Department ofArchitecture

DegreeProgramme

ArchitecturalLighting Design

Fordirect access to the pages of the curriculum in Architectural Lighting Design,please click the "Department of Architecture" link above.

Lighting is an integral part of architecture and interior architecture. Forthis reason, working with this element poses creative as well as technical challenges.To meet the demands of this new field, the task of lighting planning should beperformed by lighting designers and not simply assigned to electrical engineersand architects.

Light enables us to perceive our environment, to see and to create pleasantliving and working conditions. However, it can also generate a particularatmosphere within a room; the ways in which it is expressed can satisfyspecific requirements.

It is clear from these various requirements that lighting planning ranks as a separatevocational field. Establishing an internationally recognised profession – thatof the lighting designer – requires a specific course of study which, for thereasons outlined above, is particularly suitable for those who have completedprogrammes in architecture, interior architecture, design, electricalengineering and related disciplines.

Final qualification: Master of ArchitecturalLighting Design

Programmeduration: 4 semesters

Start: Wintersemester: 1st September

General Admission Requirements:
Bachelor’s degree or engineering diploma in architecture, interiorarchitecture, design or electrical engineering (final grade >2.3).

Competency in English is a prerequisite for the Master’s programme; knowledgeof German is recommended.

Additional Admission Requirements:
Since the course is taught in English, a high level of familiarity withthe English language is necessary. Candidates with a limited knowledge ofEnglish may be admitted under certain circumstances.
Some vocational experience in architecture, design or electrical engineering isrecommended before commencing the Master’s programme.

Basic curriculum:
Through application-based instruction, this degree programme developsstudents’ abilities in creative design and provides a scientific and technicaleducational framework.

In relating their study to lighting and buildings, lighting designers trainedin this way examine the photometric and physical assessment criteria of goodlighting quality; they also become familiar with factors critical to thewell-being and individual perception of people.

For example, when planning in conjunction with daylight to address theemotional needs of individuals, the adequate dimensioning of windows andskylights to synchronise the natural rhythm of light is as important as visualcontact to the exterior. For the same reason, the level of brightness neededfor seeing and perceiving is not the only consideration when planning withartificial light; it is also necessary to define the type of lighting and the proportionof brightness required to create a sense of well-being.

This programme never regards lighting in isolation; as with architecture,lighting must integrate with complex relationships in terms of form, colour andthe choice of materials.

Students also examine the psychological and physiological bases of perceptionin order to develop creative planning competence that builds on theirelectrical and technical knowledge of lighting. The course has a practicaloutlook that aims to provide students with a vocational qualification, therebyenabling participants to perform design tasks in the field of daylight andartificial light planning.

By developing the required specialist knowledge in the area of lightingplanning, students who complete the Master of Architectural Lighting Designwill be qualified to work in all areas of lighting planning.

Main curriculum:

Practical semester:
3rd semester --> Compulsory semester of study abroad

Diploma semester:
4th semester --> Master of Architectural Lighting Design

Areas of application:
The lighting designer works in the area between the threshold of visionand the emotional manipulation of light, taking account of aestheticconsiderations. This element of expression is the difference between theconventional planner and the lighting designer, and is also the reason why itis necessary to incorporate lighting designers into the planning process at anearly stage.

Areas of application arise from the need to communicate messages using light.It is possible for a lighting designer to work on a freelance basis or as asalaried employee in a lighting planning office.

Link to Department ofArchitecture