Suggestions

    Paul Gunawan

    Light must create emotions and excitement. It's about giving value to the building, communicating a positive message.”

    Interview by Jean-Luc Wittersheim

    Paul Gunawan
    Paul Gunawan © Cédric Helsly


    Lighting significantly influences our wellbeing and the values of a building, argues Indonesian designer Paul Gunawan. He foresees a future in which architectural beauty is enhanced and residents feel more comfortable.

    Where did your passion for lighting come from?
    My parents worked in design and art, which trained me to see objects with different light compositions. Then I became interested in photography, which taught me how lighting affects objects in terms of color and intensity. Next I studied building physics, where I learned about lighting design and acoustics in addition to other architectural matters. I also love drawing, and started painting when I was still very little, which interested me in light and what it affects.

     

    What are the challenges for the future of your profession?
    I would like to see more standardized terms or standardized quality in lighting. Now, it's like a jungle where there are no real common values. Another emerging challenge is how lighting can be tailored to each person's preferences.  We should customize ambient lighting, as we do with smartphones, so that you select what you need, and what you don't. I would love to see lighting become more integrated into materials, so that it becomes an integral part of the building's architecture and space rather than an additional element.

     

    To what extent does lighting influence the perception of a building?

    Light must create emotions and excitement. It's about giving value to the building, communicating a positive message, so that people passing by say: "Wow, there's something going on here". The light "sells" the building and its purpose even before you enter it. For this reason, there are many studies to be carried out in advance: what techniques and materials will you use? What brightness and what power to install? How far should the light extend and at what pitch? What should the data transfer speed be? You need to deal with all this while also taking into account the building's functions, its architectural design, and the environment.

    PIK Avenue, Jakarta, Indonesia - PTI Architects - Litac Consultant © Cédric Helsly
    PIK Avenue, Jakarta, Indonesia - PTI Architects - Litac Consultant © Cédric Helsly
    PIK Avenue, Jakarta, Indonesia - PTI Architects - Litac Consultant © Cédric Helsly
    PIK Avenue, Jakarta, Indonesia - PTI Architects - Litac Consultant © Cédric Helsly
    PIK Avenue, Jakarta, Indonesia - PTI Architects - Litac Consultant © Cédric Helsly
    PIK Avenue, Jakarta, Indonesia - PTI Architects - Litac Consultant © Cédric Helsly
    This is an excerpt from our exclusive interview with Paul Gunawan in Luminous magazine

    You may also like

    • Galina Zbrizher

      Galina Zbrizher

      Lighting designer Galina Zbrizher started working in the lighting industry when lighting design and technologies were still in early stages of development.

    • Nelson Thomas

      Nelson Thomas

      Nelson Thomas, Electrical Engineering Associate Director at PACE's head office in Kuwait, believes harmonious integration of natural and artificial lighting is key to sustainable design.

    • Peter Hugh

      Peter Hugh

      Peter Hugh was a lighting design leader before taking the bold step of opening his own lighting design firm eighteen years ago.

    We'd love to hear from you