Healing Light: The Biological and Sociological Effects of Lighting

Beyond just illumination, light can create mood, enhance color, and focus on design features. But light is so much more than that. It is an active participant in a space and has specific effects on the body and perception. Light can heal or harm, motivate or dissuade. How does lighting in an interior make us feel and why?

For our annual panel on accessible design to commemorate the passage of the ADA, we will investigate the power of light in terms of wellness, accessibility and equity, hearing from designers and researchers about lighting applications across project types.

In addition, participants will be invited to explore several immersive experiences installed at the Center for Architecture which demonstrate the latest research in lighting applications. Please join us for this hands-on experience with “Healing Light.”

5:00–6:00 pm: Visit immersive lighting experiences (ground floor and lower level)
6:00–6:15 pm: Welcome and introductions
6:15–7:15 pm: Panel discussion and moderated Q & A
7:15–8:00 pm: Visit immersive lighting experiences and networking

Speakers:
Natalia Lesniak, Lighting Designer, Lumen Architecture
Erica Voss, Founder and CEO, Good Lux
Jean-Gabriel Neukomm, Founding Principal, JG Neukomm Architecture

About the Speakers:
Architectural lighting designer Natalia Lesniak is a multidisciplinary practitioner with a background and education in the arts and sciences, from the Cooper Union School of Art and the Lighting Research Center at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. She has worked on experiments and research that focus on the impact of light on circadian rhythms, cognitive performance, and the development of research based light therapy and design strategies. As a designer she works on a range of residential, office, hospitality, retail, and other commercial projects. She advises on the application of circadian research and the WELL Building Standard in architectural lighting.

Erica Voss is the founder of Good Lux, a wellness lighting consultancy dedicated to the education and development of strategies that allow architects, interior designers and lighting professionals to design healthier spaces and analyze lighting performance for wellness. With over a decade of experience in wellness lighting, she has spent the last six years contributing to wellness research, advising designers and engineers on transformative projects, and creating programs to educate architects, interior designers, and lighting professionals about the wellness of wellness lighting. Voss is the co-author of the 2022 Frontiers in Neuroscience paper entitled “Biologically Relevant Lighting: An Industry Perspective” and continues to expand the conversation around light and well-being through wellness lighting blogs and professional lighting articles.

Jean-Gabriel Neukomm is the founding principal of JG Neukomm Architecture, a firm distinguished by designing timeless and beautiful buildings, interiors, and objects. For over 25 years, Neukomm has crafted a diverse portfolio that encompasses luxury residential, institutional, hospitality, and retail projects. His projects include partnerships on high-profile homes, as well as The Core Club in midtown Manhattan. Neukomm has designed multi-residential and urban development projects in Miami, Los Angeles, Washington, DC, and New York. Noteworthy designs include a luxury hotel in lower Manhattan and a boutique gallery tower in the West Village. Retail stores he has designed span the globe and include giants like Calvin Klein Collection, Tiffany & Co. and Pringle of Scotland.