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Lighting Design Lab

The Lighting Design Lab, based on the Aalborg University's campus in Copenhagen, has as its mission to contribute to new and improved ways in which we design and perceive light in the better built environments of tomorrow.

Lighting Design Lab

The Lighting Design Lab, based on the Aalborg University's campus in Copenhagen, has as its mission to contribute to new and improved ways in which we design and perceive light in the better built environments of tomorrow.

The Lighting Design Lab combines research from architecture, engineering and technology in a human-centric approach to lighting solutions that seek to improve our built environment with applied knowledge of lighting design.

Research in lighting solutions for real-life 

Researchers, private business partners, municipalities and graduate students team up to solve relevant societal problems. In this transdisciplinary approach, the learning process of analyzing, making, implementing and testing is created in real-life scenarios such as:

  • hospitals
  • schools
  • public spaces and events.

Experiments through scale models, photo-realistic simulations and 1:1 dynamic lighting design mock-ups on site, are developed to study how light can affect people in different environments.

Wide range of scientific methods

The scientific experiments address these needs through:

  • architectural contextual analysis
  • concept design and development
  • prototyping
  • information technology and programming
  • autonomous controlled lighting
  • technical hardware solutions

The hardware solutions include sensors, thermal camera tracking, EEG, smartphone applications, and anthropological qualitative research methodologies.

From lighting in nursing homes to light polution

Current research activities include projects spanning from

  • circadian rhythm lighting in nursing homes
  • public lighting installations for municipalities
  • smart city applications of sensor technologies
  • light pollution
  • combining daylight and dynamic artificial lighting to improve well-being, productivity and sustainability.

To achieve these aims, unified, scientific, research methods are being developed, by combining architectural, engineering, anthropological and media technological elements in designing with light.

Ellen Kathrine Hansen
Research Group leader
Lighting Design Lab
ekh@create.aau.dk
9940 2086

We aim to find new ways of designing with light, ways that consider the needs of people and the planet, working with research and implementation in practice.