maximize new revenue streams opened by circular economy strategies, while simultaneously reducing our environmental impact.

There are six disruptive trends in architectural lighting for the next decade:
1- Luminous Surfaces
2 – Data-Driven Experiences
3 – Interactive Spaces
4 – Digital Twin Commissioning
5 – Circular Economy
6 – DC Power & Net-Zero Energy

Brad Koerner is a creative leader in the application of advanced technologies in architectural systems. Brad recently founded Koerner Design in Amsterdam and has been supporting several early-stage tech ventures in the building industry. Brad previously spent 20+ years in the architectural lighting industry, where he developed award-winning architectural lighting projects as well as industry-leading LED lighting and control technologies.