Lighting
Meet Richard, a lighting engineer/consultant…
I chose Arup because of its long history of groundbreaking work as well as the global nature of the firm. Being able to grow professionally and personally by working alongside colleagues from all over the word is a tremendous opportunity. Most importantly, Arup provided me with the opportunity to continue working in theatre design as well as architectural lighting through its emphasis on interdisciplinary design.
Despite working for both the venue and lighting groups, many of the tasks I undertake are very similar. These can include developing the performance equipment needs of a new opera house, compiling conceptual lighting design imagery for a new retail development or calculating the power consumption for the lighting of an exhibit hall. Also, meeting with the end users of a new venue or working closely with the project architect on detail coordination are requirements of working in both groups.
I am currently working on an exhibit at the Museum of Modern Art in New York, discussing modular building techniques for homes utilizing all LED lighting, a hotel development in Abu Dhabi with a facade lighting design scheme that requires more than 20,000 channels of control, and new production studios for a national broadcasting company.
Coming from a background in theatre, where collaboration is the key to any successful production, Arup’s emphasis on an interdisciplinary design approach means I spend my day working alongside acousticians, electrical and structural engineers, and code consultants all within the same office. Not a day goes by that I don’t learn something new or gain a fresh perspective on a problem from someone in a different group.
What do lighting engineers and designers at Arup do?
Lighting designers at Arup work towards providing integrated design solutions for projects. This work includes developing their skills as architectural lighting designers and daylighting designers. The integrated solutions may involve only daylighting analysis through the design, but may also incorporate architectural (electric) lighting and lighting controls.
What would my first few years be like?
The following description lists a fairly typical approach to foundational training in your discipline; however business needs, project task availability, and your training interests will also influence the scope and order of training.
For your first six months, you will learn the basics with regards to the analysis tools used in the profession through on-the-job training and appropriate coursework, including:
- A variety of analyses for any different space, building or system types (such as typical architectural and daylighting programs)
- Arup electrical standards and symbols
- AutoCAD and/or Arup CAD standards
- 3D AutoCAD
- Lighting calculation software
- How to use Arup skills networks
- Learning to navigate through codes and/or guidelines
The typical tasks you will perform will be as follows:
- Lighting calculations (architectural and daylighting)
- Producing lighting models, including building computer and physical models (3D and 2D)
- Assigning circuitry for power and lighting devices
- Report writing
- Working on projects using 3D AutoCAD
- Giving structure to ideas – lots of “taking a first pass” at spreadsheets, reports and analyses for discussion later, rather than instruction
- Attending meetings and learning from listening, asking questions and discussion
- Working with people from other disciplines and/or vendors to gain knowledge on new subjects
- Attending meetings – listening and asking questions. Being involved in discussions with other disciplines and architects to gain knowledge and experience
In the first six months, you will work to develop lighting modeling skills, or design presentation techniques.
During your second six months, you will learn both drawing production skills and report production skills on-the-job. You will continue to learn about lighting software and how to perform lighting and energy calculations, both manually and with software. The tasks you will perform include putting together simple layout drawings, calculations and reports. You will also learn to prepare energy analysis forms based on ASHRAE 90.1 or California T-24 energy code, as applicable.
For the first half of your second year, you will learn about multidisciplinary design as an on-the-job introductory course and through external part-time courses. You will also assist in a multidisciplinary project and put together lighting layout drawings, including equipment selection and luminaire details.
For the latter half of your second year, you will start to understand the construction industry as well as perform project site visits. You will assist in construction administration such as contractor submittal review and addressing contractor questions. You will continue the development of your detailed design, modeling and engineering design skills, as learned in your first 18 months, and you will begin to teach skills to new graduates.
Want to join us?
The ideal candidate for an entry-level position would have the following characteristics:
Technical abilities
| Necessary | Preferred |
| BA, MA, BSc or MSc in Architectural or Interior Design, Lighting, or Architectural Engineering | 3.2 GPA or higher, Master’s degree |
| Coursework in architectural or lighting systems design, and / or building systems design | |
| Core interest in the lighting design industry with an emphasis on the daylighting or architectural lighting design | Internship experience in a consulting firm with emphasis on electrical design. Academic research or testing with relevant focus. Membership in IEEE, IES |
| MS word, Excel, AGI 32 etc. | Experience with AutoCAD, Radiance and technical writing |
Intangible and interpersonal characteristics
| Necessary | Preferred |
| Proven interest in the built-environment | Evidence of past internship or extracurricular activity in the field |
| Good time management habits, ability to multi-task, ability to sustain focus on long tasks | Proven ability to perform in a paid work environment with intermittent supervision |
| Ability to communicate thoughts and technical ideas in an accessible way | Past history of technical presentations and technical writing |
| Attitude of taking initiative, enthusiasm, eagerness to learn, teamwork and creativity | Evidence of personal investment in academic or extracurricular field |
Click here to apply for a Graduate Lighting Design position with Arup.
