Deerns brings together creativity and in-depth technical knowledge to align user needs, architectural intent and sustainability from a project’s outset.
Lighting design goes far beyond achieving minimum lux levels. In reality, it It is about enabling a comfortable space for people, reinforcing architectural intent and ensuring long-term performance. It should not be underestimated at the outset of a project whether for critical care conditions for people in hospitals, or for rare artworks in museums.
At Deerns, lighting design begins with how a space is used.
User Experience as a Design Driver
One of the clearest trends in lighting design is the growing importance of user experience. Regulations remain essential, but clients increasingly expect lighting to do more than satisfy compliance. They want it to support well-being, create atmosphere and respond more accurately to how spaces are actually used.
This matters because people do not experience light in the same way. In healthcare, the difference is especially important.
" A birthing room, a skin clinic, an infusion area and a patient room each have distinct visual and psychological requirements.
The same applies in museums and offices, where expectations are becoming more varied and more sophisticated.
This expectations on user specific needs leads to a stronger focus on:
- Matching lighting strategies to specific activities and room types
- Creating more comfortable and supportive environments for users
- Providing appropriate local control where needed
At Deerns, this means starting conceptually and working closely with clients, users and architects to understand what each space needs to achieve. In hospitals such as Bravis and Slingeland, that often means discussions with medical staff and different departments about how spaces are actually used. In museums like Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen, it may involve curators, technical teams, heritage conservation consultants and event staff to align with architectural intent and support the conservation of valuable artefacts.
The aim is always to move from broad project goals to a lighting concept grounded in real patterns of use.
Rise of Controls and Smart Integration
Lighting design is increasingly shaped by how systems respond to occupancy, daylight and operational patterns. Buildings are under pressure to perform more efficiently, and lighting controls can make a significant contribution. Presence detection, daylight dimming, zoning and graded responses across a space can all reduce unnecessary energy use.
In larger buildings, lighting infrastructure can also contribute to understanding how spaces are used – for example, by helping to monitor occupancy.
3 key considerations in the design of lighting controls:
- The placement and quality of sensors across different zones
- The relationship between lighting systems and wider building systems
- The usability and long-term manageability of control platforms
Balancing Innovation with Practicality
At the same time, more technology does not automatically lead to better outcomes. Systems that are too complex, proprietary or expensive to maintain can create challenges long after handover. As an independent consultant, Deerns therefore prioritises open, flexible solutions that minimise vendor lock-in. The goal is to help clients adopt systems that are future-ready without becoming difficult to operate in practice.
Wireless approaches are also gaining relevance. Technologies such as Bluetooth mesh are opening up new possibilities, particularly in refurbishment and heritage projects where installing new communication cabling may be impractical or undesirable. This makes it easier to enhance control strategies while minimising disruption to the existing fabric.
Modularity, Circularity and Long-term Value
An important trend is the broader sustainability agenda around lighting. Energy efficiency remains central, but the discussion has expanded. Clients now ask more often where components come from, how luminaires are assembled, how easily they can be repaired and what happens to them at end of life.
This is changing expectations of lighting products. Manufacturers are increasingly developing fittings with replaceable components rather than sealed units that must be discarded entirely when one part fails. Emerging modular standards are helping to support this shift, allowing components to be replaced, upgraded or recycled more easily. This can reduce waste, extend service life and improve long term value.
3 important advantages of this modular approach are:
- Looking beyond the lowest upfront cost to longer term performance
- Reducing waste through repair, replacement and reuse of components
- Aligning lighting choices more closely with wider sustainability goals
This is especially important in refurbishments. As older systems are replaced, the question is how an upgrade can improve controls, reduce waste and support a more circular approach. Sometimes that means retaining parts of an existing system where possible. In other cases, it means selecting luminaires that can be adapted over time rather than replaced.
A strategic role for lighting design
Lighting design is becoming more important in the building design process. Deerns’ independent, multidisciplinary approach connects user needs, architecture, controls and sustainability from the earliest project stages. In lighting design, that is what turns a compliant installation into a lasting contribution to building performance and user experience.
Related thoughts
